I waited eight years. The day I was supposed to become Luna, my fated mate, Alpha Cayden, rejected me in front of the entire pack. Because I was barren.

He severed our mate bond and kissed my omega assistant, Lilith.

Turns out, they had already mated. The bitch was pregnant with his child.

Rage consumed me. I was ready to leave it all behind, but his mother threw me in a silver cell.

He planned to strip me of my wolf and my gift—and give my powers to his new Luna, Lilith.

Broken, I fled, only to be attacked by rogues and left for dead in a pool of my own blood.

When I woke again, I was in a strange place. My memory was wiped clean.

Alpha Rhys of the Shadowcrest Pack was by my side, promising to take care of me.

And me, the barren wolf, I was pregnant…

But I can no longer remember who the child's father was.

My fated mate, Alpha Cayden, rejected me at my own Luna ceremony.

"Lilith is pregnant with my heir," Cayden announced from the stage, his eyes locked on me. "She will be the new Luna of the Silver Moon Pack. The mother of my pup. As for Becca, she has failed to give this pack an heir. For this failure, I, Alpha Cayden, hereby reject her. However, the pack will still grant her the rank of Beta…"

He spoke of the position as if it were a great mercy.

My world shattered. The searing pain of our broken bond ripped through me.

Slowly, I lifted my head and met their gaze on the stage.

The golden aura that always surrounded Cayden fractured, replaced by a jarring, ugly gray.

The color of deceit. A color I’d never seen on him before.

Lilith was caressing her flat stomach, a triumphant smirk on her face.

Whispers grew louder in the grand hall.

They were waiting for a show. Waiting to see the Alpha’s rejected mate make a fool of herself.

But there were no tears. No screams. No hysterics.

I just wanted to escape.

I held Cayden’s gaze for a long moment, then turned and walked out of the hall, hundreds of pairs of eyes burning into my back.

Every step felt like walking on broken glass.

Back at our home—no, his home—I began to pack. Clothes, makeup, a few books. My movements were numb, mechanical.

My hand hovered over an exquisite magic music box on my vanity.

It was the last thing my mother left me. The only thing, she’d told me, that could soothe my gift when the world was full of lies.

Yes, I have a gift. I can sense lies.

It was a curse that made being around anyone unbearable. Until Cayden.

His aura was pure gold—a sign he would never lie to me.

I endured the pain of my gift to help him, using it to see through any deception, winning countless negotiations and expanding our territory.

And now, he had lied too.

"Becca."

I flinched. He was here. He should have been with his new Luna.

"I know this is hard for you, but—"

"Get out," I said. My voice was terrifyingly calm.

"Let me explain. You know I love you. I’ve always loved you. But Lilith is carrying my child. I have to do right by her."

Every word was coated in a magically enhanced, false sincerity that buzzed like static in my head.

I turned to face him, staring directly into his eyes. "You know I can sense lies."

"I'm not lying," Cayden said, stepping closer, trying to take my hand. "I do love you. That part is true."

And it was.

Beneath all the lies, his love for me was real.

And that made everything so much worse.

"If you love me, why did you betray me? Why did you sleep with her? Why did you get her pregnant?"

“You used the power of Alpha to hide all this. I didn't even notice it and had no idea how many times you had slept together!”

A flash of pain crossed his face, quickly replaced by resolve. "It wasn't a betrayal,It's a helpless choice!" he said, the gray in his aura deepening. We have never completed the Luna ceremony. And the Elders... they would only accept you as Luna after you bore an heir."

"The Elders?" My eyes turned red. "Eight years. Our fated bond. You're throwing it all away because of what the Elders said?"

"Becca, please." He reached for me. "Stay. Even if I can't make you my Luna, you can still be my lover. We can be just like we were before..."

I took a step back. "Like before? And watch you raise your pups with her? Watch you have a family?"

Just then, the door creaked open.

Lilith walked in, her face a mask of concern.

But I could feel the victory and malice radiating from her.

"Cayden, I heard you two fighting." Her voice was soft and helpless. "I don't want to come between you. Maybe I should just leave—"

"No." Cayden turned to her instantly, his tone firm. "You're not going anywhere. You're carrying my child."

Lilith looked at him, "moved," then turned to me. "Becca, I know you hate me. But I never meant to take him from you. It was all just… an accident."

More lies.

More static.

It was obvious. She’d planned this from the day she got close to me. Planned to steal my mate.

But what truly made me sick was when she tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing the mark on her neck.

