Chapter 1

The early morning sun filtered through the trees as I made my way back to the Moonstone Pack territory. After three days of diplomatic meetings with the neighboring Silver Creek Pack, I was eager to return home. Today marked seven years since Ryan and I had completed our mate bond—seven years since I'd pledged my life and loyalty to the Alpha who had saved me from certain death.

My fingers unconsciously traced the faint scar on my shoulder, a permanent reminder of the rogue attack that had destroyed everything I'd once known. The memories still haunted me: the screams of my packmates, the blood-soaked ground, the paralyzing fear as rogues closed in around me. And then Ryan, appearing like a guardian angel, fighting them off and carrying me to safety.

At least, that's how I remembered it. Or how I'd been told to remember it.

"You're back early, Luna Victoria," greeted Delta Marcus at the pack border checkpoint, bowing his head respectfully.

"The negotiations concluded sooner than expected," I replied with a small smile. "Is Alpha Ryan in his office? I'd like to surprise him."

"I believe he's in the main hall, Luna."

I nodded my thanks and quickened my pace, excited to see my mate. The grand hall was empty when I arrived, but a familiar scent lingered in the air—Ryan's woodsy aroma mixed with something else... something floral and distinctly feminine. It wasn't my scent.

My wolf, Nova, stirred within me, suddenly alert. *Something's wrong.*

I followed the intertwined scents, my heart beginning to pound as they led me toward our private quarters. The voices reached me before I turned the final corner.

"The doctor says the treatments are working, Ryan. We might be able to conceive soon."

A woman's voice—soft, hopeful, intimate.

"That's wonderful news, Madison." Ryan's voice was tender in a way I rarely heard. "You deserve this chance at motherhood before..."

"Before the illness takes me?" The woman—Madison—finished his sentence with a bitter laugh. "At least I'll leave something of myself behind. Our pup will be beautiful."

I froze, my body turning to ice as their words registered. Our pup. *Our* pup.

Slowly, I stepped around the corner. The door to our bedroom was ajar, and through the gap, I could see them clearly: Ryan, my Alpha, my mate, holding a petite blonde woman in his arms. Her head rested against his chest in a gesture of such familiar intimacy that I felt physically ill.

"I just wish..." Madison sighed, looking up at Ryan with naked adoration. "I wish things could be different. That I could be your Luna openly, not just—"

"Shhh," Ryan silenced her with a gentle finger to her lips. "We've talked about this. Victoria's position as Luna is political. What we have is real."

The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. Seven years of devotion, of submission, of gratitude—all built on a lie. My wolf howled in anguish inside me, the sound echoing in my mind even as I remained outwardly silent.

I backed away, moving on instinct rather than thought, needing to escape before they discovered me. My feet carried me across the pack grounds to the one place I knew I could find answers: the healer's cottage.

Amara, our elderly pack healer, looked up from her herbs when I burst through her door. One glance at my face told her everything she needed to know.

"You've discovered the truth about Madison," she said, not a question but a statement.

"You knew?" My voice was barely a whisper.

Amara's ancient eyes filled with sorrow. "Many of us know, child. It is the pack's greatest shame."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" The betrayal cut deeper with each passing second.

"Alpha's orders," she replied simply, but then her expression hardened. "But there is a greater truth you must know, one I can no longer keep silent about."

She motioned for me to sit, and with trembling hands, pulled an old leather journal from beneath a loose floorboard.

"Ryan Campbell is not the hero who saved you that day," Amara said, her voice low but clear. "The wolf who fought off those rogues, who nearly died protecting you, was Alpha Michael Chen of the Silvermoon Pack."

The name struck me like a physical blow. Michael Chen—my senior from the academy. Quiet, kind Michael who had always watched over me from afar.

"Michael has been in a coma for seven years," Amara continued, opening the journal to reveal detailed medical notes. "His wolf went dormant from the severity of his injuries. Ryan found you both afterward and took credit for the rescue, knowing you were too traumatized to remember clearly."

The room spun around me as seven years of my life collapsed into dust.

"Where is he?" I managed to ask, my voice hollow.

"A specialized facility in Europe," Amara replied. "Fighting for his life while Ryan stole his heroism... and you."

In that moment, something inside me hardened—my gratitude, my submission, my love for Ryan—all of it crystallizing into something cold and sharp. A weapon I would use to cut myself free.