Chapter 1

Elena

I watched Marcus, my husband, the alpha of the silver moon pack, walk down the stairs, his messy dark hair falling over his handsome face.

He looks so handsome in the morning light. His hair was wild from our passionate night together, and just seeing him like this made the heat pool low in my belly.

Goddess, after three years of marriage, my husband still made butterflies dance in my stomach. Just looking at him made me feel like that shy girl who first met him at the pack gathering three years ago.

"Good morning, my love," I said softly, walking up to him with a warm smile.

But Marcus didn't smile back. His green eyes were cold, distant. He walked past me without a word and sat down at the dining table like I wasn't even there.

My heart skipped a beat. Something was terribly wrong. I could feel it in the air between us, thick and heavy like storm clouds.

Could he be worried about pack business? No, Marcus always talked to me about pack problems. We were partners in everything. He never keeps secrets from me.

"Are you alright?" I asked as our maid, Sarah, brought in our breakfast and set it on the table.

Marcus said nothing. He just stared at his plate like it held all the answers to life. My heart began to pound harder against my ribs.

This wasn't like him at all. My husband never ignored me like this.

He looked up at Sarah and the other maids. "Leave us," he said with a wave of his hand.

The servants quickly left the dining room, and suddenly we were alone. The silence felt like it could choke me.

Marcus sighed deeply and finally looked at me. When our eyes met, my heart jumped into my throat.

"Um..." he started, then looked away again. His strong hands were shaking slightly as they rested on the table.

"Marcus, please tell me what's wrong," I whispered, reaching across the table to touch his hand.

He pulled away from my touch like it burned him. Another sigh escaped his lips as he picked up his fork and started eating like nothing was happening.

"She's back," he said simply, taking another bite of his eggs.

"She's back? Who?" I asked, confused. My mind was racing, trying to understand what was going on.

"Lydia is back," he said, and I swear I saw a small smile cross his lips when he said her name.

The name hit me like a punch to the stomach. Lydia. His first love. His ex-girlfriend. The woman who broke his heart when she left our pack five years ago.

"But we're married now," I said, my voice cracking. "We love each other."

Marcus shook his head slowly, still eating his breakfast like this conversation was about the weather.

"No, Elena. I still love her. I never stopped loving her."

The words felt like silver bullets piercing my heart, crushing it into pieces. I couldn't breathe. This couldn't be the same man who made love to me last night. The same man who whispered sweet words in my ear and held me close until I fell asleep.

Tears started falling down my cheeks before I could stop them.

"But we are fated mates," I choked out. "We love each other. You love me."

"I don't love you, Elena," he said, his voice flat and emotionless. "I was with you because you reminded me of her. You have the same brown hair, the same brown eyes. Now that she is back, I don't need to pretend anymore."

My heart shattered into a million pieces. Each word cut deeper than the last.

I looked at this man sitting across from me, calmly eating his breakfast while destroying my world, and I wondered who he was.

This couldn't be my Marcus. My Marcus would never hurt me like this.

My Marcus was the one who carried me to the bathroom after we made love and helped wash my hair.

My Marcus was the one who held me when I had nightmares and told me everything would be okay.

"Have I done something wrong?" I whispered through my tears. "Did I hurt you somehow?"

"No," he said, finally looking at me again.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Elena."

"Then why?" I cried, my heart breaking with each breath. "Why are you doing this to me?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he put down his fork and looked me straight in the eyes.

"I want a divorce."

The words hung in the air like poison. My world crumbled around me as I sat there, tears streaming down my face, staring at the man who had just destroyed everything I thought I knew about love.

"My lawyer will send you the divorce papers tomorrow," Marcus continued, his voice business-like, as if he was discussing a simple pack meeting. He took another bite of his toast. "Don't worry about money. I'll make sure you are well compensated for all the years you stood by my side."

Compensated. Like I was some employee he was firing. Like our three years of marriage, our love, our bond meant nothing more than a job I had done for him.

I felt like I was dying. My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe. The tears were coming so fast I couldn't see clearly anymore. My hands were shaking as I gripped the edge of the table, trying to hold myself together.

"Compensated?" I whispered, my voice broken and raw. "Marcus, I'm your wife. I'm your mate. I don't want your money. I want you. I want us."

But he just looked at me with those cold green eyes, like I was a stranger begging on the street.

"This is better for everyone, Elena. Lydia and I belong together. We always have."

I doubled over in my chair, sobbing so hard my whole body shook. The pain in my chest felt like someone was ripping my heart out with their bare hands. How could he sit there so calm while I was falling apart?

"Please," I begged through my tears. "Please don't do this to us. Whatever I did wrong, I can fix it. I can be better. I can..."

"You can't be her," he said simply, and those four words destroyed what was left of my soul.

I couldn't stop crying. My wolf was howling in pain inside me, feeling the rejection of our mate. This wasn't supposed to happen. Fated mates were supposed to be forever. The Moon Goddess wouldn't be this cruel.

But she was. And he was.

"I gave you everything," I sobbed, my voice barely a whisper. "I gave you my heart, my body, my soul. I left my pack for you. I became Luna for you. I loved you with everything I had."

Marcus finished his breakfast and stood up, straightening his shirt like nothing had happened.

"I know," he said. "And I'm grateful for that. That is why I will take care of you financially."

Grateful. He was grateful. Like I had done him some favor instead of loving him with every breath in my body.

I watched him walk toward the door, and panic filled me. He was leaving. He was actually leaving me here, broken and bleeding on the inside.

"Marcus, please!" I cried out, stumbling after him. "Please don't leave me like this!"

But he didn't turn around. He didn't even slow down.

"The papers will be here tomorrow, Elena. It's over."

And then he was gone, leaving me collapsed on the dining room floor, crying so hard I couldn't breathe, holding the pieces of my shattered heart in my hands.