Chapter 1

"Alpha," the assassin started carefully, hesitation coloring his voice. "Sarah, Luna's maid, just reported that Luna seems to have good news for you."

Lucas' thumb, which had been absently tracing the herbal sachet, went still.

His eyes darkened, like storm clouds rolling in.

"Good news? What possible good news could there be? You know better than I do what was in that corrosive potion. The silver alone was enough to kill her wolf and leave her barren."

"Alpha, shouldn't we be celebrating if Luna is truly pregnant? I don't get why you're so troubled—"

The assassin didn't even finish his sentence before a heavy thud shook the council chamber.

Lucas had already kicked him to the ground. The assassin clutched his chest, not daring to make a sound.

Pacing furiously, Lucas snarled, "Even if she's pregnant, her wolf is wounded. The pup would be born pathetically weak. No matter what, that pup doesn't get to live."

His voice was icy and sharp, cutting into my ears like death's whisper.

My back slid slowly down the wall as my mind went blank, my consciousness flickering on the edge of collapse.

Before anyone could find me, I stumbled back to my place in a daze, shooing away the maids.

I couldn't let them see me in this state, crying and completely falling apart.

Apparently, the man I believed was my savior three years ago—Lucas—was actually the demon who cast me into the abyss. Every ounce of suffering I endured was because of him.

Since we became mates three years ago, everyone in the pack kept telling me how lucky I was.

They said even though the corrosive potion had disfigured my face and damaged my wolf, I still got to marry Lucas—a handsome, powerful, undefeated Alpha—and become their revered Luna.

But the truth was, he had planned it all—my disfigurement, Oliver's rejection, the soul-crushing agony—just to make way for his beloved younger stepsister Isabella to become Beta Oliver's mate.

The memory of Lucas tracing my scars with those tender, focused eyes made my heart feel ripped open, leaving a hollow pit where the cold wind howled.

…

I woke with a start in the dead of night, my skin clammy with cold sweat after the nightmare.

Beside me, Lucas stirred, but there wasn't a hint of irritation in his expression.

Instead, he took my hand, his voice calm and steady. "Evelyn, what's wrong? Was it the nightmare again? Don't be scared. I'm right here. No one's going to hurt you."

When he felt me tense, his voice grew even gentler. "Don't worry. I'll be getting leave from Pack Headquarters soon, and then I'll take you to the seaside. We'll leave all those painful memories behind."

As I met his gentle gaze, I almost wondered if everything I'd overheard outside the council chamber that evening had just been my imagination.

I ran my hand over my still-flat stomach, unable to resist testing his reaction."Would you be happy if we had a pup?"

The second the words were out of my mouth, Lucas stiffened, his brow furrowing before he could stop it.

But then, just as quickly, his expression softened into delighted surprise.

"Of course I would!" he said, his voice warm with excitement. "Evelyn, are you telling me you're pregnant with my pup?"

Lucas managed an expectant look, but that scrutinizing gleam in his eyes gave him away.

I saw right through him. He was suspicious.

But I wasn't about to lose this pup yet, so I deflected with a playful look. "I was just curious. Why so serious?"