Chapter 1

The grand hall of the Black River Pack had never looked more glorious. Silver banners hung from the high ceiling, crystal lights burned like captured stars, and every noble wolf in the territory had gathered in their finest clothes. Warriors stood along both sides of the hall with polished armor and proud faces, waiting for the arrival of the new Wolf King.

I stood beside my mate, Alpha Victor Black, with my fingers closed around the small silver pendant hidden beneath my gown.

It was not an ordinary pendant. It carried the royal crest of House Throne, a symbol I had not dared to show anyone for five years.

Five years ago, my younger brother Luca and I had fled the royal capital after our bloodline was hunted by traitors. Luca's Alpha power had been sealed to save his life, leaving him pale, fragile, and easily mistaken for a sickly Omega. I had hidden my own royal aura and followed him into exile, living quietly in Victor's pack as his mate and Luna.

To everyone here, I was only Ailin, the Luna with no strong family behind her.

To Victor, I had hoped I was more.

This morning, Luca's message had finally arrived.

[Sister, the throne is reclaimed. I will arrive before sunset as the new Wolf King. If you still trust Victor, tell him the truth. Let him stand with us.]

I had read those words again and again until my hands shook. For years, I had carried secrets, fear, and silence like stones inside my chest. Today was supposed to be the end of hiding. Today, I planned to tell Victor everything—who I was, who Luca truly was, and how our future could finally begin without lies.

A foolish part of me had even imagined his face lighting up. I had imagined him taking my hands, laughing in disbelief, and saying he had always known there was something noble in me.

After all, this was the same man who had once placed the Luna necklace around my neck with trembling fingers and whispered, "No matter what they say, you are my mate. No one will ever take your place beside me."

That memory warmed me for one last second.

Then Victor raised his hand.

"Silence!"

The hall obeyed at once. Conversations died. Every eye turned toward him. Victor stood tall in his black formal coat, his blond hair brushed back, his expression cold and majestic. He looked every inch the ambitious Alpha who wanted to impress a king.

I smiled faintly, thinking this was the perfect moment to speak to him privately.

Victor turned toward me.

The warmth I expected was not there.

His mouth curved, but it was not a smile. It was the kind of expression a man wore before cutting away something rotten.

"Before His Majesty arrives," Victor announced, his voice carrying through the entire hall, "I must cleanse this pack of weakness."

A strange chill slid down my spine.

He lifted his hand and pointed at me.

"From this moment on, I formally strip Ailin of her Luna title."

For one breath, I did not understand him. The words reached me, but my mind refused to let them in. Around us, gasps broke out like sparks in dry grass. Some wolves looked shocked. Others looked hungry, eager for humiliation.

"Victor," I said softly, stepping closer. "What are you doing?"

His eyes hardened. "What I should have done long ago."

The hall went silent again.

Victor looked at me as if I were a stain on his polished floor. "This woman cannot bear strong heirs. She has no family power, no useful bloodline, and for years she has dragged around a sickly Omega brother who eats our food and brings nothing but shame. A useless Luna and her useless brother have no place near the new king."

My ears rang.

Luca. He dared to speak of Luca.

"Don't say that about him," I said, my voice tight. "You don't know what he is."

Victor laughed coldly. "I know exactly what he is. A coward who disappeared the moment he heard the Wolf King was coming."

The pendant beneath my gown pressed against my skin like a warning. I wanted to tear it free, shove the royal crest into his hand, and watch his face change. But the throne had only just been reclaimed. There were still traitors hidden in the border packs. Luca had asked me to reveal the truth only if I still trusted Victor.

And in that moment, I realized I no longer knew whether I did.

Before I could speak again, the grand doors opened.

Lisa Johnson entered as if she owned the hall.

Victor's childhood sweetheart. Beta Johnson's daughter. The woman who had spent years smiling at me in public and poisoning my name in private.

She wore my Luna gown.

The deep blue silk had been made for me after Victor's first victory as Alpha. I remembered standing before the mirror while he fastened the silver belt at my waist, laughing as he told me the color matched my eyes. Now the gown clung to Lisa's body like a stolen skin. My Luna necklace glittered against her throat.

My throat tightened.

Lisa walked to Victor and linked her arm through his. She placed one hand over her stomach with slow, deliberate pride.

A faint scent drifted from her as she passed me—heavy perfume, sharp herbs, and beneath it, something else. A strange male scent that did not belong to Victor.

I had smelled it once before near the eastern border, three months ago.

My eyes narrowed.

But Victor was too busy looking at her belly to notice anything except his own ambition.

"Everyone," Victor said, drawing Lisa close, "Lisa will take Ailin's place as Luna. She carries my heir, and she has the strength, bloodline, and dignity this pack deserves."

Lisa smiled sweetly at the crowd, then looked at me with open triumph. "Ailin, don't make this harder than it has to be. A woman who cannot give an Alpha an heir should know when to step aside."

My hands curled into fists.

Victor's gaze cut into me. "For the sake of the bond we once shared, I will allow you to remain in the pack. Not as Luna. Not as my equal. From today on, you will serve as a bed warmer and household servant. If you behave, perhaps Lisa will be merciful."

Laughter burst through the hall.

My cheeks burned, but my spine stayed straight.

"You are making a mistake," I said quietly. "A mistake you will not survive."

Victor's face darkened. "Still pretending you are important?"

Lisa leaned against him, her eyes bright with cruelty. "Darling, she has always lived in dreams. Maybe she thinks her sick little brother will come back and save her."

I looked at her.

"He will come back," I said.

The hall laughed harder.

Victor stepped closer until only a small space remained between us. He lowered his voice, but everyone could still hear him. "When the Wolf King arrives, you will tell him your brother Luca abandoned the pack like a coward. You will say I handled this weakness before it could offend His Majesty. If you embarrass me today, Ailin, I will make your life a living hell."

Once, those hands had held my face with tenderness.

Now one of them pointed to the floor.

"Kneel," Victor ordered. "And show your new Luna the respect she deserves."

Lisa's smile widened.

The entire pack waited for me to break.

I slowly lifted my chin and looked at the stolen necklace around Lisa's throat.

Then I said, "Make me."