Chapter 1

Patience's POV

I hit the packhouse door with a folder under my arm and nearly choked by Kelsey's pheromones.

Kelsey was the Ironclaw pack's alpha. His scent was all dominance.

But today, another familiar scent lingered.

The closer I got to the council chamber, the clearer it became—a faint fragrance of roses, my mom's signature pheromone.

But no way! My parents had both passed away long ago.

Pushing the heavy oak door open, the rose scent slammed into me, nearly knocking me off my feet.

Kelsey and Hazel sat cozy on the big leather couch. They were so close that their shoulders nearly touched.

A few pack members glared at me from across the room.

They were Kelsey's friends, loyal to him since the pack's start.

"Patience," Kelsey snapped, his voice cold as ice. "No one taught you to knock? You're always this rude."

I ignored him, eyes locked on Hazel's neck.

The obsidian necklace hung there, glinting in the dim light.

I'd begged Kelsey to buy it at auction.

It was my mom's only keepsake. The source of the rose pheromone.

"That necklace," my voice trembled with anger, "why do you have it?"

Kelsey frowned, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Just a trinket. I gave it to Hazel."

"A simple necklace, yet you stare like a lovesick fool," Kelsey's beta, Lionel, sneered.

Lionel always ready to put me down.

I didn't listen. I strode forward, hand reaching for Hazel's neck.

That necklace belonged to me, my mom's legacy.

"Stop acting like a brat," Kelsey's voice was ice-cold. "I said it's hers now."

The pack members snorted, their disdain clear.

In this pack, I was the Alpha's neglected Luna, beneath their respect.

"But you promised me!" I shouted, my wolf instinct flaring. "You said I could have it!"

Hazel's lip curled into a smirk.

"So eager for a cheap necklace?" she drawled, her fingers brushing the obsidian. "Fitting for a weak she-wolf like you, obsessed with possessions."

Her words struck deep, like a venomous dagger.

I unleashed my suppressed aura.

The pheromones in the air thickened, the pack members recoiling.

Hazel's face drained of color, her body trembling under my aura. She tried to resist but failed.

Just as I was about to grab the necklace, a stronger force pinned me down.

Kelsey, my mate, was using our bond to suppress me.

Pain exploded from my chest, radiating through my body. My legs buckled, nearly dropping me to my knees.

"Enough," his voice was low but carried the Alpha's absolute command.

I stared at him, shocked. My mate was using our bond to hold me back for another she-wolf.

My wolf howled in pain and fury in my mind, the agony tearing at our mating bond.

Lionel's voice cut through the tension. "I told you she's unfit as Luna, using her power to oppress us. You should reject her and make Hazel our new Luna."

"I have no interest in breaking a mating bond," Hazel sneered, though her words held no conviction.

She slowly unclasped the necklace, holding it up to me.

"If you want it so badly," she said with disdain, "take it."

She tossed it to me. It landed with a thud at my feet.

I crouched, my fingers shaking as I picked it up.

The obsidian dug into my palm, the physical pain nothing compared to the searing hurt from our bond's strain.

I clenched the necklace tightly, my knuckles whitening.

Hazel looked down at me, a victorious smile on her lips.

"A she-wolf isn't a mate's accessory. Instead of fighting me over a necklace, you should focus on improving yourself," she said, her tone dripping with contempt.

"Like she has anything to improve. If it weren't for Kelsey's kindness giving her a job, she'd be begging on the streets," Lionel's mockery continued.

I turned to Kelsey. His face showed no anger, no intention to defend me.

I took a deep breath, stood up, and didn't spare Lionel another glance.

Turning to Hazel, I said, "Since you claim you won't break a werewolf's mating bond, why then accept a gift worth millions from another's mate?"