Chapter 1

Rainey's POV

Harvest Moon Festival was only a week away, and as Luna of BirchCreek Pack, I'd spent months planning every detail, the ceremonial bonfire, the traditional hunts, the feast that would bring our entire pack together.

But lately, joy had become harder to find.

I glanced at Yvonne walking beside me through the forest, her steps light and graceful. Three months ago, Mason had saved her from rogues at our territory border. "She reminds me of you when you were younger," he'd said.

"Luna, are you sure you want me on patrol?" Yvonne asked. "I know you're busy with the festival preparations."

"It's fine," I said, keeping my voice steady. "Mason suggested you learn our patrol routes. You're part of the pack now."

Mason suggested. He'd been suggesting a lot of things involving Yvonne lately.

I pushed the thought away because we were fated mates and the bond between us was sacred, unbreakable. Mason would never—

The attack came without warning.

Rogues burst from the tree line like shadows given form, their wolves massive and coordinated. This wasn't a random encounter but a planned ambush.

"Yvonne, run!" I shifted, my wolf surging forward. My rust-colored fur caught the fading sunlight as I lunged at the nearest attacker, teeth finding throat.

But there were too many and I felt the sting before I saw the syringe, a silver needle plunging into my shoulder. Wolfsbane. The poison hit my bloodstream and every nerve ending caught fire.

I heard Yvonne scream. Through blurring vision, I saw her collapse, another rogue standing over her with an empty syringe.

My wolf howled in agony as the wolfsbane spread through my veins. I tried to fight, tried to move, but my legs gave out and the forest floor rushed up to meet me.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the rogues melting back into the trees, their mission complete.

"Save her first."

Mason's voice cut through the fog of pain before I could even fully open my eyes. I forced myself to focus.

"Alpha," Dr. Morrison's voice was careful, measured. "With all due respect, Luna Rainey received a significantly higher dose of wolfsbane. The omega's exposure was minimal in comparison. Medical protocol would be to—"

"I said save Yvonne first." Mason's tone left no room for argument.

My body was on fire and every breath felt like inhaling shards of glass. My wolf was whimpering inside my mind, weakening with each passing moment. But even through the agony, Mason's words cut deeper than any physical pain.

He's not choosing me.

I forced my eyes open fully. Through the haze of suffering, I saw Mason standing between two beds, mine and Yvonne's. His hands were clenched into fists and his jaw was set with determination.

My mate. My fated mate. The man I'd known since childhood, the alpha I'd chosen to build a life with.

"Alpha, I must advise—" Dr. Morrison tried again.

"Rainey is an alpha," Mason interrupted without even looking at me. His eyes were fixed on Yvonne's pale face. "She's strong. She can withstand more than an omega can. Yvonne won't survive if we wait."

Strong. The word that should have been a compliment became my death sentence.

"But the dosage difference—" Dr. Morrison's voice held a note of desperation now.

"That's an order, Doctor." Mason finally turned to look at me and something in his expression made my already-breaking heart shatter completely. "Rainey understands. Don't you?"

I wanted to scream that I was dying, that my wolf was fading, that being an alpha didn't make me immune to poison. But my throat was too tight and my tongue too heavy.

Choose me, I begged silently. I'm your mate. Your Luna. Please.

Dr. Morrison's shoulders sagged in defeat. "As you command, Alpha."

Time slowed to a crawl. I watched as they prepared the antidote and moved toward Yvonne's bed.

"I'm sorry, Luna," Dr. Morrison whispered as he passed my bed.

The injection took seconds. I watched through tears I couldn't control as the clear liquid disappeared into Yvonne's arm. Almost immediately, her anguished expression began to ease and the lines of pain smoothed from her face. Her breathing steadied while mine grew more ragged.

And I was left burning alive from the inside.

The wolfsbane intensified as if it knew I'd been abandoned to it. My wolf's howls became weaker and more desperate. Alpha or not, we're dying, she said. And he chose an omega over us. He chose her.

Footsteps approached my bed and Mason's scent made my stomach turn.

"Rainey." His hand found mine, warm against my ice-cold skin. "I know this seems harsh, but you'll make it through this. You always do. You're the strongest person I know."

Strongest. There was that word again, turned into a weapon against me.

"I've already sent scouts for more Moonflower," Mason continued, his thumb stroking my hand in a gesture. "They'll find it. I promise you'll be okay. Just hold on. You understand why I had to make this choice, don't you? Yvonne is an omega and she couldn't have survived. But you, you're an alpha. You can take this."

Can I?

The question burned hotter than the poison. Could I take watching him choose her over me? Could I take knowing that my strength was the reason he was letting me suffer? Could I take the fact that medical science meant nothing compared to his need to protect her?

His hand squeezed mine tighter. "Please, Rainey. Hold on for me."

For you?

Something inside me broke completely and irrevocably.

I'd always held on for him. Through the long nights when alpha duties kept him away. Through the compromises I'd made to be his Luna. Through the little moments when I'd swallowed my concerns about Yvonne, telling myself to trust the fated bond. Through every single time I'd been "strong" because that's what he needed me to be.

And this was my reward, to be left dying because I was strong enough to take it while an omega who barely got scratched received the only cure.

But I couldn't speak and couldn't accuse. I couldn't even cry out the betrayal that was tearing me apart worse than any poison ever could.

So I did the only thing I could do.

I closed my eyes and shut out his face, his touch, his empty promises that meant nothing when it mattered most.