Chapter 1

After my sister died, my parents forced me into a ten-year contract with my Alpha brother-in-law, Ethan Brooks.

I became Luna in name only—and stepmother to his ten-year-old son, Daniel.

At the Full Moon Festival, they placed on me my dead sister’s crown—her favorite.

And in front of the entire pack, Daniel splashed holy water across my face, that cold smirk a mirror of his father’s.

"Don’t think becoming Luna means you can replace my mother! You’re just a thief! What gives you the right to host our festival? You should strip naked and get out of me and Dad’s pack!"

The holy water was ice-cold.

And staring at the child I’d raised for ten years, all I felt was… relief.

Fine. The agreement’s over—I’m leaving.

But then why, after I walked away, are both Ethan and Daniel suddenly begging me to return?

...

Daniel stared at me with pure hatred, his ten-year-old face twisted with rage.

I pretended not to notice and adjusted the moonstone crown on my head, fixing my smile in place.

Today was the Full Moon Festival, and as "Luna," I had to use holy water to bless pack members.

This was Silver Howl's biggest holiday—every single person would be here, and there couldn't be any mistakes.

I scooped holy water with the crystal vessel and let drops fall on the round-faced girl standing in front of me.

She smiled at me, and I smiled back.

Just as I was about to recite the blessing, Daniel suddenly charged forward, his sapphire eyes blazing with fury.

He grabbed the vessel, scooped out a full container of holy water, and splashed it right across my face.

Water dripped down my face, soaking my dress.

I could feel every single pack member's eyes on me, watching their 'Luna' stand there like a drowned rat.

"You evil woman!" Daniel shouted. "That's my mother's favorite crown! You're nothing but a fake, and you dare wear my mom's crown!"

He wore that nasty little smirk pups get when they think they're being clever, savoring my humiliation.

He had his father's eyes—that same cold sapphire blue, that same look that said I didn't matter.

"Don't think becoming Luna means you can replace my mother!" Daniel continued, his voice sharp with rage. "My mom was a thousand times better than you!"

"You're just a thief! What gives you the right to host our festival? You should strip naked and get out of me and Dad's pack!" His voice rose to a shrill pitch.

Ice-cold holy water seeped into my skin, but it was nothing compared to the chill in my heart.

I looked down at the pup I'd raised for almost ten years, and all I felt was relief.

"Danny, this crown belongs to the pack. Every Luna wears it during the Full Moon Festival. It has nothing to do with whether your birth mother liked it or not."

The omega who brought my ceremonial dress this morning had insisted I wear this crown.

Our pack believed the moonstone was a gift from the Moon Goddess to Silver Howl, and wearing it during the festival showed greater devotion.

So regardless of Danielle's preferences, I had to wear it.

Daniel’s face flushed at my response, his blue eyes burning with stubborn anger.

He stomped hard and ran off angrily.

I didn't chase after him to comfort him like I usually did.

For once, I let him throw his tantrum alone.

An omega came up to help dry my face, and I continued hosting the Full Moon Festival.

When it ended, I returned to my room by myself.

Before I even pushed open the door, I caught a whiff of something metallic and off.

A bad feeling crept over me as I turned the handle.

The door opened—I saw it and stumbled back.

A bloody dog corpse hung in the center of my room, swaying slightly.

Blood dripped from white fur to the floor, each drop a soft, horrible echo in the silence.

It was Snowball. My sweet, innocent Snowball, hanging there lifeless.

I stood frozen in the doorway, my mind refusing to process what I was seeing, when Daniel's shrill, triumphant laugh exploded behind me.

"Serves you right! You made me lose my mom, so I'm making you taste what it's like to lose your most precious thing!"

He made an ugly face at me, clearly proud of his revenge, and ran off down the hallway.

I stared at that shocking pool of blood spreading across my floor, unable to speak for a long time.

After Luna Danielle died, I'd come to Silver Howl with nothing but a single suitcase.

Well, more accurately, I'd been sold to Silver Howl like a spare part they could swap in.

Maybe some people would say, "You got to become Luna of the great Silver Howl Pack—what's there to complain about?"

But they didn't understand that this vast, impressive Silver Howl was nothing more than a gorgeous birdcage where nobody could truly live free.

The pack elders never let me have hobbies or interests of my own. Once they discovered I cared about something, it would be "dealt with" the next day.

In the end, all I had left was a crying baby and one costly white puppy who actually loved me back.

I'd spent ten years raising both the boy and the puppy with everything I had. Yet losing them had taken only an instant.

After a long, shaky breath, I caught the familiar scent of pine forest.

Looking up, I found Alpha Ethan Brooks standing quietly in my doorway, taking in the scene with those cold blue eyes.

He and Daniel really were cut from the same mold—the same striking blue eyes, the same naturally arrogant bearing, the same way of looking at the world like they owned every piece of it.

Ethan spread his arms expectantly, waiting for me to approach and help him change his clothes.

"I heard about what happened today," he said casually. "Amelia, you were in the wrong first."

He waited, expecting me to come to him. But I stayed still. His brows knit in that familiar frown of displeasure. His Alpha aura began to seep into the air, that invisible weight that made lesser wolves bow without thinking.

Then he glanced down at the glaring bloodstain on my floor, and his tone softened just slightly. "Danny's still just a pup. You should learn to let things slide."

With a single glance from Ethan, omegas immediately appeared to clean up the blood on the floor.

They worked quickly and thoroughly—after all, nobody in this pack dared to disobey their Alpha.

They were so fast that within minutes, it was as if Snowball had never existed at all.

As if he'd never played around that little table by the window, never brought me his favorite toy, never been the one bright spot in this cold, empty room.

Just like me, I thought bitterly.

Ten years of caring for Ethan and his pup, day in and day out, and I still hadn’t left the slightest trace in either of their hearts.

After changing into his evening clothes, Ethan settled onto the sofa and tapped the coffee table lightly, signaling that he wanted his usual cup.

Without thinking, I reached out to pour it, the motion automatic after so many years.

As soon as I got within reach, he pulled me down into his lap, surrounding me with that pine-forest scent that used to comfort me but now just felt suffocating.

His fingertips traced along my cheek with deceptive gentleness, his sapphire eyes catching the lamplight.

"Tonight's your birthday," he murmured against my ear. "Tonight, we do things differently. No pills, no precautions. Just... possibility."

His breath on my neck should've turned me on. Instead, I felt nothing.

As an Alpha, Ethan had incredibly strong physical needs, and I'd been expected to satisfy them from the very beginning.

In my first month at Silver Howl, I'd discovered I was pregnant.

For exactly one day, I'd allowed myself to hope that maybe this could be the start of something real between me and Ethan, something that went beyond duty and agreements.

Then a bowl of moonshield herbs appeared in front of me, prepared just for me by the pack's healer, and I was forced to swallow every bitter drop.

"I'll only ever love Danielle," Ethan had told me, matter-of-fact. "And I'll only ever recognize Daniel as my heir. If you had a pup of your own, you'd start thinking differently—and you wouldn't focus on raising Daniel the way I expect."

After every intimate encounter since then, he'd watched me swallow those moonshield herbs—werewolf abortion medication that tasted like ash and broken dreams.

Ten years of that routine. Never once interrupted.

Today, faced with Ethan Brooks' so-called "generous gift," I should have been honored and grateful. Should have melted into his arms and served him devotedly like the good little substitute Luna I was supposed to be.

Instead, for the first time in a decade, I pulled away from his touch.

"Alpha Ethan," I said, forcing my voice to stay calm while my heart hammered against my ribs. "The ten-year agreement is over. I'm leaving tomorrow."