Chapter 1

After his filthy banter with his Beta about me and his mistress, Caleb finally remembered my existence.

He turned back, his gaze dropping to the pastry in my hand.

"You haven't taken a single bite, darling."

Caleb's long fingers stroked my cheek. His dark eyes were filled with picture-perfect concern.

"Not hungry." I put the exquisite pastry back on the silver tray, forcing a smile. "You guys were having a good time just now. What were you talking about?"

Caleb pinched my cheek dotingly. "Just the southern pack's territory expansion and a mining deal. I used the old Lycan tongue out of habit. Don't overthink it, sweetie."

A sharp pain pierced my chest.

He didn't even miss a beat when he lied.

But he forgot I had learned that tongue.

Seven years ago, to help him lead the pack without barriers, I stayed up all night reading those ancient books.

When I first spoke it to him, he held me tight, kissing me all over in pure ecstasy, calling me the Moon Goddess's most precious miracle.

Now, he arrogantly used it to brush me off right to my face.

The fake toasts and prying eyes around us, mixed with his dominant Alpha scent trying to cover everything up, suffocated me.

"I need some air. Be right back."

I smiled, pushed him away gently, and walked straight to the balcony, lifting my dress.

Whispers from the hall drifted into my ears with the night breeze, harsh and piercing.

"Seven years, and the Alpha still spoils her rotten, even though the Luna's old pack was wiped out!"

"I know, right? Even the Alpha King came to bless their mating ceremony back then! The Moon Goddess gave her all the luck. It makes me crazy jealous."

True. In the entire werewolf world, anyone in the shifter world who witnessed our mating ceremony envied us.

But my inner wolf cried in agony.

No one knew this fated bond, envied by the whole continent, had become an absolute joke.

My mind flashed back to yesterday afternoon, totally out of control.

To give him an early anniversary surprise, I sneaked onto the Alpha's exclusive floor at headquarters with a gift.

I masked my scent on purpose and hid in the secret room of his office, waiting to see his smiling face when he opened the door.

The door opened. And I saw my fated mate.

The man who swore to love only me was pinning his new Omega secretary, Sienna, against the couch. He looked like a feral beast.

"Alpha... the door isn't locked. Someone might come in..." Sienna panted, feigning shyness.

"Let them watch!" Caleb's voice was frighteningly hoarse, filled with raw lust. His large hands roamed her body wildly. "You drive me fucking crazy! I'm going to take you right here!"

A belt unbuckled with a sharp click. The sickening sound of flesh slapping against flesh echoed in the large office.

Peeking through the blinds of the secret room, I bit my lip so hard I bled. My very soul trembled.

Caleb growled and bit into Sienna's tender neck without holding back.

He didn't leave a permanent mark, but that glaring hickey, along with their sickeningly sweet scents mixing in the air, shattered my world completely.

The faint, strange scents I used to catch on him occasionally now had the dirtiest explanation.

From that moment on, our mate bond was dead.

A buzz in my coat pocket snapped me back to reality. It was a call from the Head Elder of the Supreme Healers' Council.

"Tessa," the Elder's strict voice cut through the chill of the night. "The Council has approved your application. In three days, a private jet will pick you up at the border of the Silver Moon pack to take you to the Sanctuary."

Seven years ago, I gave up a top position at the Healers' Council to be Caleb's Luna.

Back then, my pack had just been wiped out. My parents were brutally murdered. Caleb was my only anchor in a pool of blood.

I thought giving up everything to support him would earn me his eternal loyalty.

Now, he was none of that.

"Thank you, Elder." I stared coldly at the full moon, my voice calm. "Also, I need to request the highest-grade scent blockers. Permanent ones."

Dead silence fell on the other end.

Five seconds later, the Elder's shocked voice came through. "Permanent scent blockers? Tessa, do you know what that means?!"

"I know."

"Once you use them, you wipe out every trace of your past! You're cutting ties with your pack completely, including your mate bond!" Her tone held a hint of panic. "If Caleb finds you missing, an Alpha without his mate will go completely feral! Why does it have to come to this?"

I lowered my eyes and gave a bitter smile.

"Because he betrayed the mate bond."

The Elder sighed heavily. "Understood. The protocol is active. As you wish."

I hung up. The moment my finger left the screen, an overwhelming Alpha aura hit me from behind.

A tall shadow engulfed me like a ghost.

Caleb was suddenly standing right behind me, his burning chest almost pressed against my back.

"Who betrayed who?"