Chapter 1

Amelia's POV 

My fingers trembled against my jaw, tracing the sharp, prominent bone. The reflection in the lengthy mirror showed a frail, pale body I barely recognized anymore. I took a deep breath, forcing my cracked lips into a small, reassuring smile.

I did this for them. Everything was for Adrian and our seven-year-old son, Henderson. Today was the culmination of a decade of silent agony and blood. Adrian was finally being crowned the Alpha of the Falmouth Pack.

For ten long years, I had bled myself completely dry for his ambition. As the illegitimate son of the late Alpha, his chances had been practically nonexistent. He had to compete against three ruthless, legitimate brothers who wanted him dead. I used every ounce of my knowledge, strategy, and strength to elevate him. I cleared every single obstacle from his path, working from the shadows. I even risked my fragile life to bear him a male heir, cementing his claim to the throne.

Adrian was my childhood crush, the boy I worshipped from afar. When he finally asked me out years ago, it felt like my universe had aligned.

My fingers clutched the edge of the sink as a wave of dizziness washed over me. I blinked it away, staring at my hollow eyes in the glass. The sacrifice was entirely worth it because love demanded nothing less than everything.

I smoothed down my simple dress, trying to hide how loosely it hung on my frame. Walking out into the bright afternoon, the roaring cheers of the pack ground hit me like a physical wave. Thousands of wolves had gathered to witness the dawn of a new era. The heat of the sun baked the dirt, but a cold shiver ran down my spine anyway. I pressed a hand to my ribs, pushing past the crowded rows of pack members. Everyone was focused onward, oblivious to the ghost slipping through their ranks.

Adrian knelt on one knee on the elevated stone podium before the ancient pack elders. His shoulders were broad, his dark hair catching the sunlight perfectly. Beside him stood Henderson, looking sharp and proud in his formal tunic.

Seeing them together like that brought a sudden, thick lump to my throat. My chest tightened with an overwhelming sense of pride and relief. The endless, sleepless nights and the poison I had tasted for him had led to this moment.

The Head Elder lifted the heavy, silver-crested Alpha headpiece high above Adrian’s head. The crowd fell into a breathless, reverent silence that made my own heartbeat sound like thunder. With a heavy downstruck motion, the crown was placed firmly onto Adrian's brow. A deafening roar erupted from the crowd, shaking the very leaves on the trees. Tears slipped silently down my pale cheeks, burning hot against my cold skin. I wiped them away quickly with the back of a trembling hand, laughing softly to myself.

Adrian stood up, his posture commanding, the true aura of an Alpha finally radiating from him. He looked magnificent, a king built from the ground up by my own bleeding hands. Henderson held his hand, beaming up at his father with pure adoration.

The Head Elder raised his wooden staff, signaling for the crowd's roaring cheers to quiet down. 

"Alpha Adrian," the Elder’s booming voice echoed across the courtyard. "Call forward your fated mate to take her rightful place by your side."

My breath hitched in my throat as I took a tentative step forward from the crowd. I braced myself, rolling my shoulders back to appear stronger than I actually felt. I began to make my way toward the wooden steps of the podium, my heart soaring.

Adrian gripped the microphone, his eyes scanning the massive crowd with absolute confidence. 

"I Adrian Hemmorth called upon my mate, the true pillar of my strength," his voice resonated deeply. "Lilia Crest, come forward."

The name struck me like a physical blow, making my boots freeze in the dirt. My ears rang loudly, drowning out the sudden murmurs rippling through the confused pack members. Lilia, my best friend, stepped out from the front row just a few yards ahead of me. She wore a stunning, vibrant red dress that contrasted sharply with my own drab clothing. She floated up the stairs, her cheeks flushed with a delicate, beautiful pink.

I shook my head violently, a breathy, panicked laugh escaping my lips. This had to be a joke, a terrible, ill-timed prank to test the pack's reactions. I waited for Adrian to burst out laughing and call my name instead. Then, Henderson let go of Adrian’s hand and rushed toward Lilia with open arms. 

"Mama!" he cheered loudly, burying his face into the folds of her red dress.

