CHAPTER ONE

HOPE’S POV.

“She’s pregnant. We have no choice but to make her Luna.”

The words echoed in my ears like a death sentence.

For a moment, I could not breathe. My chest felt like it was being squeezed, like someone had wrapped a chain around my heart and pulled hard. I stared at my father, hoping I had heard him wrong.

But I hadn’t.

Amber stood beside Derek, one hand resting on her stomach. Her eyes were red from crying, but there were no tears on her cheeks now. Derek stood close to her protectively, like she was already his mate.

My sister.

My fated mate.

Together.

Inside Derek's office, both our families sat around the table. The air smelled of betrayal and shame, yet no one looked ashamed except me.

My mother reached for my hand. “Hope,” she said softly, “I know this hurts. I know your sister has wronged you. But she’s pregnant. She must marry Alpha Derek.”

Must.

The word felt like a slap.

I slowly pulled my hand away from her. “And what about me?” I asked. My voice sounded small, even to my own ears. “Derek is my fated mate, Mother. Do you even realize what you're saying?”

Silence.

Derek’s mother, the former Luna of Red Moon Pack, cleared her throat. “Hope, I watched you grow up. I always wanted you as my daughter-in-law. You would have been a fine Luna.”

Would have been.

“But now things have changed,” she continued. “For the sake of the pack, you must step down voluntarily. If this scandal spreads, both our families will lose honor.”

Honor.

That was what mattered to them.

Not my heart.

Not my bond.

Not me.

I turned to Derek. “Is it true?” I asked him. “You slept with her?”

He looked at me, and for a second, I saw guilt in his eyes. But it disappeared quickly.

“Yes,” he said. “It happened.”

It happened.

Like it was an accident. Like he tripped and fell into my sister.

Amber suddenly stepped forward and dropped to her knees in front of me.

“Please, Hope,” she cried. “I didn’t mean for this to happen. I swear. But I’m carrying his child. My baby needs a father.”

Before I could even respond, Derek pulled her up quickly.

“Don’t kneel,” he said sharply. “You’re pregnant.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close.

That small action broke something inside me.

“I love her,” Derek said firmly. “If you want to blame someone, blame me. I went for her, not the other way around.”

I stared at him. “Love?” I whispered.

We had been mates for three years. Three years of promises. Three years of planning our future. Three years of him telling me I was his only one.

And now he loved her?

My own sister?

“Hope,” my father spoke gently. “Think about the pack. Think about the child.”

I laughed bitterly. “What about thinking about me?”

No one answered.

Amber avoided my eyes.

My mother looked down at the floor.

Derek stood tall, holding Amber like she was already his Luna.

In that moment, I understood something clearly.

I was alone.

They expected me to smile and accept it. To step aside quietly. To bless their union like some kind, understanding sister.

I felt my wolf stirring inside me, restless and angry. The mate bond between Derek and me pulsed painfully in my chest.

I looked at him one last time.

“I, Hope Williams, reject you, Derek Barns, as my fated mate.”

The words left my mouth before anyone could stop me.

Immediately, pain exploded through my body.

It felt like claws tearing through my chest. I fell to my knees, gasping. My wolf howled in agony inside my mind.

Across from me, Derek groaned in pain too. He grabbed the table for support.

Breaking a mate bond is not simple. The Moon Goddess punishes those who reject their destiny.

But I did not regret it.

After a few moments, the pain slowly faded. The bond was gone.

Empty.

Cold.

Derek’s face turned dark with anger.

“How dare you?” he growled.

I slowly stood up, though my legs were shaking. “You betrayed me first.”

“You should take it back,” his mother snapped. “Do you understand what you’ve done?”

Derek stepped forward, his Alpha aura pressing down on me. “Retract your rejection, Hope,” he ordered.

His voice carried Alpha authority.

It pushed against my mind, trying to force me to submit.

But I refused.

I lifted my chin. “No.”

His aura grew stronger. The pressure made it hard to breathe.

“Retract it,” he repeated, his eyes glowing.

I looked at my parents, begging silently for help.

They said nothing.

Amber turned her face away.

That hurt more than the bond breaking.

“I will not retract it,” I said clearly. “You are no longer my mate. You have no right to demand anything of me, Derek.”

Derek’s jaw tightened. “Then you will obey me as your Alpha. And as your Alpha, I order you to retract the rejection this minute, Hope.”

I felt something inside me snap completely.

“If that is how you want it,” I said, my voice calm now, “then I reject you as my Alpha as well.”

Gasps filled the room.

“Hope!” my mother cried.

But I continued, “From this moment on, I am no longer part of Red Moon Pack.”

The connection to the pack broke instantly.

