Chapter 1.

ARIA'S POV

"Goddess, look at how huge she is. Is she sure there's only one child in there?"

"And first baby, too. My first was never that big. She looks like she's about to pop. No wonder Alpha Damon is never seen around her anymore. I'd be embarrassed to be seen next to her."

I hear two pack wives by the door to the banquet hall gossiping about me, their eyes fixed on my protruding stomach, not even bothering to whisper.

But today, I won't let their bad-mouthing get on my nerves.

Today is my first baby's gender reveal party, and even though I still have a couple of months until my due date, the elders insisted we hold it early. They said the entire Silver Ridge Pack had been waiting for this child almost as eagerly as Damon and I have been.

Damon hopes our firstborn will be a boy — not because he would love a son more, but because a male Alpha heir would spare our child years of unnecessary political scrutiny over her gender. I understand his reasoning, because I was raised to understand that kind of reasoning.

I was supposed to be the first female Alpha of Silver Ridge.

My father, former Alpha David Blackwood, had trained me for it since I could walk. But when I first shifted at sixteen, everyone saw my Alpha wolf was too small and too weak to lead the largest territory in the region.

Most of the packmates mocked me for it, while the elders called me unfit to rule.

So my father declared he would pass the title to my fated mate — who, by some miracle, happened to be the boy I had secretly adored for years.

His name is Damon Cross, the only other true Alpha-blooded wolf in our pack.

And yes, he wasn't born in Silver Ridge. He was brought here by my father's warriors when he was eleven, after they found him alone in the ruins of his pack. A brutal rogue attack had killed everyone else, leaving him as the only survivor. My father took pity on him and raised him as his own son.

So when the Moon Goddess revealed Damon as my fated mate on my eighteenth birthday, I could hardly believe my luck. The boy I had secretly loved for years was going to be mine.

For the first time in my life, I felt like the Goddess had finally given me something I had always wanted.

The memory brings a smile to my lips as I step fully into the banquet hall.

"Congratulations, Luna."

"I've been telling everyone it's definitely going to be a boy."

"Nonsense," another woman laughs, her eyes drifting to my stomach. "Girls are much sweeter. I'm sure you'll have a beautiful little princess."

They all smile as they speak to me and I force a tight-lipped smile in return because I have learned that not all smiles mean kindness.

And then suddenly, my eyes search the room before I even realize what I'm doing. Damon isn't here yet.

I sigh softly, feeling sad that the only person I'm comfortable being around is not here. But that isn't unusual anymore.

Ever since I became pregnant, he's spent more and more time away from me, tending to the endless responsibilities that come with leading the largest pack in the territory.

And whenever I complained, he would kiss my forehead, promise to make it up to me, and remind me that everything he did was for the safety of our people and the family we were about to welcome.

So I always believed him, because he might be late, but he had never missed an important moment in my life.

He'll be here before the reveal, I tell myself, resting my hand against my stomach and smiling as the baby shifts beneath my palm.

"Looks like it's just you and me for now. Daddy must be on his way," I whisper to myself.

The movement earns another tiny kick, as if the little one already recognizes my voice.

But my anxiety won't let me wait patiently.

I take out my phone and call Damon.

It rings until it disconnects.

I frown and dial again.

Still no answer.

For the first time that afternoon, something cold settles quietly in my chest and if it weren't for what happened three years ago — when my wolf sacrificed nearly all her strength to save Damon's life after his battle with an enemy pack — I would have simply mindlinked him.

But my wolf fell into a deep sleep after that, leaving me unable to use the mate bond mindlink at all.

The private phone he carries became the only way we could contact each other when we were apart.

That's why, in the past three years, he has never missed a single call from me.

Not once.

So why isn't he answering today? My stomach churns with more anxiety when suddenly Dana appears beside me before I can call a third time.

"I knew I'd find you hiding over here."

She slips the phone from my hand and hooks her arm through mine.

Dana is a pack healer-in-training and has been my best friend since we were pups.

