Chapter 1

Someone whispered that Caleb’s secret Omega—the one he kept hidden from the pack—
was pregnant.

I didn’t believe it.
But still, under the cloak of night, I knocked on the Alpha heir’s door.

The faint sound of water drifted from within before the door opened.
He stood there—nothing but a towel slung low on his hips, droplets tracing the hard planes of his chest, the raw strength of his wolf carved into every line of muscle.

“Come in.”

My hands clenched at my sides.

For seven years, I had been waiting for him to make me his mate.

For seven years, I had been hopelessly, secretly in love with him.

I stepped inside before my courage could falter.

Caleb sat down with the dominance only an Alpha could carry, his damp skin catching the moonlight.

He poured himself a glass of crimson liquor that gleamed like blood, barely sparing me a glance.

A faint smirk curved his lips.
“What brings you here, little Luna?”

I lowered my eyes, unsure how to speak.
Everyone knew he hadn’t chosen me.

I was five years younger, appointed by the Elders to be his Luna—a convenient match for the future Alpha.

But I loved him.
Loved him so much that I swallowed every rumor, every she-wolf that lingered around him.
I endured it all.

Until tonight.
Until I heard she was pregnant.
The Omega he kept the longest.

This time, I broke.
I came here for the truth.

But before I could form the words, Caleb rose, glass in hand, and closed the distance between us.
His large palm gripped my chin, firm and unyielding.
He tilted the glass to my lips, voice low, coaxing yet commanding.

“Quinn… be good. Drink.”
His breath brushed my ear, rough and dangerous.
“It’s your birthday tomorrow. I’ve prepared a gift for you… one only an Alpha can give.”

That night, I forgot why I came.
I lay in his bed, cheeks flushed, heart thundering, waiting—
for whatever gift tomorrow would bring.

This year’s celebration was extravagant.
The Graysons had invited nearly everyone from the upper circle of the pack.
The hall glittered with gold and glass, every detail screaming of status and power.

Because tonight was not just my birthday—
it was my engagement banquet with Caleb, the future Alpha.

Yet the man who had promised me a “birthday gift”… never appeared.

I stood at the edge of the hall, eyes locked on the doorway, waiting.

Seven years of waiting.
Seven years since my wolf had whispered the truth to me—that Caleb was my fated mate.

I believed it.
So much that I gave up everything.
The three hundred million dollars my father left me—I poured it all into Caleb’s pack.
Into his future.
Into us.

But Caleb never wanted me.
Not as a Luna.
Not even as a woman.

Just as I turned away, I heard his voice.
Low. Smooth. Commanding.

“Quinn.”

He walked in at last, a black suit molded to his frame, every step pulling the room under his control.
Behind him trailed a nanny carrying a small bundle.

Caleb’s gaze locked onto me.
“Took you long enough to wait, didn’t it?” His tone was almost amused.
“I went to fetch your gift.”

The nanny shifted the bundle in her arms. The blanket slipped back—
a newborn pup.

Caleb’s voice was calm. Too calm.
“This is my son. Quinn, I’m giving him to you.”

The room stilled.
No one dared breathe.

He didn’t look away, his words cutting through the silence.
“Tell me, Quinn. Is one pup enough to make you finally give up on me?
If not… give me a year. I’ll breed another.”

My world fractured.
I had given him everything—my inheritance, my faith, my future.
Because I believed he was mine.
Because my wolf told me he was destined.

But in that moment, destiny itself felt like a lie.

And then—a slap shattered the silence.