Before the pack's Winter Solstice festival, I was given a Moonwater Mirror, forged from the waters of the Moon Goddess Spring.

But the face staring back at me wasn't my own.

It was my face, but younger. The girl I was eight years ago.

Her eyes were bright with a joy I hadn't felt in years. When she realized I was from her future, she practically vibrated with excitement.

"Our fated mate, Alpha Owen, he confessed today! He's going to plant moonflowers around the lake cabin. He'll stay with me for every full moon. He promised to make me his one and only Luna forever!"

Her voice was full of hope for the future. Her joy was a bitter reminder of what I'd lost.

I listened quietly, only managing a faint smile.

My reaction must have given me away. Her excited chatter died. Her gaze drifted over my shoulder, taking in the cold, empty penthouse behind me.

"Wait... where's Owen?" Her smile faltered. "We're happy, right? After eight years?"

I didn't say a word.

I just slowly, deliberately, turned the Moonwater Mirror toward the terrace.

There, my Alpha mate, Owen, had another she-wolf pinned to the railing.

Their mouths were fused, their breaths mingling in the cold night air.

Through the Moonwater Mirror, I saw myself from eight years ago, bubbling with excitement over our fated mate's eternal promises. In return, I showed her Alpha Owen, eight years later, fucking another she-wolf right in front of my eyes.

On the terrace, Owen’s hand slid down the blonde's back, pulling her zipper down.

The fabric slipped down to her waist, revealing black lace lingerie.

Just as they were about to step inside, the woman suddenly stopped.

She noticed me standing in the living room.

"Wait, there's someone else here?" She frowned at me. "Who is she? Why is there someone else in your apartment?"

Owen didn't care at all. He even leaned down and gave her a deeper kiss.

He opened his eyes. His golden wolf eyes pierced through the glass, cold and amused.

"Ignore her. She doesn't mind. Right, my Luna?"

Care?

My heart used to howl. Then it went numb. Now, there's only silence.

Through the screen, the me from eight years ago saw everything.

Her face turned instantly pale. Her lips trembled, unable to form words. "No... no..."

The Moonwater Mirror went dead black.

Numb, I looked down, pulled out my phone, and sent a single text to my brother—the one I hadn't seen in years.

"Merry Winter Solstice, Leo. Hope you're doing well."

The she-wolf giggled, victorious. Her hand slid boldly down his chiseled abs.

"Where did you find an Omega mate this obedient?"

Behind me, clothes rustled. Breaths grew heavy.

They started moving toward the bedroom, still wrapped around each other.

The woman's heels dropped onto the floor.

Owen's tie was ripped off, reeking of that woman's heavy scent.

I slipped out of the room. I wouldn't disturb the two animals.

Twenty minutes later, the butler, John, appeared before me looking awkward.

"Madam, the Alpha asked you to fetch a bottle of red wine from the cellar." He avoided my eyes. "A 1982 Romanée-Conti."

"Deliver it where?" My voice was hollow.

"The penthouse suite." He blushed. "He said... it's to set the mood."

The wine cellar was huge. I spent over half an hour searching through countless vintage bottles.

Whispers from the maids drifted down the hallway.

"Poor Luna. He's humiliating her again."

"An Omega from a tiny pack. She never deserved our Alpha in the first place."

"I heard she trapped him with the Blood Moon Ritual. That's dark magic."

"No wonder the Alpha hates her so much. Any man would want revenge after being tricked like that."

The Blood Moon Ritual. The night that ruined everything.

The whispers dragged me back eight years. To the day I met Owen in the national park.

Our wolves instantly recognized each other as fated mates. But his mother, Eleonora, fiercely opposed it.

"An Omega from a weak pack will dilute our noble Alpha bloodline! Absolutely not!"

Right after that, my brother Leo's small company suddenly fell into a $50 million financial crisis.

Debt collectors showed up, threatening his life.

"Sienna, only the Blood Moon Ritual can save us." He knelt before me, crying and begging. "Force the mark with ancient magic. Owen will have to help us pay the debt."

I was pushed into a corner.

On the night of the Blood Moon, I followed the forbidden ritual, using my own blood to summon the most primal wolf instincts.

The ritual shattered his control. He marked me under the gaze of the Moon Goddess. An irreversible bond.

