Chapter 1

People said my sister-in-law scared them when she was angry.

They talked about the time she roared at my brother in front of the entire pack, or when she threw a file at his head during a council meeting. They called her the "She-Wolf Tyrant," whispered about how Alpha Damon was "whipped."

But I knew the truth.

Kira was most terrifying when she was calm.

That's when I knew she had made a decision. Final. Irreversible.

And that day, as my brother brought home a strange she-wolf with a scarf around her neck, Kira smiled.

I had never been more afraid.

It was three years since Kira Ashford married into the Blackwood Pack. Three years since she became Luna and turned my wastrel brother into something resembling a responsible Alpha.

I was nearly eighteen now, just weeks from my awakening. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless.

That evening, I helped set the table for dinner. Through the window, I watched Damon approach with someone new.

Kira stood in the doorway. Her expression was empty. Not angry. Not hurt. Just blank.

Wrong. This was wrong.

"Kira!" My brother's voice cracked. "Mother! Zara!"

He dragged a she-wolf forward. She was younger than Kira, delicate in a way that made you want to protect her. She clutched Damon's arm, shoulders hunched.

And that scarf. Thick burgundy wool wrapped around her neck despite the warm evening.

My mother Helena appeared from the kitchen. Her eyes went straight to the scarf. Shock. Then hope.

"This is Sienna Vale." Damon swallowed hard. "She's my fated mate."

The words hit like a thunderclap.

Fated mate. The Moon Goddess's gift. The rarest of bonds.

Mother gasped. I looked at Kira. She hadn't moved.

"The bond appeared two weeks ago," Damon continued. His voice steadied. "She's already given herself to me."

My stomach dropped. While still married to Kira.

"This is wonderful!" Mother pulled Sienna into an embrace. "A true fated mate bond—Damon, this is such a blessing!"

In wolf packs, fated mates were sacred. Chosen mates like Kira and Damon were practical when the Goddess didn't provide that perfect match.

But when a fated mate appeared? Everything changed.

"Mother." Kira's voice cut through the excitement.

Everyone froze.

She stepped forward, movements smooth and controlled. "Sienna. It's nice to meet you."

Sienna's eyes widened. "Luna Kira. I'm so sorry—"

"The heart wants what it wants." Kira's smile didn't reach her eyes. "Damon, why don't you show Sienna to a guest room? She can stay while we prepare for the ceremony."

Damon stared at his wife. "Kira—"

"I insist. After all, a Luna should be supportive of her Alpha's happiness."

Relief and guilt flickered across my brother's face.

He was a coward. Kira had spent three years dragging him toward responsibility. I remembered her storming into taverns to pull him out before he gambled away pack funds.

"Get out of that bar, Damon, or I'm dragging you out by your ear!" she'd shouted once, right in front of half the pack.

He'd gone. Meek as a lamb.

People laughed. Called him whipped.

But the pack thrived. Territory expanded. Alliances strengthened.

All because Kira knew what she was doing.

For a while, they'd seemed happy. I'd seen them laughing after pack meetings. Seen how my brother looked at her when she negotiated clever deals.

When had that changed?

"Thank you, Kira." Sienna's voice trembled. "You're very kind."

Kira's laugh was light. Wrong. "Think nothing of it. We're going to be family, after all."

She turned to Mother. "Helena, would you help me plan the ceremony? I want everything perfect."

Mother's eyes shimmered. "Of course. Oh, Kira, you're handling this so gracefully."

Gracefully. That's what they thought this was.

I watched Kira's hands. They hung loose, but I could see the tremor. The tiny shake she couldn't control.

My throat tightened.

Damon led Sienna upstairs. The she-wolf kept her head down, one hand pressed to that scarf.

For just a moment, as Sienna turned, the scarf shifted. My wolf-enhanced vision caught a glimpse of smooth, unmarked skin.

Strange.

Mother bustled to the kitchen, already planning.

I looked at Kira. She stood perfectly still in the empty hallway. Her face was a mask.

Then she turned and walked toward her room.

Not their room. Not anymore.

I followed.

Her door was ajar. I pushed it open slowly.

Kira stood at her dresser, pulling clothes from drawers. A bag sat open on the bed.

My heart stopped.

"Sister?" The word came out small.

She glanced at me. Her eyes were dry. That scared me more than tears would have.

"Zara." She folded a shirt. "Shouldn't you be helping your mother?"

"What are you doing?"

"Packing."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" She added the shirt to the bag.

"Kira—"

"I'm not angry, little wolf. I'm past that."

"You don't have to leave. The pack needs you—"

"Damon has what he needs. His fated mate." Her voice was flat. "I'm just the competent wife who kept the pack running."

"That's not fair—"

"Life rarely is." She closed the drawer. Turned to face me. "Tell me something, Zara. Do you believe she's his fated mate?"

I blinked. "What?"

"Sienna. With her convenient scarf and timing." Kira's mouth curved. Not a smile. Something sharper. "Do you believe it?"

I thought about that unmarked skin. "I don't know."

"Neither do I." She moved to her closet. "But it doesn't matter. Real or not, Damon believes it. And that tells me everything about who he's become."

"He loved you." My voice cracked.

"Maybe. For a while. When I was useful." She pulled out a jacket. "But love without respect is just torture, Zara. Remember that."

She placed the jacket in the bag.

"What are you going to do?" I whispered.

"What I should have done the first time he made me feel small for being strong." She looked at me. Really looked. Her eyes weren't empty anymore. They were hard. Determined. "I'm going to prepare, little wolf. Always be prepared."

"Prepare for what?"

Her smile was terrifying in its calmness. "For whatever comes next."