Chapter 1

I am the daughter of a high-ranking Alpha, yet I willingly spent four years as Caden's secret. I thought he would eventually claim me publicly, but the day his first love returned, I realized I was nothing more than a warm body for his needs.

So, I agreed to the marriage alliance with the Silvercrest Pack. I was going to be another Alpha's Luna.

The sheets were a mess, the air thick with the smell of sex and sweat.

Caden’s fingers were still tracing my waist, his hot breath ghosting the skin behind my ear. His deep Alpha voice was a seductive rumble. "Again..."

I was about to turn and wrap my arms around him when his phone rang.

"Vanessa?" The lust vanished from his voice, replaced by an urgent tension the moment he answered.

He rolled off the bed, not even bothering to get fully dressed. "You're at the airport? Don't move. I'm coming to get you right now."

I sat up, clutching the sheets to my chest, and watched him scramble for his clothes.

In four years, I had never seen him so flustered.

"Caden..." I called out softly.

"Aria, I have to get Vanessa," he said without looking back, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"But tonight... it's the full moon," I tried to remind him. He once promised to spend every full moon with me.

"It's just a full moon. We'll deal with it later." Caden was already at the door. "Don't be so childish, Aria," he tossed back.

The door slammed shut, leaving me alone in his bed. His strong Alpha scent still clung to me, but my heart had frozen solid.

Unable to let it go, I followed him to the airport.

All I could do was watch as the Omega, Vanessa, threw herself into Caden's arms.

The way Caden looked at her—with a tenderness so deep it practically spilled from his eyes—was something I had never seen.

He even kissed her, right there in public.

I remembered all the times I’d tried to sneakily hold his hand in public, only for him to mercilessly shake me off.

Swallowing the pain in my chest, I waited until Vanessa went to get her luggage before I cornered him.

"Caden," my voice trembled, "what am I to you? Four years ago, you were the one who—"

"Enough, Aria," he cut me off, his eyes cold and impatient. "You faked the scent of my fated mate to seduce me, remember? I never acknowledged you."

His words were a poisoned blade, piercing my heart.

Four years ago, he was the one who got drunk, who kissed me first, who held me and whispered over and over that I was his destined woman.

And now, it was all my calculated seduction.

Looking into his emotionless eyes, I suddenly understood. To him, I was just a placeholder. A warm body to use while Vanessa was away.

I didn't say another word. I just turned, walked away, and called my brother, Asher.

"Brother, I accept the marriage alliance. Tell Alpha Ethan of the Silvercrest Pack that I'm willing to be his Luna."

Asher was ecstatic. "Aria, you finally came to your senses! Listen to me, Ethan is the fated mate the Moon Goddess guided you to. He'll cherish you."

"Unlike that bastard who trampled on your heart and refused to give you a title for four whole years..."

"I get it now," I said, closing my eyes. "I'm... done with him."

That night, I wrote my application to formally leave the Nightshade Pack. All I needed was Caden's signature, and I could leave for good.

I dialed his number. It rang for a long time before someone picked up.

"Hello?" It was Vanessa’s sweet, lazy voice.

My fingers tightened on the phone. "I need to speak to Caden."

"Oh, he's in the kitchen," Vanessa chuckled. "Making me dinner with his own hands. Did you need something, Aria?"

For the past four years, I was the one who prepared his meals and took care of his home.

He always said he hated cooking, that it was an Omega's job.

And now, he was in the kitchen for Vanessa.

I hung up without a word.

A few minutes later, Caden called back, his tone cold. "What is it?"

"A document. It needs your signature."

"Hn," Caden grunted, then switched to a commanding tone. "By the way, clean out all your things. Vanessa doesn't like the smell of another woman in the house. I had a small cabin prepared for you at the edge of the pack lands. You can stay there for now. I did promise Asher I'd keep you safe, after all."

He said it like he was tossing me a bone.

"That won't be necessary, Alpha," I said, taking a deep breath to keep my voice steady. "I'll take care of myself."

After all, I would soon be another's Luna.