Chapter 1

The grand hall of the Silverpaw Pack house had never looked more magnificent. Golden lights cascaded from crystal chandeliers, illuminating the faces of hundreds of pack members and visiting Alphas who had gathered for what everyone believed would be the most important ceremony of the year. I stood among the crowd in my finest white dress—the one I'd saved for months to buy, the one I'd imagined Darren would see me in when he finally, officially, made me his Luna.

Eight years. Eight years of devotion, of tending to his wounds after battles, of maintaining the pack's healing gardens, of being his secret chosen mate while he promised me that someday, when the time was right, he would make our bond public. Tonight was supposed to be that night.

My heart hammered against my ribs as Darren stepped onto the ceremonial platform, his Alpha presence commanding the attention of every werewolf in the room. He looked magnificent in his formal black suit, his dark hair perfectly styled, his powerful frame radiating the authority that had made me fall for him all those years ago. This was it. This was our moment.

But then Brooklynn Gomez emerged from the side entrance, resplendent in a flowing silver gown that caught the light like moonbeams. The crowd murmured their approval as she glided toward the platform, her chin held high, her blonde hair cascading in perfect waves down her back. My stomach dropped like a stone.

"Pack members, honored guests, fellow Alphas," Darren's voice boomed across the hall, and the room fell into respectful silence. "Tonight, we witness the sacred ceremony that will bind our pack's future. Tonight, I claim my Luna."

I couldn't breathe. This had to be some mistake, some elaborate test. Darren's eyes swept across the crowd, and for a moment—just a moment—they found mine. I saw something flicker there, something that might have been regret, but it vanished so quickly I wondered if I'd imagined it.

"Brooklynn Gomez," he continued, extending his hand to her, "daughter of Alpha Marcus Gomez of the Northern Ridge Pack, I claim you as my Luna, my mate, my equal in all things."

The words hit me like physical blows. Each syllable carved deeper into my chest, stealing my breath, making my knees weak. Around me, the crowd erupted in cheers and howls of approval, but all I could hear was the rushing of blood in my ears.

Brooklynn smiled radiantly as she took Darren's hand, tilting her head to expose the elegant curve of her neck. "I accept, Alpha Thompson," she said, her voice carrying clearly across the hall.

I watched in horror as Darren's canines extended, as he lowered his head to her neck, as he bit down and marked her as his Luna. The mate bond ceremony I'd dreamed of for eight years, happening right before my eyes, with another woman.

My distress must have spiked my scent, because suddenly several pack members near me were turning, their nostrils flaring as they caught the sharp, bitter smell of my anguish. The whispers started then, low and confused, as werewolves began to piece together why an unmated she-wolf would be reacting so strongly to their Alpha's ceremony.

Darren's head snapped up, his eyes finding mine across the crowded room. For a heartbeat, we stared at each other—him with Brooklynn's blood still on his lips, me with tears streaming down my cheeks. Then his expression hardened into something cold and dismissive.

"I know some of you may be wondering," he said, his Alpha voice carrying to every corner of the hall, "about certain... arrangements that existed before tonight." His gaze never left mine as he spoke, and I felt my heart shatter completely. "Let me be clear to everyone present: Jovie Palmer was nothing more than momentary entertainment. A way to pass the time while I waited for my true Luna."

The gasps that rippled through the crowd were audible now. I heard someone behind me whisper, "Eight years," in shocked disbelief. Another voice murmured, "Poor girl." But all I could focus on was Darren's face, cold and impassive as he destroyed me in front of everyone I'd called family.

"Entertainment," he repeated, the word falling from his lips like a death sentence. "Nothing more."

Brooklynn's smile widened as she pressed closer to Darren's side, her newly marked neck on full display. She'd won, and we both knew it. But it was the satisfied gleam in her eyes as she looked at me that told me this humiliation was just the beginning.