CHAPTER 1

RUBY

The moment my boyfriend sprinted toward her, my world came crumbling down around me.

Not because he was leaving me—

but because the Moon Goddess had just chosen my worst enemy as his fated mate.

“I, Graham Scott, accept you, Lizzy Harris, as my mate,” he said, looking into her eyes the way he never looked at me.

The air grew thick with cheers and excitement from our schoolmates as Graham pulled her into a kiss that felt like a knife to my chest, twisting deeper with every second.

Lizzy Harris.

The daughter of the Alpha of the Whispering Crystals Pack.

The girl who made my life at Kington College a living hell.

And now, the mate of the boy who once swore he’d love me forever.

The whispers started almost immediately—a chorus of pity and judgment buzzing in my ears.

“Poor Ruby.”

“How could she have thought she’d keep him?”

“I knew the goddess would never mate Graham to such a lowly omega.”

I needed to get out. Now.

Pushing through the crowd, I kept my head down, the lump in my throat growing tighter with every step. As I burst outside, I wanted to scream, to break something—to wake up from this nightmare.

How could Graham do this to me?

I tried to fight back the tears, but I couldn’t. Memories flooded in—two years of love, trust, and promises. Gone.

He told me fate didn’t control us. A month ago, when I turned eighteen and didn’t feel the pull of a mate, Graham told me it didn’t matter. That he would choose me, no matter what...

“Ruby, please wait!”

I froze, my heart twisting painfully at the sound of his voice.

Wiping away my tears, I turned slowly to see him running toward me. When he finally stopped a few steps away, he was breathless.

He looked... torn. Guilt swam in his gaze, but there was something else—something he was trying to hide.

“Why?” My voice came out broken. “Why did you kiss her? Why did you accept her?!"

The girl who made my life hell at school.

The words sat unspoken between us as I blinked back tears.

He sighed, dragging a hand through his dark hair. “Ruby, I just accepted her. And the kiss, I—” He exhaled shakily. “I don’t even remember when I kissed her.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “You don’t remember? You were all over her, Graham. You looked at her like she was your whole world!”

“That’s not what it was!” His voice cracked. “Everything happened so fast. The bond—”

“The mate bond,” I cut in, my laugh hollow. “Right. The same bond you said didn’t matter. You told me you’d choose me, remember?”

“I still choose you, Ruby.” He took a hesitant step forward.

“No.” I stepped back. “You didn’t. If you chose me, you wouldn’t have stood there and said those words to her.”

He reached for me, but I stepped back again. “Don’t touch me.”

“Ruby, I never wanted to hurt you,” he said softly.

“Well, congratulations,” I bit out. “You did.”

I turned to walk away, but his hand shot out and caught my wrist.

“I still love you, Ruby. That hasn’t changed.”

I wanted to believe him. I really did.

His fingers brushed my cheek before he pulled me into his arms. Every part of me screamed to push him away to tell him to go back to his mate.

But then he pressed his lips to my forehead, murmuring,

“You’re still my girl, Ruby. I swear. I love you.”

Tears burned in my eyes. I loved him. That’s why it hurt so much. That’s why it felt like my entire world was caving in.

“Let’s just leave,” I whispered.

He tensed, pulling back slightly. “The party hasn’t ended.”

“Graham, I can’t go back there.”

He hesitated before nodding. “Okay. Give me a second. Let me say goodbye to my friends"

I nodded, too exhausted to argue. “Fine. I’ll wait.”

I stood there for what felt like forever. The cold air did nothing to numb the pain clawing at my chest. Minutes passed, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I decided to go back inside—even though every part of me didn’t want to.

Just as I reached the entrance, I spotted one of his friends.

“Have you seen Graham?”

Nick hesitated before giving me a strange look. “Uh… he’s upstairs.”

“Thanks,” I said, and without thinking I rushed up the stairs.

The hallway was dimly lit, the muffled sounds of the party barely reaching me. There were many rooms, and I wasn’t even sure which one until—

“Oh, fuck… Graham, faster!”

The breath whooshed from my lungs. My heart stopped.

No. No, no, no.

I turned to the slightly ajar door, even though every fiber of my being screamed not to. But I pushed it open anyway.

My world crumbled around me when I saw Graham thrusting into Lizzy from behind.

“Graham!” My voice cracked.

His head snapped toward me and when he saw me he pulled out of her in a rush, yanking his pants into place—but his eyes were still dark with lust, as if he was still under the influence of the mate bond.

“How could you do this?”

“Ruby, I—”

“Are you going to choose this worthless omega over me?” Lizzy cut in angrily.

Graham turned to her. “Lizzy…”

“No words. Let’s continue what we were doing,” she said, pulling him toward her, kissing him again.

I felt sick. My vision blurred with tears.

I turned and ran, rushing down the stairs. My chest felt like it was caving in, my breaths coming in ragged gasps.

The moment I burst outside, I collided into someone.

A strong grip steadied me before I could fall.

“Watch where you’re going, little wolf.”

That voice. Cold. Deep. Laced with familiar arrogance.

