Chapter 1

I had just paid the full year’s fee for my parents at the Moonlight Sanctuary. Then I walked into the best pup supply store in the city.

A soft baby blanket was embroidered with silver thread.

A traditional pattern, for blessing a newborn wolf.

I traced the pattern, wondering if Cain would be like other fathers.

If he would whisper his bloodline’s oath to the moonlight on the day our pup was born.

I handed the black and gold card to the clerk.

The machine beeped twice. A harsh, rejecting sound.

“Sorry, ma’am. This card was declined.”

I frowned. Before I could try again, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

The caller ID: Jasmine.

I answered. Her sharp voice exploded in my ear.

“Aurora, I’ve suspended your cards.” Her tone was dripping with glee. “Do you have any idea how hard Cain has worked these last six months? Fighting to secure this pack’s foothold in the North, fighting for the mines? And you? You just buy useless things all day.”

“From now on, every dollar you spend needs my approval. Your monthly limit is one thousand dollars.” She paused, her voice laced with undisguised contempt. “$399 for a blanket? Who do you think you are? A weakling who can’t even hold a shift for three minutes has no right to waste the Alpha’s hard-earned money.”

Can’t even hold a shift.

The words stabbed at me. I knew what she was talking about.

She called me a weakling who couldn't shift.

She didn't know that if I let my true wolf out—the ancient Silver Lycan—the sheer size and aura of my beast would force her to her knees in seconds.

I didn't fail to shift. I chose not to crush them.

Three years ago, I let her see a moment of “weakness.” I let everyone think I was a broken wolf, a late-bloomer who struggled with a basic shift.

It was part of my disguise.

She didn't know. It was my most perfect lie for the last three years.

A low laugh escaped my lips.

A talk show was playing on the store’s TV.

“...Twenty years ago, the Crestfall family withdrew from public life. Since then, no one has seen the Alpha King Rowan or his mate, Rhea, in public...”

The clerk glanced at the screen as she wrapped my things.

“I heard those old families didn’t lose power at all,” she said, smiling. “They have the pure blood of the ancient Moon Goddess. They protect the sacred borders from the shadows. Even the most arrogant Alpha in the North begs for their blessing to rule… Seriously, you look a little like that Luna Rhea. Are you the Alpha King’s daughter? So how could your card get declined? Haha.”

I didn’t answer. I just pulled another card from my wallet.

Solid black. No bank logo. Just a tiny, silver wolf’s head.

“This one.”

The moment the transaction went through, a tearing pain ripped through my mate bond with Cain. It felt like something was trying to sever our very souls.

Then, the agony shot downwards. It exploded in my abdomen without warning.

I doubled over, my knuckles white as I gripped the counter. Cold sweat soaked my back.

“Ma’am?!” The clerk’s voice was panicked.

Ten minutes later, I was in a delivery room at the city’s top pack hospital.

The nurse held my cards, swiping them one by one.

Red text flashed on the screen, again and again.

She looked up, embarrassed. “Ma’am, I’m so sorry. All accounts linked to your mate are frozen.”

Frozen.

I stared at the ceiling.

Pain hit me in waves.

But the tearing of my mate bond was worse. It was an empty, suffocating void.

I gritted my teeth and dialed his number.

It rang three times. Jasmine answered.

“What is it now, Aurora?” Her voice was full of impatience. “Cain’s in a meeting. He’s deciding the pack’s next territorial expansion. He doesn’t have time for your petty problems.”

“I’m at the hospital,” I said, word by word. “The baby’s coming. I need to pay for the VIP suite.”

A cold, dismissive laugh came from the other end.

“Giving birth? What’s the big deal? You can have a baby in a regular room. The VIP suite is eight thousand dollars a night. You think the Alpha’s money is for a ‘weakling’ like you to squander?” Her voice rose, filled with unconcealed triumph. “I’ll have someone cover the basic fees later. Don’t push it.”

The line went dead. The dial tone buzzed in my ear.

I stared at the dark screen. Something inside me went completely cold.

Three years ago, I welcomed her into our home.

Now, she was sitting by Cain’s side, deciding if the pup in my womb—a pup with the blood of the Moon Goddess—deserved a decent delivery room.

I closed my eyes. The pain was still a storm inside me, but my breathing steadied.

I dialed another number.

A number only a handful of people knew.

It belonged to the man who had served as my father’s Head of Security for fifty years.

“Silas. My accounts are frozen.”

The silence on the other end lasted less than a second.

“I’ll be there in five.”

His voice was flat, but it held enough power to level a city.