Chapter 1

There’s nothing crueler than watching yourself fade while the world keeps clapping. One day you wake up, and you’re still in your home—but your reflection belongs to someone else.

Before I’d even drawn my first breath, my fate was decided. I was to be Kade Thorne’s bride. And the Luna of Silvercrest.

For the last ten years, I carried that title with pride. I gave the Alpha my counsel, my strength, and two children. I thought that was enough. But then, I lost everything.

I lost my mate’s love. I lost my children’s voices calling me Mama.

And tonight, I stand in my own house as a ghost, while another woman takes my place.

My pack members surround me, among other guests, who have arrived for this year’s Masquerade ball, laughing and drinking, adorned in silks and masks. I stand apart in a corner with a stiff smile, my hands becoming colder by the second.

My husband rises on the dais. His mask is black as night, carved with silver edges to match the onyx robe he’s chosen for tonight. As he speaks, the laughter and gossip fade into silence.

“Tonight, on the occasion of the annual Masquerade Ball, in honor of Silvercrest’s founding and another year of strength, I present to you the lady who has stood beside me.”

His hand finds Izel’s. Her ivory gown, heavy with pearls, has an unnatural shine. She steps forward, her chin lifted, face adorned with a cloying smile.

“Lady Izel,” Kade says, “from this day, you are the lady of this house.”

The crowd gasps first, then someone begins to applaud, and the others follow. Wolves howl in approval, trembling the very earth beneath us. I stand still. My nails dig into my palms, drawing blood.

A councilman near me leans close. “At last,” he mutters, pretending to be subtle and yet his voice is loud and clear enough for me to hear. “The Alpha makes it official.”

Another nods. “She carries herself well. Such grace! And that divine smile… The pack will accept her.”

“She is not the Luna,” I say with gritted teeth, unable to remain silent anymore.

The first man chuckles, taunting, “Perhaps not. But she looks the part, Freya.”

I force a smile. “Looks can lie.”

“And truth doesn’t take long to be rewritten.”

I bite back a curse. If the Alpha himself does not respect his wife and outright treats her like shit, why should others keep their bitter words hidden?

On the dais, Izel bows gracefully. When she rises, her gaze skims the hall until it reaches me. The sweet smile on her face takes on a venomous edge, her brown eyes sparking with open challenge—until something else takes her attention away.

“Finn! Ivy!” she calls out brightly and kneels, opening her arms.

My children break from the crowd. Their small feet patter across marble as they run to her, arms outstretched.

“Mama!” Ivy, my three-year-old daughter, cries.

Izel gathers them close. She kisses Ivy’s cheek, ruffles Finn’s hair. She acts like they have always belonged to her. They giggle softly and she laughs with them. The sounds split my heart open and pokes it with glass shards at the same time. They’re my children, but they think Izel’s their mother.

When did that happen? Why did it happen? And why did I let it happen?

The guests stop pretending to be discreet.

“They call Izel Mama.”

“Poor Freya.”

“No wonder the Alpha chose differently.”

I sip my wine, but it tastes like ash.

“She holds them well,” a woman murmurs.

“Better than their own mother,” her companion replies with a snicker.

I grip my glass so hard I think it might break.

Kade wraps a hand around Izel’s waist and subtly pulls her closer. He has a smile on his face that I once believed was reserved only for me.

So, he thinks she is his true family now?

The shock grips me even though I saw this coming. Over the weeks and months that led up to this moment, I should’ve known he’d do something like this tonight. I just didn’t think he’d be bold enough to make a spectacle of his betrayal.

But he is the Alpha, and he has always done as he pleases.

No. Anger surges through me. This is it. I’ve had enough.

I slip out through the doors and rush to the adjoining stone terrace with quick strides, my breath coming out in sharp gasps. Cool night air rushes against my face, making me hiss. The dark sky is littered with stars but even the Moon hides from me. I grip the cold railing until my knuckles ache. My lips tremble from holding back a sob. For a moment, it is silent except for the gush of wind and the chirp of crickets in the garden below. Then I hear a voice.

‘Leave.’

My body turns to ice. The voice is very faint but familiar.

“Nyx?” I whisper, looking around.

‘It’s me.’

My knees nearly buckle.

My wolf, who has been silent for so long—six years, finally speaks. I can barely breathe right.

I’ve missed her guidance. I’ve missed her strength.

‘Leave,’ she says again, voice still faint in my mind. ‘You cannot stay. Thirty days. No more.’

A shiver cuts through me. Thirty days. What does Nyx mean? Why is she asking me to leave?

‘If you want to live, you must free yourself from this poison.’

Goddess help me. I’d forgotten just how obscure wolves could be.

The doors open behind me with a sudden jolt, and heavy, thudding footsteps greet my ears.

Kade. He pushes his black and silver mask up, revealing all the beauty in his charming angled face. The mate bond vibrates the very air between us, and I feel drawn to his warmth—completely out of control of my own body. I have to steel my mind to remember all the shit he has dragged me through. His gaze sweeps over me. “You left the hall,” he says, clearly displeased.

I swallow the lump that has formed in my throat and tell him, “I needed some air. I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed even that.”

“You look pale.”

Does he care? “I’m fine, Alpha Kade.”

“Good.” He pauses, drawing in a deep breath. “You should come back soon. The guests will wonder.”

I force a smile. “Of course.” He turns to leave, but my hand reaches out and tugs at his sleeve. His gaze drops to it before meeting mine once again. “They called her Mama,” I say, my voice wavering with pain.

Kade stiffens. “They’re children,” he tries to explain, eyes narrowing. “They don’t know.”

“They know enough. And if they don’t, you should correct them.”

He exhales. “Freya. Don’t make a scene.”

My lips twist, heart wrenching in pain. “I never do. I’m the quiet one, remember?”

Kade glares at me, taking his sleeve out of my grip with a harsh pull and then leaves without another word.

As the doors open, the music swells momentarily. Izel’s laugh falls on my ear, clear and grating as bells.

Nyx’s voice coils through me. ‘Thirty days. Leave.’

I tilt my head to the clouded sky. My throat burns, but I don’t let the tears fall. “Thirty days,” I whisper. “Then I will be free.”

And I begin to count.