Chapter 1

Before my mother died, she left me four prophecies, written in runes beneath my skin.

The runes would glow beneath the full moon.

The first warned me not to join the Hunters’ Council.

So I became a Federation enforcer instead. I earned the highest military honors in two territorial wars. The Council headquarters, where I would have served, was later razed by rival wolves armed with silverfire shells.

The second forbade me from staying in North America.

I moved to the wolf territories in Europe and personally dismantled five black-market rings trafficking in wolf-blood hybrids. Later, a rival family attacked my old home in North America.

Only the third prophecy went unheeded.

She told me not to marry Lucian.

The day I found out I was pregnant, I finally understood why.

We were in the Northern Pack’s council chamber. Lucian listened to my news, then said casually, “Get rid of it. Vivienne and I already have a daughter.”

I stood before the obsidian conference table, gripping the test results. For a moment, I couldn’t speak.

“What did you say? Is this some kind of joke?”

He handed me a stack of photographs.

In them, he held a baby girl against his chest. The look on his face as he gazed down at her was tender.

“Remember when Vivienne asked you for a year off?”

He lit a cigar without a trace of concern.

“Maternity leave.”

I flung the test results in his face.

The paper grazed his cheek and fluttered to the floor.

“She’s my apprentice! You’ve been screwing someone I trained!”

Lucian’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Is that a problem?”

“When did it start?”

My voice was tight.

“The night we bonded. A coincidence, really. I’d been drinking. I mistook her for you. There’s something about an omega’s blood that makes a man lose control. After that, I couldn’t get enough.”

Lucian picked up the contract on the table. There was even a gentle smile on his lips.

“End the pregnancy. I promised Vivienne no other woman would bear my children.”

“Lucian!”

I drove my fist toward his face.

He caught my wrist. Two exchanges later, he had both my arms twisted behind my back and my body slammed facedown against the obsidian table.

“I’ve been good to you these past five years. Don’t push it!”

He released me and turned toward the door.

“Let me know when it’s done.”

I spun, aiming a kick at his back.

As if he’d expected it, Lucian turned and seized my ankle. He twisted hard.

I lost my balance and hit the floor. My temple struck the corner of the table. Blood ran into my left eye, staining my vision red.

“Careful. You might lose it right here.”

He wiped his hands and slammed the door behind him.

Only then did I understand why my mother had warned me against marrying an Alpha of my own kind.

He had been my partner for five years. We had fought side by side. He had shielded me from countless silver bullets and hunters’ traps.

None of it had stopped him from betraying me.