Chapter 1

I'd been dating Blake in the human world for three years. The night of the Moon Festival, I returned to his pack with him. The Gray Moon Pack.

He’d promised we would bond before the Moon Goddess. Instead, at my own welcome party, he handed me a glass of wine laced with silver poison. One sip, and I hit the floor.

My wolf howled in agony inside me.

Fire burned its way down my throat, spreading through my veins and crushing my strength.

As my consciousness faded, I remembered the moment I agreed to come back with him.

He had held me so tight, kissing me with a passion I thought was real. His eyes had shone with pure joy.

"My love, I know you're tired of the pack conflicts, but you can't hide in the human world forever. Come home with me. Be my Luna. I swear, I'll be your shield. I'll protect you from all the blood and treachery. No one will ever hurt you again."

I hesitated. "But your pack... your parents... will they really accept a simple Omega? Especially one who's lived in the human world for eight years?"

"Of course! You are my chosen mate, the future Luna of the Gray Moon Pack! Besides, our pack is just like us. They hate fighting and bloodshed. You'll be the best Luna."

Even with his reassurances, I was nervous about going back.

I knew better than anyone how hard it was for an Omega to become a Luna.

But I had a trump card. If they rejected me, I would reveal my true identity. I was a princess of the Silver Peak Pack.

All my worries vanished when I saw his pack house, decorated and lit up to welcome us.

His parents and the pack elders had prepared a grand feast. Their warmth was almost overwhelming.

They looked at me with approval and admiration.

I smiled then, so glad that I had come.

I hadn't felt the vibrant energy of a Mating Moon Festival since my sister died.

During the bonfire dance, the pack members pushed Blake and me to the center of the altar.

His body pressed against mine as we danced, his hot breath on my neck.

"My love, I want to mark you right now. Tomorrow night, under the full moon, let me make you mine completely."

I could feel my own wolf's desire for him.

We kissed, basking in the cheers of the pack for their new Alpha and Luna.

When the dance ended, Blake raised his glass, his eyes locked on mine. He declared to everyone, "To my Luna! To Cora! From this day forward, you are the one and only Luna of the Gray Moon Pack!"

Tears of joy welled up in my eyes. Happiness washed over me.

Without a second's thought, I raised my glass, clinked it against his, and drank it all.

After this, I thought, smiling, I'll tell him the truth. I'm not just an Omega. I'm a princess.

But the moment the wine hit my throat, a familiar, toxic heat exploded.

Silver poison!

The crystal glass slipped from my numb fingers, shattering on the floor.

The cheers died. The world went silent.

My wolf let out a desperate, fading cry before falling quiet.

I collapsed.

Through my blurred vision, the man who was supposed to be my mate knelt before me.

He stroked my cheek, his smile as cold as ice. "Cora, you love me so much. You'll understand, won't you?"

"Blake… you… Why?" I heard my own voice tremble.

He eased me onto a nearby couch. His touch was still so "gentle."

"I had no other choice," he said, squatting in front of me. There was no guilt in his eyes, only a twisted sort of relief. "The Gray Moon Pack owes the Alpha King a massive debt. If we can't pay it before the festival ends, our entire pack will lose its territory and be enslaved."

"So… these three years…"

My heart plunged into an icy abyss.

"For three years, I groomed you. I made you love me. I made you trust me. I made you need me."

Blake's smile was terrifyingly cruel. "Tonight, I'm offering you to the Alpha King. Your face. Your scent. They're a perfect match for his dead mate. You’re the perfect replacement, one I've spent three years creating. I'll use you to calm the king's rage and save my people."

No.

I tried to stand, to run, to fight back.

But the silver poison burned in my veins, draining all my strength.

The door opened.

Blake's parents walked in, their faces alight with greed and manic excitement.

"Son, stop wasting time with her. It's almost time," his father said, rubbing his hands together. "The Alpha King's car is waiting at the base of the mountain."

"Look at her, half-dead already," Blake's mother sneered, walking over to me.

She scraped a fingernail across my chin, her voice dripping with contempt and jealousy. "You should be thanking us, you little bitch. A lowly Omega from the human world gets to sacrifice herself for the entire Gray Moon Pack. It's the greatest honor of your life."

Honor? These bastards…

Oh, no. Wait. The pain from the poison had distracted me.

It was only now sinking in. They were sending me to the Alpha King?

Wait. The Alpha King? That's Roric. My sister's mate. The man who was like a brother to me.

"Put her in the silver-weave sack," Blake ordered his father. "We can't have her making trouble on the way. Roric's guards are not to be messed with."

They shoved me roughly into the back seat like a piece of cargo.

My consciousness drifted.

But I could clearly hear Blake's fawning voice on the phone.

"Mr. Silas, the tribute is on its way. Her appearance, her scent… she's a ninety-percent match for the late Luna. The Alpha King will definitely be satisfied."

Tribute.

In their eyes, that's all I was. A tribute to decide their pack's fate.

The city lights blurred past the window, finally stopping in front of a skyscraper that pierced the clouds.

The Alpha King’s tower. His seat of power in the human world.

I saw the emblem on the building and a bitter, ironic laugh rose in my throat.

I'd been gone for eight years. I never imagined I'd be brought back to my own home in the most humiliating way possible.

Fine.

I couldn't wait to see their faces when Roric walked out.

"Hurry up, don't keep the Alpha King waiting," Blake's father urged. "This is our only chance."

The elevator shot up to the top floor.

Two guards stood expressionless outside the breathtakingly luxurious suite.

"This is the tribute we prepared," Blake's father said with a greasy smile. "Her scent and looks are top-tier. We guarantee she is the perfect replacement."

The guards looked down at me, limp in Blake's arms, and gave a cold nod.

The doors to the suite opened.

A massive crystal chandelier cast a cold light over everything.

Blake dropped me onto the cold marble floor, then crouched in front of me.

"Listen, Cora. When the Alpha King arrives, you will tell him you've admired him for a long time and came here willingly to serve him. Understand?"

His fingers dug into my chin. "If you say one wrong word, I promise you, the entire Gray Moon Pack will make sure you die a horrible death."

I looked at the face I once loved, now utterly disgusting to me.

Three years of love, a carefully planned deception.

Three years of trust, all just a setup to push me into this abyss.

Blake was still whispering threats, demanding my obedience.

But my vision was starting to clear. A faint trickle of strength was returning.

The blood in my veins began to burn.

Even suppressed by silver poison, the proud bloodline of the Silver Peak Pack refused to be extinguished.

This little bit of poison could never snuff out the fire in my soul.

Using every ounce of strength I had, I let out a low, choked growl.

"Get away from me… I will never submit."