Chapter 1

I was the first Omega Luna in our pack's history, married to Caine Blackwood, the most powerful Alpha in the entire Northern Alliance.

I had earned the pack's respect by saving over a hundred pups during an epidemic.

But my daughter, Lillian Blackwood, despised me.

And the older she got, the more obvious it became.

Now thirteen, she had eyes only for her father. Whenever Caine came home, she raced to throw herself into his arms before I could.

If Caine and I exchanged more than a few words, she squeezed between us and asked which of us he would spend time with first that night.

Sometimes, when Caine handed me a treat he had brought home, she would snatch it away and tilt her face up. "Daddy bought that for me, right?"

At first, I chalked it up to Caine being too busy, leaving her starved for a father's attention since she was little.

Then one day, I caught her hiding in the storeroom eating candy.

Lillian's wolf had been damaged, and during her treatment, she was not allowed to have too much sugar.

When I caught her, I confiscated the candy and told the maid not to give her anything else before dinner.

Lillian didn't protest, but there was a flicker of resentment in the way she looked at me.

That evening, the moment Caine came home, Lillian threw herself into his arms and complained.

"Daddy! Mommy starved me all day!"

Caine frowned and looked at me, confused.

I explained, "Lillian, you ate lunch."

She shook her head at once. "All I had was my medicine!"

Caine asked seriously, "Not a single bite? Are you sure?"

"Really!" Tears clung to her lashes. "I got so dizzy from hunger that I went to the storeroom looking for candy. Mommy wouldn't even let me have one, and she was so mean about it."

Only then did I understand. She was getting her version in first, painting me as the villain.

I said sharply, "You went to the storeroom because you'd already eaten lunch and still wanted candy. I took it away because your healer said you couldn't have too much sugar."

"No. You said no one was allowed to give me anything before dinner. The maid can prove it."

Caine looked up at me.

My throat tightened. "What I meant was no more snacks."

"You didn't say snacks," Lillian interrupted between sobs. "You said 'anything.'"

Caine's hand still rested on her shoulder, but his grip slowly tightened.

Sensing his silence, Lillian suddenly clutched her stomach and doubled over, crying even harder.

"Mommy did it so I'd have to take my medicine on an empty stomach. I still have a fever!"

Caine pressed his palm to her forehead.

The low fever from her treatment still hadn't broken.

Lillian looked at him through her tears. "Mommy said if I told you, she wouldn't give me dinner next time."

My hands trembled around the serving plate. "I never said that!"

"Then why did you make so little for dinner? And everything is stuff I hate! You did it to punish me!"

In that instant, I found I had no answer.

I suddenly realized that no matter what I said, she could turn my explanation into the next piece of evidence against me.

All these years, I had stayed by her side through the most painful nights of her wolf's recovery, never once saying a harsh word. Yet to hear her tell it, I was a vicious mother.

Something tightened slowly around my chest.

Could all the love I had given her really mean less than the blood she was born with?

Caine was silent for a moment, then soothed her.

"All right, Daddy knows."

Lillian's sobs quieted at once.

Caine looked at me. "I'll handle it tonight."

He carried Lillian upstairs.

As they passed me, the look in Lillian's eyes was nothing but triumph.

That night, she refused to eat unless Caine fed her.

Back in our bedroom, Caine shut the door and said nothing for a long time.

I hurried to explain, "Lillian is just afraid of losing you. She wasn't feeling well after her treatment tonight, so she acted out more than usual. Once her wolf stabilizes, I'll talk to her again."

"That's what you said last time."

His voice was cold.

"She's only thirteen."

"That's exactly why you can't keep making the same mistakes." Caine looked at me. "I told you to stop treating her like that. Why don't you listen?"

I gripped the blanket tightly. "Give me one more chance."