Chapter 1

At the banquet, the guests whispered among themselves. In every hand were several photos of me standing far too close to other pack Alphas.

Some showed me drinking with them at banquet tables. Others captured us walking side by side through the streets at night. One photo even showed a he-wolf with his arm around me as we entered a hotel.

Hunter Johnson had a set as well.

The moment he opened the gift box, it was as if he had expected this. He simply looked at me, his gaze cold.

I steadied my voice and asked again, “Are you sure you want to exile me from the pack?”

The murmurs grew louder. There were accusations toward me and sympathy for Hunter, angry that I had betrayed my mate.

He ignored them all and stepped down from the stage, stopping in front of me. There was a coldness in his eyes I had never seen before.

“Leia, at this point, what else is there to say? Every wolf in this pack is doing everything they can for our future. But you? What have you done?

“Our kind despises betrayal above all else. And you, as Luna, were unfaithful. That’s not just an insult to me. It’s an insult to the entire pack and to the Moon Goddess.”

The more he spoke, the sharper his tone became. The crowd quickly echoed him.

“That’s right! We don’t need a Luna like her. Throw her out!”

“She’s offended the Moon Goddess! Punishment will come!”

The condemnation rose in waves, nearly swallowing me whole.

I looked at the wolves so eager to cast me out and felt nothing but irony.

To shoulder the role of Luna, I had given everything. I worked countless late nights and even visited lower-ranking pack members in storms and harsh weather. Once, I nearly died in a landslide.

And now, because of a few blurry photos, it was as if they had forgotten it all.

Hunter flung the photos at me, anger clear in his voice. “Tomorrow is the day I officially inherit the Alpha position. In my pack, there will be no place for a she-wolf without virtue, even if you are my Luna to-be.”

I could endure others doubting me, but Hunter was different.

So I tried to explain, “Hunter, for all these years, you’ve seen everything I’ve done. You saw how I stood by you on your path to becoming Alpha. You saw how I brought other packs into cooperation. Have you truly forgotten?”

“Brought them into cooperation?”

Freya Miller cut in, her voice dripping with mockery.

“And how exactly did you do that? By selling your body? Or by whispering sweet words in bed until those Alphas were pleased enough to sign? If that’s your skill, none of us could ever learn it.”

Laughter erupted across the hall.

“She really thinks Hunter became Alpha because of her? Hunter was born for greatness. She’s just some stray wolf from nowhere.”

I had long seen through their shifting loyalties. So I ignored them and looked only at Hunter, steadying myself.

“Those were normal negotiations. When you discuss alliances, don’t you drink with them too?”

“Hunter doesn’t negotiate in hotel rooms. Everyone can guess what happened after you went to that hotel.”

Freya picked up the photo of me being supported by a he-wolf as we entered the hotel.

“This is the original photo. No editing. How do you explain it?”

She thrust it toward my face. I looked closely and quietly let out a breath of relief.

Because the man in the photo was my younger brother.

That day, I had gone to discuss work. I didn’t expect him to be the one who showed up.

My father is the Alpha King. Years ago, I left home out of anger. My parents tried many times to persuade me to return, but I refused.

Later, my younger brother was named heir to the Alpha King. The first thing he did after taking on that title was to use his position to meet me as a sponsor.

That night, we talked until dawn and drank too much. He took me back to the hotel to rest.

I never imagined someone would take photos.

Thinking back, it seemed that from that day on, Hunter grew colder toward me.

He said nothing because he needed me to secure every alliance. With those packs behind him, his ascension to Alpha would be certain.

So he endured it until tonight.