When he woke up, his eyes were like ice.

"So this was your plan? You and your brother set me up?"

"No, Owen! We're fated..."

"Fated?" He sneered. "Maybe you faked that too."

He gave my brother the money, but he told me:

"You trapped me. So don't even think about leaving. This is your debt. A debt you can never repay."

Our bond went from a beautiful dream blessed by the Moon Goddess.

To a conspiracy in his eyes—a scheme by me and my brother to trap him.

Later, I brought up breaking the mark.

But every time I tried, he would sneer and pin me down with his Alpha aura:

"You can leave once you pay back that fifty million with interest. Otherwise, I'll make sure your brother completely disappears from this world."

I hadn't seen Leo in years.

...

I found the precious bottle of red wine and walked toward the penthouse suite.

I knocked, and a lazy female voice answered from inside:

"Come in."

The moment I pushed the door open, I saw a scene of pure debauchery.

The blonde woman was half-naked, lounging on the messy bed, covered in fresh hickeys and scratch marks.

Her lips were swollen, her blonde hair sticking to her sweaty forehead.

Owen sat on the edge of the bed, shirtless, slowly putting on his button-down.

The room reeked of sex.

And the mate bond screamed. A fresh tear ripped through my chest.

Every time. Every time he touched another woman, I felt it.

"What took you so long?" Owen took the wine, sounding impatient. "We're almost ready for round three."

The woman giggled. "Maybe she likes listening to us?"

"Since you're here, stay." Owen pressed his Alpha aura against me, his golden eyes flashing with cruelty. "Watch what real passion looks like."

The woman sat up, looking at me shamelessly. "Or just take off your clothes and join us? A threesome is way hotter."

"Good idea." Owen nodded, his voice full of command. "Take off your clothes, Sienna."

My stomach churned violently.

I stumbled to the bathroom, collapsing before the toilet as my body heaved.

Stomach acid burned my throat as tears streamed down my face.

After I’d heaved until I was empty and shaking, I pulled out the Moonwater Mirror with trembling hands and activated it again.

She answered, her eyes red.

"Do you still think he loves you?" My voice was cracked and hoarse.

Sobs came through the Mirror.

"Why... why did he turn out like this? He promised he'd only love me!"

I knew that without living through these years of despair, she couldn't truly understand just from words.

Maybe she’d still make excuses for him, like I used to, thinking it was just a temporary misunderstanding.

I didn't blame her. She had to see. She had to watch it all burn.

When I woke up, the she-wolf was gone.

Her scent was everywhere. A stain on my territory.

Her unfamiliar scent lingered on the sheets, so strong it made me gag.

Even worse was the white-gold earring left on the nightstand.

It had a delicate family crest carved into it, carrying her scent. Like a territory marker.

Like she was telling me: She belonged here more than I did.

Owen walked out of the bathroom, his hair still dripping.

He saw the earring and a playful smirk crossed his lips.

"Jealous?" He walked toward me, opening his arms for a hug.

I stepped back instinctively.

His smile vanished instantly.

He sneered. "Look at you. Cold. Lifeless. No wonder I have to fuck other she-wolves to feel something."

"What do you mean?" My voice was quiet.

"When was the last time you acted like a real female?" He stepped closer. "Besides the night of the Blood Moon Ritual, when have you ever initiated anything?"

Every word felt like a knife carving into my heart.

"I am your mate."

"Mate?" He laughed loudly. "A liar who forced me with dark magic deserves to be called a mate?"

I turned and walked away.

I didn't want to hear anymore.

But that afternoon, I had no choice but to follow him back to the Blackwood Pack estate for a family dinner.

Eleonora, Owen's mother, was the last person I wanted to see.

For eight years, she’d looked at me like I was something she'd scraped off her shoe.

But this time, she didn't even glance my way.

She was holding the hand of Loretta, the she-wolf from last night, chatting happily.

"Loretta, you made it." Owen's voice instantly softened.

Loretta.

Her name was Loretta.

"Of course." She stood up and hugged Owen, looking entirely natural and intimate. "This is my second home, after all."

What did that mean?

Eleonora patted Loretta's hand, her eyes full of approval:

"She was the mate we originally chose for you." Her tone dripped with superiority. "Pure Alpha bloodline. Powerful family backing."

