Chapter 1

If love existed at all, then the Moon Goddess was having a hell of a laugh at my expense.

“Where is Becky?” I asked, folding my arms and leveling my mate with a look sharp. “I want to meet her.”

It was twisted way. My mating to Alpha Tom began because of her, and now it would end because of her. She had haunted my entire bond and I’d never even seen her face.

"The media is tearing her apart right now. She can’t show her face."

Alpha Tom’s voice was low, deliberate. "Besides, she’s… fragile. And with the pregnancy, it’s not a good time for you two to meet."

I looked up, catching the unmistakable protectiveness in his expression. Was he afraid I’d hurt his precious childhood sweetheart? Three years of marriage, and this was the impression I left in his eyes.

My wolf stirred beneath my skin, low and unsettled. She didn't like being forgotten. Or replaced.

“You think I’ll hurt her?” I asked flatly.

He flinched like I’d slapped him with my claws out. “No. Of course not.”

I raised a brow. “Because it kinda sounds like you’re afraid I’ll bite.”

“Grace,” he sighed, like I was being difficult. Like he was the victim here. “This is temporary. I promised I’d come back for you once things settle down.”

My stomach twisted.

Temporary. As if our bond was something you could pause—like a treaty or a press conference.

“Look,” he said, softening his tone like he always did when he knew he was losing ground. “Becky isn’t like you. You have a Golden Fang Pack behind you. She has no one. No pack. No bloodline. Just me.”

I stared at him, stunned. So now, if I refused, I was the unreasonable one?

Alpha Tom seemed to realize his own harshness. He stepped closer, reaching for me—but I moved away.

How many times had this happened before? Every time he neglected me for Becky’s sake, he would soften afterward, coaxing me with sweet words and empty promises. And every time, I forgave him. Too easily. Too often.

I took a slow breath. The Golden Fang Pack was strong. My father, our Beta, and even the elders believed I’d brought honor to the bloodline when I mated with the Alpha of the Sunfire Pack. Our union had formed an alliance as old as the moon, and yet here I was—one press scandal away from being traded like a pawn on a chessboard.

“Then I want to hear it from her,” I said, voice calm but firm. “She says she wants you? She says this is what she wants for her pup? Then she can come to me and say it. To my face.”

“Grace…” Tom looked tired now. “Do this for me. Please. Her father—he saved my life during the rogue uprising. I swore on his deathbed I’d protect her.”

My wolf huffed.

Mine, she growled. We marked him. We chose him.

And now he was throwing away the mate bond because of a promise made under duress?

Before I could snap back, a voice floated into the room like a cold breeze.

“Luna Grace… please help me.”

I turned, spine stiffening on instinct.

There she was—Becky Bell in the flesh. The infamous she-wolf with the soft curls and trembling lip. Her face was pale, tear-streaked, and suspiciously flawless for someone “torn apart by the media.”

“I just want my pup to be born without shame,” she whispered, stepping into the room.

Alpha Tom was at her side before I could blink, his hand already at the small of her back.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, voice low and panicked. “The doctor said you needed rest.”

“You were gone so long…” Becky sniffled, eyes wide and glassy as she gripped his arm like a lifeline. “I was afraid Luna Grace wouldn’t agree.”

I said nothing. My fingers curled around the edge of the chair. My claws itched beneath my skin, begging for release.

“The baby is innocent,” Becky continued, her voice trembling just enough to seem sincere. “I don’t want him labeled a bastard. And if he doesn’t have a proper name, my career—my entire life—will be ruined.”

Her tears fell like they’d rehearsed the drop in the mirror. She even had the nerve to tilt her head at me, pleading. “As a woman, how can you be so heartless?”

My wolf bared her teeth behind my eyes.

“And the real father?” I asked, arching a brow. “What, too busy to help out with the fallout? If you’re that worried about your pup’s name, maybe try the one who actually sired him.”

Becky flinched, her hand moving instinctively to her stomach.

“He… he doesn’t want the pup.” Her voice cracked. “He abandoned us. Luna Grace, I have no choice. The internet is hunting me. I’m trending in five packs. If I don’t name the father soon, the backlash will destroy me.”

“And you chose my mate to be your savior?” I asked, coldly.

“You were born into wealth,” she shot back, the helpless tone slipping for just a second. “You’re the Golden Fang Pack princess. Even if you divorce, no one would dare judge you. But me? I’m nothing without a name. My parents are gone. The father disappeared. Alpha Tom is all I have.”

I watched her, unmoved.