Chapter 1

Three days before the Mating Ceremony, I was lying in bed, ready for Ethan to mark me, when my fingers brushed against something buried under the sheets — an earring that wasn't mine.

My heart sank. I shoved Ethan away before he could put his mark on my neck and held up the earring.

"This isn't mine. You brought another woman into our bed?"

The moment he saw it, his expression froze. He knew there was no hiding it anymore, so he let out a sigh and came clean.

"That time you left last month for the business trip — I slept with Sophie."

I'd already suspected something, but hearing him admit it still hit me like a knife to the chest.

"But Vivian, don't worry. She doesn't mean anything. It was just a fling. You're the one I love."

He leaned in, trying to pick up where he'd left off.

But the moment he got close, all I felt was nausea. On this very bed, the man I loved had been with another she-wolf. And now he was trying to kiss me with the same lips that had touched her.

I shoved him hard. He lost his balance and tumbled off the bed, staring up at me in disbelief.

"What's your problem? I told you, it was nothing. Every Alpha has a side piece or two. Why can't you handle it?"

The look on his face — like he'd done nothing wrong — made my blood run cold.

No. I couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle the betrayal of the man I loved — especially not when the other woman was someone I'd put through school.

They'd been in my bed, behind my back. Even now, just three days before our Mating Ceremony, they were still tangled up together.

Ethan got to his feet and switched to a softer tone in an instant. "Relax. Sophie's just on the side. She's no threat to your position as Luna."

"Now let me mark you. You'll feel better once it's done."

I stood up and refused. "I'm not feeling well tonight. Some other time."

I walked to the guest room, locked the door, slid to the floor, and curled into myself. Tears fell one by one onto the cold tile.

I couldn't believe it. The man I'd loved for eight years had betrayed me.

I didn't sleep at all that night. At dawn, a knock came at the door.

I opened it to find Sophie standing there in a white dress.

She was pretty — and she had the one thing I didn't: youth.

She greeted me politely and got straight to the point. "I left my earring at your place. Mind if I come in to get it?"

Her voice was calm, but I could hear the provocation underneath.

I took a deep breath and forced down my rage. "Sophie, you know what you did. I treated you well. I paid for your education, got you a job at Ethan's company after graduation. And this is how you repay me?"

Sophie's body trembled. Her eyes welled up instantly, and she looked up at me with that pitiful expression. "No, I never meant to steal Ethan from you. You have everything. But I'm an orphan — Ethan is all I have now."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..."

She crouched on the ground, sobbing loudly. The noise brought Ethan running. He saw Sophie crying her eyes out, assumed I was bullying her, shoved me aside, and pulled her into his arms — comforting her with one hand while pointing blame at me with the other.

"Vivian, what the hell are you doing? You know Sophie has depression. Are you trying to push her over the edge?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Depression? She didn't seem too depressed when she was in my mate's bed."

"That earring wasn't cheap either. She didn't seem too depressed spending my mate's money."

"Now that she's been caught as the other woman, suddenly she remembers her depression?"

Ethan frowned. "Vivian, when did you become so aggressive? How am I supposed to trust you with the Luna position if this is how you act?"

Sophie peeked out from his arms, eyes wide and trembling. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I couldn't control my feelings for Ethan."

"Please don't fight because of me. I'll leave. I'll never show my face around you again."

She pushed Ethan away and fled without looking back.

Ethan rushed after her, but not before shooting me a look of pure resentment.

Watching him walk away without hesitation, I felt like I was looking at a stranger. The man I'd loved for eight years.

We'd met in college. Back then, he was just a struggling illegitimate son with nothing to his name. I was the one who stood by him, step by step, all the way to where he was now.

I had no idea how much of myself I'd poured into him. But he'd taken every bit of it for granted.