CHAPTER 1

Maya

The phone almost slips from my hand when I hear Ava’s cheerful voice.

“Maya, you’re pregnant! Congratulations, Luna! The results are positive!”

I can feel her excitement through the phone, and for a moment, my whole world freezes.

“I’m… pregnant?” I whisper, as if I’m afraid to believe it.

“Yes! You did it, Luna. You’re finally going to be a mother.”

My heart races as tears blur my vision. “Goddess,” I breathe, my voice trembling. 

After three years of hoping for a pup, it finally happened. The Moon Goddess has blessed me.

“Thank you, Ava. You have no idea what this means to me,” I choke out, my nerves completely on edge.

“I do, Maya. You deserve this happiness.” 

My face aches from smiling too much since I heard the news. We talk a little longer before saying our goodbyes.

I press my hand against my flat stomach. I still can’t believe my miracle is finally here.

I can’t wait to see the radiant smile on Ethan’s face. He will be so happy, I imagine the way his eyes will light up, the way he will lift me off the ground and spin me around like he used to.

He’s been away for months, fighting rogues near the border.

Ethan and I aren’t fated mates, I married him against my parents’ wishes. But he still chose me, even when his mother, the old Luna, Victoria, strongly opposed our marriage.

I don’t regret it. I love him fiercely, completely, and I’ve always believed our love is stronger than destiny.

For werewolves, having an heir means everything. As Alpha, Ethan dreams of a child to carry on his legacy. But for chosen mates like me, it’s harder to conceive. We’ve been trying for three long years, and every failed month adds another strain to our bond.

Victoria never stops reminding Ethan that I’m not worthy, that I’ve failed him and the pack. No matter how hard he tries to protect me, her poison always finds its way between us. We fight more often now, and each argument leaves a deeper strain. I can feel him slipping away from me.

But now, a miracle has happened, I’m pregnant. I can hardly breathe as I press a trembling hand to my stomach. For the first time in years, hope fills my heart. Everything will finally be okay.

I miss him so much. But now, I’m happy, because I finally have something special to welcome him home with.

The jubilant howls of the pack wolves pull me back to the present. I grab the bouquet of lilies he loves and rush toward the pack gate.

Pack members hurry out of their homes, their faces glows with excitement. Everyone wants to welcome their Alpha home.

The scent of blood, sweat, and smoke fills the air as the warriors return through the gate. And then I see Ethan. My heart skips a beat, and his presence alone steals the breath from my lungs. Oh, how I love this man.

I take a step forward, my heart pounding, the words ‘I missed you’ almost slips out. But I clamp my mouth shut when I realize he isn’t alone.

Lily, my wolf, whimpers faintly in the back of my mind. She’s never liked Ethan, never believed he was meant for us. But she can’t fight me, not when I’m so stubborn, to be his Luna, even if it destroys us both.

My heart drops. In his arms, he’s carrying a frail, dirty, trembling woman with silver-blonde hair. Her lips are pale and cracked, and from the look of her, she’s barely holding on to life. Still, I rush to him.

“Ethan,” I call softly, hoping he’ll look at me, just once. But he doesn’t even spare me a glance.

My wolf, Lily, groans in my head. ‘Now is not the time,’ she warns.

“Stay with me, Chloe. Please don’t close your eyes,” Ethan’s panicked voice breaks through the noise as he rushes past me like I’m invisible.

The sting cuts deeper than any blade.

“Ethan!” I call again, louder this time. “Who is she?” My lips tremble, and my heart stutters painfully in my chest.

“Get the doctor! Now!” he barks at one of the guards. He’s so damn protective of the woman in his arms that he doesn’t even look at me, he doesn’t even hear me call his name.

I stand there frozen. My mouth falls open as the lilies slip from my hand and scatter across the ground. The sight feels like my heart shattered into a million pieces.

I watch helplessly as he worries over that frail woman. She clings to him desperately, like he’s her lifeline, and refuses to let go. I feel my wolf, Lily, claws to the surface, anger and pain burns in her growl. I curl my hands into fists, as I fight to stay in control.

He whispers something softly to the woman, and only then does she release my husband.

“Who the fuck is she?” I demand my tone sharper than I intended. At this point, I don’t even care. I’m livid. I know this isn’t how Luna should act, but I’m tired of being ignored.

He doesn’t answer right away. He just stares at me for a long time, and the silence grates on my nerves until I can’t take it anymore.

“Who is she?” I ask again, with a shaky voice.

He finally speaks, his voice is so low. “She’s Chloe… my fated mate.”

It’s as if the ground tilts beneath me. The air rushes from my lungs, and for a moment, everything around me goes completely silent.

“What… what did you just say?” I whisper, barely able to breathe.

He looks up again and meets my eyes. His blue gaze, which once pierced my soul, now feels like fire. I can see the guilt there, but I refuse to accept it.

“I found her in the rogues’ camp, she was held captive. I couldn’t leave her there.” He stares at me, pleading for understanding because he brought her home.

I let out a shaky, bitter sound as I stare at my husband of three years. “So you bring her to our home, Ethan?” 

“Maya, please. She’s been through enough.”

“And I haven’t?” I snap, fury rises until my voice breaks. “I have been your wife for three years, Ethan. I am your Luna. I have endured your mother’s constant nags about me not being your fated mate, and now you bring your true mate into our pack?”

He stands slowly. I see his jaw clench, but I do not care.

“You don’t understand, Maya. I can’t just walk away from my fated mate. The bond is too strong. I could not leave her alone in the rogue pack. Rejecting her is not an option; she is too weak and it could kill her.”

“Then let her die,” I scream before I can stop myself. The words burn my throat, but they are the only things that keep me from collapsing. If you think I can share my husband. Goddess knows you are already killing me, I want to add, but the words choke off.

He flinches but says nothing.

I can’t stand him right now. He dared to break our bond.

My heart cracks as I turn away from him, every step feels heavier than the last. By the time I reach my room, my vision is already blurring.

I fall to the floor, my knees hitting the cold tiles as a sob tears through my chest. I clutch my stomach, my whole body shaking with pain and heartbreak, the sound of my cries echoing through the empty room.

My wolf whimpers inside me, but I can’t stop the sobs that keep ripping out of me, it's raw, broken and endless.