Lilia scooped him up, kissing his cheek while Adrian wrapped a possessive arm around her waist. They stood together on the podium, presenting a picture-perfect, happy small family to the world. The crowd, recovering from their initial shock, began to cheer for the beautiful new Luna. The blood in my veins turned to absolute ice as I stared at the betrayal on display. My hands curled into tight fists, my fingernails biting deeply into my palms until they bled. A raw, suffocating heat replaced the freezing numbness inside my chest.

I stormed forward, knocking over a wooden chair as I broke through the front boundary. The guards tried to grab my arms, but I ripped myself away with frantic, desperate strength. I marched straight up the steps of the podium, my gaze locked onto Adrian.

"What is the meaning of this?" I demanded, my voice cracking under the weight of utter disbelief.

I pointed a shaking, skeletal finger at Lilia, who immediately shrank back behind Adrian's broad frame.

 "Why is she standing in my place, Adrian? Explain this to me right now!"

Adrian didn’t flinch, nor did he look at me with even a shred of remorse. Instead, his lips curled into a cold, mocking sneer that shattered something deep inside me. He looked down at me as if I were a piece of garbage clogging his view.

"Look at yourself, Amelia," Adrian said, his voice amplified by the microphone for everyone to hear. 

"You look like a walking corpse who could drop dead at any given moment."

A wave of cruel laughter rippled through the thousands of pack members watching from below. My eyes widened, my breath hitching as the humiliation washed over me like scalding water. My skin felt entirely exposed, raw and bleeding under their judgmental stares.

"I am the Alpha of the Falmouth Pack now," Adrian continued, his tone sharp and biting. "I need a strong, beautiful Luna beside me, not a frail, pathetic shadow."

Lilia whimpered softly behind him, squeezing her eyes shut as if she were the victim here.

"Henderson," I choked out, turning my desperate, pleading gaze toward my own flesh and blood. 

"Henderson, please, come to Mommy. Tell them the truth."

My son looked at me, his small brow furrowing into an expression of pure, unadulterated hatred. He didn't see the woman who had nearly died giving him life in that dark room. He reached down, snatching a heavy glass goblet of ritual wine from the ceremonial table. With a vicious grunt, Henderson hurled the heavy glass directly at my face.

The glass shattered violently against my forehead, the sharp pain exploding behind my eyelids instantly. Warm, thick blood began to pour down my face, blinding my left eye and dripping onto my lips. I stumbled backward, my hand flying up to cover the gushing wound.

"Get away from us, you bad woman!" Henderson screamed, his little face twisted in rage. "You always make Mama Lilia cry!"

I fell to my knees on the hard stone, the physical pain nothing compared to the agony in my chest. My own son, the boy I bled for, was defending the woman who stole my life. The pack members cheered at my fall, completely turning their backs on my existence. I looked up through the veil of blood, my vision blurring as Adrian stepped closer to the edge. He looked down at me with absolute disgust, completely wiping away ten years of shared history.

"Guards, throw this trash out of my territory," Adrian commanded coldly, turning his back to me.

Lilia smirked over his shoulder, her eyes gleaming with a triumphant malice as she held my son tightly.

Two large guards grabbed my shoulders, dragging my frail body across the stone and down the steps. My boots dragged in the dirt, leaving a smeared trail of my own blood behind me. Nobody stepped forward to help; nobody voiced a single word of protest for the woman who built their king. They dragged me to the very edge of the pack borders, throwing me ruthlessly into the muddy ditch. The rain began to fall, mixing with the blood pouring from my head and the tears on my cheeks. I lay there in the mud, broken, discarded, and entirely emptied of everything I once was.

I clawed at the wet earth, my fingernails tearing as I forced my head upward. Through the downpour, a tall shadow materialized from the dark woods, stepping over my ruined body. A pair of polished black boots stopped right in front of my face, radiating a terrifying, ancient power. I forced my heavy eyelids open, looking up into the piercing, cold eyes of Alpha Christian. He was the ruler of the Bloodmoon Pack, Adrian's most lethal and feared sworn enemy.

Christian knelt down in the mud, his gloved hand reaching out to tilt my chin upward. He inspected the deep gash on my forehead, a dark, dangerous smile spreading across his lips.

"Look how they broke their own savior," Christian murmured softly, his thumb wiping the blood from my eyelid.

"Tell me, Amelia, how much do you want to watch the Falmouth Pack burn?”