"Too bad some little Omega got in the way." Loretta’s eyes raked over me, dripping with contempt.

I stood by the door, like a complete outsider.

"Easy, babe." Owen snaked an arm around Loretta's waist. "The past is the past. And I already have a mate. If you two get along, she can visit more often."

Babes.

That’s what he called her last night. In bed. Right in front of me.

"Dinner is served," a maid announced respectfully.

The table was filled with a lavish feast.

But it was all meat.

Roast venison, stewed rabbit, seared steaks.

The heavy scent of meat hit my nose hard.

"This looks amazing!" Loretta said excitedly. "I love venison!"

My stomach started churning.

Today was the day after the Winter Solstice.

According to the Moonbrook Pack’s tradition, we had to eat vegetarian for a day to calm our inner wolves.

It was a sacred ritual. It couldn't be broken.

"Madam Eleonora," I said carefully. "Could we get some vegetarian dishes? Today is..."

"Is what?" She cut me off, her Alpha aura instantly crashing down on me.

"The Moonbrook Pack tradition..."

"This is the Blackwood Pack!" She snapped. "Weak traditions mean nothing here!"

I struggled to breathe.

The Alpha pressure made it almost impossible to stand.

"Mom." Owen finally spoke up. "Let it go."

He stood up, picked up a piece of roasted asparagus with his fork, and placed it on my plate.

His movements were gentle, his voice softening.

"Eat this." He patted my shoulder. "It's fine."

Asparagus was vegetarian. I looked at him gratefully, a tiny sliver of warmth rising in my chest.

Maybe he still cared.

I carefully took a bite.

Loretta suddenly burst into a ringing laugh.

"Hahaha! She actually ate it!" She laughed so hard she leaned back. "Owen, you are so bad!"

What?

"What's that sauce on the asparagus, honey?" she asked loudly on purpose.

Owen smirked. "Rich venison gravy."

Ice flooded my veins.

The taste of meat juice exploded in my mouth. The thick, bloody smell shocked my nerves.

The guilt of breaking tradition made my inner wolf go crazy.

My stomach cramped violently.

"You lied," I whispered, my body trembling.

"You chose to eat it," Owen replied coldly. "I didn't say anything."

Nausea washed over me.

I covered my mouth and sprinted to the restroom. I fell to my knees by the toilet and threw up violently.

I heaved until only bitter bile burned my throat.

I fumbled for the mirror again, nearly dropping it.

Her face appeared on the surface, her eyes red and raw with tears.

She took me back to the clear stream of the Moonbrook Pack.

He was looking at me, his golden eyes shining like stars:

"Sienna, I did my homework. Your pack has a tradition of eating vegetarian the day after the Winter Solstice, right?"

"When we're together, I'll do it with you. We'll spend every Winter Solstice together."

"And now?" My voice was raw.

"This is so cruel," she sobbed. "So cruel..."

I looked at my exhausted reflection in the mirror.

My eyes were dry. I couldn't shed a single tear.

Cruel?

My wolf was so broken, all she knew was the numbness.

Owen disappeared for days again.

While staring at the dim mirror, I got an unexpected message. It was from Leo, my brother, asking to meet.

The message felt like a beam of light in the dark. I thought he was finally coming to pull me out of this hell.

But the reality was, Leo grabbed my hands, trembling.

"My company... they set me up again." He couldn't meet my eyes. "It's worse this time."

"How much?"

"Thirty million dollars."

I felt dizzy.

Thirty million.

"They said if I don't pay it back in a month, they'll kill me." Leo gripped my hands tight. "Sienna, you're my only hope."

"Beg me?" I stared at him in disbelief, my voice shaking with rage. "Leo, do you have any idea what I've been through for the past eight years? What that fifty million dollars turned me into? And now you have the nerve to come back and beg me?"

"I'm sorry, Sienna, I'm so sorry..." He sobbed, collapsing to his knees on the floor. "I know I failed you! But..."

He gestured desperately to his leg. Beneath the fabric of his pants, a vicious, gnarled old scar was visible.

My heart seized.

The memory hit me like a physical blow, snapping me back to a night of wind and driving snow more than a decade ago.

Our parents were dead. My brother and I were wandering the wilds, searching for our pack, lost during the migration.

