BOOK ONE: Chapter 0001

•CATHERINE•

I watched with pride at the decoration of the pack’s gathering hall. The royal blue drapes, the white lilies, and the delicate embroidery on the tablecloths were exactly how Leo would have wanted it: elegant with royal embroidery.

Beside me was Lila, my right-hand maid, and she smiled at the work we had done since morning. The pack’s anniversary celebration was in an hour, and I wanted to ensure that it met Leo’s expectations.

“Alpha Leo would love the setting, Luna. He will be impressed with the wonderful work you’ve done,” she complimented me as if I had done the work alone.

“Oh, Lila,” I chuckled as we cleared the materials that were left. “You also deserve credit for what we’ve done. You’re the one who thought of the blue curtains. I doubt it would’ve looked this elegant and royal if it weren’t for you.”

“Thank you, Luna.” She bowed her head even though I had told her a million times that there was no need for her to do that.

We walked out of the pack’s gathering hall and went to the pack house to change and prepare for the celebration.

Even now, after six years of marriage, I still remembered why I had agreed to marry Leo in the first place.

It hadn’t been love at first—our union was meant to end the ten–year border war between our packs. 

But the moment we touched hands the day we wed, the mate bond snapped into place like lightning in my veins.

Fated mates.

The one thing no contract could predict.

And I believed the bond meant something. That time would turn obligation into affection. That he would eventually see me as more than a political solution.

I always believed that—sure, Leo kept up only the bare minimum of husband-and-wife appearances, not much warmth at all—but I convinced myself things were slowly getting better.

As Lila and I walked out of the hall toward the pack house, whispers drifted toward me.

“Have you heard about the Alpha’s honored guest visiting today? “

I suddenly heard the crowd whispering among themselves.

“Yes, she is the daughter of Alpha Klint and is the one who founded the esteemed academy for Omega warriors.”

“Why is the Alpha honoring her?” another asked.

My chest tightened, and I swallowed hard.

“There’s no other reason for the Alpha to host her if he’s not smitten with her. Who wouldn’t be?” they laughed.

I stepped closer—not loudly,but with the unmistakable authority every Luna was born to wield.

The laughter stopped.

“Is everything all right here, ladies?” I asked, voice soft but carrying enough steel to slice through a room. I didn’t need to raise it.

“Yes, Luna,” one of them murmured, bowing her head.

“Of course, Luna,” another added quickly.

“Good,” I said with a small smile. “Let’s make sure tonight is worthy of the pack.”

As I turned toward the stairs, the knot in my stomach only grew tighter.

Lila opened the door for me, and I headed inside—only to find Leo in our bedroom, ending a call the moment he heard us come in.

My stomach sank because he had been acting strange lately — answering calls in secret, working late, and avoiding intimacy with me.

I shook off my worry and started, “Lila and I are done with the preparations. I’m sure you’ll love what we’ve done with the place,” I informed him as I walked toward him. “Have you had breakfast, sweetheart?” I placed my hand on his chest, but he grabbed my wrist before I could wrap it around his neck.

He released a long breath before stepping back from me. “It’s an important night for the pack, and I want to prepare for it with no distractions. So, do you mind giving me some space?”

“I am your Luna, Leo. We always prepare together,” I reminded him softly, trying to keep my tone even.

Leo’s jaw tightened for a brief second before he smoothed his expression into something polite,“I know,” he said with a faint sigh. “But the patrols picked up rogue movements near the southern border. The council arranged an emergency briefing tonight. I need to join the online meeting before the ceremony.”

He reached for his notepad and cellphone—almost too quickly—and avoided my eyes as he added,

“It’s better if I prepare from the guest room. I won’t be able to focus if I stay here.”

“Cat, you’ll understand, don't you?” he murmured, his voice gentle, too gentle.

He slipped out and closed the door quietly behind him.

I stood still, the sound of the door echoing through the room. Something twisted in my chest.

For six years, I had been married to Leo, putting up with so much that could’ve made me walk away—whispers and rumors in the pack, people thinking I wasn’t good enough for him because he kept our mate bond a secret.

But I endured it all, because I loved him and our son. Just thinking of sweet Brian made me smile.

I head to Brian’s room to find out if he was ready for the celebration.

He was putting on his tie when I walked in, struggling to fold it properly. My eyes welled up when I saw him in a suit. He had grown so fast from being the little baby who could fit in my palm to being the little man in a suit.

I closed the door and walked toward him. “Baby, you look so wonderful in a suit. Do you want help with the tie?”

He nodded with a smile, and I crouched to his level and helped him with it. When I was done, he looked proudly at himself in the mirror before wrapping his little arms around my neck.

“Thank you, Mommy!” he squealed. “You’re the best mommy in the entire world.”

My heart melted at his words, and suddenly, all the broken pieces seemed to mend together. I held him tightly for a moment before letting him go.

Actually, Brian wasn'tmy biological child. He was Leo’s from a previous relationship, a chapter of his past he never spoke of, and I had never asked.

I remembered the first time I saw him, swaddled in that tiny blanket, sleeping peacefully in his cradle. My heart had melted instantly

He was so small, so innocent. In that instant, I had agreed to help Leo raise him, to be there for this child who, in his quiet way, had already captured a piece of my heart.

Now, years later, Brian felt like a part of me. 

“Are you ready to show Mommy your moves today?” After I straightened up, I giggled, and then moved my arms and waist, attempting the only dance I knew.

He laughed as he danced with me, and I knew at that moment that there was nothing I wouldn’t do for him. He was my heart. The very essence that gave me life and meaning.

“Let’s go and celebrate fourteen years of your father’s leadership and triumphs in the pack.” I took his hand and went with him to the pack’s gathering hall.

All the pack members were in the hall, chatting, drinking, and being directed to their seats. Other wolves were complimenting the hall’s decorations, which warmed my heart, hoping Leo would appreciate the work I had done.

“Thank you, Crescent Moon pack, for gathering in this place with me to celebrate our pack’s fourteenth anniversary with me being the Alpha,” my husband, Leo, announced at the podium. “It has been—” He froze in mid-sentence, his eyes locked on someone entering through the doors.

Gasps erupted in the hall, others whispered among themselves, and my stomach dropped.

“It’s her.”

“Moon goddess. Is she wearing the same pendant as Luna’s pendant?”

She had a cocky smile on her face, her eyes glued to my husband as if he were the only one in the room.

I’d heard him murmur that name once in his sleep. Now, seeing the way his eyes locked on her, I wasn’t so sure. 

“Please welcome my honored guest, everyone. Mary Whitlock.”

My stomach knotted.