Chapter 1

"An explanation? What explanation do I need to give you?"Leo Wagner's indifferent attitude instantly ignited my fury."Leo, this marking ceremony is crucial to the entire Alliance. You're letting a secretary take my place. Aren't you worried…"Leo cut me off with a contemptuous laugh. "The Alliance cares because I'm the Alpha of the Moon pack! What does it have to do with you, a werewolf from some remote pack? Don't flatter yourself."Before I could respond, the mind-link was brutally severed.Seeing my stunned silence, Aria Thornwell's face broke into a smug smile. She stepped forward and shoved me hard, her tone dripping with arrogance. "Move! Don't delay me from attending the ceremony."She reached for the crown in my hands, trying to wrench it away.I stepped back, avoiding her grasp. "This is my crown. I will never give it to you, and I suggest you stop provoking me. Otherwise, I'll throw you out."She covered her mouth and laughed. "Did I hear that right? You're going to

Chapter 2

As soon as the words left his mouth, several uniformed pack members flooded into the room. The man standing behind them adjusted his expensive-looking suit and spoke in a low, stern voice."What's going on here? Aria, as my secretary, your behavior reflects on me! I don't want to see this kind of chaos again!"I stared at the man before me and forced an elegant smile. "Alpha Leo, hello."Looking at Leo, I nodded with satisfaction. I had to admit Leo was the kind of Alpha females fantasized about. He was handsome and powerfully built, with the commanding presence that turned heads wherever he went.Meeting Leo's scrutinizing gaze, I continued, "I'm Wendy Convery, and I'm your..."Before I could finish, Leo gave me a contemptuous once-over. He raised his hand and gestured to one of the pack members. "I don't want to talk to irrelevant people."The next second, the members blocked my view with their towering figures.I froze. When had I become irrelevant? I was Leo's intended partn

Chapter 3

Leo met my eyes with disbelief written across his face. My composure clearly unsettled him. He probably couldn't wrap his head around why a werewolf from some remote pack would remain so calm or refuse to back down under the pressure of someone as powerful as him.Something seemed to occur to him, and he gestured toward the door. "The Alliance is taking today's ceremony very seriously. We'll deal with returning the resources after it's over."He fixed his gaze on me. "The Chairman himself is attending. He's obviously interested in what I've been doing, and I won't waste his time. The ceremony is still happening."He pulled Aria against his side. "Just with someone more appropriate."Get ready. Now."As everyone turned to leave, Aria caught Leo's arm. She looked at me with wounded eyes and pointed at the crown in my hands. "Leo, the crown…"Leo followed her gesture and spotted it. "Give me that crown."I shook my head. "No."Fury blazed across Leo's face. He closed the distance

Chapter 4

Alpha Cole's explosive shout silenced Aria's screaming. She stared at him blankly, completely forgetting to fix her disheveled hair.Leo stepped forward and draped his jacket over Aria's shoulders with a show of concern. He turned to Alpha Cole, his tone carrying a barely perceptible note of reproach."Alpha Cole, I respect you. But you can't just show up to my marking ceremony and ruin it, can you?"Alpha Cole ignored Leo entirely. His gaze locked onto me. "Are you hurt?"I shook my head and smiled. "I'm not that easy to hurt."Alpha Cole gave my shoulder an appreciative pat before placing the crown back in my hands.Aria's voice rose sharply. "Honored Alpha Cole, aren't you making a mistake? She's just some wolf from a tiny pack. How could she possibly deserve any of this?"Alpha Cole let out a cold snort. "You think this crown was a gift to the Moon pack?"Leo's expression turned grave. "Isn't it? Wasn't this crown your gift for my marking ceremony?"Aria went pale, staying

Chapter 5

Aria clutched her face, staring at the Head Elder, Levi Habell, in disbelief. "You hit me?"Her voice trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks in a pitiful display.Leo immediately stepped in front of her. "What do you think you're doing? Aria is going to be the pack's future Luna. How can she manage the pack after you've struck her in front of everyone?"Aria nodded, sobbing miserably. "Wendy's just an outsider! How could you hit me for her sake?"Elder Levi found their protests laughable. "An outsider?"He let out a cold snort and ignored the pair's protests entirely. Instead, he approached me with deep respect. "Wendy, it's our fault for failing to keep Leo in check and allowing him to make such a grave mistake. Should we still proceed with the ceremony?"I shook my head. "Leo decided to replace me with Aria. There's no ceremony. I'm not interested in making myself miserable."Elder Levi wrung his hands awkwardly. "Then Wendy, what kind of compensation would you like? Our

Chapter 6

Leo stared at me wide-eyed and lowered his voice, leaning close to my ear. "I apologize for my behavior earlier, but you know the marking ceremony was already agreed upon."You're still my mate. That hasn't changed, and I won't let Aria take your place in the ceremony. Are you satisfied now?"I shoved Leo away in disgust. "I'm sorry, but I already said the ceremony is canceled!"Alpha Cole simply gave his attendants a meaningful look. "Good. Take everything. We're leaving."Leo frantically grabbed my arm. "Wendy! The ceremony has already started! You can't leave. You're my mate!"His deranged behavior made even Alpha Cole frown. Aria stood off to the side, her face pale and her body trembling uncontrollably.I yanked my hand free. "I told you this a long time ago! Aria is your mate now. Did you forget?"Leo roared in response to my accusation. "Are you still angry about how our pack treated you? I'm apologizing now!"I let out a light laugh. "Why should I accept your apology, L