My sacred bonding ceremony with Alpha King Alaric should have been the crowning moment of my life.
Instead, Silas Greyson ambushed us on a blood eclipse.
He slaughtered the border guards, defiled the altar, and stole our sacred relic, the Eye of the Moon.
Channelling its corrupted light, he forged a false bond and sank his fangs into my throat.
"Ophelia, you belong to me," he whispered with mad devotion. "If I can't have you, we burn together."
When I woke, my memories were wiped and my priestess gifts locked away.
Bruised and limping, Silas cradled me like a devoted savior. "My fated mate," he lied smoothly. "The Moon Goddess brought you back to me."
For five years, he ruled beside me.
But dark sorcery always decays.
As the false bond frayed, Silas grew restless. Soon, he took Mara—a low-ranking Omega who bore my features and fed his ego.
Tonight, at the Solstice banquet, Mara finally made her move. Thrusting out her belly, she fingered the stolen Eye of the Moon pendant hanging against her chest.
"Alpha Silas gave me your sacred crest," she announced smugly to the crowded hall. "I'm carrying his heir. So, Ophelia, when are you vacating the Luna seat?"
The room went dead silent.
Silas sat at the high table, eyes dark and guarded.
I didn't flinch. "If I'm done with the trash, you're welcome to it."
Panic flared in Silas's eyes.
He had no idea my memories had returned. He didn't know the forged bond was shattering.
Alaric, my true mate and the undisputed Alpha King, had spent five years hunting for me.
Silas was utterly ruined; he just didn't know it yet.