Chapter 1

"Your mate bond is false, Elena. It broke a year ago when Sophia returned—Elias's real mate now," Selene said, her voice heavy with pity.

I'd saved the Moon Goddess by accident. Her reward was the Lunar Heartstone—and the truth that shattered me.

"The Lunar Heartstone is meant for true mates to share. Since you're mateless—it's yours alone," she added softly.

Something inside me broke. Then hardened.

Eight years I gave him as his Luna.

I destroyed my body trying to give him an heir.

Now I'm finally pregnant with twins—while Elias is out there building a family with her.

I touch my belly.

"My pups don't need a cheater as their father."

Three days. Then we disappear.

Turns out the Alpha who threw me away is now searching everywhere.

Desperate. Broken. Begging.

Sorry, Elias.

You're too late.

...

I still remember standing there, frozen, as Selene's words shattered my world.

"Your true mate bond broke a year ago. This one is fake."

The Moon Goddess watched me with silver eyes full of pity. The incense smoke made everything feel hazy, unreal.

"That's impossible," I whispered.

"I'm sorry, Elena." Her voice was gentle but brutal. "Elias has taken Sophia as his mate."

Eight years. We'd been together for eight years, and the bond had been gone for one of them.

I couldn't breathe.

Right then, his voice slid into my mind through our link.

"Baby, I've got a lot going on today. Not coming home tonight. I'll stay at the Alpha's office or the packhouse. Call some friends over. I'll be back tomorrow."

His lie cut straight through me.

Before today, I would've smiled at this. His overnight stays meant girls' night. He'd always come home the next day with my favorite red velvet cake from Moonbeam Bakery.

But now? Every word felt like poison.

I drove aimlessly, my mind a chaotic mess. When I finally looked up, I was parked in front of the Riverside Grand Hotel.

I needed one night. Just one night to process everything before going home.

The lobby was warm and elegant, all soft lighting and marble floors. I walked to the reception desk, barely registering the clerk's polite smile as she handed me a room key.

I turned toward the elevators, and that's when I saw him.

Elias walked through the revolving glass doors. That tall frame, those broad shoulders—impossible to miss. The Alpha aura that made people instinctively step aside.

But what destroyed me was the way he moved. So careful. So protective.

His hand rested on a she-wolf's back, guiding her like she was made of glass. She was heavily pregnant, her face glowing with happiness.

I froze for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh.

The she-wolf was none other than his real mate now—Sophia Moore.

He laughed at something she said, his whole face lit up. I'd never seen him look at me like that.

My knees went weak. I gripped the reception desk, trembling.

We'd grown up together. Twenty-eight years, never apart.

He was Crimson Moon's Alpha. I was an elder's daughter. His second chance mate.

But Sophia had been his first love. His true mate. Until the pack elders forced them apart—an Omega wasn't fit to be Luna.

Two years later, the bond snapped into place between us. I thought I'd won. I thought time had healed him.

I was wrong.

A year ago, I'd gotten really sick. High fever, pain that felt like my bones were breaking. When I recovered, our mate bond was gone. His mark had faded to a silvery scar.

I'd panicked. Cried.

Elias held me. "It's just the fever. Once you're healed, we'll do the marking ceremony again."

Not long after, our mate bond did reestablish. He marked me again. But I always felt something strange about this bond. I just never paid attention to it.

Now, thinking back, it was almost laughable. What kind of illness makes a mate bond disappear? There was no such thing.

Ding.

I turned and stepped into the elevator, my vision blurring. The doors slid shut on the sight of them—his hand still on her back.

The hotel room was quiet and impersonal. I collapsed on the edge of the bed, exhausted in a way that went bone-deep.

My hands trembled as I pulled out the Wolf Crystal Sensor from my pocket. The small vial glowed faintly in the dim light.

I nicked my finger, crimson drops falling onto the crystal. The glow shifted. Two red dots pulsed inside.

Two heartbeats. Two lives.

As expected. I was pregnant.

We'd been married all these years without a single pup. I'd tried everything—modern treatments, traditional remedies, painful procedures. Every attempt ended the same way. Disappointment after disappointment.

Elias always said it didn't matter. He'd hold me and promise his love was enough.

But I just couldn’t give up.

Half a year ago, I'd found a hermit healer who practiced Earth Womb Arcana—old magic that would tear through my body and rebuild me from the inside.

Six months of three-hour drives. Potions like liquid fire. Biting down on towels so Elias wouldn't hear me scream.

Today, the healer smiled. "You're with pups, Elena. Twins—a boy and a girl. Both strong."

I'd driven back with tears of joy. Our anniversary was in two weeks. I'd been planning to tell him then, to make it the perfect surprise.

On the way home, I ran into Selene who was in trouble. As a reward for my help, she gave me the Lunar Heartstone. Then she told me my mate bond with Elias was fake.

Then I saw them at the hotel.

It turned out that he was already a father. Just not to my pups.

That's why he never cared whether I could get pregnant. He already had everything he wanted—with Sophia.

Tears slid down my face as I stared at those two glowing dots.

The next evening, I went home.

Elias was pacing when I walked in. His face flooded with relief when he saw me.

"Baby, where have you been? I've been trying to reach you all day—I thought something happened."

He crossed the room and cupped my face, searching my eyes with concern.

I kept my head down. I couldn't look at him.

When we first fell in love, I'd once left after a stupid argument. Within four hours, he'd mobilized the pack's best tracker squad. Showed up desperate and frantic, pulled me into his arms so tight I could barely breathe.

I'd thought it was love. Real, desperate love.

Now I knew he'd given that same love back to Sophia. Had probably never stopped loving her.

"I was shopping with friends. We watched a movie. Lost track of time." The lie came easily.

He pulled me into his arms. My body went rigid, but he didn't seem to notice. He rested his chin on my head, his voice dropping low.

"Don't do that again. You know I can't live without you."

His scent—pine and earth—wrapped around me. It used to make me feel safe, cherished. Now it just made me sick.

The doorbell rang.

Zachary Parker stood on our porch, medical bag in hand. Elias's best friend and the pack doctor.

"Hello, Luna Elena." He nodded before turning to Elias. "I need to speak with you about a patient. It's urgent."

"Come to my office," Elias said.

They disappeared down the hall.

I stared at the closed door. An urgent patient at this hour. One that required such discretion.

I already knew who it was.

Minutes later, both men rushed out. Elias grabbed his jacket.

"There's been a complication. I need to go." He kissed my forehead. "I'll be back soon."

"Nothing too serious, Luna Elena," Zachary added, but he wouldn't meet my eyes.

The door slammed shut. Elias's car roared to life and disappeared down the road.

I placed my hand gently on my stomach. The two tiny lives growing inside me couldn't be felt yet, but I knew they were there.

'I'm sorry, babies. Mommy can't give you a complete family. But I'll love you. I'll protect you.'

Three days to get ready. Then we'd leave.

I wouldn't mess up his happiness with Sophia. I'd just disappear.

'Just three days. Then we start over. Just the three of us.'