Chapter 1

The night before our Mating Ceremony, my fated mate was plotting my public rejection. He planned to throw me to his exiled brother, the monster, Alpha Damon.

All because he’d heard Damon had chosen his childhood sweetheart, Selena, as his mate.

Ethan finished explaining his plan. His Beta rushed out of the meeting room, never noticing me in the shadows.

“No, Ethan, I can’t let you take this risk for me.”

A soft, female voice drifted through the crack in the door.

It was trembling, on the verge of tears.

It froze me in place.

Selena.

She was here, too.

“Listen to me,” Ethan’s voice was softer than I’d ever heard it. “Faking the Goddess's rejection with a shadow rune... it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'll do anything to save you from my brother's clutches.”

“But shadow runes are too dangerous! If you’re caught, you’ll lose everything!”

“I don’t care.”

“But I do!” Selena’s voice cracked with a sob. “Ethan, you’re the future Alpha King. You can't throw that away for an Omega like me. I'd rather die than see you get hurt.”

My nails dug into my palms. The sharp sting was nothing compared to the numbness in my chest.

What a performance. What a touching sacrifice.

So in love.

But no one cared about me—the pawn they were about to sacrifice.

I am the last of the ancient Silver Wolf bloodline—the only hope for the future and strength of his entire pack.

According to the generational marriage pact between our packs, it was my destiny to become his Luna, to bear the pack's strongest heir.

And Alpha Damon was Ethan's half-brother.

Damon's mother was a half-breed. He was an outcast from birth.

But his raw power terrified the pack. Before exiling him, the former Alpha created the “Exile’s Blood Pact.”

If the new Alpha—Ethan—publicly rejected his fated mate at their ceremony, that mate would be automatically and irrevocably given to Damon, to help him start a new bloodline.

And now, Ethan was using this pact to protect his Selena.

The price was me.

“It’ll be fine,” Ethan soothed. “Damon's an outcast. His ceremony isn't public. Afterward, I'll spread rumors that Damon used dark magic to force Elara. The whole pack will support me when I go to ‘rescue’ her.”

“What about Elara? She'll hate you.”

"She won't," Ethan said, his confidence sickening. "Elara is obsessed with me. She'll get over it. Besides, where else would she go? Her bloodline is meant for ours; it's the fate she was born into. This minor complication... it's nothing."

I heard the soft clink of metal.

Then Selena gasped. “Is this—”

“The Heart of the Luna,” Ethan’s voice was sweet enough to drown in. “A moonstone necklace, the symbol of every Luna. From now on, it belongs only to you.”

“I can’t! It’s supposed to be Elara’s!”

“It belongs to the one I truly love.”

My heart stopped.

That necklace was my family's sacred heirloom. The last relic of my slaughtered pack.

Three days ago, Ethan took it from me, claiming it needed to be 'purified' before the ceremony.

I believed him like a fool. I was even touched that he was taking the ceremony so seriously.

“Lower your head. Let me put it on you.”

“Ethan…”

“Shh. You look as beautiful as the Moon Goddess herself.”

“What if Elara sees?”

“She won't. As soon as the ceremony is over, go back to your place. Don't let anyone see you. As for Elara… What I need is a pure-blooded heir. She is simply a means to an end. Her only true value lies in her Silver Wolf blood—the power that holds my pack together.”

I gripped the wall, my knuckles white.

Ten years.

Ten years ago, the night my pack was slaughtered.

Just as a rogue's claws aimed for my throat, a massive wolf dove in and saved me.

Those deep eyes, that powerful aura, the warmth of his body.

From the day I met Ethan, I was sure it was him.

We were fated mates.

I never doubted we would be mate.

Even though there was no spark between us, he had saved me, and I was willing to protect him for my entire life.

But only now do I understand: it was more than him not loving me.

All he wanted was the power in my blood, the honor of my title, and a mate who would obey his every word.

He treated me like a complete and utter fool!

“Selena, I swear, I will save you tomorrow. My heart is always with you.”

“I love you, Ethan.”

“I love you too.”

Enough.

I turned and walked away. Every step felt like walking on broken glass.

He made his choice. He would defy the Goddess for his little omega.

He didn’t respect me.

He saw me as a thing—something to be tossed aside and picked up again whenever he pleased.

Fine. I'll give him exactly what he wants.