"You're supposed to be enjoying your own party, not worrying about your workaholic husband."

I laugh despite myself. "That sounds exactly like something Damon would say."

"He'd tell you to stop overthinking," she replies with a grin. "So I'm doing his job for him."

Her smile softens as her gaze drifts to my belly.

She rests both hands gently against my stomach.

For several long seconds, she says nothing, and then the teasing disappears from her face.

"Dana, what's up?"

She looks up at me slowly. "Aria... did the hospital tell you everything looked normal?"

"Of course."

"They didn't mention anything unusual?"

"No. Lily accompanied me to every examination herself. The doctors said the baby is healthy. They only warned me that Alpha pups tend to grow larger than ordinary wolves."

Dana doesn't answer immediately.

Her fingertips linger against my stomach before she finally withdraws them.

"I hope that's all it is."

"What do you mean?"

She hesitates. "I've helped the pack healer deliver enough children to recognize the difference. Your baby feels... larger than I expected."

My hand instinctively covers hers. "You think something's wrong?"

"I don't know." She forces a reassuring smile, though it doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Maybe I'm simply being overly cautious. But without your wolf protecting your body anymore, even a normal delivery carries risks."

She pauses. "If..." Her eyes flick toward my stomach. "If there were more than one Alpha pup, it would be extremely dangerous."

A chill creeps through me. "There can't be. The scan said there was only one."

"I know. And that's exactly why I said maybe I'm worrying over nothing."

Before I can ask another question, the lights near the stage dim and conversations fade.

Elder Miriam immediately asks me to join her on the stage as she steps onto it, carrying a sealed envelope bearing the silver crest of the Pack Hospital.

The room erupts into applause.

"Let's meet our future Alpha!"

I join her, smiling despite the uneasiness lingering inside me.

Damon is about to miss the reveal, but before my thoughts can linger, Elder Miriam breaks the wax seal.

Instead of smiling, her brows slowly draw together.

She reads the report once.

Then a second time.

The color drains from her face.

A strange silence settles over the hall.

"My Luna..." she begins, then stops herself.

Her fingers tighten around the report.

"There is... something I must tell you before we announce your baby's gender."

Confusion ripples through the guests.

I frown. "What is it?"

Elder Miriam looks from the report to me, her expression filled with hesitation.

"Your father... former Alpha David... he..."

The heavy doors of the banquet hall slam open.

Dozens of armed guards march inside, splitting the crowd.

The captain halts a few feet in front of me and raises a sealed warrant.

"Aria Blackwood Cross, you are under arrest for the murder of former Alpha David Blackwood." His cold voice rings through the ballroom.

A stunned silence follows, and for a few seconds, I simply stare at him, dazed.

What does he mean by saying I murdered my father?

My mind goes completely blank no matter how many times I replay the words. This must be some sick prank.

I exhale softly with my face still composed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you are under arrest for the murder of your father, the former Alpha!" the guard repeats, and somehow my brain buffers for a few seconds again.

This has to be a sick joke...

"But my father is alive." The words slip out before I can stop them. "I saw him this morning. He was perfectly fine. There must be some kind of mistake."

My eyes dart around the room, searching everyone's faces for an explanation. But no one says a word. Tears instinctively well up in my eyes as I sense something is terribly wrong from the way they're all looking at me.

"I saw him this morning," I say, my voice trembling. "So how can you say he's dead?"

"Only you can answer that question," the captain says flatly.

My frown deepens. "I honestly don't understand what you mean."

"You poisoned your father approximately two hours after you visited him this morning," he says. "The pack healers found traces of wolfsbane in his system. The cupcakes you brought to his house were laced with it."

I shake my head instinctively, my hand flying to my mouth.

"No. No, that's impossible. I would never—"

"Your stepmother, former Luna Linda, has identified you as his killer," he continues, unmoved. "Ordering your arrest was Alpha Damon's command."

"No. That's impossible..."

