Chapter 1

My Alpha husband, Ethan Smith, still had his hand resting on my crippled stepsister Ann’s slightly swollen belly.

That scene, like a sharp claw, fiercely grabbed my eyes.

“Nora, don’t be mad at Ethan.”

Ann was half-reclined on the bed, pale, docile, harmless—like a young wolf that needed protecting.

“The Pack doctor said I’m weak, and my wolf soul isn’t stable.”

“Ethan only hid it from you because he was afraid something might happen to me… or to the pup.”

She looked up at me, voice soft and considerate.

“We’re doing this for your own good. You’ve been Luna for so many years, but you still haven’t had a pup. People in the Pack talk, you know. It’s not good for your reputation.”

As she spoke, she even patted the back of my hand, intimate as if we were close.

“When the pup is born, we’ll register him under your name.”

“Have him call you Mom, okay?”

Before I could say anything, my father cleared his throat and put on his Elder-of-the-Pack face.

“Nora!”

“Ann is carrying Alpha blood—our heir, the Pack’s future!”

“Your sister is fragile, and yet she’s willing to take the risk for you and for the Pack. And instead of being grateful, you’re standing there with that dead expression. Who are you putting on a show for?”

Ethan finally lifted his hand from Ann’s belly and walked toward me.

He reached for my hand.

I shifted aside and avoided him.

His hand froze in midair.

“Nora,” he said quietly, his tone like he was holding himself back, “we’ve been mates for years. Don’t you understand me by now?”

“I’m doing all of this for you and for this Pack.”

“I can’t let people whisper behind your back that you, as Luna… can’t give the Pack an heir.”

I looked at him, and not a single word came out.

When I stayed silent, Ethan’s patience snapped.

He tugged at his collar, irritation flaring, Alpha scent pushing outward in a faint press.

“Enough. Stop making a scene.”

“I had the nanny prepare dinner. Consider it a celebration.”

“As Luna, you should at least make a statement.”

After he said that, he turned and helped Ann up, so gentle it felt unfamiliar.

“Ann, what do you feel like eating?”

“I’ll have the kitchen make it.”

Ann leaned into his arms, weak as a little beast that depended on her Alpha, and whispered in a spoiled little murmur,

“I want moon-infused broth… and I want you to feed me yourself.”

“Okay.”

“Whatever you want.”

They flirted with each other like I wasn’t even there, like I was just furniture shoved into a corner.

I stood there, unnecessary to the point of being ridiculous.

Just then, the Pack doctor, Mr. Jones, walked in with his medical bag.

His face was glowing with excitement as he pulled out a parchment-like exam record from the bag.

“Alpha Ethan, Elder—great news!”

He handed the record to Ethan, his voice booming.

“This pregnancy is extremely stable.”

“The wolf-soul fluctuations indicate a male pup.”

“Congratulations, Alpha. The Pack’s succession is secured!”

Ethan lowered his head and kissed Ann hard on the forehead.

My father’s face flushed red with excitement.

Mr. Jones turned to me, his smile edged with pity.

“Luna, don’t be too upset.”

“You haven’t been able to conceive for so long, having Ann bear one in your place is, by Pack law, the same.”

The laughter filling the room was like countless needles stabbing into my eardrums.

I gripped my phone so hard my nails sank into my palm.

Ethan held up the record and stepped in front of me.

“Nora, look.”

“He’s so healthy.”

“From now on, he’s our pup.”

My father immediately added, as if it were the most natural thing in the world,

“Of course, Nora, he may be registered under your name, but blood is blood. He’ll still call Ann Mother.”

They were as certain as ever.

Certain I would submit.

Certain I would swallow every injustice for the so-called ‘greater good of the Pack.’

Just like the day of my mother’s funeral, when my father brought a girl back to the territory, a girl only half a year younger than me.

He said she was an old friend’s daughter.

But that face looked ninety-nine percent like his.

Just like when Ethan said he wanted an heir, and I tried every forbidden drug and ritual I could find.

Even though I’d told him before we ever signed the mate contract—

my body couldn’t handle long-term stimulation, and my wolf soul wasn’t suited for pregnancy.

Only because seven years ago…

I made a vow at my mother’s bedside, where her scent still lingered.

To steady the Pack for my weak father.

To push Ethan, the man with nothing, onto the Alpha throne.

To my mother—

this Pack was love.

Ethan was a debt.

A final obsession she couldn’t let go of before she died.

But to me?

It was nothing but a contract that should’ve ended a long time ago.

And now, the seven years were up.

Looking around, I realized—

there was nothing here worth staying for anymore.