Chapter 1.

STACY.

“Can you please move that vase a little to the left?” I give instructions to one of the omega servants present in the room.

“Yes my lady,” she replies politely with a nod as she moves the vase.

The air is buzzing with excitement as I make my way around the dining room, ensuring every detail is perfect. The aroma of roasted lamb and honey-glazed vegetables mingles with the sweet scent of wildflowers I’d carefully arranged on the long table fill my home.

Everything has to be flawless tonight. I’ve waited for this moment—my son’s naming ceremony—since the day I married my fated mate Jason Barron, the Alpha of Midnight Pack two years ago.

Tonight, I finally present my newborn son to my in-laws and the two elders, as the future Alpha.

"That should do it," I whisper to myself, smoothing the edge of the tablecloth. My eyes drift to the centerpiece—Jason’s favorite white orchids intertwined with emerald vines. It’s perfect.

"Everything looks perfect Luna, you should get ready for your guests now," my head omega servant says softly from behind me, her voice filled with a mix of respect and urgency.

I turn to her and smile, gratitude swelling in my chest. "Thank you Ava. I’ll head up now."

With one last glance around the room, I dash upstairs, my heart fluttering with anticipation. As I step into my bedroom, the soft coos of my son greet me. "There’s my little warrior," I whisper, cradling him gently in my arms. His bright blue eyes, so much like Jason’s, blink up at me.

"Tonight, you meet grandma and grandpa as they give you your name." I say to him but he blinks innocently unaware of what was going on around him.

I quickly shift my attention to dress him in the tiny white ceremonial robe that has been in Jason’s family for generations.

"You look like a prince," I murmur, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead and place him on my bed. Then I turn to the mirror, quickly fixing my hair and wearing the pink silken dress I’ve chosen for the evening.

But as I adjust the necklace Jason gave me on our wedding day, a small knot of worry forms in my stomach. I’ve tried calling him several times, but he hasn’t answered.

‘He must be busy,’ I tell myself. Jason is a responsible Alpha, and running the largest pack in the southern region comes with its pressures…

By the time I descend the stairs with the baby in my arms, my special guests have already begun to arrive. I greet them with warm smiles and polite small talk, but my eyes keep flickering to the doorway, expecting Jason to walk through at any moment.

"Luna Stacy, you’ve outdone yourself," Jason’s mother, Linda says as she kisses me on the cheek. She is a kind loving person.

"I’m just glad you could all make it," I reply, my smile faltering slightly as I notice Alpha John, my father-in-law’s stern gaze flicker to the clock. His is the opposite of his wife.

“What's keeping Jason so long, doesn't he know we are waiting on him?” Alpha John asks sternly.

I only mange to offer a sincere apology smile…I'm starting to get angry at my husband as well but I keep it together.

He knows what today is, so what was keeping him busy upto now?

Minutes pass, each one stretching longer than the last. My hand tightens around my son’s tiny fingers as the knot in my stomach grows. I force myself to laugh at a joke one of the elders makes, though my thoughts are elsewhere…

“If Jason doesn't walk through that door in the next five minutes, I'm sorry Stacy but we are leaving… This is so disrespectful even if he is Alpha,” John says with veins popping out of the side of his neck. I knew he had lost the patience to wait for his son.

“Oh come on darling, we are not here for Jason but our grandpup,” Linda tries to remind her husband but he just looks like he was ready to walk out of the house five minutes ago.

My anxiety starts to get the best of me, I bite back my lips… He better have a good explanation why he is late. I offer a refill to everyone's drinks but everyone refuses.

They had each ten glasses or more of their drinks while we waited. I can't blame them if they have had enough.

I forced a smile when finally, the front door creaks open, and my heart leaps as my mate's intoxicating scent reach my nose. But the sight that greets me turns my blood cold.

Jason dressed in his navy blue suit walks in, his arm wrapped around a beautiful woman with flowing red hair, her eyes alight with something akin to mischief.

I immediately get up from my seat, "Jason, honey…I didn't know we are having an extra guest?" My voice falters as the room falls into an uneasy silence. All eyes are on the Alpha as he leads the strange woman to the center of the room.

"Stacy," Jason begins, his tone devoid of the warmth I’m used to. "I have an announcement to make."

“It better be an important one for keeping us waiting,” his father growls but Jason pays no attention to him like wasn't in the room.

My heart pounds in my chest, each beat more frantic than the last.

“We are listening son,” Linda says as she tries to diffuse the growing tension in the room.

"I’m divorcing Stacy," Jason announces, his voice unwavering, "to marry Nicole Cruz, my childhood sweetheart." He points to the woman standing next to him who smiles and waves at everyone in the room with a crimson smile.

My world tilts on its axis. The words echo in my mind, louder and louder until they drown out everything else.

What is going on??

My throat tightens, the air around me thickening as if the walls themselves are closing in.

"But why?" I whisper, my voice barely audible, even to myself. I'm unable to believe his betrayal.

Jason doesn’t even glance at the child in my arms. "Because this has been a long time coming, Stacy. I’ve only stayed this long out of obligation and not love."

My legs tremble, my grip on my son tightening as I struggle to keep my composure.

What does Jason mean he only stayed out of obligation. We are fated mates. We love each other. I want to scream, to demand answers, to make sense of the betrayal unfolding before my eyes. But the words won’t come. All I can do is stand there, frozen in place, as my perfect evening shatters into a million pieces.