Chapter 1

The chandelier above the dining table cast warm light across the carefully arranged dishes, each one Sebastian's favorite. I stepped back to admire my work, smoothing down the emerald dress I'd chosen for tonight—three years as Luna of Moonveil Pack, three years since Sebastian had pulled me from the nightmare of my wolfless Omega past and given me everything I'd never dared to dream of.

My fingers traced the edge of the table as I counted the place settings again. Perfect. Everything had to be perfect tonight.

"You're being ridiculous," I murmured to myself, but I couldn't stop the nervous flutter in my chest. Sebastian had been distant lately, spending long hours in his office, returning to our quarters well after midnight. But that was normal for an Alpha, wasn't it? The weight of pack responsibilities, territory disputes, alliance negotiations—I understood. I had to understand.

I glanced at the clock. He should be finishing his evening meetings soon. Maybe I'd go invite him personally, remind him that tonight was special. The kitchen staff had outdone themselves with the roasted venison, and I'd personally selected the wine from the cellar he favored.

The walk to his office felt longer than usual, my heels clicking against the marble floors of the pack house. Other pack members I passed offered respectful nods, some averting their eyes quickly. I'd grown accustomed to that—the deference shown to a Luna. It still amazed me sometimes, how far I'd come from that terrified wolfless girl who'd run from the Andrews pack, convinced she'd never belong anywhere.

Sebastian's office door was slightly ajar, warm light spilling into the corridor. I raised my hand to knock, then froze.

His laugh. Deep and genuine in a way I hadn't heard directed at me in months.

Then a female voice, soft and breathy. "You worry too much. She won't suspect anything."

My hand trembled against the doorframe. I should leave. I should turn around and—

But my body moved forward, pushing the door open wider.

The scene before me carved itself into my memory with brutal clarity. Sebastian stood by his desk, his hand resting on a woman's swollen belly—Allyson Mendoza, the Beta's daughter. Her scent, mixed unmistakably with Sebastian's, hit me like a physical blow. The way she leaned into his touch, the proprietary warmth in his eyes as he looked at her—

My breath caught somewhere between my lungs and throat.

Sebastian's gaze lifted to mine, and something flickered there. Not guilt. Not even surprise. Just... annoyance at the interruption.

"Josephine." My name in his mouth sounded like a formality. "I thought you'd be preparing for dinner."

"I am. I did." The words felt thick, wrong. I couldn't stop staring at his hand on her stomach, at the curve of her belly beneath her fitted dress. How far along was she? Months, surely. Months of... "Sebastian, what is this?"

Allyson had the grace to look uncomfortable, but she didn't step away from him. Didn't remove his hand from her body.

"This," Sebastian said, his tone flat and matter-of-fact, "is the mother of my heir."

The floor seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "Your heir? But I'm your Luna. We're—"

"You are Luna in title," he interrupted, each word precise and cutting. "Allyson carries my child. My bloodline. Surely you understand the importance of that."

My wolf—the one I'd finally felt awaken two years ago, the one that had been so quiet and gentle—whimpered inside me. "You betrayed our bond. You betrayed me."

"Betrayed?" Sebastian's eyebrow arched. "I've given you status, security, a position most she-wolves would kill for. You came to me with nothing, Josephine. A wolfless Omega runaway with no pack, no family, no prospects. And I made you Luna of Moonveil."

Each word landed like a blow. Because he was right, wasn't he? I had been nothing. He had saved me.

But looking at Allyson's belly, at the intimacy between them that spoke of months of deception—

"Does she mean so little to you?" I whispered, hating how my voice cracked. "The bond between us—"

"Is secondary to pack needs." His voice hardened, taking on the edge of Alpha command that made my knees want to buckle. "If you wish to remain Luna, you'll accept this arrangement. Allyson and the child she carries are part of Moonveil's future. You'd be wise to make peace with that."

Allyson's hand moved to cover Sebastian's where it rested on her stomach, and she smiled—small, knowing, triumphant.

I backed toward the door, my vision blurring. The emerald dress I'd chosen so carefully suddenly felt like a costume, like I was playing at being something I'd never truly been.

"I prepared dinner," I heard myself say, the words absurd and small. "For our anniversary."

Sebastian waved a dismissive hand. "Cancel it. I have other plans tonight."

I fled before they could see me break.