Chapter 1

“My birthday wish is for Brianna to agree to be my mom.”

My five-year-old, Owen, squealed.

My heart dropped to my stomach and my blood went cold.

The room erupts into laughter. I start pinching my skin and counting. One. pinch. Two. pinch. Three. Pinch.

“Landon are you proposing?” One of the Omegas chortles.

Brianna is grinning and filming with her phone. It’s practically glued to her hand.

I stare hard at Landon. In his tailored suit, he looked impossibly handsome. But he doesn’t look at me.

Time stands still and I can feel my throat tighten. Breathe Sienna, breathe. You can’t pass out here.

Finally, they noticed me.

“Landon, who is this?” Brianna scoffs like a teenager. She even looks like one in designer jeans and a thick expensive sweater, but she’s wearing stilettos. The heels are as sharp as her teeth.

Owen’s face twists in confusion. He matches his dad in red sweatpants that mirror his flushed chubby cheeks. His brown hair is mussed and he can tell something is wrong. “She’s my nanny,” he says, like he’s bored. He’s surrounded by presents and people and now I am no one.

The nanny. The nanny. I am so sick of that word.

Landon and I are fated mates, Owen is our pup, but we’re not married. He doesn’t treat me like the woman he’s destined to be with, at all.

All of this is because of my low status: I’m a werewolf like everyone else, but I didn’t grow up as a were-cub with a pack. My parents died young so I was an orphan until Landon’s pack adopted me.

I will never be seen as Landon’s true forever fated mate, but even worse, as Owen’s mom.

He’s called me Nini ever since he was three and couldn’t say Sienna. I would read him stories and I would say “Goodnight Wen” and he’d say “Goodnight Nini,” but never mom.

I’ve wanted to tell Owen countless times that I am his mom, but Landon believes Owen will be the next heir of the pack. But if anyone finds out his mother is wolfless, the pack would be shamed.

I love them more than anything, so I’ve kept silent. I play the part of a true nanny.

I take a deep breath before looking up and smiling at Owen.

“I brought you a gift Owen. Why don’t you open it and I can take a picture?” I ask. My phone is shoved in the back pocket of my jeans.

I pass him the book wrapped in gold paper. It’s a scrapbook collection of Owen’s boyhood: his favorite colors, the lions he likes at the zoo, and more about what he’s learned over the last five years.

I wrote ‘To Owen love Mommy’ on the front. I hope it’s something he can read to his cubs one day when he’s the Alpha. A caring Alpha.

He rips off the paper and ribbon and frowns.

“A book? That’s boring! I want to get in the toy car!”

Brianna got him this bright red sports car he can drive around the block. It’s flashy just like her. It also has his name and flames wrapped around the side of it in black and orange.

“Boring?” My voice cracks almost at a whimper. Owen doesn’t answer me and hugs Brianna’s leg.

“Thanks again mommy!” He cries. His green eyes sparkle. He’s the perfect mix of Landon and I, but his eyes are his own.

Landon claps his hands. “Look at my little gentleman,” he says in front of everyone. His Beta, Cory guffaws and claps Landon on the back.

“Thatta boy, he knows what he likes! Just like his dad.” The room bursts into laughter again. Brianna’s leggy brunette friends, and the rest of the men in the pack.

It doesn’t sound like warm laughter to me. It sounds like ice.

Owen is still leaning against Brianna. “Mommy, I want to take out the car before we have cake,” he whines.

“Of course you do sweetheart,” Brianna coos. “I know the bestest boy only wants to play with the coolest, most spectacular presents. It is boring compared to others,” she pauses. “Junk.”

She turns to one of the lackeys. “Thomas, can you escort this random woman out?”

My face flushes and I turn heel and stare at Landon. I can feel a tear drip down my face.

“Landon you know I’m not random, how-” but I don’t get to finish my sentence before he takes my arm and leads me through the house and outside through a side door.

He turns to me and his eyes look almost black. "What are you doing here? This isn’t a place you should be showing up,” he spat, like I was a burden to him.

But all I wanted was just to bring my son a birthday gift.

I look down and fiddle with the hem of my skirt.

“Not a place I should be showing up?” I forced a smile, uglier than tears.

“Have you forgotten our promise?”

When I was still in the birthing suite at the hospital, Landon promised me we could tell Owen I was his mother on his fifth birthday. I would never have to introduce myself as his nanny in the park, the grocery store, or the doctor’s office. My baby could finally be mine.

Landon once promised that he would reveal my true identity, and that we’d become a real married couple, just like any other mates.

He reaches for my throat again and growls:

“Sienna, your only value to me was giving me an heir for our bloodline. I did you a kindness and let you stay by Owen out of pity. Did you really think you could be my Luna?”

Landon lied to me and he’s been lying all of these years.

My brain is simultaneously screaming at me to stay calm, but also stand my ground. Hold the line. Do something. For God’s sake.

My eyes well with tears before I wipe them away with a fist. “I’ll take Owen and leave! He’s mine as much as yours. That woman has no right to him, it’s a disgrace for him to call her mom!”

“That’s impossible,” Landon laughs, but his eyes are still cold.

“I’ve given you everything, Landon. I've given my all to you and our family. All I ever wanted was a mate who would stay loyal to me for life, and to hear my son call me ‘Mom’…”

“Enough. Go home.” He turns on his heel and slams the door.

I rush to follow him, but one of the lackey’s grabs my arm.

“Don’t cause any more problems,” he snarls. “You’ll regret it.”

I stumbled away, lost and broken.