Chapter 2

I understood their act. I couldn’t help but sneer.

The pack raised me?

My father was the Alpha, the most powerful leader the Silver Moon Pack had ever known.

My mother, the most beloved Luna.

But after an attack from a rival pack, they were both dead.

Magnus, my father’s former Beta, became the new Alpha.

He’d promised the pack he would return the leadership to me when I came of age.

Instead, he pushed his son on me, forcing a mating to secure his family’s power.

“Della, I promise you will be the most cherished Luna. You and my son, Nolan, will rule this pack together. Including the Dire Wolves.”

Nolan.

Growing up, he was always so gentle with me.

When my parents died, he just stayed by my side while I cried.

For my first shift, he brought me a thousand moonflowers to celebrate.

When a rogue attacked and I was hurt, he threw himself in front of me without a second thought.

He fought for me.

The night Magnus told him we were to mate, Nolan came back from the border after fighting off a rival pack.

He was still covered in dirt and grime, but he came straight to my garden.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on the top of my head.

His voice was tired, but so soft and full of contentment.

“Mate with me, Della,” he’d said. “This isn’t about alliances. I just want to give you my heart.”

He kissed my forehead so gently, his eyes burning with sincerity. “The Silvermoon pack is your home. You’re our precious princess. You’ll be the perfect Luna.”

And I believed him.

I believed the man who grew up with me.

The one who promised he’d always protect me.

I even promised to give him the Heart of the Pack at our Mating Ceremony.

So why did everything change after he brought Skylar back?

He stopped smiling at me.

The way he looks at me now… it’s just cold. Full of disgust.

And now he’s choosing that rogue, tying her to his side.

He even said it in front of the whole pack… that I was worthless, except for my bloodline.

Was it because he’d found his true love? Was he just tired of pretending with me?

A sharp pain twisted in my gut.

A terrible thought started circling in my mind, over and over.

Everything he did… it was all just to get the Heart of the Pack.

Maybe all his kindness was an act. Every promise, just a lie to get my power.

I was the fool.

I fought back the sting in my nose and slowly got to my feet, my mind fixed on the Mating Ceremony.

Just three days away.

“The mating ceremony is canceled.”

My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried through the entire hall.

“As of tonight, I, Della, reject you, Nolan. Our Mating Bond is broken. And I reserve the right to find a new mate.”

Nolan’s face went rigid, his muscles tight. The madness in his eyes was about to spill over.

“You dare?” he snarled. “Della, don’t even think about leaving me.”

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"My bloodline descends from the First Alpha," I declared, my voice ringing with cold authority. "It is a legacy of power. I will not taint it by sharing my mate with a rogue."

Behind him, Skylar made a cat-like, mocking sound.

“Looks like our little princess has a bit of a temper,” she purred into Nolan’s ear. “But some women just don’t know how to face reality.”

Her words were a spark, fanning the flames of madness in Nolan’s eyes.

"The reality is, without my bloodline, you are nothing. Without the Heart, this pack is nothing. And only I hold the key."

The crowd stirred. Unease spread like a plague.

Magnus rose, his Alpha command crashing down on me like a physical weight, trying to force me to my knees.

“Della.” His voice was laced with a dangerous threat. “The Heart of the Pack is precious. And because of that, you need to make… certain sacrifices… for the stability of the pack.”

I felt the naked threat in his words.

“What kind of sacrifices?”

Magnus didn’t answer. He just gave me a look. A look that sent a chill down my spine.

“The party is over,” he announced to everyone. “Dismissed.”

The pack members began to leave, but the tension in the air only grew thicker.

Nolan walked toward me, his eyes a toxic mix of rage and a twisted, obsessive possession.

“Della, where do you think you can run?” His voice was low and dangerous, coiling around me like a snake. “You belong to me. Your body, your bloodline, you will always belong to me.”

He lunged, his fingers wrapping around my wrist like bands of steel. The pressure was enough to crush bone.

“Let go of me,” I ordered coldly.

“I will never let you go.” He yanked me against him, his hot body pressing into mine. “Even if you won’t be my Luna, you will never leave my side.”

I could feel the heat radiating from him.

And that raw, untamed beastly desire.

Skylar watched from the side, her eyes glinting with a sick excitement.

