Chapter 1

Kael Voss froze for a moment, then let out a resigned sigh.

"Nia, I know I was wrong to hide who I am and bond with someone else.

"But there's no use dealing in what-ifs. The Thunderpeak and Frostmoon packs are tied for seventh in the kingdom. Freya Edris is the only one whose strength and bloodline match mine.

"We've lived together in this unclaimed forest for four years. I know you're just a Rogue with no family and no pack. Stop saying things that will never happen."

He could hide who he was, so why was he so certain I could not do the same?

I looked at the cabin we had built with our own hands, the clearing we had tilled, the snow hares we had raised together. None of this felt real.

"Kael, we're fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself. I'm carrying your pup. Don't go through with the bonding. We can keep living the way we always have. Please."

I held his gaze. If he just said yes, I would forgive every rotten word that had come out of his mouth.

However, he only pressed his lips together, his tone flat. "I've already marked her and promised she'll be my Luna. I intend to keep that promise."

The words hit me so hard I nearly lost my footing. "That's impossible. Our mate bond is still intact. You can't mark someone else."

"I had a witch brew a potion to suppress our bond." His voice was so calm it was cruel.

"Marking her still hurt, but it wasn't enough to kill me."

The blood drained from my body.

It was no wonder the bond had been growing weaker lately. There were times I could not sense him at all. It was not because I was weak. He had been using a potion to block our connection.

My eyes burned and my whole body shook. "What about me? You swore you'd love me and protect me for the rest of our lives. Are you really going to break that promise and throw me aside?"

Kael reached out and wiped the tears from my face, his expression pained.

"Nia, I'm just bonding with her. I'm not throwing you away.

"There's a private estate near the Thunderpeak pack's border. I had my Beta buy it specifically for you.

"I've had snow hares brought in, and your favorite berries and frostleaf planted on the grounds. Whatever you want, it's yours."

I stepped back, shaking my head.

"I won't be some kept mistress. And I won't let my pup grow up nameless, shunned by every wolf in the kingdom."

Kael stepped closer, softening his voice. "I don't see you as a mistress. As long as you don't make a scene in front of Freya, you'll still be my most cherished mate inside that estate, all right?"

I shook my head firmly. "No. I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay right here."

This place held four years of our life together. I would not leave it. I wanted to be here when my pup came into the world.

Kael's patience finally snapped and his tone went cold. "Nia, nothing can go wrong at my bonding ceremony. The potion can only suppress our bond temporarily. I need to formally reject you now and erase every trace of what we had. It's the only way you and the pup will be safe."

Before I could react, he raised his hand. The pack guards behind him lifted their torches and set the entire yard ablaze.

Fire swallowed the cabin, the fences and every memory they held.

I clutched my stomach and screamed. "No! Stop! Please, stop!"

Kael pulled me into his arms, but the words that followed were merciless. "I, Kael Voss, reject Nia Sorvane as my fated mate."

The moment the words left his mouth, an invisible force seized the bond and ripped it apart. It felt as though a red-hot rod had shattered my bones and claws had torn through my flesh.

The agony tore through every part of me, and sweat soaked through my clothes in an instant.

"Be good. After the bonding ceremony, I'll find a way to petition the Alpha King to make you my second Luna as an exception. Our pup will be recognized by the pack. Things can still be the way they were."

I was sobbing so hard, but those words almost made me laugh with disdain.

In all of werewolf history, no pack had ever had two Lunas. His so-called "second Luna" was just a prettier word for a mistress.

"That's enough. Go back to the estate and wait for me. I'll come for you once the bonding ceremony is over."

He did not wait for a reply. He ordered the pack guards to carry me away, and they hauled my limp body from the ashes.

I was a princess of the werewolf royal court. Did he really think I would settle for being his mistress?

There was something he did not know. The mate bond he believed he had severed would remain intact without my consent.

He would never be able to bond with Freya actually.