Chapter 1

I stared at my boyfriend, my vision blurring as tears streamed down my face, refusing to stop no matter how hard I blinked. My chest ached, tight and burning, as reality finally settled in. I couldn’t believe he had done this to me. Not just as my partner, but as the future Alpha of the BloodMoon Pack. The man who was supposed to lead with honor. The man who had sworn himself to me.

“Since when?” My voice cracked as I shoved my hands against his chest, anger and heartbreak colliding. “Tell me how long you’ve been playing me for a fool!”

Something inside me screamed, clawing at my ribs, trapped in silent agony. “I ignored the whispers in the pack house. I shut my ears to the rumors because I trusted you. I defended you!” My breath hitched. “But the omegas were right all along.”

The pain felt physical, like a crushing weight pressing down on my lungs. I thought he loved me. I believed in our bond. I had no idea he had been desecrating it for months. If I hadn’t decided to surprise him at his private wing in the pack estate today, I never would have walked into this filth.

He scoffed, eyes cold and unrepentant. “You’re so boring and childish, Aubrey. You can’t give me what a man, what an Alpha, needs. Can you really blame me for seeking heat elsewhere?”

My knees weakened, his words slicing through me like silver blades straight to the heart.

Before I could stop myself, my hand connected with his face. The sharp sound echoed through the high-ceilinged room. The woman on the bed, half-hidden beneath silk sheets, flinched and shrank back. She looked terrified, as she should be. If shock hadn’t frozen me in place, I would have shifted right then and there, dragged her off that bed, and painted the marble floors with her fear.

“You said you were willing to wait until our mating ceremony,” I whispered, my voice trembling with disgust. “You promised me. Where are those promises now, Rave?”

Everything clicked into place. His growing distance. The way his eyes slid past me during pack meetings. It all started that night I found him drunk here at the estate, hands roaming, trying to force something I wasn’t ready to give. When I told him I wanted to wait. For marriage. For the Moon Goddess’s blessing. He had snapped then, anger flashing across his face before he masked it. I truly believed he respected my choice.

I was wrong.

I wiped my tears away roughly, my Beta blood simmering with rage, humiliation, and shame. “Right,” I said bitterly. “It’s my fault. It’s always my fault, isn’t it? The perfect Beta’s daughter just isn’t enough for the great Alpha heir.”

I didn’t wait for a response. I turned on my heel and walked out, leaving them both behind in that room filled with lies.

I called for a car and sank into the backseat, staring blankly at the passing trees that marked the edges of our territory. Outside, life went on. Families laughed in the town square. Pups chased one another through the parks. It all felt distant, like I was watching it from another world.

I felt like a ghost.

Even in my own home, I had always been an outsider. My father, the current Beta, and my brother, the Beta-in-waiting, saw me as nothing more than a political piece. Something to be traded, married off, used. They showed more warmth to strangers than they ever did to me.

When the car stopped at a bar near the neutral zone, I stepped out without caring how I looked. I wore a simple dress and cheap shoes. No designer labels. No symbols of rank. Just me.

Inside, the smell of cedar, stale beer, and sweat washed over me. The place was loud and crowded, but I welcomed the noise. I pushed my way to the bar and slapped my hand on the counter.

“Hardest thing you’ve got.”

The bartender hesitated, his gaze sharpening as he sensed the strength in my blood despite my disheveled state.

“I’m over twenty-one,” I snapped. “And I’m a Beta’s daughter. I can handle it. Just pour.”

He nodded and slid the glass over. I downed it in one swallow, the burn tearing down my throat, dulling the ache in my chest.

“Another.”

Ten shots later, the world tilted and spun, but I welcomed the numbness. That was when a man took the stool beside me. Even through my blurred vision, I felt his presence. Heavy. Dark. Predatory.

I turned to him, pointing a shaky finger at his chest. “Tell me...” I slurred. “Is there something wrong with me? Am I really that unlovable that everyone in this pack treats me like garbage?”

Fresh tears spilled over as I weakly hit his shoulder. “Tell me! So I can fix it! So they’ll stop leaving me!”

He didn’t interrupt. Didn’t look away. His eyes stayed on me, dark and intense, as if he was actually listening. Not to my rank. Not to my name. Just to me.

“I was top of my class,” I laughed bitterly. “Valedictorian. And my parents didn’t even show up. They were too busy training my brother.” My voice broke. “They hate me. Why is it so unfair?”

I collapsed forward, burying my face in my arms on the counter, sobbing. Unwanted. Unmated. Alone.

When I finally lifted my head, he was still there.

I tried to stand, but the room tilted violently. Strong arms caught me before I could fall. The contact sent a jolt through my body. His touch was nothing like Rave’s. It felt steady. Dangerous. Real.

I looked up into his eyes. They weren’t just dark. They were ancient. Cold and captivating.

My gaze dropped to his lips, my thoughts clouded by grief and alcohol. I leaned in and pressed my mouth to his.

When we pulled apart, the air between us felt charged, heavy with something unfamiliar.

“Can you,” I whispered, my voice barely holding together, “make me happy tonight? Bed me, please?”

I didn’t wait for his answer. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again, desperate and reckless.

“You asked for this, little wolf,” he growled against my lips, his voice low and dangerous. “You don’t get to run away tomorrow.”

That night, I didn’t go back to the estate.

I went with him.