Chapter 1

"Are you sure? Your Mating Ceremony. Seven days. It's a global broadcast. We'll stage a perfect assassination. You'll go off the cliff and into the sea. Poof. Gone."

The head of 'The Hidden Path'—a rogue who wanted nothing to do with pack life—sat across from me. His voice was low and calm.

My nose stung. A sharp pain pierced my wolf.

But I didn't hesitate. I nodded. "I'm sure."

"The fee is ten million. Non-refundable. Once we start, there's no turning back. We'll wipe your scent from existence. You can never return to our world." He pushed a file across the table. "You've really thought this through?"

I signed the name Cressida. Probably for the last time.

"I have."

I walked out of the abandoned factory. The city lights glittered in the night.

Every screen in the city played the same story.

"Black Moon Alpha Ronan announces his Mating Ceremony with Cressida, to be held in seven days..."

"This will be the werewolf world's grandest celebration of the century..."

"Broadcast live, a testament to the world's strongest, most loyal Alpha..."

Most loyal?

I stopped in front of a massive screen, watching Ronan's handsome face glow in the dark.

He was smiling for the camera, his golden eyes full of love.

"Cressida is my one and only fated mate. My everything," the man on the screen purred. "I will protect this love with my life."

I couldn't help but scoff.

My phone buzzed.

A message from Vesper.

Another video.

I pressed play. It was the black sofa in Ronan's office.

Vesper was pinned under him, her moans spilling from my phone's speaker.

"Harder, Ronan. It'll be so hard to see you after your ceremony."

Ronan just went harder, leaving a trail of angry, purple bruises on her neck.

"Don't you worry, you little minx. I've already got a potion to dull the bond. I can sneak away to fuck you, even on our mating night."

My hands were shaking.

Not with anger. It was a suffocating wave of disgust.

I scrolled down. There was a photo.

Vesper was wearing the Moonstone Ring. The Black Moon pack's heirloom. The symbol of the Luna.

It should have been in my keeping.

The ring flashed a cold, white light, mocking my stupidity.

I remembered three years ago. The night Ronan first slipped that ring on my finger.

"From now on, you are my Luna. Once the pack is stable, I'll give you the grandest ceremony imaginable." He knelt before me, his eyes filled with worship. "I swear I will only ever love you."

I remembered the attack two years ago.

A rival pack's silver bullet flew toward me. Ronan threw himself in front of me without a second thought.

The silver pierced his chest. He was in a coma for a week.

The first thing he said when he woke up was, "Is Cressida hurt?"

Back then, I thought this man would truly die for me.

But the same Alpha who would take a bullet for me could climb out of my bed and into another she-wolf's.

The pain in my chest was the mate bond lashing out. Tears fell without me even noticing.

I had to cage my wolf.

It was too soon. I couldn't let him feel it.

He chose betrayal. So I’ll choose to disappear right when he's playing the perfect mate.

I lifted my head, took a deep breath, and wiped my tears.

A voice I knew down to my bones called out from behind me, laced with panic. "Cressida?"

My body went stiff. I turned around slowly.

Ronan stood under a streetlight just a few feet away. He hadn't even had time to button his suit jacket.

He must have sensed my distress through the bond and rushed over from some important meeting.

He closed the distance in a few long strides, his golden eyes burning with worry. He scanned my face. "I felt your wolf crying. Cressida, what happened? Your scent is thick with grief. It's burning me through the bond. Who hurt you?"

His concern sounded so real.

If I hadn't seen that video, I might have actually believed him.

But now, all I could smell was the faint scent of vanilla on him.

Vesper's scent.

Nausea rose in my throat. I forced it down.

"It's nothing," I said, forcing a smile. "Just some pre-ceremony jitters."

"Jitters about what?" He stepped closer, reaching out to touch my face. "Tell me. I'll fix it."

As his hand neared my cheek, the warmth mixed with Vesper's vanilla scent made my stomach turn.

I flinched back. His touch felt like poison.

His hand froze in mid-air. Hurt and confusion flashed in his eyes. "Cressida? What's wrong?"

I fought back the disgust and made an excuse. "I'm worried rival packs will cause trouble at the ceremony. You know they've always wanted our sacred relics."

The hurt on his face vanished, replaced by a fierce, protective look.

"With me here, no one will touch a single hair on your head. I've set up an impenetrable defense around the cliff. No one can harm my Luna."

"Is that so?" I looked at him. "You're sure no one can harm me?"

"Of course," he said, his voice ringing with Alpha authority. "I swear on my life, I will protect you."

I just nodded. "Good."

He breathed a sigh of relief, his gentle smile returning. "We still have to go for your dress fitting. I hired the best werewolf designer. She made thirty-four gowns for you. Each one is woven with moon-thread to soothe your wolf."

My nose stung again.

My heart, which had just calmed down, started to ache.

Look at him. Even now, he's playing the part of the perfect, caring mate.

The one hurting me is you, Ronan.

Will you still be able to fake that smile when you watch me die on that altar in seven days?