Chapter 1

Freya

I worked twelve-hour shifts every day at the diner on the edge of Moonshadow Pack, and most nights I went home smelling like grease and coffee. Fancy events and pack celebrations? Those things felt like they belonged to another life , one that was never mine to begin with.

I was just a waitress buried in debt, invisible to most people around me. So when Alpha Adrian Wolfe announced the Luna Trial, I told myself it had nothing to do with me. Not even a little.

And even if I was curious , which I was not , I had no time for trials. I could not stop working, not even for a single day. The medical bills I took on years ago were still piling up, and every shift I worked was one step closer to paying them off.

“Oh my moon, can you believe it? The chance to be Alpha Adrian’s luna! I would die if he picked me!”

I wiped down the table slowly as two women nearby kept talking. I had heard this same conversation at least five times today already. I tucked a small stack of tip coins into my apron pocket as the other woman replied.

“I heard every eligible female in the pack has been summoned. It is sweet that he wants to consider everyone, even the more… humble ones.”

Her eyes slid over to me for just a second. I felt my face go warm.

Everyone here knew I was that waitress who worked every day without fail. In a world where most female shifters spent their days at beauty parlors and pack parties, I was always here, behind the counter, cleaning tables and refilling cups.

It stung a little. But I liked my work. I liked making people feel welcome when they walked through that door.

Still, I had zero plans to join this Luna Trial. Let these women dream about becoming Adrian Wolfe’s bride. That life was not for me.

“Everyone knows he will pick Celeste Vane anyway,” one of the women said with a wave of her hand. “The Vanes are one of the most powerful families in the region. It makes sense for the Alpha.”

I walked back to the counter and poured fresh coffee for one of my regulars, who nodded in thanks. My coworker, Mara, bumped my shoulder as she passed.

“Freya Arden, Celeste Vane,” she teased under her breath. “You both have last names that sound made up.”

“Never heard of her,” I said quickly.

That was a lie, of course. Everyone in a hundred miles knew who Celeste Vane was. She was my stepsister , beautiful, polished, and cruel in the way only people with money could afford to be. But Mara just shrugged and moved on, and I let out a quiet breath.

If anyone here found out a Vane daughter was working the morning shift at a diner, it would cause a storm. People would ask questions I did not want to answer.

They would never understand why I had walked away from that family. There were reasons. Deep ones. Painful ones.

I had no interest in the Luna Trial or in watching my stepsister parade around an Alpha’s home. But then the door to the diner flew open, and everything changed.

It was my best friend, Nadia. Her red hair was wild from the wind, and her green eyes were swollen from crying. She looked at me from across the diner like she had run the whole way here.

“Bathroom,” she mouthed. “Now.”

I had not seen Nadia in months. I had kept my distance on purpose, in case my family ever tried to use her to find me. I followed her anyway, my heart already beating fast.

Once we were inside the bathroom with the door locked, she grabbed both my hands.

“Freya, I need a huge favor. Bigger than anything I have ever asked.”

“Nadia, what is going on?”

Her chin trembled. “I found my mate. I love him so much, Frey. But my parents want to force me into the Luna Trial to get our family closer to Alpha Wolfe’s circle.” She wiped her eyes fast. “Please. I need you to go in my place. Pretend to be me.”

I stared at her. “You want me to what?”

“You are my only hope.” A tiny smile broke through her tears. “My mate and I are leaving the pack tonight. We have it all planned. But I need someone to show up so my parents do not get suspicious before we are gone.”

“Nadia, they will figure it out the second someone checks your name against your face.”

“By then we will already be far away. Please, Freya.” She squeezed my hands hard. “I would never ask this if I had any other choice.”

“I cannot stop working,” I said. “I have debt to pay off. You know that.”

“I know.” She reached into her bag. “Which is why I am offering you fifty thousand dollars.”

The words hit me like cold water.

Fifty thousand dollars. That was almost everything I owed. It would free me. It would give me time , time to search for what I had been looking for all these years.

My throat felt tight. “Okay,” I whispered. “I will do it.”

Nadia let out a sound between a laugh and a sob and hugged me hard. She pressed an envelope into my hands before unlocking the door. “Her invitation is inside. Be there at noon. Do not be late, Freya!”

And just like that, she was gone , and my life was about to get very complicated.

I put on the simplest dress I owned. Pale gray, just below the knee, with flat white shoes. I kept my brown hair up in a neat bun and wore almost no makeup. I was not here to impress anyone. I was here to blend in, collect my money, and go home.

The Alpha’s estate was enormous. Ivory stone walls, tall iron gates, and a garden that looked like it belonged in a painting. I handed Nadia’s invitation to the guard at the door, my pulse hammering.

He waved me in without blinking.

The room was already full of women , dressed beautifully, hair done, perfume filling the air. I found a seat in the far corner and kept my head down. I spotted Celeste near the other side of the room, laughing with a group of girls who looked just like her. She had not noticed me yet. Good.

All I had to do was stay invisible until this was over.

Then the doors opened.

“Introducing Alpha Adrian Wolfe.”

Every girl in the room stood straighter. I kept still in my corner as the Alpha walked in. I caught only a glimpse through the crowd , broad shoulders, dark hair, a sharp jawline.

He moved around the room in silence. Not one word. Just slow, steady footsteps on the marble floor.

Then his voice came, low and sure.

“Everyone, leave. Except for you.”

I let out a long, quiet breath. He had chosen someone. I could go home now.

The room emptied with a wave of disappointed murmurs. I stood and moved toward the door , until I realized something was very wrong.

I was the only one still standing in the room.

I looked up slowly. A pair of sharp gray eyes locked onto mine across the empty space.

“Me?” I whispered.

The corner of Alpha Adrian Wolfe’s mouth did not move. But his eyes did , cool, searching, and already seeing too much.

“Yes,” he said. “You.”

My heart dropped to the floor.