chapter 1

Tricia's POV 

"Where's that fat fool who calls herself the Luna of the pack?” 

My mother-in-law's voice cut through the pack house hallway like it was meant for everyone inside.

I froze mid-step as heat rushed up my neck, my fingers tightening at my sides while I slowly turned.

She stood at the end of the corridor in a champagne-colored gown, perfectly put together.

Her expression was sharp with open disgust as her eyes swept over me like I was something she couldn't scrub out of her life.

"Oh," she said at last, lips curling. "There you are."

Her gaze dragged over me slowly, deliberately.

"Still holding on to all that weight, I see," she added lightly. "It's almost impressive at this point. What are you now—one hundred… what was it again, Vanessa?"

Vanessa, my sister-in-law, appeared beside her instantly, smiling.

"Two hundred and sixty pounds," she said brightly, like she was announcing a winning lottery number.

A soft laugh slipped from my mother-in-law's lips.

"Right," she nodded. "By the next full moon, it'll probably be doubled."

My fingers curled tighter at my sides.

"I've been preparing everything for tonight's pack gathering," I said quietly.

"Oh, preparing?" she echoed, stepping closer.

"Let's see if that includes not embarrassing my son in front of his pack members."

The air shifted before I could respond as my husband, Maxwell, walked in.

He didn't look at me first. He greeted his mother and sister warmly, speaking to them like I wasn't even there.

Then his eyes landed on me.

"What are you still doing here?" he asked flatly. "Standing around like a lost omega?"

"I was just making sure everything is ready," I said quickly.

He studied me like I was a problem he was tired of solving.

"My mother is sixty," he said coldly. "And she still carries herself like a true Alpha's mate. She trains at dawn, hunts with the pack, and holds herself with dignity."

His mother lifted her chin slightly, pleased.

"But you…"

A humorless laugh left his lips.

"You're twenty-six, and you can't even keep up during a simple pack run. What kind of Luna can't hunt with her own pack because she can't lift her body?”

My breath caught.

"Maxwell…"

"Don't interrupt me."

Silence dropped instantly.

He stepped closer, eyes dragging over me with open disgust.

"Do you even look at yourself?" he asked. 

"Or have you just gotten used to this?"

My lips parted, but nothing came out.

"I can't even stand beside you at pack events without feeling embarrassed," he said flatly. "What did I ever see in you in the first place?"

"You are the worst mistake of my life, Tricia."

And just like that… everything inside me went still.

I met Maxwell three years ago as a patient in a pack infirmary on the edge of Silvermont territory.

I had been there for weeks with no visitors, unable to pay my healing bills, and with no memory of my past or how I had ended up there.

Then Maxwell came one day.

He was the Alpha heir of one of the fastest-rising packs in the region.

He cleared my bills without hesitation, gave me shelter in the pack house after my discharge, and later offered me a formal place within his household.

When he asked me to be his Luna, I didn't hesitate. I thought I was the luckiest she-wolf alive to be chosen by someone like him.

If Maxwell hadn't found me, I would have had nothing.

He was perfect, and I was the problem.

If only I could lose weight, maybe things would be different.

But nothing ever worked. Every time I tried, the weight came back twice as much.

I joined pack training repeatedly, starved myself for days, even attempted a twelve-day cleanse that ended with me collapsing during morning drills and waking up in the infirmary again.

"TRICIA!"

My mother-in-law's voice snapped through the hallway like a whip.

I blinked hard, realizing I had zoned out.

"Have you added deafness to your list of problems now?" she snapped. "Get out of here before you embarrass this family any further."

I nodded quickly and turned to leave, my steps unsteady as I tried to escape before I completely broke in front of them.

But Vanessa's voice stopped me again.

I turned slightly.

She smiled like she was doing me a favor.

"Just honest advice," she said lightly. "Don't wear anything fitted to the gathering tonight."

Her smile widened.

"You know what happened at the last full moon ceremony."

I didn't make it to my room before I broke down.

I collapsed on the floor and cried until I couldn't breathe properly.

Months ago, I had saved money from small change I collected while running pack errands because Maxwell never gave me personal funds as his Luna.

I bought a fitted ceremonial dress and attended the pack's harvest moon celebration with Maxwell.

But the moment I stood to greet the elder wolves, I realized my mistake, the dress split at the back in front of the entire pack.

Maxwell never forgave me for that night, and since then, he stopped sharing my bed.

I didn't know how long I stayed on the floor, but when I finally got up and dressed, most of the pack members had already arrived in the main hall.

A woman stood near the ceremonial podium beside my mate.

She was perfect in every sense, and for a moment I wished I could be like her.

I forced myself to move, standing at the edge of the room where no one really noticed me, and then I heard the whispers.

"Isn't that her?"

"Oh my God… she actually came."

"Don't you know who she is? That's Laura Sinclair. Her father is Beta to the Crestwood Alpha”

My eyes drifted back to her again. I felt the familiar sting of jealousy seeing another woman standing that close to my husband, but I told myself it was pack business.

She had the kind of bloodline and connections that could strengthen Maxwell's position as Alpha.

Then Maxwell took the ceremonial mic from the pack elder.

The room slowly quieted as all eyes turned toward him.

"Thank you all for honoring my invitation at such short notice," he said calmly.

"Tonight is significant to me because not only do we mark a new chapter for the Silvermont Pack, but I also have something personal to share."

A few pack members smiled, waiting.

"Come here, baby," he said, gesturing toward Laura.

I blinked slowly, unable to process it properly.

Did my husband just call another woman, baby?

Maxwell pulled her closer by the hand, then faced the room again.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Laura Sinclair," he announced clearly. "My chosen mate and the new Luna of silvermont pack”