Chapter 1

The door slammed shut. Simon Thompson was gone.

On a night that should have been about our souls becoming one, he went to find a human he had just met.

I thought I would howl at the moon like those pitiful she-wolves, or smash everything in the room.

But I didn't.

I walked barefoot into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Water poured over my body, washing away the marks left by the mate bond ritual.

Memories came rushing back.

This was my fifth year with Simon.

For five years, I stood by him as he built the pack and fought off enemies.

During our hardest years, when we were closest, Simon had kissed my hand more times than I could remember. He swore that once the territory was secure, he would stand with me before the Moon Goddess, bind us in the most sacred way, and make me his honored Alpha mate.

For that promise, I followed him from nothing to ruling an entire region.

I wasn't just his lover; I was his strongest ally.

I helped him purge internal threats and manage the territory so he could sit firmly in the Alpha seat.

Now, the pack was powerful, and all sides bowed.

I had become his Luna, just as promised.

Yet our bond had turned into a free pass for him to chase every pretty thing that caught his eye.

I scrubbed my skin over and over until it turned raw. The scent that once made me feel safe now made me nauseous.

I stayed awake until dawn.

On the other end of our mind link, all I could hear now and then was another girl's soft laughter.

The next morning, an engine roared downstairs.

Simon was back.

He pushed the door open, wrapped in the smell of human perfume.

To a werewolf's sensitive nose, it was anything but subtle.

Oblivious, he tossed his jacket onto the couch and looked at me like everything was normal.

"Tanya, is the coffee ready? Two sugars."

I stood behind the kitchen island, gripping the mug so hard that my knuckles went white.

Looking at this werewolf, I felt like I didn't know him at all.

Just 24 hours ago, he had kneeled before the statue of the Moon Goddess, holding my hand as he swore.

He said that I, Tanya Walker, was his one true soulmate, the one he would be loyal to for the rest of his life.

The echoes of that vow hadn't even faded from the valley, yet he had already ground it into the dirt with his own feet.

"The girl's name is Lily," Simon said casually, as if he were talking about the weather. "I put her in the east wing guest suite. Don't let anyone bother her."

The east wing.

That suite was only ever used when visiting Alphas from other packs came by.

He had settled an unknown human plaything right at the heart of the pack's power structure.

Yet he barked orders at me, the newly bonded Luna, without a shred of warmth.

I set the mug down hard. "I only have instant coffee."

Simon frowned instantly, glanced at the coffee with disgust, then looked at the plate of fresh venison on the table.

"Why is it always bloody meat?"

He covered his nose.

"Lily can't stand the smell of blood, and I'm sick of it, too. Can't you be a little more considerate?

"You know I'm picky. Why can't you learn to make human breakfasts? Eggs and toast. Is that so hard?"

I looked at his face, worn thin by indulgence.

Considerate?

In the past five years, how many skills had I learned just to suit his tastes, things I never needed in the first place?

But not anymore. I was done catering to him.

"Werewolves eat meat. That's our normal diet."

My voice was steady, without a ripple.

"If you want human feed, go down to the human town. Don't pull that crap on pack land."

Simon froze.

He clearly hadn't expected me to talk back.

Before he could explode, I turned and walked away.

"Where are you going?" he shouted after me.

"Border patrol."

I didn't look back.

"Because you brought a human in without permission and ran around in a thunderstorm, three gaps opened along the patrol line. The pups were thrown into panic by an unfamiliar human scent and cried all night.

"If you're too busy thinking with your lower half to do your job as Alpha, then I will clean it up as Luna."

By the time I reached the council hall, the elders were already there.

When Simon followed in with a dark expression, every elder's nose twitched.

That mixed human perfume smelled completely out of place in the chamber.

The elders exchanged uneasy looks.

Simon, however, seemed oblivious, still wearing his Alpha arrogance.

I opened the files like nothing was wrong and began the morning briefing.

"Activity was detected in the western woods last night. Add three more patrol teams…"

My voice was as calm as ever, but only I knew what I was enduring.

The mate bond was tearing at my soul because of his betrayal.

I reminded myself over and over not to look back.

The high-intensity work blurred the passage of time.

At noon, my phone vibrated. It was a message from Simon.

[Still mad, huh? Enough already.

[Lily's just a normal human. She only has a few decades to live. Why are you trying to compete with her?]

I deleted the notification without expression.

Sitting alone on the cliff at the edge of the territory, I looked out at the Wasteland in the distance.

If I severed the bond, I would lose the pack's protection and become a lone wolf.

A lone wolf's survival rate was low. But I had already mapped out a route in my head.

Even dying out there would be better than staying here.

My phone vibrated again.

Seeing I didn't reply, Simon must have gotten impatient.

This time, it was a photo.

It showed Lily Woods, crying softly, curled up in Simon's arms.

He was trying to make me jealous, forcing me to rush back as I had before.

Too bad, he was wrong.

I deleted the conversation entirely.

Trash belongs in the bin.