Chapter 1

I was about to push open the door to freedom when Cain's voice coiled around my neck like a chain."Lupita. Stop."I froze but did not turn around.He stepped in front of me, his tall frame casting me entirely into shadow. His gray eyes held nothing but cold contempt."The Heart of the Moon," he commanded, his gaze dropping to the heirloom necklace on my chest. "Take it off. Elias needs it to complement her gown."That necklace was the symbol of the Knight family's matriarch, placed around my neck by his own father during our mating ceremony.A bitter smile touched my lips. I didn't argue. I just lifted my hands, unclasped the chain, and cupped the cool moonstone in my palm.I walked toward Elias. She was surrounded by a gaggle of fawning socialites, a victor's smile playing on her lips.I held out the necklace. Just as her fingertips were about to brush against it, she snatched her hand back as if burned."Ah!"The Heart of the Moon slipped from my grasp and shattered on the marble fl

Chapter 2

The two guards marched me back to the penthouse suite.They tossed me onto the living room sofa without a word.The pack healer spoke cautiously, "Alpha, Miss Sinclair isn't seriously injured. It's just a superficial scratch, there's no need...""No need?" Cain cut her off, his voice glacial. "I need to be absolutely certain. The shards of the Heart of the Moon are tainted with Lupita's scent. Only her purest Luna blood can cleanse this contamination. Now, draw her blood."His command left no room for argument.The healer's face tightened. She tried to reason with him. "But, Alpha, the Luna is already very weak. Forcibly drawing a large amount of blood could cause irreversible damage to her wolf."“Then draw until you reach her limit,” Cain insisted. “This is the price she pays for destroying a family heirloom and harming Elias.”Cain sneered. “She wouldn’t dare leave the wealth and status of the Knight family. This is just a bit of bloodletting. She won’t actually leave over something

Chapter 3

Clinging to Cain's arm, Elias cooed, "Lupita, I can't thank you enough for the blood you gave me. I was so worried about getting an infection. Cain, darling, shall we all go up together?"Cain tapped the tip of her nose affectionately. "Always so considerate."Then, his gaze fell on me. "What are you dawdling for? Let's go."Since I needed to retrieve my passport anyway, I didn’t object to Elias's "kindness."In the private elevator, I saw exactly what Elias wanted me to see: the faint, overlapping love bites on the column of her neck.Our mate bond was still intact, so I knew Cain hadn't truly marked her, yet he continued to let Elias humiliate me."Ow, it still stings a little," Elias whined, burying herself in Cain's arms and tapping his chest coquettishly. "You can't be so rough next time, Cain."Cain chuckled and murmured an apology, all while his eyes darted to my face. When he saw no trace of anger, a familiar flicker of irritation crossed his features."Lupita, you've been glue

Chapter 4

"Right away, Alpha. I'll have it drafted now," the assistant replied.Cain stopped him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "When the documents are signed, have them delivered to the first house Lupita and I lived in after we were mated."In his mind, there was nowhere else I could have gone. I would have to take refuge in the one place filled with our happy memories.A week later, late at night, Cain finally wrapped up his project and returned to that house, only to find a slender figure in a silk nightgown curled up on the living room sofa."Lupita, how many times do I have to tell you? I'll come home when I'm done. You don't have to…"His weary complaint died in his throat as he drew closer and saw that the woman on the sofa was Elias.Elias shivered under his silent gaze, her expression a careful mix of hurt and pity. "Cain… Lupita still hasn't come back. I've sent her so many messages, apologizing… but she won't answer. If… if I'm the reason she's angry, I'll leave. I'll stay away fr

Chapter 5

I could feel Cain on the other end of our bond, slamming against the barrier I’d erected, trying to force a connection.But it was too late.In the Black Moon Pack’s council hall, Alexander Knight held up the Heart of the Moon, his face grim. The necklace glinted coldly under the lights, the crack in its main stone starkly visible.“What is the meaning of this?” Elder Bob’s voice echoed through the hall. “For a Luna to return the family heirloom… it has never happened in our pack's history.”Cain stood in the center of the hall, his face ashen. He could feel the mate bond dissolving, piece by piece, and the violent, tearing pain of it left him breathless.“Where is she?” Alexander's voice was low and furious. “Where is Lupita?”“I… I don't know,” Cain stammered.For an Alpha to be unable to sense his Luna was a sign of only one thing: the bond was either broken or on the verge of collapsing entirely.“What did you do?” Alexander slammed a hand on the table. “A mate bond doesn't sever i

Chapter 6

A few minutes later, Cain appeared on the terrace.He looked terrible. His eyes were bloodshot, his jaw stubbled, and his expensive suit was hopelessly wrinkled. But what shocked me most was his Alpha presence—it was wildly unstable, chaotic.“Lupita,” he said, his voice terrifyingly hoarse.I didn't answer, just watched him quietly.Cain's gaze fell on Ryder, and his eyes burned with a volatile mix of fury, jealousy, and the despair of a fear made real.“Ryder Blackwood,” he spat the name. “I should have known it was you.”“Good to see you again, Cain.” Ryder stood, shielding me behind him. His tone was glacial. “Though I can’t say it’s a pleasure.”“She is my mate,” Cain roared. “You have no right to interfere.”“Is she?” Ryder sneered. “Can you feel the mate bond?”The color drained from Cain’s face.I stepped out from behind Ryder and looked Cain straight in the eye. “I have severed the bond between us. I am just Lupita now. Not Lupita Knight.”“Impossible.” Cain shook his head fra

Chapter 7

But Cain didn't leave.For the next month, he stalked the estate like a man possessed. He appeared at the gates every day, bearing flowers and gifts. Sometimes it was an obscene number of white roses, sometimes priceless jewelry, sometimes a silly trinket I had once mentioned wanting but never received.He would stand there all day, just for a glimpse of me from afar.More shockingly, one day I saw he had gotten a tattoo: a sun, a moon, and stars. It was the family design I had sketched when I was pregnant.His comment back then had been, “The moon? Does a traitor like you deserve it?”Now, that design was permanently etched over his heart.A month later, Ryder and I decided to get married.The wedding was set for the manor's lawn, with only a few close friends and family invited. A respected pack elder from a neighboring territory agreed to serve as the officiant for the simple, solemn ceremony.I stood in the center of the lawn in my white wedding gown, watching Ryder walk toward me,

All Chapters of You Said Love, Then You Chose Betrayal: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7