Chapter 1

On the night before my fated mating ceremony, I was abducted, degraded, and subjected to two nights of relentless torment.

When my pack finally ransomed me back, the healer delivered a cruel verdict—I might never bear pups.

Without hesitation, my powerful Alpha mate abandoned me, turning instead to the Luna heir who had replaced me—Evadne Lovell.

Whispers spread like wildfire, poisoning every corner of the pack.

Drowning in despair, I sought an escape, choosing to end my suffering in the depths of the river.

As the icy water closed over me, darkness creeping in, a figure plunged in after me—Beta Theron Marchand, my mate’s younger brother. He fought against the raging current, risking his life to pull me back.

When he regained consciousness, his first words shook me—he had loved me for as long as he could remember. More than his own life.

He swore to claim me as his mate, to stand by me, to cherish me forever.

Moved beyond words, I accepted his vow.

Two years passed, and against all odds, I discovered I was with child. Overcome with joy, I rushed to share the news with Theron.

But just as I stepped forward, their hushed voices reached my ears.

"Evadne lost control and sent rogues after Selah that night."

"Thankfully, you paid a fortune to silence them and protect Evadne’s name."

"And you still took Selah as your mate, knowing she might never bear an heir. We’ve thought it through—"

"You cannot be the last of your bloodline, Theron. Evadne’s first pup will take the Alpha’s title, but the second heir must come from you."

Theron’s voice, low and weighted, cut through the tension.

"That won’t be necessary. My brother’s pup will be the sole heir of this pack. As long as Evadne is happy, that’s all that matters to me."

"And Selah… I will spend my life atoning for what she’s lost."

A sickening chill spread through my bones. My breath turned shallow, my body shaking uncontrollably.

So the one who orchestrated my abduction—the one who condemned me to suffering—was my own pack sister, Evadne.

And Beta Theron… the male who had pulled me from despair… had done so only to shield her crimes.

Even my own blood—my parents—had chosen her over me, casting me aside for the sake of the pack’s honor.

I pressed a trembling hand to my mouth, swallowing my sobs, forcing myself into silence.

Barely holding myself together, I turned and fled.

When I returned to our den, my phone lit up with a message from Theron.

"Samita, I have a pack meeting tonight. Don’t wait up—get some rest. Love you."

My fingers hovered over the screen, but I didn’t reply.

Instead, my gaze drifted to the keypad of his private study.

In the beginning, when we first bonded, I was haunted by nightmares. I could only sleep when Theron held my hand.

More than once, I had woken in the dead of night, reaching for him—only to find the bed cold.

He would always be here. Behind that locked door.

Hesitation curled in my chest before my fingers moved on their own, keying in Evadne’s birthday.

With a soft click, the door unlatched.

I stepped inside and froze.

The walls were a shrine.

Photographs, portraits—Evadne, from puphood to now. Every moment of her life meticulously preserved.

The shelves overflowed with relics of her past—gifts, trinkets, tokens of affection that had once belonged to Alpha Alaric , his older brother.

Evadne had spent years chasing after Alpha Alaric , offering him everything she had, only to be discarded time and time again.

And Theron…

Theron had collected everything Alaric had rejected. Guarded them like sacred treasures.

A strangled sound escaped me as realization clawed its way in.

When I was thirteen, my birth pack found me, bringing me home after a lifetime of being misplaced.

They had told Evadne to call me sister.

That was when I learned the truth—I was the true-born Luna heir, mistakenly switched at birth, while Evadne had been raised in my place.

For thirteen years, she was the cherished daughter.

For ten more, I was an outsider, always on the outside looking in.

My parents, burdened by guilt, treated me kindly but never like their own.

But Evadne…

She remained their beloved daughter, in every way that mattered.

So when the Marchand Pack chose me for an arranged mating, my parents agreed without hesitation.

I never imagined that Evadne had already set her sights on my mate.

She had orchestrated my abduction, had me defiled, all in a bid to take my place.

And my parents… and Theron… they had known.

And still, they had chosen her.

A sob tore from my throat, raw and agonized, as I collapsed under the weight of betrayal.

Just then, my mother’s name flashed across my phone screen.