It was identical to the one on Cayden’s neck.

A unique mark of a soul-bound contract. A mark only true mates could share.

The magical pulse from the mark sent a spike of pain through my head.

Lilith saw my shocked expression and her lips curved into a slight smile.

"This mark," she purred, stroking it lightly. "It just appeared. The Moon Goddess herself has blessed our union."

The gray aura around her flared.

My wolf couldn't take it anymore and snarled at her.

"Shut up! Stop talking!"

The next second, she screamed and threw herself backward toward the vanity.

"Cayden, help me!"

Lilith’s shriek shattered the silence in the room.

Before Cayden could react, her arm swept across the vanity.

CRASH!

My mother's magic music box hit the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces.

Crystal shards and silver gears scattered across the rug like fallen stars.

The heirloom that had been with me for over twenty years was destroyed.

"Lilith, what happened!" Cayden rushed to her side.

"No—" I scrambled toward the wreckage of the music box.

When the static of lies became unbearable, only its music, and the magic my mother had poured into it, could calm me.

Now it was gone.

Utterly destroyed.

Without its comfort, my wolf grew more agitated, more feral.

The aura of lies around Lilith became blinding, the static deafening.

"You did that on purpose!" I grabbed her arm.

"Ahhh—" She let out a pained cry. "Cayden, she’s trying to kill me! Her wolf—it's out of control!"

She slid to the floor, clutching her stomach, her face instantly pale.

"My pup... Cayden, our pup..."

A flawless performance.

But I could feel the smug satisfaction inside her.

This was all part of her plan.

"Stop pretending," I snarled.

"Becca!" Cayden shoved me away without a second thought.

He shoved me so hard I slammed into the sharp corner of a shelf. Pain exploded in my head as the edge sliced open my forehead. Warm blood immediately trickled down my face.

Cayden didn't even look at me.

He dropped to his knees beside Lilith, scooping her carefully into his arms. "It's okay, I'm here. The pup will be fine."

"It hurts... Cayden, I'm so scared..." Lilith sobbed, clinging to his neck.

I sat in the corner, watching them.

Blood dripped onto the broken music box, staining my mother’s picture red.

"How could you do this to her?" Cayden finally looked at me, his eyes cold and unfamiliar. "She's carrying my pup!"

"I didn't push her," I said, my voice hoarse. "She did it her—"

"Shut up!" he roared. "I saw you grab her arm!"

Yes, I had grabbed her.

But not to hurt her.

But no one would believe me.

No one would believe the rejected woman.

"What's going on here?"

Elder Seraphina's voice came from the doorway.

She was Cayden's mother, one of the pack's elders.

She was the one who had objected the most when Cayden brought me to the pack, declaring he wanted to mate with me.

"Fated mates can be rejected! How can a packless orphan be worthy of you?"

Cayden had argued with the council for three days and three nights. In the end, they’d agreed to let me become Luna only after I was pregnant.

Eight years had passed. I never got pregnant.

But Cayden’s love for me had only grown stronger. He even announced the Luna ceremony against their wishes.

And then, at that very ceremony, he chose another.

The heartache hit me again. I pulled myself out of the memory.

Seraphina swept into the room, her sharp eyes taking in the scene—the blood on the floor, the broken music box, Lilith crying in Cayden's arms, and me, bleeding in the corner.

"You vicious bitch!" Seraphina snarled. "You tried to kill my grandchild? The heir to this pack?!"

"Elder, I didn't—"

"Silence!" she snapped. "The evidence is right here! Lilith almost miscarried because of your jealousy and wickedness!"

She waved two guards forward.

"Lock her in the silver room. A dangerous woman like her can't be allowed to roam free."

The guards moved toward me.

I struggled to my feet, blood dripping from my forehead. "Cayden, do you really believe I would hurt an innocent pup?"

He held Lilith, his face unreadable.

But his eyes gave me the answer.

In his eyes, I was no longer the Becca he loved.

I was just a crazed woman, driven mad by jealousy.

The guards grabbed my arms, ready to drag me away.

Cayden finally spoke.

He stared down at me—bleeding on the floor of our home—and there wasn't a trace of pity in his eyes.

"Watch her," he commanded, his voice pure ice. "Don't let her out of your sight until the pup is safe."

I was thrown into a cell with walls of pure silver.

It was the Silver Moon Pack’s prison for werewolves.

The pure silver walls leeched our healing abilities, forcing every wound to heal at a human's agonizingly slow pace.

