Chapter 1

My wolf had a rare mine-reading gift—she could hear the truth behind any lie. And that was how I could always tell who was being genuine.

Beneath harmless fibs and malicious deceit, I could always find the ones worth trusting.

But that was one exception—Theron Shadewound. From the day we met, he'd never lied to me, be it white lies or cruel deception.

Throughout two years of knowing and loving him, my wolf heard nothing from his heart, until just a month before our mating ceremony.

That was when my wolf heard his inner voice.

I'd spend two months preparing the venue and pouring my heart into the details when Theron suddenly appeared at the ballroom. He'd given me a genuine compliment.

"This is stunning, Arynn. A month from now, our mating ceremony will leave everyone in awe."

That was when my wolf screamed, "He's lying!"

Then, his thoughts rang in my ears. "I had Arynn set it up according to Mirella's taste. She'll love the mating ceremony next week."

Mirelle? Mating ceremony next week?

I froze, staring at his lips. After making sure what I'd heard was the truth from his heart, for a moment, I wasn't sure how I should react.

I should have felt hot after hours of busy work, but all I could feel was a chill spreading through my body.

Theron had lied to me, and it chilled me to the bone.

I tentatively asked, "Theron, are you free next week? Could you come with me to choose some flowers for the ballroom?"

He was quiet for a second before casually shrugging it off. "Maybe later. The elders need me next week for some pack affairs, and I'll come with you after that.

He was lying. In truth, he thought, "I must keep the mating ceremony with Mirelle next week a secret from Arynn."

At that moment, something in my chest snapped.

Days earlier, Theron had handed me a long list and requested that I redo the entire ballroom layout according to his wishes.

I thought he was simply hard to please and was dissatisfied with my design, but it turned out that everything was for Mirelle Hollowmaw.

To match his standards, I'd thrown away my two months of work and rallied more hands to help with the preparation. I'd pushed myself to exhaustion, only to end up planning the perfect mating ceremony for another she-wolf.

Mirelle, his childhood sweetheart, had married into the Frostfang pack two years ago. So, I'd never met her.

Everyone said they used to be inseparable and even thought they would mate. However, for some reason, she'd quietly left for a hasty bond with the Alpha of the Frostfang pack and left Theron heartbroken for two months.

I desperately wanted my wolf to read more of his inner thoughts and learn his exact thoughts. I needed to know why he'd chosen betrayal on the brink of becoming my mate.

However, all he gave me was a hurried excuse after taking a call. "I'm sorry. The elders need me, so I have to go."

With that, he left in a rush, while I did nothing to stop him. I was utterly paralyzed by what I heard from my wolf.

"Mirelle doesn't feel well, so I have to check on her. She's pregnant and needs the status of Luna to remain in Nightcrest pack.

"Once I have her settled down, I'll go back and appease Arynn. She loves me too much to mind, and I can always win her over again."

Tears blurred my eyes as I refused to believe that Theron would think I didn't care. This time, no amount of sweet talk could fix us.