Chapter One

The fever burned through Alexia's veins like molten lead. The thudding on her bedroom door felt far worse.

She squeezed her eyes shut, silently begging the moon goddess for just one hour of quiet.

The door slammed open. Her living nightmare walked inside.

"Are you seriously still in bed?"

Alexia flinched. That sharp, grating voice belonged to Chloe, her sister-in-law.

"Chloe, please," Alexia whispered, her throat feeling raw and parched. "My head is throbbing. Please keep your voice down."

Chloe scoffed loudly. She marched across the room and ripped the curtains apart, letting the blinding morning sun flood the bedroom.

"Oh, save the pathetic act for someone who cares. Leo is downstairs in his uniform. The border field trip starts in exactly twenty minutes."

"I told Rex last night," Alexia mumbled. She tried to sit up. A violent wave of nausea hit her, and she failed. "I told him I was coming down with something severe. I can't drive today."

"You're lying," Chloe sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "You're just lazy. You've always been lazy."

"I'm burning up, Chloe."

"You're a Luna, for moon's sake! A Luna doesn't get sick from a little draft."

Footsteps echoed in the hallway.

A second figure stepped into the room. It was Helen, Rex's mother. The former Luna looked at Alexia with undisguised contempt.

"What's the delay?" Helen asked.

"She claims she has a fever," Chloe laughed, rolling her eyes. "She says she can't take Leo to his pack trip."

Helen sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Always an excuse. Always some dramatic reason why you can't fulfill the most basic duties of a mother and a wife."

"Helen, I swear to you," Alexia pleaded, clutching her chest. "I can't stand up without the room spinning."

"Look at Tracy," Helen continued, completely ignoring Alexia's words. "Tracy managed the entire pack treasury meeting this morning. She audited the accounts, prepared the hunting schedules, and still had the time to bake fresh bread for the elders. She isn't even the Luna. She's just a dedicated pack member."

"And she looks flawless doing it," Chloe added with a smirk. "Rex really messed up when he chose you over her."

The words felt like a physical slap. They always compared her to Tracy. Tracy was beautiful, strong, a perfect warrior wolf. Alexia was just the girl Rex was forced to mate with to secure a treaty. A treaty that no one even cared about anymore.

"I'm not Tracy. I'm just asking for one single day to recover."

"You don't need a day to recover," a deep, gravelly voice echoed from the doorway.

The room fell completely silent. Alexia's heart stuttered in her chest.

Rex.

He leaned casually against the doorframe. The sleeves of his black shirt were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the thick, dark tattoos that wrapped around his muscular forearms. His icy blue eyes locked onto her, devoid of any warmth or affection. He looked dangerous. Arrogant. Utterly bored by her existence.

"Rex," Alexia whispered, reaching a trembling hand toward him. "Please tell them. I told you I was sick last night."

He pushed off the doorframe and walked slowly toward the bed. The scent of rain and cedar filled her senses. It was the scent of her mate, the scent that was supposed to bring her absolute comfort. Instead, it only brought her anxiety.

He stopped at the edge of the mattress and looked down at her. His expression was completely blank.

"I thought you were being dramatic," Rex said coldly. "I didn't think you'd actually try to abandon our son on the day of his field trip."

"I'm not abandoning him," she cried, a tear finally escaping and rolling down her flushed cheek. "I'm sick, Rex! Feel my forehead. I'm burning up."

Rex didn't move a single muscle. He kept his hands firmly in his pockets.

"I'm not playing this game with you today, Alexia. Get up."

"I can't!"

"Get up!" he barked, his Alpha tone vibrating.

Alexia whimpered. The command forced her wolf to obey. Her body moved completely against her will. She pushed the blankets aside. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. As soon as her bare feet hit the cold hardwood floor, her knees buckled.

She collapsed hard against the ground, her shoulder striking the nightstand.

A sharp gasp escaped her lips. She waited for the familiar feeling of her mate's hands lifting her. She waited for him to realize she was telling the truth.

But nobody moved.

Chloe let out a quiet giggle. Helen simply shook her head in disgust.

Alexia looked up from the floor. Rex was staring down at her, his jaw clenched tight. There was no pity in his eyes. Only pure, unadulterated anger.

"Stop embarrassing yourself," Rex spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You're pathetic. You're supposed to be my equal, but all you do is drag me down."

"Rex," she sobbed, clutching her bruised shoulder. "Why are you doing this? I'm your mate."

"Don't remind me," he sneered, crouching down so his face was level with hers. "You think I want a mate who can't even walk her own son to a car? You think I want a Luna who lies in bed crying while other women run this pack?"

"I try my best," she choked out. "Nothing I do is ever enough for you. Nothing!"

"Because your best is garbage," he whispered harshly, leaning closer. "You're a weak, fragile little thing. You bring absolutely nothing to this family. You're useless to me, Alexia."

Rex stood back up, pacing at the foot of the bed.

"You know what your problem is? You think the world owes you something because you pushed out an heir. Newsflash, Alexia. Any healthy female could have given me a son. I just happened to get stuck with the most fragile one in the pack."

Alexia stopped crying. The tears literally froze in her eyes.

"How can you say that to me? I loved you."

"Love doesn't run a pack. Strength does. And you have none," Rex replied ruthlessly. "In fact, I already fixed the problem."

Alexia blinked, confusion mixing with the fever. "What problem?"

"I officially named Tracy as the Head Female of the Obsidian Pack this morning," Rex stated casually, as if discussing the weather.

Alexia gasped, her chest tightening painfully. "You did what? Only the Luna can assign that role. And I never gave my permission."

"I didn't ask for your permission," Rex sneered. "I stripped you of your administrative duties. You're a Luna in name only now. My family is right. She's twice the woman you'll ever be."

"Then why did you not choose her?"

Her voice was suddenly devoid of all emotion. It was completely hollow.

Rex towered over her. "Because I was foolish enough to believe in fate. I'm done being foolish. Get your things together and leave this room. You're infecting the air."

He turned around and walked toward the door.

"Rex," Alexia called out. Her voice was terrifyingly calm.

He paused, glancing over his shoulder. "What?"

"Do you truly mean that?" she asked, staring at the intricate tattoos on his arm, refusing to look at his face. "Do you truly regret me?"

"With every fiber of my being," he replied without a single second of hesitation.

He did not just say it. He meant it. She felt the absolute truth of his words through the mate bond.

It was not a momentary burst of anger. It was a deep, settled hatred.