A rogue attack shattered my wolf, costing me my birthright as the pack's heir.

But my mate, Alpha Kael, seemed devoted to me.

For three years, he injected me with a "Lunar Essence" he claimed would help me heal.

I thought he was the only wolf who truly loved me.

I never imagined he was poisoning me with Silver Dust, a suppressant designed to crush my wolf's spirit.

All to ensure my wolf would never reawaken, securing my adopted sister Selene's claim as the pack's Alpha heir.

My hands shook, my world turning to ash, as I opened his safe.

Inside was the proof. From the rogue attack to the loss of my wolf, it was all a conspiracy orchestrated by Kael and Selene.

That night, I pulled the burner phone from my drawer and dialed a number I'd sworn I'd never call.

"Grandfather, I'm coming home. I'll be there in seven days. Please send someone for me."

Three years after losing my wolf, I learned that my mate, Alpha Kael, had been poisoning me with Silver Dust to suppress my awakening. All because the one he truly loved was my adopted sister, Selene.

I was standing outside his office, clutching a file, my knuckles hovering just inches from the door when I heard his voice.

"Have Clara’s blood reports come in yet?"

"They have, Alpha. The level of Silver Dust in her system is dangerously high."

Silver Dust?

My hand froze in mid-air.

"Good. Keep giving her the injections. Double the dose. She can't get her wolf back, not until Selene completes the succession and claims her birthright as Alpha of the Red Fang pack."

That was Kael's voice.

My mate. My Alpha.

"But Alpha, prolonged exposure to Silver Dust will shatter her wolf's soul…"

"I said, keep injecting her! She thinks it’s Lunar Essence to help her recover. She’ll never suspect a thing."

The file slipped from my grasp, papers scattering across the floor.

Three years.

For three long years, I'd endured the daily injections he administered himself, which he claimed were "Lunar Essence."

He told me I'd lost too much blood during the rogue attack and needed special energy to help my wolf heal.

He told me he loved me.

He told me he would protect me.

He told me he would wait for me to regain my strength.

All of it. Lies.

I bent down to pick up the papers, my hands trembling.

The voices inside continued.

"When can Alpha Selene complete the inheritance ceremony?"

"Another six months. By then, Clara will be completely useless. A waste of space with a wolf destroyed by Silver Dust. Who's going to care about her then?"

Useless.

A waste.

I could hear my own heart breaking.

…

I don't remember how I got home.

I only remember the memories flooding back.

That night three years ago, under the full moon.

I was in the forest alone, preparing for my coming-of-age ceremony, when a pack of rogues ambushed me.

When I woke up, I was in the hospital. Kael was holding my hand, his eyes filled with tears.

"Clara, you lost so much blood. Your wolf is weak. But don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

"But my pack…"

"Your father has decided to let Selene be the heir of the Red Fang pack. You need a long time to recover, and he can't wait."

I remembered the despair.

As a child, I was kidnapped by a rival pack.

I lost my memories and was forced to live as a rogue.

My rare gift of Sight made me a renowned Visionary—an artist who could weave prophecies into her work.

The day my father found me, I thought I finally had a home.

But not long after, the accident happened. I nearly lost my wolf.

And the psychic power I was so proud of.

Unable to heal quickly, I was no longer acceptable to the pack.

My father's adopted daughter, Selene, took my place as the pack's heir.

Worse, she had even swayed my fated mate, Alpha Ethan of the Moonstone Pack, to her side.

Only Kael stayed by my side.

"Mate with me, Clara. Let me be your Alpha. I promise you'll never be hurt again."

And so, I became the Luna of the Silver Moon pack.

But now, I was a joke.

I stood in Kael's study, facing his Alpha-grade safe.

The password was our mating date.

How ironic.

The safe opened.

It didn't contain important documents or wealth as I'd imagined.

It was full of Selene's things.

Her letters to him.

The gifts she gave him.

And a beautiful wolf-fang necklace, carved with ancient pack protection runes.

I picked up the necklace. The runes shimmered in the moonlight.

This was an Alpha's vow to his Luna, a symbol of eternal protection and love.

And I, his true Luna, had never received such a gift.

At the very bottom was a photo.

Kael and Selene, standing in the moonlight. He was placing the necklace around her neck.

Her smile was as bright as the stars, his gaze full of a deep, quiet tenderness.

The photo was dated... one month ago.

The day before our third mating anniversary.

I slowly put the photo down and took out the burner phone I'd hidden in the drawer.

I had saved this number for three years but never dialed it.

The phone rang three times before it was answered.

"Clara?"

The voice was old and commanding, yet filled with endless warmth.

"Grandfather," my voice was steady, "I'm coming home. I'll be there in seven days. Please send someone for me."

The next morning, my wolf was restless.

Even suppressed by Silver Dust, it could feel my rage and despair.

I could hear its faint growls, like a beast trapped in a cage.

I drove to an independent clinic on the edge of the city.

Old Shaman Mira tended to werewolves who didn't trust the pack doctors.

Her clinic smelled of herbs and the faint scent of wolfsbane incense.

The familiar scents calmed my repressed wolf slightly.

"I want to check the state of my wolf," I said, looking directly into her ancient, wise eyes.

Mira’s nostrils flared as she sniffed the air around me.

She frowned.

"You smell of silver. Heavily."

My heart pounded.

"Please, check me."

She motioned for me to lie on the examination table and placed her hands on my chest.

As she used her own wolf to sense my condition, her eyes suddenly turned gold—the sign of a shaman entering a trance.

A few seconds later, she snapped her eyes open, staring at me in shock.

