Prologue

Fear. Guilt. Shame.

Shame. Guilt. Fear.

These heavy feelings torture my conscious over and over again, until I'm strung so tight, I'm begging the Moon Goddess to end it. To get me out. She doesn't.

Shame. Guilt. Fear.

And every passing year...I'm closer to the edge than I was before.

...

I grew up in a prominent pack. One deep in the mountains, beside a clear stream of water, surrounded by evergreens on every side. My father was the Alpha and I, his only daughter. Usually, females, no matter how strong and capable they were, never inherited their father's legacy. This case was true for the daughters of Alphas, Betas, and Gammas alike.

No matter their status, at the end of the day, they all ended up in the same group. The incompetent, the unqualified descendants, deprived of the right to carry their father's mantel, because they weren't born with a giant stick. 

But this wasn't the case for me. You see, my daddy fought for me. He earned me the right to lead his pack after him. So now, I'm not only the daughter of Alpha Malivik Usan, but also the future Alpha of the Evergreen Pack.

One year into medical school, and I already have a graduate degree. 

I'm his pride, my father says. His greatest joy and honor.

I'm not only beautiful with a glossy ember of crimson-orange mane, but also extremely smart, strong, and fast beyond my peers. I have my own designer line, and can live a rich woman's life without anyone's support.

Every girl in the pack wants to be me, and every guy in the pack wants to ensnare me.

But I shrug off the girls envy and keep the guys away with a single line. "The Moon Goddess has already chosen a mate for me. I won't date or sleep with any Tom or Jerry."

After 7 years of repeating the same line, 7, because the guys only began to approach me when I turned 15 and started to develop curves, everyone in the pack came to know me as 'Saira, the Moon Goddess's obedient slave.'

Crude way to label people, really, considering we're all her creations. But jerks are jerks, and scoundrels who fail in their conquest are the greatest jerks of all.

I don't care. I'm fine with whatever they call me. As long as they leave me alone and don't pester me to give them a chance. Waiting for my mate is the goal of my life, and no dickheads could sway me their way.

You must be thinking, 'You go, girl! Don't let anyone influence your decision! Being alone is better than being with someone bad, or someone who isn't your mate?'

It's what my best friend says every time I turn down a guy. It's what my mother said to me every time I told her I was waiting for my destined mate. Well, she said something along the lines of, 'A restless heart might lead you into a snake pit. It's better for you to wait for your one and only, because only he would accept you and love you the way you deserve.'

You get the gist.

So long story short, all my loved ones support me, and believe my decision to wait for my soulmate will lead me to true love.

I would love to say I agree. Unfortunately, I don't. Because what I'm waiting for isn't love. No. It's acceptance. Embracement for who I am and all I've done. Protection, even if I might be the dangerous one. Not to be shunned or condemned, but to be accepted for the real me.

'You're a rich woman under the protection of a prominent pack. Your father loves you enough to fight with the councilmen for your right of inheritance. What more acceptance and protection could you possibly need?'

Well, that's just it.

I am not who I say I am.

I copied her face and took her name, then impersonated her to enter the Evergreen Pack. I replaced her in her family and stole her place in her pack. Neither the right to be an alpha heir nor the privileges of Alpha Malivik's daughter belong to me.

Yes, I know. I am a terrible person.

I am a thief. An Imposter.

This is why the shame of my guilt burdens my heart, and it's eating me from inside out. The fear of my dirty secret getting exposed has me ardently praying to the Moon Goddess.

I copied her face, and it's only a matter of time before everyone finds out I stole her identity.