Chapter 1

"Sorry, I need to cancel my reservation for tonight."

I spoke softly into the phone, ending the call from the Alliance's top restaurant.

It was almost eleven.

I'd left the noise of the feast early. Came back alone to the empty Pack House.

My phone lit up again. Sarah, from the Alliance Medical Center.

"Tessa! Spill it!" Her voice was buzzing with excitement. "Was it romantic? Did Alpha Callum book out the whole place for you? You just healed your hundredth critical patient! Did he give you the Luna's moonstone? Are you two finally going to complete the bond?!"

Every question was a fresh stab of pain. My wolf whimpered.

I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Alone.

"No," I cut her off, my voice flat. "He had to leave. Something came up."

I hung up before she could reply.

I stripped off the designer gown I'd bought just for tonight. Slipped into a silk nightdress and sat by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Fate was a joke.

My pack, Silver Moon, was part of the Northern Alliance. We're known for healing. And for our power on the Council.

On this continent, a place of shadows and secrets, Red Maple needed us. They needed our votes and our medical resources to get Callum elected as the Alliance Chairman. And we needed their strength, their warriors, to keep our family's power in the North.

We were fated Mates. A perfect political union. Our souls were meant to be one.

But in this house, I could count on one hand the number of nights we spent truly alone together.

Tonight was supposed to be different.

It was the full moon. Callum was finally on leave. I thought… I hoped… he'd finally see me. See my worth.

But just as the feast was ending, Freya burst in. Dressed in black combat gear.

She spread a map of the northern border on the table.

Two hours. They sat shoulder-to-shoulder. Whispering in the low growl of wolf-speak.

I couldn't get a single word in.

I was just a decoration. A ghost. Watching the clock tick past our reservation. Watching them exist in a world that wasn't mine.

It was three in the morning when he finally came back.

The smell of blood and cold night air hit me as the bedroom door opened.

The second his eyes met mine, the Mate bond devoured him.

He crossed the room in three long strides. His large hand locked around my wrist like a vice.

"Callum, you—"

He pulled me against his hard chest.

Then his head dipped, and he kissed me like a savage. Desperate. Draining the calming scent from my skin like a dying addict.

My mind screamed. Push him away.

He had no right. No right to ignore me, then come back and take from me like this.

But the bond is a killer.

My legs gave out. I could only cling to his shoulders as he pushed me back onto the massive bed.

…

An hour later.

The sound of the shower stopped.

The breathless, soul-crushing passion on the bed felt like a dream. A hallucination.

Callum walked out, a towel slung low on his hips.

The fire in his eyes was gone. Replaced by the cold indifference of an Alpha.

"Why did you leave the feast early tonight?" he asked, his voice casual as he towel-dried his hair.

I clutched the sheets to my chest. My body ached from his roughness.

"You were busy with your map," I said, meeting his gaze. "The restaurant closed hours ago."

Callum stopped.

His brows drew together. The air in the room grew thin with the force of his Alpha power.

"Tessa, when will you grow up?"

He grabbed a clean shirt and pulled it on.

"Freya got hurt on the front lines tonight! As my Beta, she risks her life for this territory! The least you could do is be on standby in the pack hospital, not sit here throwing a fit."

Every word was a defense of her.

Throwing a fit.

I'd been on my feet for over ten hours, pulling his dying pack members back from the brink.

In his eyes, that was throwing a fit.

Tears burned my eyes. I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood.

I couldn't cry.

"You're right. It's my fault," I heard myself say. My voice was numb. Empty.

I dropped my gaze, refusing to look at him.

Callum's jaw relaxed.

He was satisfied with my surrender. He thought he'd fixed it.

He walked over. That same hand that had just claimed me now patted my head like I was a pet.

"Stop sulking. Get some sleep." His tone was a condescending gift. "Freya's waiting in the study. We need to debrief."

The door clicked shut.

The room was silent again.

I turned my head. Through the crack under the door, I could see the warm yellow glow from the study across the hall.

My phone buzzed, shattering the suffocating quiet.

The screen flashed: FATHER.

He was a high elder on the Alliance Council. The leader of the Silver Moon pack.

I took a deep breath and answered.

"Tessa." My father's stern voice came through. "The Alliance roster is being updated. When is Callum going to hold the official Luna marking ceremony for you? Our family's alliance cannot falter."

I stared at the sliver of light from the study door.

This must be what it felt like to be completely numb. I couldn't even feel the pain anymore.

I swallowed all the despair in my throat. My voice was surprisingly calm.

"Dad, Callum is busy with the territory expansion and his campaign for Chairman. He doesn't have time for a ceremony."