Chapter 1

Freya

Over the past two years, I not only lost my parents, but also experienced betrayal from my former fiance and mate: Kael Draven.

And now, at just twenty-six years old, I was six million dollars in debt to the very same man who had betrayed me.

The court case had just ended, and the judge’s ruling was clear: the will Kael held in his hands, allegedly signed by my late parents, left everything to him. My family’s fortune… it was all his, even though he wasn’t their son.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter that I was the only child and heir to the Silvermoon pack and the Thornhart fortune. All that mattered was the piece of paper in Kael’s possession.

“Alpha Freya,” the debt collector said, his voice cold and professional. “You must pay the inheritance to Alpha Kael as soon as possible, otherwise the collection agency will have to resort to… extreme measures.”

As the debt collector stood on my front step, his eyes flicked up to the old mansion behind me, and his implication was obvious. If I didn’t pay the six million I now owed my ex-fiance, I would lose my home, my pack, everything that meant anything to me.

I was now expected to just roll over and take it, as if the will Kael possessed was legal.

But I knew better. I knew that Kael had forged the will after my parents’ unexpected accident two years ago. He had lied to me, to the werewolf court, and to the people we were sworn to serve and protect as Alphas.

Two years ago, my parents had passed away in a helicopter crash while flying to their favorite vacation destination. It was their fortieth wedding anniversary. It should have been a joyous occasion, and yet… They hadn’t survived the impact.

Kael and I had been together for six years before that day—six years of promises, six years of love, six years of looking forward to the future.

We were fated mates who had discovered our bond at just eighteen years old. For everyone who watched, even for me, it was a fairytale romance. Two young wolves, barely on the cusp of adulthood, a bond snapping into place at just the right moment. Childhood friends turned lovers, and the rest should have been history.

And for a little while, it was. Kael gave me a ring after three years of dating, and I said yes, and we began planning our wedding.

I was going to be a young, blushing bride. We had the location picked out—a beautiful spot beneath the flowering cherry tree that stood directly on the border between our packs. I had even just picked out my dress, a lovely lace and silk number with a voluminous skirt fit for a princess, when my parents died.

And then, just like that, it was all over.

Kael showed up one day with my parents’ “will”. It stated that they left everything, even the Silvermoon pack that should have been mine, to him. My namesake was gone in the blink of an eye, and I was supposed to hand my pack over to Kael.

He told me I could be his Luna instead—that he would combine Silvermoon and his pack, Steelmaw. I would be reduced to the trophy on his arm, the woman whose entire job was to look pretty and host parties.

I hadn’t been raised for that. My parents had raised me to be an Alpha, to lead and care for our people. How could I just… hand my pack over to him?

So I refused. I left him, rejected him as I mate, and took him to court. Two years passed, and now…

Now, I had lost everything.

My pack members had gathered outside the house, clutching their Silvermoon pendants and looking up at me with expectant eyes as I took the debt notice from the collector. They were nervous, and rightfully so; what would happen to their home, to the family that had led them peacefully and with a just hand for generations?

Would they wind up under the rule of a man who had turned out to be an overly ambitious traitor? A man who had betrayed his own fated mate for his personal gain?

“What will you do, Alpha Freya?” one woman asked. “You’re not going to leave us, are you?”

I lifted my chin, trying not to show the anguish I felt on my face. I had to present a strong front, refuse to let them see me falter. They depended on me now more than ever, and I couldn’t fail them.

“I will find a way,” I said. “You don’t need to worry.”

My words were met with disbelief. Of course, some even believed that I should have given Kael what he wanted; that if I had just become his Luna, I still could have had some say in how Silvermoon was led. That I had jeopardized them all even more by refusing to give him the pack and raising the risk of the pack being taken from me forever.

“Just marry him!” someone shouted. “It will be easier this way, Alpha! You’re putting us all at risk!”

My throat tightened, but I kept my face neutral. “Anyone who wishes to leave the pack may do so with my blessing,” I called out. “I will sever your pack tie now if you wish. But I will not hand the pack my parents cared so much about to a man who lied about my inheritance.”

The crowd murmured. Suddenly, a man at the back shouted, “What about Alpha Ezren?”

My eyes widened at the mention of Ezren. “Alpha Ezren!” someone else added. “Yes, he’s Kael’s rival! He’ll help if you just ask!”

I tightened my grip on the debt notice, and although my heart had begun to pound, I continued to maintain a calm expression. “I’ll fix this,” I said vaguely, refusing to comment on the man who had been Kael’s rival and my public nuisance for years. “Please don’t worry—I will protect our home.”

“Just call Ezren!” the crowd chanted. “Ezren! Ezren!”

My heart thrummed. I managed a weak, “I will consider it,” before I slipped inside the house and closed the door behind me. For a moment I just leaned against the wood, breathing deeply.

It was then that the tears finally spilled over. For two years I had been struggling, pretending that I could win in court, pretending that everything hadn’t ended. To win the trial, to get my parents’ legacy back, I had barely slept for more than four hours a night.

Seeing my parents’ photos now, still lining the walls of the house they once lived in—my mother with her long, flowing chestnut hair just like mine, my father’s hazel eyes smiling at me from their portrait—felt like a punch to the gut.

I missed them so badly. More than anything… And yet I had failed them.

I wondered what they would say if they were still here. Maybe my father would say, “Don’t shed a tear; you still have a tough battle ahead.”

Maybe my mother would say, “Stand up straight, Freya. My daughter won’t be defeated by a man.”

Of course, I would have no way of knowing exactly what they would say, because they were gone. But I could pretend I heard their voices whispering in my ears. And so I straightened and composed myself and began making my way down the hall—away from the people clamoring outside, away from the debtor, away from everything. I needed to think, to plan my next steps.

I had to keep going even now, especially now, because I was the Alpha of Silvermoon. The only Alpha of Silvermoon. I had to be strong for my pack—I couldn’t stay here crying like a frightened child. I had to face my problems head-on.

Suddenly, an unexpected warmth enveloped me. A coat settled around my shoulders, and I gasped, whirling around.

The newcomer had a ruggedly handsome face with a small scar that cut through his eyebrow. His gray eyes looked stark against his jet black hair.

As recognized him immediately. “What are you doing here, Ezren?”

He flashed me a roguish smile.

“I heard you lost the trial today,” he said. “So I thought you might need some company.”

“I’d rather be alone.”

“If you need help, you can tell me.” Ezren looked at me with his gray eyes, suddenly reaching up to the the corner of my own—I hadn’t even realized I’d forgotten to wipe away my tears.

“After all,” he said, “we’ve been married for two years.”