Chapter 1 Jane’s Pov

The sounds of sex reached me way before I reached where I was going to.

Soft moans. A low groan. The kind of breathless, needy rhythm that made my stomach twist because I knew one of the voices making the sounds.

It was Trevor’s voice.

My heart jumped into my throat as I stood frozen in the dimly lit hallway outside his dorm room and listened. 

It was late—too late for a casual visit—but I’d been restless, thinking about him, needing to talk. I’d convinced myself that if I showed up, maybe he’d smile that cocky smile that always disarmed me, and we’d just… be okay like 

We’d been together for years. Trevor Gerald wasn’t just my boyfriend, he was my best friend. 

He was the boy who snuck me snacks during endless pack meetings, who held my hand before every big cheer routine, who promised me forever when we lay on the grass and watched the stars. 

Everyone loved us.

Trevor Gerald and Jane Garice—the golden couple of Vermont University. 

The Beta’s son and the Alpha’s daughter. Star goalie and cheer captain. 

We were the pair people pointed to at games, whispering about how perfect we looked together. My wolf practically purred when he wrapped his arm around me in public, pride swelling as our names rippled through the crowd.

I loved him. He loved me. Or at least that's what I thought.

‘Don't do it. Don't open the door. Just walk away. Please,walk away,’ a voice in my head said to me with urgency. 

But that was the voice of a coward, I thought with my eyes burning with unshed tears. And I was no fucking coward.

So with my heart breaking into pieces inside my chest, I reached for the door handle and opened the door. 

And then my world shattered.

Trevor stood shirtless by his bed, jeans slung low on his hips, while a platinum-haired cheerleader—one I vaguely recognized from the team—giggled against his throat.

My cheer bag slipped from my shoulder, landing with a dull thud that cut through the room like a gunshot.

They froze and turned. 

The platinum-haired girl blinked at me, wide-eyed, before scrambling for a sheet. 

Trevor’s head snapped up, his blue eyes wide with guilt…or was it annoyance?

“Jane…wait, it’s not…” the girl began. Her voice was a nervous squeak as she clutched the sheet to her chest. “I didn’t know he had a girlfriend!”

I almost laughed and it was a bitter, sharp sound pressed against my throat.

Didn’t know? That was bulshit. 

Everyone knew. Everyone at Vermont knew. Trevor Gerald and Jane Garice were the picture-perfect couple, the pride of the Blackstone Moon Pack’s younger generation.

Apparently, everyone except her.

“Get out,” I said. My voice didn’t crack as I spoke. It was steady, sharp and showed Alpha steel.

My father would’ve been proud of that.

The girl didn’t argue. Clothes bundled in her arms, she bolted barefoot out of the room, leaving behind a stench of cheap perfume. 

I looked at her as she left and shook my head. I couldn't believe Trevor would stoop so low to cheat on me with such a tacky girl. 

I turned back to Trevor as he dragged a hand through his blond hair, frustration darkening his expression as if I’d walked in on him when he didn't want it. “Jane, listen—”

“No.” I stepped further inside, my sneakers crunching over something small and metallic. 

It was the girl’s earrings. 

It was glittering on the carpet like proof of the despicable act they were involved in. “You don’t get to ‘Jane, listen’ me. Not after this.”

His jaw clenched. “It’s not what it looked like.”

I laughed and it was short and humorless. “Really? Because it looked a lot like my boyfriend was about to screw a cheerleader who isn’t me.”

Trevor flinched but recovered fast, throwing on that smooth arrogance he wore like a second skin. “It didn’t mean anything. We were just messing around.”

That was worse. If it meant nothing, then what did I mean?

“You’re pathetic,” I said flatly. “You think being the Beta’s son makes you untouchable? Newsflash…it doesn’t.”

Something flickered in his eyes—anger, maybe desperation—but he pushed his body forward while his voice dropped as he spoke. “Careful, Jane. Don’t act like you’re some saint. Everyone sees how you flirt on the sidelines. You like attention just as much as I do.”

The words hit low and felt as sharp as claws. I curled my hands into fists, nails biting into my palms until pain steadied me. “Well, I do like attention but the difference is, I don’t betray the people I love. I would never go this far and you know that.”

For a second, I thought I saw guilt in Trevor’s eyes. But it vanished quickly and was replaced by that cool, calculated mask he always used when he wanted control.

“Fine,” he said, his voice calm, almost dismissive. “If you want to walk away, go ahead. But don’t forget who I am. People talk, Jane. People will talk. But you don’t want rumors ruining your reputation.”

I glared at him. There it was…the threat. The smug reminder that he thought his name carried weight heavier than mine.

My wolf bristled, her silver fur flashing hot under my skin, but I kept my composure. 

I was my mother's daughter. My father’s heir. I should never forget that. 

“Rumors only spread if they’re interesting,” I said evenly. “And what’s interesting right now is that Jane Garice dumped Trevor Gerald because he couldn’t keep it in his pants.”

His lips parted, but I didn’t give him the chance to answer. I swung my cheer bag over my shoulder, spine straight, and walked out.

I didn’t run. I didn’t scream. I didn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall apart. I certainly didn't.

But by the time I reached the stairwell, my chest burned. The tears pressed hot behind my eyes, but I tilted my head back against the cold cement wall, breathing hard.

I tried to calm myself by saying again and again: Don’t cry. Don’t break. You’re an Alpha. Alphas don’t fall apart.

But Goddess, it hurt. It hurt so much.

***

My dorm room was dark when I slipped inside, quiet except for the steady breathing of my roommate, Riley. She wasn’t pack—just human, a political science major with too many textbooks stacked by her bed but I cared for her. 

She stirred when I set my bag down a little too loudly.

“Jane?” Her voice was groggy. “Everything okay?”

I swallowed hard. My throat felt raw, like I’d swallowed glass. “Yeah,” I lied. “Just tired.”

She squinted at me through the shadows but didn’t push. “Okay. Night.”

I sank onto my mattress, shoes still on, staring at the ceiling until the cracks blurred into each other. My wolf curled inside me, restless and angry, but I shoved her down.

Because I knew that if I let go now, if I gave in to the fury and the grief, I didn’t know if I’d ever claw my way back.

The golden couple was over.

Trevor Gerald had betrayed me.

And Jane Garice—Alpha’s daughter, heir to Blackstone Moon Pack—would make sure the world knew I walked away with my pride intact, even if my heart felt like it had been split wide open.