“Nolan, don’t force her,” she cooed, her concern fake. “Maybe she’s just not right for you. After all…”

She stepped closer, her hand slowly tracing the hard planes of Nolan’s chest.

“…some women are just too cold. Like a block of ice.”

She looked at me, her gaze a blatant challenge.

“Not like me. I know how to please my man.”

Right in front of me, she stuck out her tongue and left a wet, hot trail on Nolan’s neck.

Nolan’s breath hitched. A low, satisfied growl rumbled in his throat.

My stomach turned. My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, a tearing pain shooting through me.

But I forced myself to stay calm. I would not show weakness in front of them.

“Have some self-respect, Skylar,” my voice was cold enough to freeze water. “At least, not until my betrothal to Nolan has been officially dissolved by the pack elders.”

Just then, two guards appeared at my side.

“Lady Della, the Alpha King requests your presence in his office.”

I knew it wasn’t a request. It was an order.

In the top-floor office, it was just me and Magnus.

“Sit,” Magnus said, pointing to the chair across from him.

I remained standing, my back straight.

“I’d rather stand, Alpha. I’ve rejected Nolan. I want my freedom. What is the price?”

He sneered.

“Fine. I’ll be direct.” He turned to face me, his eyes sharp as a hawk’s. “Nolan is the future Alpha. He needs absolute power. And the source of that power—the Heart of the Pack—I know only your blood can awaken it.”

My heart sank.

The Heart of the Pack. The one key to controlling the Dire Wolf legion.

“In three days, at Nolan’s succession ceremony—which is also your mating ceremony,” Magnus’s voice was devoid of emotion, “you will perform the blood resonance with the Heart of the Pack. Your blood will be the key to activate it, transferring permanent control of the Dire Wolves to Nolan. This is your duty to the pack.”

My blood ran cold.

“And what about me?”

“You will be Nolan’s Luna in name only. After that, you are free to leave.”

An empty shell. A vessel, used and discarded.

That’s what they wanted me to be.

“I refuse.”

“You don’t have a choice.” His Alpha command crashed down on me like an avalanche.

I shook my head, rage and fear warring inside me.

“Magnus, you can’t do this to me! My parents…”

“Your parents are dead,” he cut me off without mercy. “And you are just a member of my pack now. You will obey your Alpha’s command.”

I felt a beast roaring in my chest, a fire of pure rage threatening to consume me.

“They died protecting this pack!”

“Did they?” A strange, cold light flickered in Magnus’s eyes.

His command intensified.

The immense spiritual force slammed into my mind like a battering ram.

The moon-tear crystal around my neck, my mother’s last gift to me, began to vibrate violently, glowing faintly.

It had always protected me from psychic attacks. It was her final shield.

But Magnus’s power was too strong.

Crack.

A sharp sound echoed. The crystal shattered.

The moment it broke, I heard my mother's final scream.

It wasn’t a vision. It was a feeling.

The feeling of a cold blade piercing a heart. My father's enraged roar before he died.

And Magnus’s younger voice, cold and ecstatic.

He stood over their bodies, holding a dripping blade, a vicious grin on his face.

“For the future of the Silver Moon Pack… your bloodline… must be under my control.”

A chill so deep it froze the marrow in my bones. An abyss of horror opened up beneath me. It was him. It was always him. He was my parents’ killer.

All the humiliation, all the betrayal, all the injustice… it all made sense now.

My world shattered.

But I forced down the towering wave of hatred. I lowered my head, letting my hair hide the murderous intent blazing in my eyes.

“I… I understand.” My voice trembled with the effort of suppression. “For the good of the pack, I will… I will accept this arrangement.”

Magnus watched my “surrender” with satisfaction and retracted his command.

“Good. In three days, after the blood resonance ceremony, you will have your freedom.” His voice was a cold blade, filled with the arrogance of a victor.

I nodded silently, turned, and mechanically walked out of his office.

One voice screamed in my mind.

Freedom? I don’t want the freedom they grant me. I want retribution. I want their blood.

Magnus. Nolan. You want the power of my bloodline?

I’ll give it to you.

I’ll personally hold a grand ceremony for you.

And then I will watch you burn to ash in the face of the “power” I give you.

In three days, on your coronation day, you will die.