Chapter 1
The three years I lost my memory, I spent as Stanley Dunn’s mate.
He had risen to power within a rival pack, but he despised my roots—my unknown origins.
He demoted me from his mate to a mere mistress, and on my birthday, he marked Julieta Gardner, a high-ranking she-wolf from a prestigious pack, as his new mate.
The day I regained my memory and left, I carried only a small bag.
Stanley stood at the entrance with Julieta, his expression icy.
“The child you bore is my blood, and he will not be taken away by some lowly she-wolf.”
What he didn’t know was that I breathed a sigh of relief.
Years later, he arrived at the pack gathering with his mate and son, only to freeze, his eyes reddening.
Beside me, the Lycan King gripped my hand tightly, his voice cold as he demanded, “Why are you staring at my Luna?”
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The next time I saw Stanley was at a pack gathering, held in the lush gardens of the Lycan King’s estate.
Stanley stood with Julieta beneath a towering oak tree, his hand brushing a stray leaf from her hair.
He leaned in, his voice soft but urgent.
“Julieta, when we enter the gathering hall, you must be cautious. If you see the Lycan Luna, mind your words.
“Be careful with every step, every gesture. Never mention her three-year disappearance.
“It’s a wound that still festers in the King’s heart—touch it, and it will be your end.”
Julieta, the high-ranking she-wolf he had chosen, nodded solemnly, her expression grave.
It was no secret how fiercely the Lycan King guarded his Luna, his obsession bordering on madness.
He had built her a sanctuary within the estate—a place of stone and steel, named the “Moonstone Hall.”
Rumors swirled that the Luna was kept there, a delicate chain adorned with tiny silver charms around her wrist.
Every step she took, the charms shimmered, a constant reminder of her presence.
The King forbade her from straying too far, from even glancing at another male.
He had issued strict orders: no pack member was to approach the Moonstone Hall.
A warrior had once stumbled too close and was promptly exiled, his legs broken and his eyes gouged out.
Even the healers who had treated the Luna during her disappearance had vanished, replaced entirely.
Because of the King’s overwhelming devotion, no one had seen the Luna’s face since her return.
Stanley, ever cautious, was deeply protective of his new mate.
He whispered these warnings to her, his voice tender, fearful that a single misstep might anger the Luna.
I sat in the garden’s pavilion, listening quietly, a faint smile playing on my lips.
The King’s devotion to me was real, but I wasn’t the vengeful, power-hungry she-wolf the rumors made me out to be.