Chapter 1

I was born a Beta’s daughter, destined for an honorable life—until everything was ripped away.

The night before my bonding ceremony, my parents died in a tragic car accident. Their deaths weren’t just a loss; they were a sentence. Stripped of my status, I was branded an Omega overnight.

And the man who had sworn to cherish me—Alpha Lucien Nightwarden—crushed our bond without a second thought.

With cold indifference, he announced his intent to bond with my best friend, Lilith Ebonhart.

The reason was that Lilith accidentally marked him. But I knew—it was no accident at all.

Betrayed. Humiliated. Cast aside.

The pack whispered, watching, waiting for me to crumble. But instead of breaking, I found myself standing before Alpha Talon Mournvale—the ruthless, untouchable Alpha of the Mournvale Pack.

His next words shattered the expectations of an entire pack.

"Marry me, Nyra."

His voice was steady, his claim absolute. Before I could second-guess, I grasped the lifeline he offered.

And just like that, I became his Luna.

I abandoned everything I had fought for, everything I had built. I was the envy of every she-wolf in the pack.

But illusions shatter just as easily as dreams.

At an extravagant pack gathering, I went to fetch my mate. He had indulged too much and couldn't control the release of his pheromones, I was afraid that many she-wolves would be drawn to him because of it, so I went to find him. With an inhibitor in my hands, I followed Eulalia Finch, Alpha Talon’s secretary, through the dimly lit halls of the Pack’s VVIP suite.

Then, just as I reached for the door handle, a voice drifted through the barely open doorway.

"Talon, Lilith’s trading post is finally opening. You’ve given up so much for her—your reputation, your so-called marriage. How much longer do you plan to keep up this farce with Nyra?"

I recognized this voice—it was his friend.

“Luna!” Eulalia grew nervous but didn’t dare to stop me from listening.

A sharp pain speared through my chest, but nothing could have prepared me for Alpha Talon’s slurred yet unmistakably genuine reply.

"For as long as Lilith needs me to."

A pause. Then—

"I’ll remove any obstacle that stands in her way."

The world spun. My breath hitched, my fingers trembling against the doorframe.

Beside me, Eulalia stiffened, her silence the cruelest confession. She had known. They had all known.

I had been blind. A fool. A pawn in a game I never realized I was playing.

" Nyra trusts you so much,," the voice inside whispered. " If she found out that her parents' death was connected to you and that marrying her was just to ensure Lilith could become Alpha Lucien’s Luna, what do you think she would do? "

Alpha Talon chuckled, low and knowing. "She won’t. She never will."

The warmth of the corridor became suffocating. The weight of betrayal coiled around my throat, tighter and tighter.

Before I knew it, the inhibitor in my hand had been crushed to pieces.

I forced my voice steady. "Alpha Talon has had too much to drink," I murmured to Eulalia. "Take this to him later. I’ll wait in the car."

"And say nothing to him."

The night air was crisp, but it did nothing to ease the numbness spreading through me. I sat in the car, staring at the moonlit sky, retracing the twisted path that had led me here.

Lucien had discarded me like nothing. Alpha Talon had pretended to save me, weaving a beautiful lie for the pack to admire.

I was never his mate. I was just a shield.

A deception wrapped in silk and gold.

Eulalia returned, guiding Alpha Talon into the car. His hand restlessly wandered over Eulalia’s chest, making her expression turn uneasy.

He leaned against me, his scent a blend of whiskey and pheromones. His fingers ghosted over my arm, his voice gentle.

"You didn’t need to come, Nyra. Eulalia could have handled it."

A bitter smile curved my lips. "I was worried about you."

He was in heat and, just like before, bit into my neck to leave his mark. But this time, I felt nothing.

Alpha Talon lost all interest. He exhaled, his grip tightening slightly. "The trading post opens tomorrow. I’ll be working late—don’t wait up."

"Take care of yourself." I replied smoothly.

That night, I didn’t sleep.

Somewhere between heartbreak and fury, a thought surfaced.

I had left my pack communicator in the study.

Slipping from bed, I padded into the dimly lit room. As I reached for the device, my fingers brushed against the edge of a hidden stack of papers.

Documents? Contracts?

Curious, I pulled the drawer open.