Chapter 1 A betrayal that cut deep

Rosalina

Ten years ago

“I can’t believe my sweetheart is going to be the Crown Princess. The future Luna of this pack.” My father’s warm lips brushed my forehead as the room erupted in cheers. His voice trembled with pride, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with happiness as he looked at me.

Today, the truth had unfolded before everyone’s eyes: my fiancé—the heir to the throne and my childhood best friend—was also my fated mate. Not only had our wolves recognized each other, but the bond had sealed itself. The news had flown like wildfire through the hall.

The moment I whispered it to my father, the pressure began. Everyone demanded that I be officially acknowledged as the future Luna. Now, the entire hall was filled with officials, old friends of my father, and the Alpha King’s family.

“Congratulations, Beta Taylor. We will have your daughter as the future Luna of our dearest Lycan. He must be happy as well.” One of my father’s closest allies raised a glass as the Alpha King’s family chuckled, their crystal goblets clinking together.

My cheeks heated. My stomach fluttered with butterflies that felt too wild to contain. I dared a glance at Cassius Wolfram—sixteen, handsome, and once my secret keeper and best friend. Now he was my mate and the future Lycan King. The thought made my heart race.

But my smile faltered. Cassius stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. Without looking at me, he walked out of the room. His jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff, and he didn’t glance back once.

“Is he upset?” I whispered to myself, my voice barely audible. I decided to follow him quietly. The house was suffocatingly full of people; maybe he just needed space. He had always been quiet, more thoughtful than loud, so I didn’t blame him.

I found him down the hallway, his posture rigid. But before I could call his name, his words drifted to me, sharp as knives.

“Why would I accept her? I never thought of marrying her from the beginning. How did the Moon Goddess think I should marry someone like her?”

His tone was cold, rehearsed—like something he had been holding inside for a long time.

My heart cracked open. Tears pricked the corners of my eyes, hot and relentless. My throat closed as though an invisible hand was squeezing it.

So he didn’t want me to be his Luna?

My wolf whimpered, rejected and trembling, her voice small in my head. She had thought he accepted us. So had I. But the truth was a jagged blade cutting through everything we believed.

“I’ll reject her once I have my succession day. By that time, we’ll be adults. Two more years and I’ll be free from this absurd engagement I never wanted.”

Each word felt like a slap, raw and stinging. My knees buckled. A sob clawed up my throat as I collapsed onto the cold floor, burying my face in my hands to muffle the sound. Tears spilled through my fingers. The weight of rejection pressed down until it was hard to breathe.

My mind spun with memories of my paternal aunt—how she had been rejected two years ago. I had watched her fade into a shadow of herself, living in heartbreak and agony. Fear gripped me. I didn’t want to become her. I didn’t want my parents to know either; it would break them, just as they had been broken watching my aunt suffer.

When I returned to the house later, I forced myself to act normal. By then, the guests had left, leaving the walls quiet but heavy.

“Dad,” I said, my voice steady but small. “Can I stay with Aunt tonight?”

He was in his study, papers spread across his desk, while my mother poured coffee with a soft smile.

“You always do it. Why are you asking me?” Dad chuckled, taking the cup from my mother and kissing her knuckles.

“Love you.” I rushed upstairs before the mask on my face cracked.

But Aunt wasn’t home. Only a note lay on the dresser, saying she had gone to the neighboring pack to meet friends. I barely registered the words. My chest ached.

I lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, my small world trembling beneath me. My fingers itched to send Cassius a message, but I couldn’t. Not tonight.

At some point, sleep pulled me under—shallow, restless. Then a scream tore me awake. My body jerked violently as smoke clawed at my throat, thick and bitter.

My eyes snapped open. The room was hazy. Shadows danced on the walls. Panic surged through me.

I stumbled down the stairs, coughing, my heart slamming against my ribs.

“Mommy! Dad! What happened?” My voice cracked.

The bedroom door was ajar, but before I could enter, a strong hand clamped around my leg, dragging me behind a door.

“Shush, baby,” my father’s shaky voice whispered.

“Da—Dad. What’s happening? The house is on fire!” My lungs burned. The entire place was filled with smoke.

“Don’t talk. Go and hide behind the door. Go!” His grip pushed me away.

Confusion and fear tangled inside me. I peeked through the narrow crack, seeing my parents standing in the center of the room.

The fire crackled louder, spreading, but they didn’t move. My father’s shoulders squared, his wolf ready beneath his skin.

“Well, well, Beta Taylor is still here. Aren’t you going to run?”

The voice was familiar. My heart stopped. I tried to push the door open to see, but my father’s leg blocked me.

“Sorry to disappoint you, Beta Taylor,” the Alpha King’s voice carried through the smoke. “But you know my son deserves better. And we deserve better than you are.”

“What do you want?” My father’s voice was a snarl, his eyes glowing faintly. “You could have told us you don’t accept our daughter. Why this madness?”

A harsh laugh echoed. Then Alpha King showed something.

My father suddenly dropped to his knees. His eyes widened. “How did you get those? Those are mine!”

I couldn’t see what he meant, but his tone broke something in me.

“Poor you,” the Alpha King sneered. “In this region, everything is mine. You should have never betrayed me and hidden that you’re an Alpha. Now tell me your pack’s name and give me that pack. I can’t let a traitor and a spy like you be my Beta.”

“This has nothing to do with any pack. It was a gift from my parents. I am no spy. You know me. We were friends. How can you accuse me?”

“Tsk.” The Alpha King’s grunt was followed by a sharp, sickening sound. He had kicked my father’s neck. The crack of bone froze me.

“No!” My mother’s scream tore the air. She cradled my father, who couldn’t move. Blood trickled from his mouth.

Before she could hold him tighter, the Luna Queen stepped forward. Her blade flashed before plunging into my mother’s belly.

“We can’t keep you alive after knowing everything. Once your daughter is in our family, you’d try to take over. How could we let filthy traitors become our in-laws?”

My mother gasped, blood pooling at her feet.

I shoved at the door, but my father’s weight still blocked it. Tears streamed hot down my face, my nails digging into the wood.

“Goodbye. This house will be your endgame.” The Alpha King’s boots thudded away, followed by the Luna and shadowy figures.

“Dad! Mom!” My voice cracked as I pushed harder until the door gave way.

My mother’s lips trembled. My father’s dim eyes found mine, pain etched into every line of his face.

“Run, baby. Don’t forget what happened. And—” His fingers shakily reached toward his neck.

“This will show you the path of your real home. Run.”

“You must take revenge for us,” my mother gasped, blood still spilling.

“No. You’re dying. I can’t. I’ll call for help.” My hands trembled as I reached for them.

“No.” My father’s voice was a fading whisper. “We will be killed no matter what. But you can’t. You’re the only one who can take revenge. Run, my child.”

My chest burned. The smoke stung my eyes. My wolf howled, pacing violently inside my head. My throat closed until every breath felt like fire.

I saw their bodies stilling. Something inside me snapped. My wolf surged forward, taking over.

Her fur caught flames as we shifted, but she didn’t stop until we leapt through the fire, claws scraping the floor. We burst out into the open, lungs dragging in cold night air.

At the front gate, Cassius stood watching the house burn. His expression unreadable, his posture calm—too calm. My jaw clenched, my whole body trembling with rage and loss. Instinct screamed that if he saw me alive, I’d be next.

Without hesitation, my wolf ran into the forest, darkness swallowing us whole. Trees blurred past as the world I had known turned to ashes.

Behind us, the girl named Rosalina Taylor burned with the house.