Chapter 1

"Your wolf is incredibly weak right now, Harper."

The healer sighed, looking at me.

I stared down at the report. The words blurred into a pool of red.

My pup was gone.

Just like that. Dead inside my womb.

"You'll need at least three months to recover."

I nodded, my voice a rasp. "I know."

I felt horribly empty inside.

I couldn't feel my wolf anymore. The feeling of my soul being ripped in two made me want to scream.

But I was too tired. I just wanted to go home.

Back to the cage Damon bought for me.

The moment I pushed open the apartment door, I heard his familiar footsteps.

He was back.

And he smelled of a cloying, sweet scent—a she-wolf in heat.

My stomach churned.

"Baby, did you miss me?"

Damon moved in to kiss me. My body recoiled on its own.

"Yeah," I forced a smile, the single word feeling like acid on my tongue.

"What's wrong? You look pale." He frowned, but his smile returned just as quickly. "I made a reservation at the Blue Moon. I'm taking you out for French food tonight."

Blue Moon?

Confusion cut through my exhaustion.

I don't eat French food. He'd invited me last year to celebrate a pack victory, and I'd refused.

And I remembered clearly—Damon hated French food too.

He said the sauces were so disgusting they made him want to puke.

So… who was it that liked it?

The sweet scent on him was getting stronger. Mixed with the weakness from my miscarriage, it made me want to gag.

I gave him a gentle push. "I'm a little tired…"

"Is it your wolf?" He immediately leaned closer, his hands already unbuttoning my coat. "Let your fated mate soothe you."

Fated mate.

Those two words weren’t a needle. They were a dagger, twisting in my heart.

I grabbed his hand, my grip surprisingly strong. "Damon, if we're fated mates, when is our mating ceremony?"

He went rigid.

"When will you make me your Luna?"

Instantly, his face turned to ice.

He pushed me away, taking two steps back. "The time isn't right, Harper. The pack needs stability."

The same damn excuse.

I watched his distant expression, and the suspicion in my heart grew wild.

"A ceremony doesn't have to change anything between us," he said, his tone turning flippant and sharp. "Besides, you handle all the important pack business. You're basically the Luna already."

A bitter smile stretched my lips, more painful than a sob.

Basically the Luna? A shadow partner.

The Moon Goddess doesn't bless secrets. She blesses Queens.

"I'm going to take a shower." Damon put his mask of fake tenderness back on. "I'll soothe your wolf later."

I watched him disappear behind the bathroom door.

A thought took root in my mind.

Wasn't one round with his whore enough for the day?

The water started running.

Something pulled me toward his study, toward the hidden compartment he'd always forbidden me from touching.

Today, I was going to see what he was hiding.

Inside was a dusty mahogany box.

My hands trembled as I opened it. Photos scattered across the floor.

Blonde hair, green eyes, and that familiar forest scent.

She looked… just like me.

I picked up a letter in Damon's familiar handwriting:

"Chloe, my love. Harper is nothing but a stand-in. When you come back, you'll be my one and only Luna."

My world shattered.

I remembered the "surprise" in his eyes when we first confirmed our bond.

The "rewards" he gave me after every mission.

The "tenderness" of his touch for five long years.

It was all because I looked like her.

I was a replacement.

My fingers trembled so badly I could barely hold the letter. I forced myself to put everything back, wiping away any trace of my scent.

Just as I returned to the bedroom, the bathroom door opened.

Damon walked out, a towel around his waist, radiating Alpha pheromones.

"Come here, baby." He held out his hand, his smile full of passion. "My wolf can't be tamed without you."

I watched his performance, my heart tearing to pieces.

I wanted to expose him. To scream at him.

But I was too tired. My heart ached too much.

He pulled me onto the bed, only then noticing my numb expression.

"I can't feel your wolf." He frowned, faking concern. "Are you really sick? Should I call the healer?"

I opened my mouth to say something.

Suddenly, his expression changed. That focused look he gets when he's on a mind link.

I used what was left of our mate bond to listen in.

A woman's voice, sickly sweet and seductive: "Damon… I miss you, Alpha."

It was the same voice that had been moaning under him today.

It was her.

Chloe.

"There's urgent pack business." Damon immediately got up and started dressing, not even sparing me a glance. "You're not feeling well. Just get some rest."

He didn't even bother inventing a new lie.

The door slammed shut.

I gritted my teeth, forcing my weak body to shift into my wolf form.

My legs trembled so hard I could barely stand, but desperation drove me forward.

I followed him all the way to Moonlit Lake, our special place.

In the distance, I saw Damon standing by the water.

A blonde woman walked out of the forest and threw herself into his arms.

"Damon, my Alpha."

Her voice carried on the night wind, smug and possessive.

"I'm ready to give you an heir."