Chapter 1

My Alpha mate, Cain Ashford, cheated on me. With the very Omega I'd kindly taken in.

Six months ago, at the Pack ceremony, a video was projected onto the big screen. I felt the blood drain from my body in a single heartbeat. Hundreds of eyes looked at the screen first, then at me.

I made a scene. Forced Cain to swear in front of the entire Pack Alliance assembly that he would cut ties with Vivienne.

The scandal spread to every pack. Everyone was talking about the Luna of Ashford Pack — the one whose Alpha had humiliated her.

He made his vow. And yes, he came back.

The first time we attended a multi-pack banquet together after our so-called reconciliation, a Luna who'd always had it in for me stepped into my path. She held her wine glass with a razor-sharp smile.

"Wren, what exactly are you so proud of? You threw a fit across the whole pack — catching your mate in the act, making sure every last person saw that video. What kind of Luna makes a spectacle of herself like that?"

"Your Alpha had a moment of weakness with an Omega. He didn't even mark her. And you went nuclear over it? Cain must've done something truly terrible in a past life to end up with a Luna like you."

The banquet hall went dead silent. Alphas from every pack turned to watch — some curious, some savoring every second of it. Their gazes were frost.

I turned to Cain. Waiting for him to speak. A denial. A defense. Even a single word.

He lowered his eyes and said nothing.

As if he were listening to something that had absolutely nothing to do with him.

Something inside my head shattered.

On the drive from the banquet back to the pack house, I finally lost it.

"Cain! She humiliated me in front of all those people. Why didn't you say a single word? You just stood there and watched her twist the knife?"

The car stopped.

He rolled down the window. Night air flooded in. He let out a long breath, like he could finally breathe again.

"Wren, I came back. What more do you want from me?"

He turned to look at me. Every trace of restrained tenderness had been stripped from his eyes. Only exhaustion remained.

"It was one moment of weakness. One mistake. You're the one who blew it up. You're the one who drove her out. And you still won't let it go — is that it?"

One moment of weakness. One mistake.

I closed my eyes, and the images came flooding back.

The lace underwear Vivienne left on his back seat. The matching pair of moonstone bracelets he bought her — identical to the one on his wrist. That video at the ceremony, hundreds of people watching as he pressed down on her shoulders and she tilted her head back, calling his name.

And through all of it, Cain only ever admitted to "one moment of weakness." Everything else, he denied.

I opened my mouth, ready to throw every piece of evidence in his face the way I always had. But in the end, not a single word came out.

What would be the point?

His body had come back to me. His heart never did.

A few days later, I saw Vivienne at the market on the edge of pack territory.

She looked nothing like the polished woman she'd been at Cain's side. Her clothes were faded and worn. She'd lost a shocking amount of weight, doing the lowest grunt work in a small shop.

All because she accidentally knocked over a shelf, the shop owner screamed at her in front of everyone — and then raised his hand.

Before the slap could land, Cain appeared out of nowhere.

He seized the man's wrist. His Alpha dominance poured out without restraint. The shop owner's knees buckled and he dropped straight to the ground.

I had never seen Cain use that level of dominance on anyone.

Three years ago, I was attacked by rogue wolves. Nearly died from the injuries. When Cain arrived, his expression was cold and composed. He directed the rescue with perfect efficiency, not once losing control.

Today, he nearly lost it — because an Omega got slapped.

I called a car, expressionless, and left.

That night, he brought Vivienne back to the pack house.

He stood before me, and for the first time, I heard something I'd never heard in his voice — a raw, desperate plea.

"Wren, Vivienne escaped from her old pack. From a sadistic Alpha. You were the one who took her in, gave her a place in Ashford Pack. After the scandal, she was cast out. No pack would have her. She's been doing the lowest work she can find. A few days ago, rogue wolves nearly took her — to sell her."

"What happened between us is over. But I can't just stand by and watch her die."

"So let her stay. Please… just try to understand."

I looked at the arm he held in front of Vivienne, shielding her. And I laughed.

"Sure."

"Since you say there's nothing between you two, go to the pack's sacred grounds and complete the Moon Goddess's Alpha Trial. If she receives the Moon Goddess's blessing, I'll agree to let her stay."

The Alpha Trial. How many Alphas — powerful, untouchable Alphas — had walked in and never walked out.

Cain looked at me.

No hesitation. Not a single question.

He turned and walked away, striding toward the sacred grounds.

Behind him, Vivienne collapsed to her knees, clutching the hem of my clothes, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Luna, don't — please don't make him go. It's my fault. I'll leave right now. Please don't do this to him…"

Cain's Alpha friends crowded in front of me, each one more agitated than the last.

"Wren! Cain's been good enough to you! Seven years — when has he ever not given you what you wanted? So he made one mistake. What powerful Alpha doesn't have an Omega or two on the side? Who are you to gamble with his life?"

"Exactly! He already apologized publicly at the Pack Alliance assembly. That's not enough for you? You won't be happy until he's dead?"

I said nothing.

Vivienne tore free from the hands holding her back and ran toward the sacred grounds.

She ran, looking back over her shoulder, screaming: "Cain! I'm going with you! If you die, I won't live either!"

I stood there watching her figure disappear into the distance. The wind was strong. It scattered tears I didn't know I'd been shedding.

Seven days.

The butler approached me, his face taut with tension. "Luna, the trial… it's over."

I went downstairs.

Cain was covered in wounds, his face white as paper, on the verge of collapse.

But Vivienne was secure in his arms.

Not a scratch on her.

He looked up at me. After seven days of hell, his eyes were startlingly clear. And floating in that clarity was a thin, cold edge of mockery.

"Satisfied, Wren?"

My nails dug deep into my palms.

"Satisfied."

Then, very quietly, I said one more thing.

"Cain, I'm letting you go."

The wind was too loud. He didn't hear me.

Almost in the same second, my phone lit up. An official notification from the Alpha Council filled the screen:

[Luna Wren, the Mate Bond dissolution documents you commissioned have been prepared. They will take effect immediately upon signature by both parties.]