Chapter 1

The familiar antiseptic scent of the pack hospital greeted me as I pushed through the glass doors, my heels clicking against the polished floors with a rhythm that had become as routine as breathing. Three years of monthly visits, three years of hope dwindling with each negative test result, each sympathetic shake of Dr. Helena's head.

I adjusted my purse strap and headed toward the fertility wing, my wolf stirring restlessly beneath my skin. Luna, my inner wolf, had been unusually agitated lately, though I couldn't pinpoint why. Perhaps she sensed my growing desperation, the weight of pack expectations that seemed to press heavier with each passing month.

The corridor stretched before me, lined with motivational posters about werewolf health and family planning that now felt like cruel mockery. I'd memorized every word, every smiling face of the happy werewolf families featured in the images. Would Lucian and I ever have that? Would I ever give him the heir our pack needed?

As I approached Dr. Helena's office, a familiar voice drifted from one of the private consultation rooms. My heart lifted slightly—Lucian. He must have come to support me, even though he hadn't mentioned it this morning. A warm flutter of gratitude filled my chest as I changed direction, drawn by the sound of my mate's deep baritone.

But as I drew closer, another voice joined his—feminine, sultry, achingly familiar. Ember Rose.

I froze mid-step, my hand hovering over the door handle. Through the slightly ajar door, I could see them clearly. Lucian stood with his back to me, his broad shoulders tense, while Ember faced him, her hands resting on what was unmistakably a rounded belly beneath her flowing dress.

"She still doesn't suspect anything?" Ember's voice carried a note of smug satisfaction that made my blood run cold.

Lucian's hand moved to cup her face with a tenderness I recognized—the same gentle touch he'd used on me countless times. "Penelope trusts me completely. She has no idea about us, about the baby."

The world tilted on its axis. Baby. The word echoed in my mind like a death knell, each repetition driving deeper into my heart.

"And you're certain she'll accept raising our pup as the pack heir?" Ember's fingers traced circles on her belly, and I watched in horror as Lucian's gaze followed the movement with unmistakable pride and longing.

"She's desperate to give the pack an heir," Lucian replied, his voice carrying that authoritative Alpha tone that usually made my knees weak. Now it made me nauseous. "She'll be grateful, actually. This solves everyone's problems—the pack gets its future Alpha, she gets to fulfill her Luna duties, and we..."

He leaned down, pressing his lips to Ember's forehead in a gesture so intimate, so familiar, that I had to grip the doorframe to keep from collapsing. "We get to be together without the complications of a rejected mate bond."

Luna howled in anguish within me, the sound reverberating through my soul even though no one else could hear it. My mate—my fated mate, the one chosen for me by the Moon Goddess herself—was not only betraying our sacred bond but planning to make me complicit in raising his illegitimate child.

I stumbled backward, my vision blurring as the full scope of his deception crashed over me. Every supportive word, every gentle touch, every promise that we'd figure out the fertility issues together—all lies. While I'd been subjecting myself to painful treatments and experimental procedures, desperate to give him the heir he needed, he'd been finding that heir in another woman's arms.

Somehow, I made it to Dr. Helena's office, my legs moving on autopilot while my mind reeled. The elderly healer looked up from her charts, her kind eyes immediately filling with concern.

"Penelope, dear, you look pale. Are you feeling alright?"

I sank into the chair across from her desk, my hands trembling as I gripped the armrests. "Dr. Helena," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me."

Her brow furrowed, and I caught the flicker of guilt that crossed her features before she could hide it. That tiny tell confirmed my worst fears.

"How long has Alpha Lucian been bringing Ember Rose here for prenatal care?"

The color drained from Dr. Helena's face. She opened her mouth, then closed it, clearly struggling between her professional ethics and her loyalty to me as Luna.

"Penelope, I—"

"Please," I interrupted, my voice gaining strength despite the devastation tearing through me. "How long have you known about their affair? About the baby he's planning to pass off as mine?"

Dr. Helena's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Four months," she whispered. "He swore me to secrecy, said it was for the good of the pack. But Penelope, I never felt right about it. The deception, the way he's been manipulating—"

"Four months." The number hit me like a physical blow. Four months of lies, four months of him coming home to me with Ember's scent still clinging to his clothes, four months of me believing his excuses about pack business and late meetings.

I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor. "Thank you for your honesty, Dr. Helena. I know it wasn't easy."

"What will you do?" she asked, her voice filled with worry.

I straightened my spine, feeling something cold and resolute settling into my bones. "What I should have done the moment I realized my mate values deception over our sacred bond."

As I walked out of the hospital, Luna's anguished howls had transformed into something else—a steely determination that matched my own. Tonight, I would test the depth of Lucian's betrayal. Tonight, I would learn just how far my mate was willing to go to maintain his web of lies.