Chapter 1

When my mother-in-law, Willow Joynes, and I boarded Moonshine, we intentionally hid the fact that Willow was the Luna.

We just wanted to distance ourselves from the power struggle that was occurring between the packs and enjoy a few days of peace and quiet. We could never have imagined that our peaceful vacation would suddenly turn into an utter fiasco.

As the Luna of the north, Willow had a noble status. Thus, no wolf had ever spoken to her with such a brazen attitude.

She swept her gaze over the she-wolf, Beatrice Quillo's expensive clothes and exquisite makeup, before making a retort.

"Money can buy many things, but it can't buy manners. A she-wolf who hasn't been acknowledged as the Alpha's official mate has no right to claim to be the future Luna and flaunt the authority that is only reserved for her."

Willow no longer paid Beatrice any attention, turning to me and saying, "Let's continue enjoying the sun. It's pointless to waste our time on her. We can question Julian when we return to the pack."

Beatrice's face twisted in rage when we stopped entertaining her. However, a cruel smile stretched across her lips a few seconds later.

"Fine. Since you're being so shameless and refuse to leave, I suppose I can show you my generosity and play along until you've learned your lesson!" she exclaimed, pulling out her phone and dialing a number.

A young wolf appeared a few minutes later.

"What are your orders, Ms. Quillo? Do you want to go diving?" he asked with a fawning expression.

Beatrice pointed at us and gritted out, "These two bitches have no idea how to show respect, Gary. I want you to teach them a lesson!"

Gary immediately understood what she wanted from him.

"Don't worry. I'm a dive safety officer. I know exactly how to make someone suffer in the water," he said with a smile, slowly stalking toward us.

An ominous feeling reared its head in my gut. "What are you trying to do?" I demanded.

Gary acted before I could react. He grabbed Willow's arm and shoved her toward the side of the ship.

"Mom!" I shouted in surprise, hastily rushing to her side.

However, Gary anticipated my reaction, blocking my path and shoving me aside.

Willow lost her balance and crashed against the railing. Her body then tipped over the railing, sending her falling into the sea with a loud splash. The icy waters swallowed her in an instant.

I watched as Willow thrashed around in the water. Her hair was soaked with seawater, and her body was slowly being swallowed up by the waves.

I threw all caution to the wind at that moment. I threw myself over the railing and dived into the sea without any hesitation. My body was instantly surrounded by bone-chilling seawater.

I swam as hard as I could toward Willow and propped her up.

Willow was deathly pale. She let out hacking coughs as her body shivered violently. A long time passed before she finally caught her breath.

She once stood at the pinnacle of the business world for decades. She also single-handedly established the business empire that earned her the respect of the Alphas from other packs. It was hard to believe that someone so great was forced to endure such terrible humiliation.

Willow's gaze was terrifyingly cold as she shouted, "Do you have any idea what you just did? You almost took someone's life! I'm going to report you to the authorities as soon as possible!"

Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest and simply smiled. "Took someone's life? My mate has businesses all over the world. The money in his bank account is more than enough to buy both your lives!

"And what was that about reporting me to the authorities? Would you like to bet if the authorities will listen to you or me, the future Luna of the north?"

My frown deepened.

Moonshine was one of the many engagement gifts that my fiance, Julian Layton, personally gave me. However, Beatrice was acting as if she was in charge.

An uneasy feeling festered in my heart.

Could it be that Julian actually had another mate?

I supported Willow until her breathing evened out. I then shot a cold look at Beatrice, asking, "Is your mate Julian Layton?"

Beatrice stuck her nose into the air with a gleeful expression. "That's right. Well, it seems that you're not clueless enough not to know the name of the future Alpha of the north. I might consider letting you off the hook if you get on your knees, grovel for my forgiveness, and clean the deck until it's spotless.

"If you refuse, you'll have to face an Alpha's wrath when Julian gets here."

An icy sensation wrapped around my heart.

Julian had once made a vow to me in front of everyone during our engagement party, promising to give me his heart, his loyalty, and his future.

Could it be that he had been hiding another she-wolf this whole time?