Chapter 1

The early morning mist clung to the forest floor like a lover's embrace, swirling around my ankles as I navigated the familiar path back to the pack house. My wolf, Luna, purred contentedly inside me, still energized from our dawn run along the ridge. The venison broth I'd prepared for James sloshed gently in the thermos I carried—his favorite after a council meeting, which I knew would leave him tense and hungry.

*He'll appreciate this surprise,* I thought, smiling to myself. After ten years as mates, I'd perfected the art of being the supportive Luna, anticipating his needs before he voiced them.

"James should be finishing up soon," I whispered to myself, quickening my pace. The pack house loomed ahead, majestic and silent in the early morning light. Most pack members were either still asleep or out hunting, leaving the grounds peaceful.

I slipped through the side entrance, my footsteps silent against the polished wooden floors. The scent of pine and cedar—James's signature cologne—guided me toward his private study. As I approached, I heard muffled sounds from behind the heavy oak door. Thinking he might be in a heated debate with a council member, I hesitated, not wanting to interrupt important pack business.

But something felt off. Luna stirred uneasily within me, her earlier contentment replaced by a growing discomfort.

I pushed the door open just enough to peek inside, intending to catch James's eye and silently offer the broth.

The thermos nearly slipped from my grasp.

James—my mate, my Alpha, my everything for the past decade—had Ashley Parker pressed against his desk. His hands tangled in her hair as their lips moved together in desperate hunger. Her training gear was partially undone, his ceremonial robe pushed aside.

"We shouldn't be doing this here," Ashley breathed, though her actions contradicted her words as she pulled him closer. "What if someone comes?"

"No one will," James assured her, his voice husky with desire—a tone I once believed was reserved only for me. "Olivia's out for her morning run. We have time."

My body froze while my mind splintered into a thousand jagged pieces. Luna howled in agony inside me, a sound so deafening I feared it would escape my lips and betray my presence. I clutched the doorframe to steady myself, watching as my mate—my fated one—betrayed our sacred bond with passionate abandon.

With every ounce of control I possessed, I eased the door closed and backed away. The thermos trembled in my white-knuckled grip as I retreated silently down the corridor, out of the building, and into the sanctuary of the forest.

Only when I was certain I was alone did I allow myself to sink to the ground, the mist now seeming cold and hostile against my skin. Luna's howl of pain reverberated through my consciousness, drowning out all rational thought.

"How long?" I whispered to the empty forest. "How many times?"

Hours later, I stood in our bedroom, mechanically preparing for the evening pack dinner. I'd composed myself enough to return home, to pretend nothing had changed. James had come back shortly after me, smelling of fresh pine soap—an attempt to wash away evidence I already knew existed.

As I reached for his ceremonial robes to prepare them for tomorrow's council meeting, my enhanced senses detected it immediately: a foreign scent clinging to the fabric. Not the clean soap he'd just used, but something distinctly feminine—a floral-herbal blend that belonged to Ashley Parker. It wasn't just on his everyday clothes but on his ceremonial robes—sacred garments meant to represent his honor and position.

I brought the fabric to my nose, inhaling deeply, confirming what my wolf already knew. This wasn't a one-time indiscretion. The scent had permeated the fibers, speaking of repeated contact.

"Olivia?" James called from downstairs. "Are you coming down? The elders will be arriving soon."

"Just a moment," I called back, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. I carefully replaced the robe, my fingers lingering on the silver embroidery that marked James as Alpha—a position I had helped him maintain with my unwavering support.

That night, as James slept soundly beside me, I lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Luna, who had been howling in pain earlier, now grew eerily quiet, her presence a simmering pool of rage within me.

*We've been fools,* I thought. *We gave him everything, and he took us for granted.*

In the darkness, something shifted inside me—a dormant part of my nature awakening after years of suppression. I felt Luna stir, not with pain now, but with cold, calculated purpose.

"We won't confront him," I whispered to her. "Not yet."

Luna growled in agreement as a plan began to form in my mind—a meticulous revenge that would strip James of everything he valued: his Alpha status, his reputation, and the mate he so carelessly betrayed.

I turned to look at his sleeping form, seeing him clearly for the first time in years. "You've made a fatal mistake, James," I whispered, too softly for even werewolf hearing to detect. "You forgot what I was before I became your Luna."

I closed my eyes, embracing the darkness both around and within me. By the time James realized what was happening, it would already be too late.