Chapter 1

"Alexander! Please—help me! I’m begging you, send warriors to save the Lil Pack!"

I dropped to my knees on the marble floor, the cold from it seeping into my bones. My hands trembled as I clutched at the edge of his black boots. "I know you hate me. But just this once, please—help us. If you send your warriors, I’ll ask the Moon Goddess to break our bond and I’ll disappear from your and Lilian’s lives forever."

Alpha Alexander’s silver-grey eyes swept over me, sharp and glacial, reflecting my pathetic, disheveled state. He was the Alpha of the Solis Pack—and my husband for the past year.

That morning, the news had shattered me: the Lil Pack, my pack, was under siege. Two enemy packs—Bloodfang and Silverclaw—had joined forces against us. My brother, Alpha Jasper, and my father, former Alpha Caleb, were leading what was left of our warriors. But seventy percent were already dead or injured. They wouldn’t last another hour.

If Alexander had just sent his soldiers, they could arrive in thirty minutes. My father, my brother… our people… they could still be saved.

I abandoned every shred of dignity I had left. My pride, my grace—they meant nothing compared to the lives at stake.

He leaned forward, the silver tip of his sword hooking beneath my chin, forcing my face upward. His tone was mocking. "Is that all you have to offer?"

A spike of pain tore through my chest. Through the pack bond, I felt them—my warriors, my family—falling one by one. Their dying howls pierced my mind, raw and soaked in blood.

I clutched my stomach, curling forward, my voice breaking. "Half of the Lil Pack’s territory… half of our sacred spring. If that’s what it takes, take it! Just save them!"

Alexander’s hand shot out, fingers clamping around my wrist as he shoved me against the heavy wooden door. His strength stole my breath. "You think scraps like that could sway me?" His voice was ice. "Your brother ambushed me years ago. He left my wolf spirit crippled. While I was fighting to recover, your pack stole my land and used it to force me into this bond."

My head snapped up, fury and disbelief burning in my throat. "What ambush? My pack never” My words faltered as the bond to my father and brother wavered, growing weaker. They were slipping away.

"Please," I whispered, desperation cracking my voice. "Jasper was misled. Yes, he took your land—but we gave you half our sacred spring in return. I’ll do anything, Alexander. Just send your warriors."

"You think a single sacred spring erases the Lil Pack’s sins?" His hand lashed out before I could brace myself. The slap was sharp, the sound echoing in the hall. My head whipped to the side, and I tasted blood.

"This is your retribution," he said coldly. "If Lilian hadn’t saved me, your pack would have destroyed mine."

Rage and disbelief clawed at my chest. "I was the one who saved you!" My voice cracked. "You were unconscious, Alexander. I carried you on my back through snow for three days and nights! Lilian is a frail omega—how could she have done that?"

Three years ago, I’d met him on a moonlit patrol. He’d single-handedly taken down my team, pinning me to the frozen ground, those silver eyes cutting through me like steel. I’d thought of him ever since.

Two years ago, war broke out. He was struck down, left bleeding in the snow. I’d found him, hidden him, nursed him in secret for three months. When my father dragged me back to the pack, I’d begged a gentle omega to watch over him, leaving my moonstone necklace with her—my keepsake—so he would know it had been me.

But she lied. Lilian claimed she’d saved him. He believed in her. He loved her for it.

When he agreed to our bond, I thought—naively—that maybe he’d realized the truth. That he cared for me. That he didn’t hate me.

On the day of the ceremony, he walked in with Lilian, heavy with child, and declared before every pack that she was his savior. That he would cherish her forever. The humiliation burned deeper than any wound.

I slapped her. Called her a liar. He’d only held her closer, walking away without looking back.

It wasn’t until Lilian gave birth that he stopped treating me like something filthy. We shared a bed. A month ago, I’d found out I was pregnant. He’d seemed… almost happy. I had believed, foolishly, that maybe I could make him love me.

Now his eyes narrowed, confusion flickering for a fraction of a second before it hardened again. "You saved me?" He scoffed. "You never stop lying."

"Alex, don’t be mad at Stella," a soft voice chimed in from the doorway.

Omega Lilian’s perfume drifted into the room as she glided toward him, her pale dress fluttering like butterfly wings. She pressed herself to his side, looking up with wide, innocent eyes.

I bit back my fury, my nails digging into my palms.

Alexander’s hand slid protectively into her hair. "Stella, Lilian is my true savior."

She tilted her head down, her eyes meeting mine with a flash of smug triumph. Around her neck, the moonstone necklace caught light.

My moonstone necklace.

The one I had left for him.

And then—just like that—my link to my father and brother snapped. The silence in my mind was deafening.

The fight drained from my body. The world tilted, grief and rage swallowing me whole.

The last thing I saw before the darkness took me… was Lilian’s smile.