"By the Moon Goddess... child, your wolf…"

"What is it?" I asked, my own wolf beginning to struggle faintly.

"Your wolf isn't damaged. It’s just… encased in a thin silver film, like a cocoon. This isn't natural, it's—"

BANG!

The door was violently thrown open.

A crushing Alpha presence slammed into the room like a tidal wave.

I felt my wolf instantly curl into a ball.

Mira fell to her knees, whimpering in pain.

"It's like what?" Kael’s voice boomed, his eyes glowing gold, fangs peeking past his lips.

A sign of an Alpha's rage.

"Alpha Kael…" Mira managed, her wolf completely submissive before him.

"My Luna is unwell. What were you doing to her?"

Kael strode to my side, pulling me up with a powerful arm and shielding me behind him.

His wolf radiated a fierce, protective aura.

But through our mate bond, I felt his anxiety.

"I was just... checking on her wolf's recovery..." Mira stammered.

"Recovery?" A dangerous glint flashed in Kael's eyes. "Shaman Mira, I think you're mistaken. My Luna's wolf was severely traumatized in a rogue attack three years ago. She's still in recovery. You weren't thinking of performing some dangerous forced awakening ritual, were you?"

"No, I wasn't—"

"Such a ritual would be too dangerous for her. Her wolf is in no condition to handle it."

Kael held me tighter. "Right, Clara?"

I looked at Mira's terrified face, at how she couldn't speak the truth under Kael's crushing presence.

"Yes," I whispered. "Let's go."

Back in the car, Kael held my hand tightly.

"Baby, why did you go to that old shaman? If you're worried about your recovery, I can arrange for the pack's best healers to see you."

He soothed me with his Alpha scent, trying to calm me.

"I just wanted to know when I'd get better."

"You will. I promise. But it takes time. You can't rush it." He kissed the back of my hand. "Those radical awakening rituals are too dangerous. I can't let you take that risk."

The same old excuse.

I asked him softly through our bond, "Kael, do you love me?"

His answer was instant. "Of course. I love you more than anything."

But the emotion that came through the bond was ice-cold.

Not love, but burden.

Not protection, but imprisonment.

And a flicker of something I'd never felt before... guilt?

"Then why don't we ever talk about our future? When can we have pups? When will I have my Luna ceremony?"

His hand stiffened.

"There's no rush for any of that. We'll talk about it when you're fully recovered."

When I'm recovered.

But I'll never recover, will I?

Because you're the one injecting me with Silver Dust.

I felt the coldness and rejection from his wolf, and my heart sank completely.

Three years of a mate bond, and I'd been living with an actor.

I stifled a sigh and turned to gaze out the window.

Over the next few days, Kael became exceptionally attentive.

He drew hot baths for me, cooked my favorite mushroom soup, and constantly asked how I was feeling.

"Did that old shaman scare you the other day? She's reckless."

He sat beside me, his arm wrapped tightly around me. "From now on, just tell me if something's wrong. Don't go to outsiders again."

"Okay." I leaned against him, feeling the superficial warmth of his embrace.

Suddenly, a thought brushed against Kael’s mind through a link—one that wasn't mine. It was a private mind-link from another wolf.

And it was a woman's voice, alluring and seductive.

Kael's body went rigid. His wolf gave off a scent of longing.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"My Beta has an urgent matter to discuss." He stood up quickly. "I'm just going to the study."

"But it's late…"

"It'll only be a moment." He kissed my forehead, but the gesture was rushed and perfunctory.

After he left the living room, I used my sharp wolf hearing to track his footsteps.

He didn't go to the study.

He went to the back garden.

Ten minutes later, my phone buzzed with an anonymous message.

A video file.

I opened it. By the moonlit lake, Kael and Selene were locked in a tight embrace.

He was gently placing a wolf-fang necklace around her neck.

The same one I'd seen in his safe.

Then they kissed.

A deep, lingering kiss.

My weak wolf let out an enraged howl that only I could hear.

The mate mark on my chest burned—the tell-tale sign of betrayal.

The video's timestamp showed: one month ago.

The message vanished a moment later, but the image was seared into my mind.

I knew it was Selene.

She was declaring war.

Three days later was the alliance ceremony for the five great North American packs.

I dressed meticulously in a deep blue evening gown.

It was my first time appearing at such an event as a Luna.

But Kael’s attention wasn't on me at all.

His nostrils flared, searching for a specific scent.

Until Selene appeared.

She wore a silver gown, her wolf giving off a pure, intoxicating scent.

Every Alpha in the room instinctively turned to her.

Kael immediately left my side and strode toward her.

"Selene, you look beautiful tonight."

He took her hand and gently kissed the back of it.

I stood frozen, watching my mate openly display affection for another she-wolf.

"Everyone," Kael raised his glass to all the Alphas present, "I have an important announcement. The Silver Moon pack and the Red Fang pack will form the deepest of strategic alliances."

Thunderous applause.

"Alpha Selene is not only beautiful, but a symbol of wisdom and strength. She will be the most outstanding heir for the Red Fang pack."

Kael's gaze rested on Selene, full of affection. "I am confident that under her leadership, our cooperation will usher in a new era for our packs."

Selene blushed, lowering her head shyly.

"Thank you, Alpha Kael, for your trust and... support."

Just then, an Alpha from a northern pack stood up.

"Alpha Kael, I have a question."

"Please."

The Alpha brought the microphone to Kael. "Alpha Kael... you have yet to complete the final bonding ceremony with your Luna. Is it because you're waiting to mate with the Alpha heir of the Red Fang pack instead?"

The room fell silent.

All eyes were on Kael.