Chapter 1

I was born a rare white wolf, daughter of a respected elder. By birthright, I should have been a cherished princess. Instead, I was offered up as a “hostage bride” for a fragile peace.

That day, under the pale glow of the Moonstone Square, the elders gathered to carve the oath: two packs would withdraw their armies, and in exchange for ten years of truce, a marriage would be the bond.

Every stroke etched into the stone felt like a blade carving into my chest.

And the one I was commanded to marry was none other than a crippled warrior from the Bayport Pack—Colin.

Once, he had fought rogues on the border until his bones were shattered. In wolf form, one leg would forever limp. In human form, his steps carried the weight of that wound.

When Father led me into the Alpha’s council hall, firelight flickered against the walls. Barry lounged on the high-backed chair; lips curled in a careless smile.

“Emily is your most precious daughter. How could you bear to send her into the den of a broken wolf?” His voice was steady, laced with contempt, as though everything was already in his grasp.

“Elder,” he said, his tone softening with mock sincerity, “Emily and I grew up together. The Moon Goddess herself made us fated mates. How could I ever mistreat her?”

His smile turned gentle, followed by a sigh that sounded almost weary.

“I only need her to stop being stubborn—let me complete the bond with Evelyn first. Don’t worry, it’s only a transaction to shield her from rumors. My true Luna will always be Emily. Evelyn is nothing but a shadow left behind in my house.”

In the silence, my heart thundered. But the pain was gone. Only emptiness remained.

Evelyn. The she-wolf he had rescued from the border. Her bloodline was so thin she could barely awaken her wolf. Yet Barry feared I would torment her out of jealousy, so he intended to use a marriage alliance as leverage, forcing me to yield.

Once carved into the Moonstone, a marriage pact was sealed by both the Council of Elders and the border army. To alter it was no different than tearing up the treaty itself. And if the truce was broken…

The war drums would thunder again. And when they did—our people’s winter rations, our pups, our elders… who would survive?

Lowering my head, my nails dug crescents into my palms until my fingertips blanched. At last, I whispered,

“Daddy, Mommy… I’ll marry Colin.”

“Absurd!”

Father slammed his cup to the ground, shattering it into shards.

The heavy weight in his gaze bent the proud spine he had carried all his life.

My nose stung, and the tears I had tried to swallow finally broke free. My voice trembled, half-choked:

“Daddy, I don’t love Barry anymore. I don’t… I don’t love him.”

The words stumbled from my lips, broken and uneven. I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince—my parents, the pack, or myself.

Everyone knew Barry and I were fated mates. We had trained together since childhood. The old Luna had raised me as her heir, grooming me to be his future Luna.

And yet, it was Barry himself—Alpha of our pack—who cast me onto the altar of the peace treaty, gifting me to Bayport’s crippled wolf.

Rumors spread through the pack overnight:

“Emily must have been unworthy—why else would Barry throw away his fated mate and trade her as a hostage bride?”

“Her new bond is with a crippled wolf. What a shame!”

“They say the elder spoiled her, that she spends her nights in taverns—how disgraceful.”

By morning, my reputation was in ruins. Wherever I walked, whispers followed me like shadows. Friends who once laughed by my side turned their faces away.

Even Father was dragged down by those rumors. Other elders began to question if a man with such a shameless daughter was fit to hold power.

Anger and humiliation drove me straight to Barry’s door.

But when I pushed it open, I froze.

He was kneeling, carefully wrapping a bandage around a woman’s ankle.

He looked up at me, his eyes as warm as they had ever been, his voice tender.

“Emily… this is Evelyn. I rescued her from the border. She may have a weak bloodline, but she has a good heart. Please—don’t bully her.”