Chapter 1: Broken Vows

Leona

“The mating ceremony of my son, Erik, and the daughter of Alpha Alaric, Leona, will take place next full moon!” Alpha Caleb announced happily. The crowd responded with a deafening roar of applause.

I stood proudly on the stage next to my fiancé, Erik, happy tears pricking my eyes as my lips stretched into a joyful smile. I held his hand in one of mine and a champagne flute in the other. Everything I had ever dreamed of was coming true tonight.

I was the only daughter of Alpha Alaric, leader of one of the most influential packs in the North. But even though I was the heiress, I was never treated like a golden princess. My mother died during childbirth, and my father eventually remarried a beta she wolf named Renata.

Renata raised me without much affection. She wasn’t cruel, but she wasn’t a doting mother, either. To her, I was a constant reminder of her mate’s love for another she-wolf—and that she couldn't give him pups of her own.

My father always dreamed of having a son, so I spent my life trying to be one. I was the best on the training grounds, excellent in combat, and a master of battle strategy who left the other Alpha males in the dust.

Did my father ever praise me for it? Never. But my efforts to be a worthy heir made me less feminine. In appearance, I was stunning—tall, toned, with luscious curves, green eyes, and chiselled features—but my behaviour lacked typical femininity.

I was never the fragile damsel in distress or the perfect Luna that male wolves adored. I was a fighter. My short temper, strength, and straightforward nature often scared off suitors.

But not Erik. He was different. He accepted me for who I was and loved me deeply. We dated for three years, and on my eighteenth birthday, I received the greatest gift I could wish for: my wolf recognized Erik as my fated mate.

I couldn't believe my luck. Perhaps I was too overjoyed, as I couldn't wait any longer and gave myself to him fully last night. I blushed at the memory of his body radiating heat and the overwhelming pleasure of finally becoming one. When the first orgasm hit me like a train, Erik gently rested his forehead against mine and whispered, “Leona, I love you now and forever. I will always protect and cherish you. I will never put any woman above you, not even my mother. I swear it. If I do, let the Moon Goddess strike me with lightning.”

I almost giggled, remembering that sweet confession. He didn't have to say it; I already knew I was his forever. My father, standing in the front row near the stage, nodded with approval. Beside him stood my stepmother with her usual graceful posture, but for the first time, I saw a glimpse of pride in Renata’s usually cold eyes. We all knew that our engagement was not just a celebration of a love story but a powerful union.

Traditionally, the Alpha of the largest territory was the King of the North. We did not have a king currently, but when my pack joined Erik’s, the combined territory would become the largest, richest, and most influential pack in the North.

Erik would be a king, and I would be his queen.

The soft music began to play.

“Will you dance with me, my Luna?” Erik asked softly. I nodded, and he guided me to the middle of the ballroom. The crowd parted, giving the newly engaged couple the space to open the dance floor. All eyes were on us.

Erik took my hand and wrapped his other arm around my waist, ready to lead me to the rhythm of the slow, romantic song. But then, he froze. He stood rooted to the spot, his gaze shifting over my shoulder as if he had seen a ghost.

I turned, following his stare.

There she was. Fragile, sweet, and looking like an angel in a long white dress under the glowing moonlight. Standing in the ballroom entrance like a deer caught in headlights was Rose.

She looked so petite, almost translucent, as if the heavy scent of forest and pine from the surrounding wolves might blow her away. The silver moonlight caught the unshed tears in her eyes, making them sparkle with a calculated vulnerability that made every male in the room instinctively lean forward in a need to protect her.

Rose was Erik’s adopted sister. Years ago, when Erik and Rose began to show affection for each other, Erik’s mother sent her to a school abroad to avoid a scandal. Later, Erik admitted it was just a childish crush he had quickly overcome. He always told me I was his true love—his fated mate.

Erik’s hand was firm on my waist, his eyes dark with the heat of our shared secret from the night before. But as the first violin note soared, he stiffened.

"Rose?" he breathed, the name leaving his lips like a prayer.

Before I could even blink, his hand didn't just leave my waist—he shoved me. It wasn't a gentle brush past; it was a forceful, instinctive push to get me out of his way. I stumbled back, my heels skidding on the polished parquet, and I had to scramble for balance to keep from falling flat on my face in front of everyone.

He didn't even look back to see if I was okay.

He sprinted. He bypassed the centre of the dance floor, his eyes locked on the girl in white as if I had never existed. In front of the most powerful Alphas of the North, my fiancé—the future King—fell to his knees at her feet.

"You're burning up," he gasped, his hands hovering over her face with a terrified tenderness he had never shown me. Rose let out a soft, choked sob and collapsed forward. Erik caught her, pulling her small frame against his broad chest, tucking her head into his neck. He began to whisper to her, stroking her hair.

The music continued, a romantic song that now felt like a funeral march. The silence of the crowd was replaced by a low, venomous hum of whispers.

"Look at him," a she-wolf from a neighbouring pack snickered. "He looks like a man possessed. Finally, someone put arrogant Leona to her place. She always acted so high and mighty, but her beauty and power weren't enough to keep even her fated mate once his angel came home."

"Poor Leona," another whispered, her voice dripping with fake pity. "She looks so... solid standing there all alone. Some women are born to fight, I suppose, but some like Rose was clearly born to be loved."

I felt the heat crawling up my neck. I stood perfectly still, my back straight, my chin high, even as I watched my fated mate nuzzle another woman’s hair in the centre of our engagement floor.

"Erik!" Alpha Caleb’s voice boomed across the ballroom, cracking the tension like a whip. He stepped closer to them, his face a mask of simmering embarrassment. "Control yourself. Your fiancée is waiting for her dance. Return to the floor—now!"

Erik didn't even look up. He just tightened his hold on Rose, his eyes flashing a warning at his own father. "Rose is ill. She needs me now."

My fated mate clearly had just chosen his first love over his crown, his father, and his mate.

My jaw clamped shut so hard my teeth ached, locking away the caustic words that threatened to pour out. I stood rooted to the parquet floor, my shoulders squared, even as the scream in my chest threatened to tear me apart. I clenched my fists, my nails carving half-moons into my palms until the copper scent of blood filled my nose.

But that physical pain was a mercy compared to the ice-cold realization that Erik hadn't just left me on the dance floor—he had made me the laughingstock of the entire North.