Chapter 1

I knelt beneath the stone platform as the blood-red moon cast its ominous glow across Bramblecrest Pack's sacred plaza, feeling hundreds of pairs of eyes watching me like predators, an unprecedented dread rising in my chest.

Suddenly, I felt something flickering in my eyes—a strange silver light seemed ready to surge from the depths of my pupils. I quickly lowered my head, hearing terrified murmurs around me:

"Look! Her eyes are glowing again!"

"A cursed omen! The Moon Goddess is warning us!"

I squeezed my eyes shut, suppressing that inexplicable restlessness within me.

But among the crowd, I caught fragments of whispered conversations:

"Silver eyes... the ancient prophecy mentioned..."

"Shh! That's just legend. The Silver Moon bloodline died out long ago..."

"But if the prophecy is true, silver eyes will bring either destruction or rebirth..."

"Impossible. She's just cursed, nothing more..."

These whispers sent chills down my spine. What prophecy? What did they mean by Silver Moon bloodline?

Four years ago, when Brock first saw the silver light in my eyes, he called it "beauty blessed by the Moon Goddess." He used to caress my cheek tenderly, whispering, "Hannah, your eyes are as beautiful as stars. Our children will surely inherit this magic."

But now...

"Silence!" Brock's roar made my eardrums ring.

I looked up at the man on the stone platform—my mate, the Alpha who once swore to protect me for life. The man who once stayed by my bedside for three days and nights when I was ill, saying, "As long as Hannah is safe, I'd give up everything."

Now, his amber eyes burned with a coldness and disgust I'd never seen before.

I noticed him exchange a meaningful glance with Beta Damien below, who nodded as if confirming something.

"Everyone!" Brock raised an ancient parchment scroll—the sacred scripture passed down through generations of Moon Goddess priests. "Tonight, I expose a truth that has deceived us all for four years!"

Deceived? My heart pounded violently.

For four years, I'd hoped every month, feeling despair each time my cycle came.

I'd cried countless times in front of him, wondering if something was wrong with me. And he—back then he would hold me and say, "Don't worry, Hannah. The Moon Goddess will bless us with children. I love you, not your ability to bear children."

But now...

"Hannah!"

His roar cut through me like a blade, making my whole body tremble.

"Cursed blood flows through your veins! For four years, you've failed to bear me an Alpha heir! You've made me the laughingstock of all werewolf-kind!"

I... made him a laughingstock?

Tears instantly blurred my vision. What about all those tender nights? What about his promises that "no matter what others say, I'll always believe in you"?

"I, Brock Ironclaw, Alpha leader of Bramblecrest Pack, in the Moon Goddess's witness—" his voice grew louder, each word hammering my heart, "hereby declare the destruction of my mate bond with Hannah Moonshadow!"

"Moon Goddess witness, I cannot let cursed blood destroy Bramblecrest Pack's future!"

The elder council chanted in unison: "Bond dissolved, Moon Goddess acknowledges! Marriages without pure-blood heirs are blasphemy against the Moon Goddess!"

I felt the mark on my neck burning. That mark—he'd bitten it himself on our first night together. Back then he said, "Hannah, this mark represents my promise to you. No matter what happens, I will never abandon you."

Now, he was tearing that mark apart with his own hands.

"Mom..." I desperately searched the crowd for my mother's figure.

When I saw that familiar silhouette slowly emerging from the elder group, I called out hopefully, "Mom, help me..."

But Mom wore the deep blue robes of the elder council, blood-stone ornaments on her chest, her face colder than ice. She couldn't even look me in the eyes.

"For Bramblecrest Pack's future!" Mom's voice rang clearly across the plaza, each word slicing through my heart like a blade. "I, Enola Moonshadow, in my capacity as an elder council member, hereby declare—I sever all blood ties with this cursed daughter!"

Cursed daughter...

The mom who once said "Hannah is my greatest pride in this life" now called me "cursed daughter" before the entire pack.

"Mo... Mom?" My voice trembled almost inaudibly, tears finally spilling over. "What are you saying?"