I sat on the cold, silver floor, the gash on my forehead still slowly oozing blood.

No light.

No windows.

Just dead, suffocating darkness.

My wolf was frantic without the music box to soothe it.

The silver in the room made it worse—I could feel it weakening me, throwing my gift into chaos.

I don't know how long I was in there before the door opened.

Blinding light flooded in, and I squinted.

A man in a white coat walked in.

The pack’s private doctor, Alan.

Behind him were Seraphina and several guards.

"Is the examination finished?" Seraphina asked.

Alan nodded, his expression grave. "It's not good. The shock caused the pup’s wolf soul to become unstable. If we don't act quickly, Miss Lilith could miscarry."

I felt the static of a lie from him.

He was lying.

But why?

"Is there a way to fix it?" Seraphina demanded.

"There is a special treatment," Alan said, his voice hesitant. "But..."

"Spit it out!"

"It requires a transfer of Moonglow energy," Alan explained. "It's a rare power that only forms within a mate who has a deep, established bond with an Alpha. It can stabilize the fetus and repair the damaged connection."

Seraphina's eyes lit up.

She looked at me, a cruel smile playing on her lips.

"Does Becca still have this energy?"

"She should," Alan nodded. "After all, her bond with the Alpha lasted for eight years. Even though it's broken, there should be enough residual energy."

More static. More lies.

This time it was so sharp it felt like it would tear my brain apart.

"Excellent," Seraphina said with a satisfied nod. "Then she will transfer her energy to Lilith."

"Wait." I struggled to stand. "I don't agree."

"You don't have a choice," Seraphina sneered. "You're the one who hurt Lilith, who almost killed my grandchild. Saving him is your responsibility."

"I told you, I didn't hurt her!"

"The evidence is clear, and you still want to argue?" Seraphina waved a hand. "Take her."

The guards rushed me.

I tried to fight, but the silver room had sapped my strength.

I was as weak as a human.

They grabbed my arms and dragged me from the cell.

Upstairs, Cayden was sitting by Lilith's bed.

She lay there, pale and looking fragile.

But my gift told me she was radiating pure satisfaction.

"Cayden," Seraphina said, approaching her son. "Dr. Alan has found a way to save the child, but it requires Becca's cooperation."

Cayden looked up and saw me, held captive by the guards.

"What way?"

Alan explained the Moonglow energy transfer.

Cayden's expression grew complicated.

"This process... what will it do to her?" he asked.

Alan hesitated. "It will be excruciating. And it will drain all of her wolf energy. She'll be extremely weak for some time."

"But she won't die," Seraphina added.

"She won't die," Alan confirmed.

Cayden looked at me, a flicker of struggle in his eyes.

I stared back, trying to find the love that was once there, trying to tell him the truth with my gaze alone.

It's a lie, Cayden! Please don't believe them! They're trying to kill me.

I sent the message through our broken mind-link.

But in that moment of hesitation, Lilith reached out a weak hand.

"Cayden... save our child... please..."

Her words struck the softest part of his heart.

Cayden took her hand, then looked at me.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I can't let anything threaten the life of my heir."

Two words.

Just two words sealed my fate.

"Begin," he said to Alan.

Alan brought out a complex set of instruments.

Silver needles connected by strange tubes.

"Strap her to this chair," Alan ordered, pointing to a chair by the bed.

The guards forced me into it, binding my wrists and ankles with silver restraints.

The silver seared my skin.

The tearing pain and my disappointment in Cayden tortured me at the same time.

"This will hurt," Alan said as he prepped the device. "But for the sake of the child, you must endure it."

He plunged a needle into my vein.

Instantly, agony exploded from the needle, racing through my veins like fire.

But this wasn't just physical pain.

It felt like my very soul was being siphoned from my body, ripped away piece by piece.

I couldn't help but cry out.

Cayden turned his back, unable to watch.

But he didn't stop it.

The ritual lasted for an hour.

When Alan finally removed the needle, I was too weak to speak.

All my strength was gone.

My wolf was dying.

"How is she?" Seraphina asked.

Alan checked Lilith. "Excellent. The child is stable. But it might not be enough."

Lilith gave a weak, triumphant smile. "Thank you, Becca."

Her eyes were filled with mockery.

"Take her back to the silver room. I won't have her trying anything else," Seraphina commanded.

The guards hauled me up again.

As we passed the door, I heard Cayden and Seraphina talking.

"Keep her alive until Lilith gives birth," Cayden's voice was low and cold. "Her energy is still useful. "