Chapter 1

"Miss Taylor, the Alpha heir Kelvin is coming to see you!"

My servant Jane rushed in, her eyes sparkling with joy. She had always hoped I would become the Luna of our pack, so in her mind, Kelvin's visit could only mean one thing—he was here to give me good news.

But I was too absorbed in designing the moonstone necklace to notice that Kelvin had already entered.

He approached me quietly, his gaze unusually gentle.

"Ella," he said softly, "why not let the werewolf master handle this for you? We have a skilled craftsman in the pack. This is too much for you to manage alone."

I looked up at him, momentarily stunned.

Today was Amanda's birthday—so why was Kelvin here with me?

After all, Amanda had publicly invited him to her father's pack for a hunting competition on her birthday—a month ago.

I stared at him, searching his eyes for an explanation. But he avoided my gaze, his own eyes flickering with something I couldn't quite read.

Then he lowered his head and cleared his throat.

"I need to talk to you about something."

He sighed deeply, like a man finally letting go of a heavy burden.

"Ella… Amanda refused to be my second mate. So now… I have no choice but to name her my Luna."

My heart stopped. But before I could say a word, he rushed to explain.

"Ella, you know… Luna is just a title. In my eyes, there's no difference between you two. You're both my mates. I just want you to let her have the title because she's young and doesn't understand the traditions of our pack. But you—you're the one I truly rely on. You're understanding, wise, considerate… everything she's not. I promise, she'll only hold the title, but the real Luna—the one who leads beside me—is you.

The love I give you is no less than what I give her."

Hearing his words, my heart froze. A chill crept through my veins, paralyzing me.

"So… you want me to be your second mate?" I asked, my voice icy and trembling.

Kelvin furrowed his brows, visibly frustrated.

"Ella, you were born and bred to be Luna. You've been raised your whole life for this role. She—she's just a reckless young she-wolf who doesn't even know the rituals of our pack. How could she ever compare to you?"

He took a step closer, desperation creeping into his voice.

"Luna is just a title, not real power. I chose you as my mate because you never fought, never craved attention like Amanda does. You were calm, composed… dependable."

He paused, his expression softening, as if trying to justify his betrayal.

"Today is her birthday. During the Hunting Competition at her father's pack, I'll name her Luna. That's… the last thing I can give her."

His words struck me like a slap. So I was the dependable one—good enough to carry the weight of the pack, but not worthy of the title? And this, his final act of affection for another mate, was what he offered me on her birthday?

I stunned and unconsciously rubbed the ring on my finger, but it was too forceful that it was pulled off from my finger and slipped down to the ground, the moonstone shattered into pieces.

However, when I came to my mind, Kelvin had left.

I drove to see Kelvin's mother and she was very shocked to see me in her den in a mess.

"What happened, Ella?"

"Luna, Kelvin has decided to claim Amanda as his future Luna."