Chapter 1

I died saving the woman my Alpha loved. Now, the Moon Goddess has turned me into a ghost, tethered to his side. I'm trapped watching his happily ever after.

I was in the great hall of the Silver Moon Pack's headquarters.

Pack members walked past me, but no one saw me.

I looked down at myself. A translucent, flickering form.

"Alpha! Alpha!"

The sound of hurried footsteps cut through my thoughts.

A warrior burst into the hall, gasping for breath.

Aiden came down the stairs, his handsome face etched with worry.

"What is it?" he demanded.

"Lady Gianna is back, safe and sound!" the warrior reported excitedly. "She's in the infirmary now, just for a check-up. She's fine!"

A grin split Aiden’s face. It was radiant, breathtaking. A smile I’d never seen on him before.

"Thank the Goddess... She's okay..." He let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

The warrior opened his mouth to say more, but Aiden had already turned, rushing toward the infirmary.

"Wait, Alpha!" the warrior called after him. " Rhea… she went missing after the mission!"

"I heard him," Aiden snapped, not even turning around. His voice was sharp with annoyance. "She'll be fine. She's just throwing a fit. I'm seeing Gianna first."

My spirit trembled. So that's it. In his mind, me going missing was just an inconvenient tantrum.

The door to the medical wing flew open.

Gianna was sitting on a bed, wrapped in a blanket.

She looked shaken, but she didn't have a single hair out of place.

"Aiden!" she cried, throwing herself into his arms.

"It's okay, Gia. You're safe now," he murmured, holding her tight.

A spike of pain went through my heart.

I tried to pull my spirit away, to go anywhere else. But I saw Aiden's body go stiff in the hug.

His suppressed Alpha blood churned with a strange irritation, a primal rejection.

He frowned and gently pulled away from Gianna.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice sharp with suspicion.

"Nothing." Aiden forced the feeling down, his voice softening. "Rhea got you out. Where is she?"

Gianna's eyes flickered. She looked down, putting on a perfect show of being hurt and scared.

"Rhea… she got me to the edge of the safe zone and just left." Gianna bit her lip, her voice a timid whisper. "She seemed so angry… maybe because you sent her to get me. She said she couldn't stand to see us together and… I don't know where she went."

Lies. All of it.

I took a dozen silver blades to the gut so she could run. My insides were shredded.

Aiden was silent for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Forget it. With her skills, she'll be fine. She's probably just angry with me."

He stroked Gianna's cheek, his smile returning. "You just rest. Tomorrow, we'll hold a feast in your honor. The alliance with the Creek Valley Pack is ready. Soon, I can give you the grandest mating ceremony in the world."

I watched them, my soul twisting like a knife.

Ten years ago, he was the pack's shame: the wolfless, bastard son. We had no one but each other.

When the elders denied his birthright, I found the proof he needed.

When other wolves sneered at him, I won the victories that earned him respect.

When he needed power, I cleared his path of every obstacle.

The day the healers finally cleansed the poison from his system, the day his Alpha blood made him the true heir, he held me close and whispered how he couldn't have done it without me.

He promised that once he was Alpha, I would never have to suffer again.

He would raise me to the highest place in the pack, right by his side.

I thought he meant the Luna's throne.

Even without a mate bond, I knew he was the one for me.

But the moment his power was secure, he made a different choice.

He made me his General—a title created just for me—and announced his union with Gianna, the daughter of the Creek Valley Alpha.

He was even willing to send me to my death to rescue her.

And now, Aiden leaned down and kissed Gianna's forehead before turning to leave, a look of pure satisfaction on his face.

An invisible force pulled me along with him.

I stared at his back as he walked away, so satisfied.

One thought consumed me.

If he knew I died for her, would he still look so relieved?