That night, we ran into a rabid shadow hound, its eyes red with starvation.

A split second before it lunged for me, Leo—just as thin and weak as I was—threw himself in front of me.

Its jaws locked onto his calf. His blood stained the snow crimson, but he just clamped his hands over my head, shielding my eyes from the carnage while muttering over and over, "Don't be scared, Sienna. Big brother's here..."

That scar was the price he paid. He'd traded half his life to give me mine.

He was my only family. He had saved my life.

But he was also the one who shoved me into this bottomless pit of hell.

Hate and an unbreakable bond of love warred inside me, threatening to rip me in two.

I hated him. I hated him for destroying my life!

But I... I couldn't just let him die.

I closed my eyes. The metallic tang of blood filled my throat, as if I was back in that snowy night.

After a long, agonizing moment, I finally forced the words through my teeth.

"I don't have the money."

"But you have Owen." His eyes were full of desperation. "Please, just help me one last time."

I wanted to say something, but the words stuck in my throat.

That first fifty million had already nailed me to a cross of shame, tortured day and night for selling myself.

How was I supposed to ask Owen for more?

When I got back to the apartment, a wave of nausea hit me, and I passed out on the spot.

When I woke up, I felt a strange fluttering inside me.

I performed a small ritual... and felt it. A new life. Growing inside me.

A pure-blooded Alpha pup. Owen's pup.

Even knowing this would bring a much worse storm, I had no choice.

That night, Owen came back to the apartment.

He seemed to be in a good mood, humming a tune.

"I'm pregnant," I said bluntly.

His eyes instantly lit up.

"Really?" He walked toward me, reaching out to touch my stomach.

I took a step back.

"Thirty million dollars."

"What?"

I met his eyes. "This pup costs thirty million dollars. Give me the money, and I'll carry it to term."

Owen's face changed in a split second.

His golden wolf eyes glowed with a dangerous light.

"What did you just say?"

"My brother needs thirty million dollars," I repeated. "Your heir should be worth that price."

"Are you out of your fcking mind?" His voice was a low, beastly growl.

A terrifying wave of Alpha aura crashed down on me.

"You're using your own pup as a bargaining chip?" He roared. "Do you have a heart at all?"

"I'm just asking if it's a deal or not."

He totally snapped. He grabbed my shoulders and roughly shoved me against the wall.

"You want money? I'll give you money!"

His kiss was brutal and completely possessive.

I tried to push him away, but his Alpha strength was too much.

He tore my clothes off, his movements rough, like a punishment.

"This is what you want, right?" He sneered in my ear. "Trading your body for cash?"

The way he took me had no pleasure in it—only anger and revenge. Each thrust was him claiming ownership.

He slammed into me, each thrust a brutal punishment. He was trying to kill our pup before it even had a chance to live.

When he was done, he pulled a black card out of his suit pocket.

"Take it." He threw it coldly in my face. "Thirty million. Is that enough?"

Then he slammed the door and left.

I lay on the floor, gently touching my stomach.

Miraculously, the pup's presence was still there. Steady and strong.

Three days later, I found Owen.

"The baby is fine." I said calmly. "I'll give birth to him. I owe you for the thirty million."

He was pouring a drink.

When he heard me, his hand shook, and the glass shattered on the floor.

Glass shards hit my legs, drawing blood.

But he didn't even look at me. He just turned and walked away.

That night, I activated the mirror again.

"I refuse to spend the rest of my life like this..."

The girl in the mirror shook her head, her voice shattering.

"I don't want my pup born into a family with nothing but humiliation... I don't want it..."

Listening to her mutterings, I suddenly felt like maybe everything could still change.

Just days after the thirty million was transferred, my brother asked to meet again.

This time, he cried and slapped himself over and over.

"Sienna, I'm a piece of sht! I owe another ten million... I swear, this is the last time!"

I stared at him, my mind a complete void.

All the strength drained from my body. I had no more excuses to beg Owen. I had nothing left to trade.

So, in my despair, I simply waited for him to come home. And when he walked through the door, I knelt before him.

"Give me another ten million, and I'll do anything you want!"

Owen kicked me away and suddenly laughed.

"An Omega's submission. You think that's still worth ten million?"