Chapter 1

Erica POV

My three husbands and mates, who are also the alphas of the Full Moon pack, left the annual party and went somewhere with their mistress, leaving me behind.

As the pack's Luna, I dutifully prepared for our yearly pack get-together, but they almost ruined it because they couldn't wait to spend time alone with Becky. Becky was their concubine.

She was their one true love, a woman better than me in every way. They were deeply in love, even when the triplets, Chris, Max, and Ken found out we were mates, and they marked me as their Luna.

They only had Becky in their hearts.

As their mate, it kills me to know that the men who are supposed to love and cherish me are in love with someone else. They always reminded me that they felt nothing for me. In the time we've been married, they have treated me as nothing more than a subordinate.

Aside from being Luna, I'm also Chris's right hand in the military since my father was a former Beta and used to train the warriors. I'm in charge of pack training and always work alongside him, like his personal assistant. With my fighting skills, no one in this pack can beat me. I earned my position. It's also one of the reasons their father was thrilled to find out I was his son's mate.

If it weren't for their father, the brothers would have rejected me. I would have lived miserably, watching them be happy with someone else, building a family.

My father was once one of the pack's strongest warriors, my mother a healer at the pack hospital. We weren't rich, but we were respected until the night everything was ripped away. I had always admired the brothers.

The future Alphas. As a child, I often played with them at the packhouse. But one day, my father was framed for stealing from the Alpha. The evidence was planted too perfectly. His pleas were ignored. My father was sentenced to rot in prison.

Since then, the brothers never looked at me again. I know I don't have a place in their hearts. I thought everything would be okay, as long as I fulfilled my duties as their Luna and right hand.

But things only got worse when they accepted Becky as their concubine. Since then, my husbands have become colder and more distant. They also started neglecting their duties because of her, adding to my workload, but this couldn't go on any longer. I had to confront them to make it clear this filthy business with Becky had to end.

My palms grew clammy as I made my way toward their office. I hadn't seen them all night, and searching the office was the first thing I could think of. Laughter reached my ears when I finally arrived, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion when I realized the laughs were coming from the office.

I stared in silence. Light poured out of the windows, but I could only see their shadows inside because of the blinds. I pursed my lips, taking hesitant steps closer. I thought they would be talking about work, but I didn't expect them to be having so much fun.

In all the time I've been with these brothers, I've never heard them laugh so freely. I felt a pang of jealousy because Becky could make them laugh so easily, while I couldn't even bring a smile to their faces.

Even though I'm their mate and Luna, it hurt knowing I would never have a special place in any of their hearts, even though I had only them in mine. Their coldness was a constant reminder that they saw me as nothing but a nuisance.

If only I weren't their mate, they wouldn't be stuck with me. Standing outside the office, listening to their laughter, I leaned closer, hoping to catch a snippet of their conversation. I was their mate and Luna, but I didn't even have the right to walk in and find out what they were talking about with their concubine.

Unable to hear anything, my curiosity and insecurities grew. When the laughter suddenly stopped, I knew I had to go in.

I couldn't help but feel anxious about all of them being with her. My heart raced with jealous thoughts. Before I knew it, I had pushed the door open, interrupting whatever they were doing.

"Erica, didn't we tell you to knock? How many times do we have to say it? You can only come in if we allow it?" Chris's voice snapped like a whip.

The moment I pushed the door open, my breath caught.

All three of them—Chris, Max, and Ken—were sitting intimately around Becky. Chris sat so close his arm brushed hers.

And while Max leaned back on the same couch, his broad shoulders forming a shield around her small frame, Ken perched on the armrest, his hand resting casually behind her.

They looked so at ease with her, as if she belonged there.

Even though I was their mate, their Luna, I had never been allowed that closeness with them. They were always formal, distant, treating me more like a subordinate than a wife.

Becky wasn't dressed for a meeting. She was barely dressed at all. A silk nightgown clung to her curves, leaving little to the imagination.

I swallowed hard, my throat tight as I took in her radiant skin, smooth and flawless.

Her perfect figure, lit by the soft glow of the lamps, exuded effortless femininity. I clenched my jaw, comparing her to myself. Training as a warrior under the hot sun had left my skin tan and dry, scarred by battles and roughened with calluses. My body was strong but never delicate, never graceful.

Everything Becky was came naturally to her.

Soft, elegant, seductive, and everything I forced myself to be in public. Luna. Woman. Mate.

I felt clumsy in comparison.

No wonder they don't want me.

No wonder they still can't forget their first love.

"What do you want?" Max snapped, finally breaking their little circle.

Becky shifted as if caught, clutching her silk robe around her shoulders, and Ken straightened, pulling his shirt back on.

I blinked, dragged back to reality.

Becky stood gracefully. "It must be important. I'll go," she said, gathering the dinner tray.

As she passed me, she deliberately brushed against my shoulder too forcefully.

The tray slipped, crashing to the floor.

Shards of glass and food scattered everywhere, and I hissed as one sharp edge sliced into my leg.

"Becky!" all three of them shouted at once, rushing to her side.

They didn't even glance at me.

Becky stood unscathed but still clung to Chris's arm, pouting.

Her glare sliced through me, sharp as the glass in my skin.

"I know you don't like me, Erica, but hurting me won't change anything. It's not my fault the Alphas prefer me. Look in the mirror. Do you really think any man would choose you?"

"Erica, are you four years old?" Max scolded, not even waiting for my side of the story. "This behavior is disgraceful."

"A Luna should be above childish tricks," Ken added coldly.

Their words stung more than the glass.

I was their mate, their Luna. I gave everything to this pack—sleepless nights, endless duties—and yet, in their eyes, I would never be enough.

"What would you do if Becky had a miscarriage? I will never forgive you if you kill our child," Chris snarled.

My eyes widened at this new information.

"She's pregnant?"

I stammered, stunned.

The words slammed into me like a ton of bricks.