Chapter 1

"Priest, I'm requesting to transfer my registry to the Forbidden Lands. And I need the materials to forge a Moonshadow Puppet. In three days, it will stand in my place at the mating altar."

I spoke into the communication rune in my palm.

From the other end, the Moon Priest's voice spiked with warning. "Aria, do you have any idea what you're saying? The Forbidden Lands is an abyss of no return! It's ruled by the Lycans. You don't even have a wolf spirit—walking in there is a death sentence!"

"My decision is final."

After a long beat, his heavy, suppressed sigh echoed through. "Using a puppet substitute is an act of absolute blasphemy against the Moon Goddess... You've waited for Kaelen for so many years. Why walk away now?"

"Because a puppet will never betray a sacred vow."

...

Cutting off the rune's connection, I glanced at the framed engagement photo hanging on the wall.

In it, Kaelen had his arms wrapped securely around my waist from behind, his eyes brimming with absolute devotion.

Yet, this very fiancé—the man who swore to protect me for the rest of my life—was currently upstairs in our master bedroom. With my half-sister.

For eighteen years, the entire pack had mocked me. I was the defective pureblood—born without a wolf spirit, forever deaf and blind to the pack's psychic network, the Mind-link.

But just moments ago, the invisible barrier sealing my bloodline shattered without warning.

[...Ah... Kaelen... not so rough...]

A woman's breathy moan sliced straight into my newly awakened neural cortex like a jagged blade.

[What? You don't like it? Who was just begging me for it in bed?]

The man's husky, arrogant chuckle—accompanied by the wet, rhythmic thud of flesh slapping against flesh—echoed flawlessly through my brain.

[Stop it... pause for a second,] the woman whined coquettishly. [Aria is just downstairs. What if she hears us...]

It was Selene. My half-sister.

We shared half our blood, yet our lives were worlds apart.

Selene had awakened a rare healing gift and was revered as the pack's "Saint." Meanwhile, anything I ever possessed—the moment Selene wanted it, our father would force me to hand it over to her.

Kaelen was the one thing I refused to yield. My absolute bottom line.

But now, even this last shred of hope had rotted to the core.

I didn't want garbage tainted by another woman's scent. They could have each other. I'd package up this hypocritical fiancé along with the Luna title and toss them both as charity.

It was time to sever all ties and break free altogether.

[What are you afraid of?] Kaelen let out a short, dismissive laugh. [She couldn't even awaken her wolf. She's completely deaf to the Mind-link.]

[The thought of you marking that useless trash makes me sick. Why does she get to be Luna?]

[Baby, those old fools in the council still don't respect me. Aria is the pureblood heir. Marking her is the only way I can secure the Alpha scepter.]

Extreme nausea churned violently in my stomach.

A few minutes later, Kaelen casually strolled downstairs. A faint flush of exertion still lingered on his handsome face.

He stepped up behind me, opening his arms to pull me into his embrace.

"That photo frame is too heavy for you. Why didn't you call me to do it?" His voice dripped with pampering scolding.

In that exact second, the undeniable stench of sex—mixed with Selene's sickeningly sweet vanilla perfume—hit my nostrils.

I took a half-step forward, smoothly dodging his touch without missing a beat.

His arms froze in mid-air. But he quickly masked his surprise, replacing it with a deeply affectionate smile. "The ceremony is just around the corner. Are you getting nervous? Don't worry, my love. Leave everything to me. I'll make sure the whole pack witnesses how much I love you."

If I hadn't just literally heard him plowing my sister upstairs, I might have actually cried tears of joy.

Just then, Selene sauntered down the stairs in a silk slip dress. The neckline plunged dangerously low, and right above her collarbone sat a fresh hickey she hadn't quite managed to cover with foundation.

"Sister." Selene beamed. "I was just upstairs testing the firmness of the mattress in your new master bedroom. You don't mind, do you?"

Kaelen immediately darkened his expression and shot her a stern glare. "Selene. Aria is my fated mate. The ceremony is in three days. Show some respect!"

What a stellar performance. What a fiercely protective fiancé.

Yet, the very second his righteous declaration ended, his voice slithered through the Mind-link.

[Be a good girl. I'm just putting on a show so she doesn't get suspicious. I'll meet you at the villa's back door tonight. Wear that sheer black slip.]

[Got it, my Alpha~] Selene purred back in his mind.

Out loud, he was the devoted, protective mate.

In the dark, they were shamelessly exploiting the Mind-link to orchestrate their next hookup.

"I need a moment in the restroom."

I walked past them.

The moment the door clicked shut behind me, isolating me from their sickening faces,

I slammed my hands onto the sink.

Bile clawed its way up my throat. I dry-heaved, my fingertips trembling violently against the edge of the counter.

Jerking the faucet open, I splashed freezing water over my face.

I slowly lifted my head, staring at the woman with bloodshot eyes in the mirror.

Years ago, during a pack hunt, the arrogant pups of the Alpha Council forced me into a mud pit.

They mocked my lack of a wolf, and it was Selene who led them to snatch away the only protective amulet my late mother had ever left me.

Right as a set of shifting claws was about to shred my throat, Kaelen threw himself in front of me. He took the brutal strike on my behalf, leaving his back torn open and bleeding.

"Aria, don't be afraid. As long as I have a breath in my lungs, I'll never let anyone hurt you."

For that single promise, I had endured years of my father's toxic favoritism and Selene's relentless theft of my life.

I believed that as long as I had Kaelen, I still had a safe haven.

Now I realized what that was. A cruel, sickening joke.

Suddenly, the rune in my pocket flared with searing heat.

[Transfer to the Forbidden Lands: Approved. In three days, a guide will be waiting for you in the Black Pine Woods.]

The three-day countdown had officially begun.