C1

“Trust me! I will protect you and make you the most honored female in the whole pack!”

“No… stop… please!”

The powerful male ignored my pleas. His raw alpha scent overwhelmed me as pain tore through my body. Everything went black.

When I woke, the hidden alcove was empty. Only the thick, musky scent of a dominant wolf lingered in the air. Shredded fabric from my tunic lay scattered across the dirty floor like evidence of my ruin.

I bit my lip until it bled, clutching the furs as hot tears spilled down my cheeks.

I was supposed to be his fated mate.

I had come to Moonveil International Port today to finally greet my husband after two long years apart. Instead, my virtue was stolen in the shadows before I could even see his face.

What did this mean for the sacred bond?

How could I ever face my packmates again… or look my husband in the eyes?

If I told him the truth—that I came to welcome him home, that the crowd turned wild, and a massive stranger dragged me into the dark to claim me—would he believe me?

Would he still accept me?

Could our union survive this?

More tears fell. I had done nothing to deserve this curse. Growing up unloved in the cold home of Mr. Smith Loko and Mrs. Hela Loko, my life was already a disaster. I trained hard hoping for a better path, but my foster parents forced me into this marriage instead of my sister. They couldn’t bear to let their own blood suffer, yet they happily sold me for the massive pack resources the match promised.

No one asked what I wanted. No one cared if I was willing.

I cried and screamed, but in the end, I had to accept reality. They said a female gets a second chance through a new pack. Escaping that loveless house felt like a blessing. Once the vows were made, I promised myself I would be a loyal, perfect Luna.

For two years, Alpha Gali Blackmoor stayed far away in Frostfang Hollow seeking a cure for his crippled legs. I never strayed once. I guarded this marriage with my life. It was all I had left.

And now, on the very day of his return… this nightmare.

My communication device buzzed. A message from the pack housekeeper appeared:

“The Alpha demands your immediate return to the pack house.”

My heart raced with terror. “Is he already back at the estate?”

“Yes, Luna. He searched for you. His temper flared when he found your chambers empty. He wants you at Myhill Crest Hall right now… to sever the bond. He is rejecting you.”

My mind went blank, as if lightning had struck.

Gali wanted to reject me?

I knew he hated the forced arrangement. He hadn’t even attended our binding ceremony and stayed away ever since. We had been married two years without ever seeing each other’s faces.

Yet during those years, his resources always provided for me. When my wolf fell sick, the best pack doctors healed me on his orders. Even from afar, I felt protected. I believed he only hated the forced law—not me. I thought if I proved myself as a perfect Luna, we could build something real.

But now…

“Do not be sad, Luna,” the housekeeper added gently. “The Alpha is leaving you Blackmoor Crescent Keep and full access to the southern hunting grounds.”

I stared at the wall, the world spinning. How could I not be broken? He was casting me out… and I carried the scent of a stranger on my skin.

The door to the alcove suddenly creaked open. Heavy footsteps approached.

A deep, commanding voice filled the small space—cold and laced with barely contained fury.

“So this is where my so-called mate has been hiding on the day of my return.”

I froze, terror and shame crashing over me like a tidal wave.

Slowly, I lifted my gaze.

Towering in the doorway stood a tall, powerfully built male. His presence filled the alcove like a storm. Sharp jaw, piercing eyes, and an aura of absolute dominance. Scars marked his body, but he stood strong and unyielding—no trace of the crippled alpha I had imagined.

This was Gali Blackmoor.

And from the way his nostrils flared, catching the stranger’s scent still clinging to me, he already knew everything was wrong.

His voice dropped to a lethal growl.

“Explain yourself… Luna.”