One

Chapter One

Kora’s POV

The celebration was still going on downstairs.

Laughter filled the pack house, music played loudly, and everyone was drinking to celebrate my husband's victory.

Axton had finally been selected as the new Alpha.

After everything we had been through, I couldn't have been happier. I had stood beside him for years, supported him when others doubted him, and sacrificed so much to make sure he got the position.

Tonight, all those sacrifices seemed worth it.

I wanted to see him before the night ended. I wanted to congratulate him privately and remind him how proud I was of him.

So, I left the celebration and headed towards his private chambers.

However, just as I approached the entrance, I heard a familiar voice.

Valeria.

I stopped walking.

Why was my stepsister in my husband's chambers?

I was about to knock when I heard her speak again.

"You got everything, Axton. My sister's inheritance, the Alpha position, everything. What else are you waiting for?"

I frowned.

What was she talking about?

Axton chuckled softly.

"Be patient, Valeria. Everything is going according to plan."

"How long do you expect me to wait? You should announce me as your Luna already. I want everyone to know that I am the woman who will stand beside you."

My heart skipped.

Luna?

I moved closer to the door, hoping I had misunderstood what she said.

But then Axton spoke.

"Be patient. I will announce you as my Luna soon."

Soon?

I gripped the edge of the wall.

"What about Kora?" Valeria asked.

Axton laughed. "Don't worry about her. I will handle everything."

"Are you sure? You know how stubborn my sister can be. She won't just accept being pushed aside."

"She doesn't have a choice."

I felt something tighten in my chest.

Was this really happening?

Was the man I had loved for years talking about me as though I were nothing?

Valeria laughed.

"You better make sure she doesn't cause any trouble. I want everything to be settled soon."

"It will be."

"And what about the inheritance?" she asked. "You promised me everything her mother left behind."

My breath caught.

Axton didn't answer immediately.

Then he said, "I haven't forgotten."

"Good. I told her from the beginning that everything her  mother left behind would eventually be mine. She refused to let Dad give it to me, but I don't care. It belongs to me."

My hands began to tremble.

My mother's inheritance?

The property she had worked so hard to leave for me?

The same inheritance I had protected even when my father and Valeria tried to take it from me?

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Valeria continued.

"Besides, I helped you get this far. I stood by you when you needed me."

I almost laughed.

She helped him?

What exactly did she do?

I was the one who had supported Axton from the beginning. I was the one who had stood beside him when other people refused to believe in him.

When he needed resources to strengthen his position, I used my mother's inheritance to help him.

When he faced opposition, I helped him overcome it.

When he needed people to believe in him, I stood before everyone and defended him.

And now, he was giving everything I had sacrificed for to my stepsister?

"Don't worry," Axton said. "The Alpha seal will be presented to me next week. Once I receive it, nobody will be able to threaten my position. Then everything will be easier."

I closed my eyes.

The Alpha seal.

The person responsible for presenting it hadn't arrived today. That was why, despite being selected as the new Alpha, Axton hadn't received the official seal yet.

It would be presented next week.

And once he received it, his authority would be formally secured. Challenging his position would become much harder.

That was why they were making their plans now.

They wanted everything arranged before anyone could stand in their way.

"You better not disappoint me, Axton," Valeria said.

"I won't."

I couldn't listen anymore.

My husband was planning to replace me with my own stepsister.

The woman I had grown up with.

The woman I had defended countless times, even when she was being unreasonable.

I slowly stepped away from the door.

My chest hurt so badly that I could barely breathe.

For a moment, I wanted to storm inside.

I wanted to throw the door open, slap Valeria across the face, and demand that Axton explain what I had just heard.

I wanted to ask him how he could do this to me.

How could he look me in the eyes every day, kiss me, call me his wife, and secretly plan to give my position to another woman?

But I stopped myself.

What would happen if I confronted him now?

Axton would probably be shocked.

He would deny everything at first. Then he would start explaining, telling me that Valeria was only joking or that I had misunderstood their conversation.

He would remind me of our years together.

He would hold my hands, tell me how much he loved me, and promise that nothing would change.

And knowing how much I had loved him, there was a chance I would believe him.

There was a chance I would forgive him.

I couldn't allow that to happen.

Not this time.

I wiped the tears that had gathered in my eyes and took another step backwards.

They thought I was foolish.

They thought I was so deeply in love with Axton that I would never suspect him of betraying me.

They thought I would simply accept whatever decision he made.

But they were wrong.

If Axton wanted to become Alpha, he should have remembered who helped him get there.

If Valeria wanted my mother's inheritance, she should have remembered that I was still alive.

And if they thought they could take everything from me and leave me with nothing, they were about to learn how wrong they were.

I turned around and walked away.

I wasn't going to confront them tonight.

I wasn't going to give them a reason to suspect that I knew their plans.

The Alpha seal would be presented next week.

Axton still had time before his authority was officially secured.

And I had time too.

I would take back everything.

My mother's inheritance.

The position I had helped him secure.

Everything I had sacrificed to build for him.

I would make sure neither Axton nor Valeria enjoyed what they had stolen from me.

And this time, I wouldn't make the mistake of trusting either of them again.