Chapter 1

My Fated Mate, Alpha Ethan, never marked me. Instead, he forced me, pregnant with his child, to give my heart’s blood to save his lover—Bella, the monster who killed my sister. He even wanted me to step down, to declare Bella the true Luna of the pack.

I focused on the tiny flicker of life in my womb.

Three years. It had been three years since the Moon Goddess declared us Fated Mates, and still, Ethan refused to mark me.

I knew why. He thought my white wolf bloodline was weak. Besides the healing power of my heart’s blood, I had nothing else to offer.

But now, I was pregnant.

This should have been a day of celebration for the Blackwood Pack. The last hope to save my crumbling bond with Ethan.

The irony was suffocating. Today was also the anniversary of my sister Lily's death.

A year ago, Rogues had ripped her apart.

Ethan had sworn to me he’d protect her like family.

He broke his promise.

I had begged him through my tears to find her killer. He promised he would.

But a year had passed, and the killer was still free.

I took a deep breath, fighting down the nausea, and walked toward the Alpha’s office.

I needed him.

Even if only as my Alpha, he should be with me today. He should come with me to the pack cemetery to see Lily.

The office door was slightly ajar.

I raised my hand to knock, but a sob from inside froze me in place.

It was Bella.

"Oh, Ethan, I… I can't forgive myself…" Bella’s voice trembled, thick with fake remorse. "That Rogue was a monster. It broke right through our defenses… Lily, she pushed me out of the way… she saved me, and…"

My heart skipped a beat.

Her mental shield. Ethan had reinforced it himself. There's no way a Rogue could have shattered it.

Not unless she dropped it.

She did this on purpose. She murdered my sister, and now she was blaming it on a Rogue.

"If the Elders find out Lily died saving me, they'll think I'm cursed… I can't be your Luna, Ethan. I just can't."

I held my breath, waiting for Ethan’s response.

How could he not see through such a simple lie?

But his voice was cold, chillingly calm. "It's not your fault, Bella."

My world shattered.

"From now on, this is the story: You fought to protect the pack. So did Lily. I'll announce that you both fought bravely, but Lily didn't make it. And you were left with severe trauma from the battle." Ethan's tone was flat, final. "You are the future Luna. Your record must be flawless. No stains."

"But… Harper will hate me…"

"Harper?" Ethan scoffed. "She just needs to do what she's told. I'll make her understand. Questioning the future Luna is questioning the entire pack."

A cold deeper than any winter pierced my bones.

He chose her lies. He chose to protect her.

My rage burned away all reason.

I slammed the heavy oak door open. "You're lying!"

Seeing me, a flicker of triumph crossed Bella's eyes before she put on a mask of terror, acting as if I were the Rogue itself. "Harper… let me explain… I'm so, so sorry…"

"Explain what? How my sister died?" I snarled, pointing a shaking finger at her. "It was you! You killed her!"

Ethan immediately stepped in front of Bella, his face a cold mask. His eyes held no guilt, only annoyance at my "childish tantrum."

"Get out, Harper. Bella is fragile right now. Don't upset her."

"She murdered Lily! And you're protecting her?" I shrieked.

At my words, Bella’s body convulsed. She coughed, spraying a mouthful of blood onto the floor. "Ah… my chest… Ethan, the poison… it's acting up again…"

"Look what you've done!" Ethan’s face twisted in fury, his eyes flashing Alpha-red. "Is this what you want? To torture a hero who sacrificed for this pack?"

"She's acting! She's a murderer!"

"Shut up!"

The force of his Alpha command slammed into me. My knees hit the floor with a sickening crack. Pain exploded through me, but my only thought was of my stomach.

"Ethan… please, don't…" I gasped, trying to shield my belly. "I'm preg—"

"She was already poisoned saving my life once! It flared up again trying to save your sister!" Ethan wasn't listening. He lifted Bella into his arms gently, but the look he gave me was pure disgust. Like I was trash. "Give her your healing essence. You owe her this."

"No! I'm pregnant! It will kill the baby!" I pleaded.

Ethan laughed, a cold, humorless sound. "Pregnant? You'd really sink that low, Harper? Making up stories just for attention? Your jealousy is pathetic. Don't use cheap lies to get out of what you have to do."

Bella chose that moment to let out a weak whimper. “Ethan… I’m so cold…”

The red in Ethan’s eyes deepened,.

He strode over to me, looming over my pathetic form on the floor.

“It is your honor to save your future Luna, Harper.”

He raised his hand, his Alpha power radiating from him like a physical force.

“NO! I won’t do it!” I cried, trying to appeal to any shred of decency he had left.

But his next words sealed my fate.

“I command you to submit.”