Chapter 1

The night air caressed my skin as I stood on the balcony of Lucas's mansion, my fingers lightly tracing the cool stone balustrade. Tomorrow would be our engagement party, the official announcement of our union to the entire werewolf community. My heart fluttered with anticipation, a gentle warmth spreading through my chest as I gazed at the city lights twinkling below us.

"Are you cold?" Lucas's voice was soft as he approached from behind, his footsteps barely audible on the marble floor.

I turned to face him, taking in his tall frame silhouetted against the light from the grand living room. Even after two years together, the sight of him still made my breath catch. His dark hair fell across his forehead in that careless way that always made my fingers itch to brush it back, and those piercing blue eyes seemed to see straight through to my soul.

"A little," I admitted, smiling up at him. "But I wanted to see the view one last time before tomorrow."

Lucas's lips curved into that half-smile that had first captured my heart at the inter-pack gathering three years ago. He slipped off his jacket—a tailored black blazer that probably cost more than most wolves made in a month—and draped it gently around my shoulders.

"You know," he murmured, his hands lingering on my shoulders, "the view is even better from the Alpha suite."

I felt a blush warm my cheeks as his fingers traced a path down my arms. "Lucas..."

"It's not like we haven't shared a bed before," he said, his voice dropping to that intimate tone that always made my knees weak. "After tomorrow, everyone will know you're mine."

His words sent a thrill through me. Mine. The word held such power, such promise. I was going to be Luna to the most powerful Alpha heir in the region. More importantly, I was going to spend the rest of my life with the wolf the Moon Goddess had chosen for me.

"Do you think she knew?" I asked softly, tilting my head back to look up at the waxing moon hanging heavy in the night sky. "The Goddess, I mean. Did she know we would find each other?"

Lucas's fingers tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending shivers down my spine. "Of course she did. Our fates were sealed long before we were born."

I leaned into his touch, closing my eyes as he pressed his lips against my temple. This was everything I had been raised for—this moment, this man, this destiny.

"I love you," I whispered, the words tumbling out before I could stop them.

Something flickered across his face—something I couldn't quite read—before he pulled me closer. "And I, you."

We stood there in silence for a moment, the city spread out below us like a carpet of stars. Tomorrow would change everything. Tomorrow, I would officially step into my role as future Luna of the Silvermoon Pack.

What I didn't know then was that tomorrow would never come.

* * *

The bass from the nightclub pulsed through my body as I pushed my way through the crowd, searching desperately for Lucas. He'd texted me to meet him here an hour ago, but I hadn't been able to find him anywhere.

"Excuse me," I muttered, squeezing past a group of laughing wolves. "Sorry, sorry."

The VIP section was even more crowded than the main floor. I scanned the dimly lit booths, my enhanced werewolf vision struggling to pick out familiar faces in the strobing lights.

That's when I saw them.

Lucas and Tina, tucked into the farthest corner booth, their bodies pressed together in the shadows. I froze, my heart suddenly hammering against my ribs as I watched him tilt her chin up with his finger, his thumb brushing across her lower lip in a gesture so intimate it made my stomach clench.

"Lucas?" I called out, my voice barely audible over the music.

He didn't turn. Instead, he leaned down and pressed his mouth against Tina's, his hands tangling in her hair as she pulled him closer.

I must have made some sound—a gasp, a choked breath—because suddenly they broke apart, and Lucas was looking at me with cold eyes that held none of the warmth from earlier on the balcony.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, not bothering to stand or even push Tina away. She smirked at me over his shoulder, her hand possessively sliding up his chest.

"I—you texted me," I said, my voice sounding small even to my own ears.

Tina laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "Oh, sweetie, did he text you? He was just telling me how boring you are, how you're just a duty while I'm the fun."

The world seemed to tilt sideways as I stared at them, my mind refusing to process what I was seeing.

* * *

"Did you really think he loved you?" Tina's voice echoed in the locker room of the gym, her tone dripping with mockery as she turned to face me, her back deliberately pressed against the row of metal lockers.

I'd come here to clear my head after the nightclub, to try and make sense of what I'd seen. Instead, I'd found Tina in the women's locker room, changing after her workout.

"He does," I said, my voice steadier than I felt. "We're fated mates."

Tina laughed again, that same sharp, cruel sound. She turned her back to me, deliberately slow, and I saw them—purple-red marks trailing down her neck, disappearing beneath the collar of her shirt.

"Does this look like your 'fated mate' loves you?" she taunted, pulling the fabric aside to reveal more of the fresh bite marks. "He can't get enough of me. Says I'm everything you're not—wild, passionate, exciting."

I felt sick as I stared at the evidence of their betrayal. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because tomorrow's your big day," she said, her eyes glittering with malice. "And I want you to know that while you're playing the perfect Luna-to-be, Lucas will be thinking of me. Always me."

* * *

I don't remember how I got back to Lucas's mansion. My mind was a blur of pain and disbelief as I climbed the stairs to the balcony where we'd stood just hours before.

The night air felt colder now, harsher somehow. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stop the shaking that had overtaken my body.

"I thought you might be up here."

I whirled around to find Lucas standing in the doorway, Tina just behind him. The look in his eyes was different now—calculating, cold.

"What's going on?" I asked, though part of me already knew.

"We need to talk," he said, stepping closer. "About tomorrow."

Tina's smile widened as she moved to stand beside him, her hand sliding into his. "We've been meaning to tell you, Irene. Lucas and I—"

"Enough," Lucas cut her off, his eyes never leaving mine. "I'll handle this."

He took another step toward me, and I instinctively backed up, my heart pounding as I realized I'd backed myself against the balustrade.

"Don't," I whispered, suddenly understanding the danger I was in. "Lucas, please—"

"It's nothing personal," he said, his voice eerily calm as he reached for me. "It's just business."

I felt his hands on my shoulders then, shoving hard. The world tilted sideways as I felt myself falling backward, the stone balustrade pressing painfully against my lower back.

For one suspended moment, I hung in empty air, my eyes locked with Lucas's cold gaze and Tina's triumphant smile.

Then I was falling, the night air rushing past my ears, the ground rising up to meet me with terrible finality.

My last thought before the darkness claimed me was not of pain or fear, but of the shattering realization that everything I had believed in—the sacred bond, the Moon Goddess's blessing, the love I thought would last forever—had been nothing but an illusion.

And as my body hit the stone courtyard below, that illusion died with me.