All Chapters of Bound By the Moon: Chapter 1 - Chapter 4

The night of her eighteenth birthday was supposed to be the happiest of Emily's life.“Growing up, my mother used to tell me that mates are the Moon Goddess’s greatest blessing,” I whispered, the words barely audible over the scrape of the broom against the cold stone floor. “She said they are your protector, your other half—the one who will love and cherish you until eternity.”The memory lingered, sharp and piercing, like a knife twisting in a wound. My mother had believed them, fervently and without question. I had once believed them too. But she was gone now, taken too soon, buried beneath the soil of Silverfang Pack’s graveyard, leaving me with nothing but her memory and a hollow ache in my chest.And every time I remembered, I wanted to laugh. Bitterly. Because it had all been a lie.The rag in my hands slipped for a moment, water dripping onto the floor in timy streams. My hands were raw from scrubbing, my knees aching where the stone dug into them, but I forced myself to conti

Morning came like a pale, indifferent ghost over Silverfang Pack. The first light seeped through high windows, barely warming the cold stone floors. Emily rose, muscles stiff from yesterday’s labors, and prepared for another day of chores. The bucket of water she carried burned her arms, but she ignored it.Her wolf, Lisa prowled beneath her skin, restless and irritable, reacting to the cold, the stone, and the oppressive quiet of the pack’s halls. Around her, the Silverfang omegas moved like shadows, whispering among themselves or avoiding her altogether. Some glanced with pity; others with subtle amusement. But Emily didn’t care. She had learned long ago that trust here was dangerous.Behind her, the laughter of two omegas echoed.“Look at her,” one snickered. “ The great Alpha Maxwell's mate. Scrubbing floors like a dog.”The other one cackled. “Mate? Please. if the Moon Goddess really paired her with him, she must've been drunk. No Alpha would want that weakling.”The words sank