The pain was sharp, but not as sharp as before.

I was free.

My father stood up. “Don’t be foolish! Where will you go?”

“I’d rather be alone,” I replied, “than stay where I’m not wanted.”

Amber finally looked at me. There was guilt in her eyes. Maybe even regret.

But it was too late.

Without saying another word, I turned and walked out of the office.

No one followed me.

No one stopped me.

That was seven months ago.

Seven months as a rogue.

Seven months of sleeping in forests, hunting my own food, and fighting to survive.

My body now carries scars. One across my shoulder from a rogue fight. Another on my thigh from a hunter’s trap.

But I am still alive.

And I am stronger than the girl who walked out of that office in tears seven months ago.

I am no longer weak.

I am no longer someone who waits to be chosen.

I chose myself.

Life as a rogue is dangerous, but I was lucky. Two months after leaving the pack, I met Elise and Maya.

Elise is loud and fearless. She has short brown hair and sharp eyes. She can fight better than most male wolves.

Maya is quiet and gentle, but very smart. She always thinks before she acts.

They accepted me without questions.

We became a small family.

Tonight, the three of us were resting near a small river deep in the forest. The fire was low, and the air was cold.

Maya had gone out earlier to check the traps we set for rabbits.

Elise was sharpening her dagger.

“You’re quiet,” Elise said, glancing at me.

“Just thinking,” I replied.

“About him?”

I shook my head. “No. Not anymore.”

And it was true. Derek was no longer the center of my pain. He was just a memory.

Suddenly, a loud crash came from the bushes.

Elise jumped to her feet instantly.

“Maya!” she shouted, running in the direction Maya had gone earlier.

I stood up, my heart racing.

Moments later, Elise burst through the bushes, her face pale and full of panic.

“She’s gone!” she yelled. “Maya’s gone!”

“What do you mean, gone?” I demanded.

“She was near the traps when Duncan and his rogues attacked. I tried to fight them off, but there were too many.”

Duncan.

My blood ran cold.

He was one of the most dangerous rogue leaders in this region. Cruel, violent, merciless, and absolutely ruthless.

“Did they hurt her?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Elise said, breathing heavily. “But they took her. I heard Duncan say she’d be useful.”

Useful.

That word made my stomach twist.

I grabbed my daggers immediately.

“We’re going after her,” I said.

Elise stared at me. “Hope, there are at least ten of them.”

“I don’t care.”

“This could be a trap.”

“Maybe,” I said. “But Maya is our family.”

Elise’s eyes softened.

I looked into the dark forest ahead.

Seven months ago, I lost my mate.

Tonight, I might lose my friend.

Duncan thought female rogues were weak.

He was about to learn how wrong he was.

I tightened my grip on my dagger.

“Let’s bring her home,” I said.

We had barely taken three steps into the forest when I heard it.

A sharp hiss.

“Elise?”

She stopped suddenly.

Then she bent forward like something had punched her in the stomach.

My heart dropped.

“Elise, what’s wrong?” I rushed to her side and grabbed her arm before she could fall.

She tried to straighten, but her face had gone pale. Her teeth were clenched tightly.

“It’s nothing,” she muttered.

“It’s not nothing,” I snapped. “What happened? Talk to me.”

She let out a shaky breath. “One of them cut me.”

My eyes widened.

“What?”

“During the fight,” she said through gritted teeth. “I didn’t feel it at first. Adrenaline, I guess.”

I moved around her, and that was when I saw it.

Blood.

Dark and thick, soaking through the side of her shirt.

For a second, I couldn’t think. My ears started ringing.

There was too much of it.

“Elise…” My voice came out small.

She swayed slightly.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “We don’t have time. We have to go after Maya.”

But as she shifted her weight, more blood spilled down her side and dripped onto the leaves.

My heart pounded.

If I dragged her into a fight like this, she would die.

And I refused to lose anyone else.

I stepped in front of her, blocking her path. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Hope—”

“You can barely stand.”

Her jaw tightened. “Maya is out there with Duncan.”

“I know!” I shouted, my chest tightening. “You think I don’t know that?”

The forest fell quiet around us.

Every second we stood here, Maya was alone.

But Elise was bleeding out in front of me.

I grabbed her arm firmly and slung it over my shoulder. She hissed in pain.

“Cave,” I said. “Now.”

“There’s no time—”

“There won’t be any time if you collapse halfway there.”

She looked at me, frustration burning in her eyes. Then slowly, she nodded.

We moved quickly toward the small cave near the river — the one we used during storms.

Her steps grew weaker with every pace.

Blood dripped onto the ground behind us.

My mind was racing.

Duncan would smell this.

Other rogues would smell this.

We were leaving a trail.