Chapter 1

The moment I entered the hospital, shock swept through me when I saw Damien, my husband, standing there. But the first thing I noticed was his hand resting gently against another woman's pregnant stomach.

I stopped walking.

For a moment, the hospital corridor disappeared around me.

The nurses moving past us, the doctors speaking in low voices, the beeping machines behind the doors, even the footsteps echoing across the polished floor seemed to fade into silence.

There was only one thing I could see, Damien, my husband and the Alpha of the Silvermoon Clan, standing beside a woman I didn't know personally, but I recognized her as a member of our pack.

His palm covered the curve of her stomach as though he were protecting something precious. His thumb moved slowly over the fabric of her dress, almost tenderly.

They were standing outside the obstetrics department, the sign above the door leaving no room for misunderstanding.

Prenatal Care.

The woman was there for a pregnancy checkup, and Damien was there with her, his touch bringing back memories of how he had held me the same way when I was pregnant with Lila.

He would place his hand over my stomach whenever our daughter moved. Sometimes, he would smile and bend down, pressing his forehead against me while whispering to the baby.

Back then, I thought I was the luckiest woman alive, the Alpha's mate, wife, Luna, and mother of his firstborn, believing nothing could tear our family apart, but I was wrong.

"Elena?"

My mother's voice came from behind me, but I didn't answer.

Lila was still finishing her checkup.

Her illness was finally in remission, but I still accompanied her whenever I could. Today was supposed to be an ordinary morning. A quick hospital visit, a few tests, then home.

Instead, I had walked straight into a sight I never imagined seeing, my husband with another woman carrying his child, while humans around us remained completely unaware of the werewolves standing among them.

Werewolves lived among humans without revealing what we truly were. We had our own clans, our own laws, our own hierarchy. We could heal faster than humans, hear heartbeats from across a room, and control the wolves that lived beneath our skin.

But none of that mattered here.

In the human world, we were simply wealthy families, business owners, politicians, doctors, and ordinary people with unusual strength and unusually sharp instincts.

The Silvermoon Clan had spent generations hiding among humans, and I had learned to control my wolf, suppress my heightened senses, and hide my silver eyes, but seeing Damien touch another woman made my wolf stir violently.

I clenched my hands, forced myself to breathe, and walked toward them as Damien noticed me, his warmth fading while the woman beside him gave me a knowing smile.

"Elena," Damien said.

His voice was low and calm, as though we had simply bumped into each other in the hospital corridor, his hand still resting on the woman's stomach.

I stared at it.

"Move your hand." His jaw tightened.

"Don't make a scene here, Elena."

I almost laughed.

"A scene?" A nurse glanced our way, and Damien lowered his voice.

"Selene needs quiet."

I stared at him.

Selene… So that was her name. A bitter smile escaped me.

Selene needed quiet, not his wife, not his Luna, not the woman who had stood beside him before he became Alpha, and not the mother of his firstborn. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, but I forced it back under control.

“She’s pregnant,” I said, more as an observation than a question.

Damien said nothing. Selene simply placed both hands protectively over her stomach.

“Elena, this isn’t the place for this,” Damien said, his voice edged with impatience.

“I asked if she’s pregnant.”

His jaw tightened.

“Why does it matter?”

My heart clenched at how easily he dismissed me, as though I had no right to question the pregnant woman he was so fiercely protecting.

“How far along is she?”

Damien sighed, clearly irritated by my questions, but Selene answered before he could.

“Almost five months.”

Her voice was soft, almost shy, but the unmistakable pride in her eyes made my stomach twist.

Five months…

Hearing that made my stomach twist as I realized how long Damien had been lying to me, coming home after spending time with her and pretending everything between us was still normal.

"How long?" His expression hardened.

"Elena, not here."

"Then where?"

My voice rose.

“Then where should I ask my husband why he’s here protecting another pregnant woman while his own daughter is sick in this very hospital?”

A few people turned to look, and Damien's expression darkened as his dangerous gaze swept over them, silently warning them to look away.

"Lower your voice."

My wolf growled under my skin, but I forced it down, knowing I couldn't shift or lose control in front of hundreds of humans without exposing the Silvermoon Clan.

My mother finally reached me, carrying my daughter in her arms.

I looked toward my mother and lowered my voice.

"Mom, take Lila to the doctor first. I'll be with you soon."

My mother studied my face, clearly wanting to ask what had happened, but she simply nodded.

At first, I told myself I was protecting Damien's dignity. I couldn't let his own daughter see what he truly was. I didn't want Lila to watch her father destroy the family she still believed in.

But as I watched my mother lead Lila away, I realized the truth.

I wasn't protecting Damien.

I was protecting my daughter.

My Lila wasn't ready to know how badly her father had failed her as a father, and now as a husband. She deserved a little more time before learning the truth about the man she had always looked up to.

I turned back to Damien.

For years, I had lowered my voice for him.

I had swallowed arguments for the sake of our marriage.

I had forgiven broken promises because I believed the bond between us was worth protecting.

I had even remained silent when the Silvermoon elders questioned Lila's place within the clan.

My daughter was Damien’s firstborn. She carried Alpha blood and had inherited the Silvermoon wolf, making her the natural heir to the clan.

Yet Damien had never publicly named her his successor. Whenever I brought it up, he always gave me the same excuses.

"She's still young."

"There's plenty of time."

"The council will decide when the time comes."

He always said it as though our daughter were nothing more than a last resort, and back then, I believed him. I trusted him, never imagining that every excuse was simply another way of pushing Lila aside.

I had told myself the elders simply needed time to accept a female heir, but deep down, I had always known something was wrong. The council had never rejected Lila because she was incapable, but because Damien had never stood firmly enough behind her.

And now, looking at Selene and the child growing inside her, I finally understood why.