Chapter 1

It was the dead of night by the time I dragged my body from the dilapidated warehouse on the outskirts of Seattle back to our estate.

The ritual had drained me of almost all my strength, leaving me feeling like half my soul had been ripped from my body.

But it was all worth it.

I glanced down at my left shoulder. The laurel tree mark, which once shimmered with a silver light, was now as dull as ash.

It was the symbol of my eternal bond with Andrew, but now it just looked like a festering wound.

"In seven days, the bond will be severed completely." The Moon Goddess's voice, majestic and filled with unyielding authority, still echoed in my ears.

Seven days. I just had to endure for seven more days, and I would be free.

I applied a special herbal paste over the mark, completely hiding its lifeless state.

I couldn't let Andrew suspect a thing, not when I was this close.

On the living room TV, a familiar figure was giving an interview.

It was my husband, Alpha Andrew Blackwood.

That handsome face, the one that drove countless she-wolves wild, was wearing a perfectly charming smile as he answered the host's questions.

"Mr. Blackwood, as the leader of the most powerful pack on the West Coast, what do you believe makes the Silver Moon Pack so stable?"

The corner of Andrew's mouth lifted into that captivating smile I once adored. "My bond with my wife, Lucia, is the bedrock of our pack's stability. It's a gift from the Moon Goddess. Her unique, Moon-blessed soothing ability allows me to maintain my sanity during the full moon. That power is priceless."

Priceless power.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I collapsed onto the sofa.

If my power was so precious, why was he letting someone else take my place?

My phone buzzed again. Another message from Crystal.

For two months, she had sent me these taunting texts almost daily.

【Did you see the TV, Luna? I was right in the front row when Andrew mentioned you. He’s such a good actor. If I hadn’t felt him pounding into me just last night, I might have actually believed him.】

My fingers tightened around my phone, my nails digging into my palm.

On the TV, the host pressed on. "There are rumors that you and your wife have been seen in public together less frequently. Is there any trouble?"

Andrew’s expression turned serious. "Our bond has never wavered. I love her very much. There is no doubt about that."

The sheer hypocrisy of it made me laugh, a short, sharp, ugly sound.

Just then, I heard the lock turn.

Andrew was home.

A mixed scent immediately hit me—his cologne, and another cloyingly sweet perfume.

Crystal’s scent.

My stomach churned.

"You're back," I said without turning around, my voice flat.

"Yeah, just finished up with some pack business." Andrew's voice was tinged with fatigue. He walked toward me, about to wrap his arms around me from behind like he always did.

I sidestepped his embrace.

The air in the room froze.

"What's wrong?" He frowned, confusion flashing in his gray eyes. "Are you not feeling well?"

"I'm fine. Just tired."

Andrew walked around to the front of the sofa, those eyes that once made my heart race now scrutinizing me. Suddenly, his gaze locked onto my left shoulder, and his pupils constricted.

Even with the herbal paste, as my mate, he could still sense that something was off.

The air in the room crackled with a sudden, dangerous tension.

Andrew spoke slowly, his voice low. "Lucia, what's wrong with your mark?"