I quickly moved away and looked up, blinking through my tears.

Sebastian Kings.

The future Alpha of MoonRise Pack. The star hockey player. The notorious playboy that every girl at Kingston College wanted—except me.

He’d always looked at me with nothing but cold indifference. His dark, piercing eyes never softened, not even on the day a group of students pelted me with eggs in the middle of campus. He stood there, watched, and acted like it wasn’t happening. Like I didn’t exist. Like he, too, didn’t want an omega like me attending their so-called King College.

Sebastian had always acted as if I was beneath his notice. Until I found out his secret. Ever since then, he’d tried—in his own way—to be nice to me. Not because he cared. No, it was to make sure I kept my mouth shut. To protect himself.

And now, here he was, smirking as if my heartbreak was some kind of amusement.

“You look like a wreck, Ruby.”

A bitter laugh escaped me.

“Thanks for the reminder.”

I wiped at my tear-streaked face, knowing my makeup was ruined but not caring. I turned away and sat on the nearby bench. The cool metal felt harsh against my skin, but I didn’t care. I just needed a moment to breathe before heading back home.

“Drink?” he asked, holding up a bottle and tilting it slightly toward me.

I scoffed, shaking my head. “No, thanks.”

He smirked and plopped down beside me on the bench. The scent of whiskey mixed with teakwood made every hair on my skin stand up for no reason.

“So… Graham fucked you over for Lizzy.”

The words stabbed at my already wounded heart, but I couldn’t bring myself to deny it. The whole school had witnessed it. The humiliation was public, like my suffering was some kind of show.

“Yeah,” I whispered. “He found his fated mate.”

His gaze darkened, and for a moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his eyes. Pain? Anger? I couldn’t be sure.

“Fated mates,” he muttered. “It’s all bullshit.”

I blinked, surprised by the venom in his tone.

“Easy for you to say because you have plenty of girls at your reach. You’re going to be Alpha. You have everything.”

He chuckled, but it was devoid of amusement. He turned his head to look at me—really looked—that my breath caught.

I quickly looked away, sucking in a sharp breath.

“Not everything, Ruby.” His voice was lower now, rougher. “You, of all people, know that.”

I froze, my heart racing as the meaning behind his words sank in. Of course I knew.

The secret.

The one I’d stumbled upon months ago—how his connection to his inner wolf, the part that could sense his fated mate, had been blocked. No one else knew. Not even his parents. But I did.

The memory of that day flashed through my mind. I hadn’t meant to overhear him, but once I did, it was impossible to forget.

Just like it was impossible to forget my own past—

How my mother had sacrificed everything for me.

She gave up her dignity, comfort, and happiness to secure my scholarship at Kingston College, all while concealing the deadly mistake my wolf made when I first shifted at thirteen.

She had been my rock. My only family.

And now she was gone. The weight of that loss, compounded by Graham’s betrayal, felt like it was crushing me from every angle.

“You’re right, Sebastian. We all have our problems. But some of us can’t afford to hide behind a great title, or money, or fancy things. Some of us have to live with the consequences we never asked for.”

Sebastian took another long sip. His eyes flickered to mine, the depth in them pulling me in like a riptide.

“I won’t have anything to hide behind if my dad finds out what I’ve been keeping from him,” he murmured. “He only sees the surface of me. Just like everyone else. I’m not as lucky as you think. I’ll never find my fated mate. I’ll never know what it’s like… to be mated.”

He looked up into my eyes—then at my lips—making my heart thump.

“Sebastian…”

My voice barely made it past my lips before his mouth brushed against mine. Soft. Hesitant. Then urgent.

A fire ignited inside me, chasing away the lingering pain of Graham’s betrayal. His hand gripped my waist, pulling me closer, his other hand curling around my nape. A shiver ran down my spine as his palm skimmed over my thigh, pushing the fabric of my dress up with a slow, determined touch.

My breath hitched, my body betraying me even as my mind screamed to stop.

“Fuck,” he whispered against my lips, before sliding his tongue into mine, his fingers slipping between my thighs.

A jolt of pleasure shot through me. I gasped, my hands flying to his chest as I pushed him back.

“Sebastian. You—”

He grabbed my head, yanking me back to his mouth, kissing me like he’d been starved for days. The heat of him, the way his body pressed against mine, made my head spin.

For one reckless second, I almost didn’t care what his fingers would do between my legs.

Almost loved the fire he was causing.

Almost gave in. But I couldn’t. Not with him.

I tore my mouth away and quickly got to my feet, my breath coming fast, my heart slamming against my ribs.

“You’re drunk,” I breathed.

Sebastian stared up at me, his eyes clouded with need—then replaced by that same cold indifference.

“I was wrong to think you could be the one” he muttered, raking a hand through his messy hair.

“Sebastian! Where are you?”

A male voice called out in the distance.

He hesitated, looking at me as if searching for something he couldn’t find.

“Forget it,” he muttered. “Just… forget this ever happened.”

With that, he walked away, leaving me breathless, shaken, and more hurt than ever.