Chapter 1

At the full moon banquet, I slipped away from the Alphas trying to court me and drifted, bored, into a corner.

I was the daughter of the Ashford Pack Alpha — the most beautiful she-wolf in the entire southern territory. Alphas lined up to pursue me, and I couldn't be bothered to give any of them a second glance.

My best friend Emily appeared at my side, her eyes glinting with mischief. "Seraphina, I've got a bet for you. Think you can make my brother fall for you? Win, and I'll give you my mother's healing moonstone necklace. Lose, and you hand over that limited-edition sports car you love so much."

I raised an eyebrow. I'd been coveting that moonstone necklace for a long time. A rare gem said to accelerate a werewolf's healing — and there was only one like it in the entire territory.

I glanced across the hall to where Kieran Frost stood.

He was speaking quietly with a few other Alphas, his fitted black suit outlining a long, lean frame.

Everyone in the werewolf territory knew it: the Alpha of Frost Pack had never marked a single she-wolf.

Countless beautiful she-wolves had tried to get into his bed. Every last one had been turned away cold.

"Deal." I lifted my chin and drained my glass in one swallow.

That night, while I was patrolling the territory borders, I caught the scent of blood.

In the moonlight, a massive wolf was writhing in pain.

Kieran Frost.

He'd been poisoned with silver. The moment I got close, I could feel the scorching heat radiating off his body.

Leave it any longer, and even an Alpha would die.

I shifted quickly, bit open my own foreleg, and let my blood drip into his open wolf's mouth.

White wolf blood is a natural antidote — and I was the only white wolf in the entire territory.

But I realized almost immediately that something was wrong. The silver poisoning had triggered his heat.

He lunged before I could react.

Massive wolf paws pinned my body down. His burning breath fanned across the side of my neck.

I tried to pull free. He held me down completely.

His teeth closed on the back of my neck — exactly where a wolf marks their mate.

My whole body went rigid.

But he didn't bite down. He stayed there, a low, broken whimper rising from deep in his throat, like he was holding himself back from something.

On the moonlit grass, we stayed tangled together until dawn.

When I woke, I was back in human form.

His suit jacket was draped over my shoulders. His shirt was beneath me.

Kieran stood a short distance away, his back to me.

"About last night—" he started.

"I know." I cut him off, stood up, and pulled the jacket tighter around myself. "It was just the heat. Don't worry about it."

He turned. His expression was complicated. "Your blood saved my life."

"Then you owe me one." I walked up to him and looked up at his face with a light smile. "When are you going to pay it back?"

He was quiet for a moment. "What do you want?"

"Haven't decided yet." I smiled. "I'll let you know when I figure it out."

For the two years that followed, he was, in his way, repaying that debt.

Every time I wanted him, one message was all it took. He came running.

After a while, he was the one who couldn't get enough.

On the long conference table in the pack meeting room, he pinned me down against the papers.

In the woods of the deep forest hunting grounds, he caught me behind a tree and claimed my lips.

In every room of his private estate, we left traces of ourselves behind.

I gradually fell in love with him during countless intimate moments.

I thought this Alpha, so icy to everyone else, had fallen for me too.

Tonight, I received a gift box he'd sent over.

Inside was a set of black lace lingerie.

I put it on and studied myself in the mirror. The lace traced every curve of my body — seductive and undeniable.

I knew he liked this.

The study door wasn't fully closed. I was about to push it open when I heard voices inside.

"Alpha, it's time to announce who will be Luna." The Elder's voice. "Miss Seraphina has been by your side for two years now. According to pack tradition—"

Kieran's voice was cold. "She won't be Luna."

My hand froze on the door handle.

"But she's the Alpha's daughter of Ashford Pack," the Elder pressed. "And her white wolf bloodline—"

"Enough." Kieran cut him off. "She and I were just having fun."

My heart clenched like a fist had closed around it.

The gentle moments played back through my mind, one after another.

Him grooming my fur — his touch so careful, like he was handling something precious.

Him shifting into wolf form in the moonlight and carrying me on his back, letting me see every corner of the territory.

Him holding me through a thunderstorm, murmuring quietly that I didn't need to be afraid.

The Elder was quiet for a moment. "And your first love? When you two separated, she asked for two years apart to try other partners. Those two years are up now. Isn't it time for her to come back?"

"Yes." Warmth finally crept into Kieran's voice. "It's time for her to come back."

His first love?

I was just his experiment while he "tried someone else"?

My hands were shaking as I pushed the door open.

Kieran's gaze dropped to the lingerie visible beneath my coat. Something flickered in his eyes — want — then went out just as quickly.

The Elder turned instinctively to look at me. Kieran stepped forward, putting himself between us.

"Out." He said it to the Elder without looking at him.

The Elder sighed and left.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" I forced my voice steady.

Kieran stood, walked to the bar cart, and poured himself a whiskey.

"Nothing to explain." He took a sip. "You know what this is between us."

"Fuck buddy?" I stepped closer. "So for two years, that's all I've been to you?"

"Wasn't that what it was?" He turned and looked at me. "I know about your bet with Emily. The healing necklace, wagering whether you could get me."

My breath caught. "You—"

"Of course I knew." He paused. "I was playing along."

He pulled a cheque from the drawer. "Consider this compensation. Two years of being available whenever I called — you've earned it."

"I wasn't—" My shaking hand pushed it away. I grabbed the hem of his shirt.

"Wasn't what?" He frowned. He'd never seen me like this before — so fragile.

"Just playing around." I heard my own voice trembling. "My wolf chose you."

Kieran went still. His mouth opened like he was about to say something — and then his phone buzzed.

A message: Kieran, I'm back.

Kieran looked at me in silence. Moonlight poured through the window, casting shadows across his face.

"But mine didn't." Kieran got to his feet. "This ends here."

He calmly pushed my hand away, turned, and walked out of the study.

I stood there, staring at my reflection in the mirror — at myself in that lingerie.

For the first time, I felt like I was the punchline of a joke.