Chapter 1

The day of our Mating Ceremony finally arrived.

As the Elder stood before the pack, his voice booming as he announced the exchange of our soul-binding rings, Julian—the man standing across from me—suddenly spoke.

"Actually," he said, his voice cutting through the sacred silence. "I’ve been fucking Chloe."

I froze. He didn't even blink as he watched the color drain from my face.

"While you were busy trying on your ceremonial gown, we were in the dressing room right next to yours," he continued, his tone chillingly conversational. "She couldn't help but scream when she climaxed. You actually thought she was falling ill; you spent ten minutes checking on her through the door, worried sick."

"Later, while she stood by your side helping you pick out jewelry, her legs were shaking so hard she could barely stand."

In that instant, I felt the blood turn to ice in my veins.

Stiffly, I turned my head toward the woman standing in the front row, wearing a radiant smile.

Chloe.

She was waving her bouquet, cheering my name at the top of her lungs. Just an hour ago, she had been brushing tears from her eyes as she straightened the train of my dress, squeezing my hands and telling me I deserved all the happiness in the world.

"Even just now, while you were preparing for the ritual, she was riding me," Julian added, his voice dropping to a low, rough growl. "She got so worked up her claws shredded the skin on my back."

He looked down at the silver band in his hand—the ring he had yet to slide onto my finger—with total indifference.

"I’m laying it all out there, Elara," he said. "Whether you still want the title of Luna is entirely up to you."

...

A deathly silence fell over the town square.

The entire pack was waiting for the union to be sealed. My mother was there, too. She had been covering her mouth to stifle tears of joy; now, her expression had twisted into one of pure horror.

I stood on the altar like a hollow shell, my soul ripped from my body.

Why? Why did it have to be today?

My hands and feet went numb. The weight of that ring felt like it was crushing the air out of my lungs. I looked at Julian. Seeing my pathetic, broken state, his face actually filled with a sense of relief.

"I’m done with the secrecy," he muttered. "I’m tired of making up excuses and reporting my every move to you just to see her for five minutes. I’m tired of Chloe feeling guilty every time we’re in bed together."

When he spoke of Chloe, his eyes softened with genuine heartache. It was as if completing this ceremony with me was the greatest sacrifice he’d ever had to make.

It was absurd.

Only last night, he had been holding me, grinning like a fool. "Elara, I’m finally bringing you into the Pack as my mate. It feels like a dream."

But now, he was looking at me with nothing but impatience, demanding a decision.

"Julian, you are an absolute bastard!"

Tears streaming down my face, I hurled the ring at him, watching it strike his cheek. Ignoring the collective gasp of the crowd, I hiked up my skirts and bolted from the altar.

I ran as fast as my legs would carry me.

I didn't stop until Chloe caught up, grabbing me firmly by the wrist.

"Elara! What happened? Did Julian do something to you?"

Her eyes were wide with frantic concern, as if she were completely oblivious. But I was staring at her neck—at the dark, angry mark left by an Alpha’s teeth. It was a fresh mating bite, a violent shade of red.

My mind began to race.

I remembered when I first suspected she had a secret lover. My first instinct had been to be happy for her. Even when she’d taken explicit calls from him right in front of me, boasting about how he’d spent the whole night wrecking her...

I never once connected the dots to Julian.

God, how could I have been so stupid?

I forced a jagged, mocking smile through my tears. "So, Chloe... how does it feel to get fucked by my Alpha?"

The color drained from her face instantly.

Seeing her reaction, I knew. It was all true.

A bitter ache rose in my chest. I wanted to ask her why. She had spent nights awake, hand-tying the very bouquet I was holding. She had smiled through her exhaustion and said, "My best friend's flowers have to be special, Elara. I’m going to make sure you’re the happiest Luna in history."

I had believed I had the perfect mate and the truest friendship. What a pathetic joke.

Chloe stood frozen, looking past me toward Julian, who was striding our way.

"You told her everything?" she asked. She didn't deny it. She didn't even try to explain. Her first words were a demand to know why Julian had ruined the lie.

My stomach turned.

She had actually intended to keep playing the "best friend" after the ceremony. She wanted to keep listening to me share my joy while she spent her nights opening her legs for my husband.

The sheer disgust was overwhelming. I wrenched my hand out of her grip.

Julian reached us, his brow furrowed as if he still had something to say. But I didn't want to hear another word.

I grabbed the delicate lace of my ceremonial dress and tore it downward, letting the white fabric fall into the mud. I turned my back on them and sprinted toward the woods at the edge of the territory.

The wind roared in my ears.

I left them behind—the fake altar, the lies, and every ounce of the humiliation they had tried to bury me in.