"I have no such daughter!" Her voice was shrill, as if forcing herself to speak these words. "A barren waste who brings only shame to our family! The Moonshadow bloodline will never tolerate such a stain!"

Waste... stain...

These words from my beloved mother's mouth were more cruel than any torture.

The watching pack members began their cruel mockery:

"Haha! Even her own mother doesn't want her!"

"Four years barren—what a useless Omega!"

"No wonder Alpha Brock needs a replacement. Who wants a bitch that can't breed?"

Each word pierced my heart like a poisoned arrow.

Just when I thought the pain had reached its peak, an even crueler scene unfolded.

The crowd parted, and a young, beautiful figure walked slowly toward the stone platform—Serenity.

She had honey-colored hair and brown eyes, a petite frame with a slightly rounded belly. Most heartbreaking of all, she caressed her stomach proudly, her face wearing a victor's smile.

"Alpha Brock," her voice was sweet as honey, but to me it sounded like a serpent's hiss. "I have wonderful news to share with everyone."

She paused deliberately, savoring everyone's expectant gazes, then slowly spoke:

"I'm carrying your child. One month along."

The entire plaza erupted in shocked murmurs. I felt the world spinning—one month? That was exactly when he'd started growing cold toward me. Back then he said he was too busy with work, too tired, needed rest.

Turns out he wasn't tired—he'd found someone new.

"I will bear strong Alpha heirs, unlike some people who can't even fulfill the most basic duty of reproduction." Serenity looked directly at me, her eyes full of mockery and pity.

I watched helplessly as Brock's face lit up with joy I'd never seen before.

Brock strode down from the stone platform and, before everyone's eyes, reached out to tenderly caress Serenity's slightly rounded belly. This man who once swore eternal love to me now looked at her with tenderness and satisfaction I'd never experienced in four years.

So he could still be tender—just not with me anymore.

Then, witnessed by all, Brock wrapped his arms around Serenity's slender waist and declared loudly:

"Serenity will be my new mate!" His voice rang with undisguised joy and pride. "She alone deserves the Alpha's mark! Only Omegas capable of reproduction deserve to stand by my side!"

Deserves... So what was I? What had I been for four years?

Rage and humiliation burned like wildfire in my chest. I slowly stood up, though the torn mark still caused excruciating pain, I had to straighten my spine. I couldn't let them see me completely broken.

"Get out!" an elder pointed toward the plaza exit. "Take your rags and never return! Barren waste doesn't belong here!"

"Cursed woman, don't defile our land!"

"Leave quickly, before you bring us real misfortune!"

The pack's jeers rose all around me, yet I suddenly felt a strange calm. Perhaps when pain reaches its extreme, numbness follows.

I mechanically walked to where my belongings were kept and picked up the worn backpack that had been my companion for years.

Just as I was about to leave, Brock suddenly clutched his chest, his face turning pale. Instinctively, I glanced back—after four years together, even abandoned, I still worried when I saw him unwell.

But what I witnessed next shocked me.

Thinking no one was watching, Brock quickly pulled a small bottle from his coat and hastily swallowed several white pills. His movements were stealthy, but from my angle, I could see clearly.

Even stranger, when he reached to pocket the bottle, his sleeve revealed distinct silver marks on his wrist—what looked like burn scars from long-term contact with something metallic.

My pupils contracted sharply. Silver was harmful to werewolves—no normal Alpha would willingly wear silver chains.

And those pills... why did he need to secretly take medication at such a moment?

Suddenly, I recalled details from the past four years: he'd always seemed particularly anxious around full moons, sometimes waking at night claiming stomach pain and needing medicine. I'd thought it was work stress, but now...

A terrible thought arose in my mind. Could it be...

Brock seemed to sense my gaze and whipped around, panic flashing in his eyes. But quickly, he resumed his cold expression.

"Get out of my territory!" he barked, his voice carrying strange urgency. "Disappear immediately!"

I stared at him quietly, a corner of my mind suddenly crystal clear. This man... was hiding secrets.