The words barely leave my lips because I won't believe that my husband can do this to me. Damon loves me as much as I love him. And besides, I refuse to believe that my father is dead...

"Where is Damon? I need to speak to him!" My voice trembles.

No one speaks.

No one moves.

The guests who were surrounding me only moments ago quietly step back, as though my very presence has become contagious.

Then, from somewhere behind me, comes the familiar sound of high heels against the marble floor.

Slow.

Unhurried.

Lily, my stepsister, appears, walking straight toward me.

For a few seconds, relief washes over me because she'll tell them this is all some terrible misunderstanding.

"Oh, thank Goddess."

I turn to her, my voice trembling with relief.

"Lily, please. Tell them our father is okay."

Her expression remains strangely calm.

"I'm sorry, Aria."

She presses a hand to her mouth as if she's struggling to hold back tears.

"But our father is dead."

My heart stops. "What?"

"The healers found traces of poison in the frosting of the cupcakes you brought," she says, her eyes flicking toward the crowd before returning to me. "Aria, you killed our father."

A few people gasp.

My brain short-circuits for the third time.

How could I kill my father? What would I gain from it?

Lily covers her mouth and pretends to sob before stepping closer.

Her next words are meant only for me.

"And do you really believe Damon was too busy to answer your calls a few minutes ago?"

"What did you say?" My blood runs cold and a faint smile curves her lips.

"I said he wasn't busy, Aria."

She leans closer.

"He was with me."

My stomach drops.

"Telling me how much he couldn't wait to make me his official Luna."

My whole body goes numb because she can't be telling the truth... Damon loves only me. He has to. I mean, I spent years following him around like a lovesick puppy before we finally got fated. How could he have been waiting to make Lily his Luna all this time?

Lily straightens, her face returning to the perfect picture of grief.

Then I notice her hand.

She slowly curls her fingers, admiring her red-painted nails.

And then the ring on her finger catches my eye.

My breath catches.

It is my Luna ring I had taken off when I was four months pregnant and left in the top drawer of my bedroom dresser because my whole body had begun to swell and it no longer fit.

"How do you have my ring?" I whisper, unable to look away.

Lily smiles. "Who else could have given it to me?"

My chest tightens. "Damon?"

"Of course." She lifts her chin. "He gave it to me himself." She glances toward the entrance. "He was just waiting for the right moment to do so... He also immediately sent me here to exercise the Luna's authority and punish the mutt responsible for our former Alpha's death."

I shake my head in disbelief as tears stream out of my eyes.

I can't believe my father is dead, and this is how my stepmother, Damon, and Lily have chosen to betray me.

Fresh memories of my father introducing Lily and her mother after my mother's death flood my mind. I can't believe these are the same people who showered me with unconditional love all my life since I met them.

My heart starts racing wildly, as the room spins.

"No, you won't arrest me. I'm still the Luna—"

"Former Luna," Lily is quick to correct me. "And watch me do it." Her voice suddenly rings through the hall.

Everyone turns toward her.

"Under the laws of the Wolf Clan, murdering a former Alpha is punishable by death. But because the accused carries the Alpha heir, the Council has shown mercy. She will receive uncountable lashes with a whip soaked in wolf venom... until she confesses to her crime."

A wave of horrified gasps sweeps through the hall.

I instinctively clutch my stomach because in my current condition, there is no way I can withstand lashes. I have to protect my child.

"Hold her down," Lily orders.

Two burly soldiers immediately step forward.

One of them kicks Dana aside as she tries to come to my aid.

Her head strikes a pillar, and a thread of blood trickles down her eyebrow.

The soldiers grip my shoulders tightly.

I feel a sudden, sharp tightening in my stomach.

"You can't order my soldiers to punish me while Damon isn't here!" I fix my burning gaze on Lily and shout.

"I can." She holds up her left hand, the back of it facing me, clearly displaying the ring.

Then she leans closer and whispers in my ear, so only I can hear.

"FYI, Damon is helping me make sure you never live long enough to bring that bastard into this world."