Chapter 1

Ella POV

My best friend is pregnant with my husband‘s child, and they are clearly no longer trying to hide it from me.

David, my husband and childhood sweetheart, was standing in front of me with his arms wrapped around Amanda. Amanda had one arm around him, and her other hand was placed over her lower belly.

Amanda saw me and smiled coyly at me. "I'm starting to show," she said. She turned her adoring gaze up to David. "Your baby is growing so fast."

It felt like something in my chest snapped at those words. "How could you?" I asked in disbelief. "How could both of you betray me?"

David's eyes turned to mine with a cold expression. "I haven't betrayed you," he said with obvious distaste. "Amanda is my fated mate. I've known ever since my first shift when I was only eighteen."

David and I had known each other our whole lives. I had been with him on his first shift; we'd celebrated together. If he knew then, why didn't he tell me?

Through it all, I never knew that he had found his fated mate, let alone that it was my best friend.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" I asked shakily. "If I had known that you were fated mates, I would have stepped aside."

"My pack isn’t as powerful as yours," Amanda said with a sneer. "And I have four siblings, so I'm not able to inherit anything. We needed your name to win the Alpha King selection, but not anymore."

"Your use has run out," David said coldly. He released Amanda from his grasp and took a step toward me. From his pocket, he pulled out a vial and held it out. "Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be," he said. "Drink the poison yourself. That's an order from your king."

I'd stood by his side through so much. I'd helped him ascend from the rank of alpha to become the Alpha King. We've been married for the past three years. Then he wanted to poison me to death?

I shook my head slowly, wishing that I could shake away this whole bizarre scene. "I'm the Luna Queen of this country," I replied. "No one can kill me without a good reason, not even you."

"Normally, that would be true," David said. "But your family has colluded with rogues to betray me." His lips curled into a sickening smirk. "Or at least that's what's been reported to me, so I have every right to execute you. Don't worry, your family will be joining you soon."

"It isn't true," I said, with tears stinging my eyes. "I don't believe it, David. I have to investigate."

"You can’t do anything," he snarled. He moved towards me, but Amanda grabbed his forearm. He paused and turned to look at her.

"There's no need to become violent," she said sweetly. "Why don't you handle your work? After all, the king doesn't have time to waste. I'll handle this. Ella is my best friend; I'm sure I can reason with her."

David leaned down and kissed her lightly. "I'll leave it to you then," he said as he handed her the bottle of poison. Then, without even sparing me a glance, he turned and walked out of the room.

Amanda turned to me, and her face was so twisted with hatred that I barely recognized her.

"David has always loved me," she said, stepping into my personal space. "You should know that. Even on your wedding night, after you got drunk and passed out, he came to my room."

I felt like I was going to be sick. I wanted to argue, but I could tell by the look on her face that she was telling me the truth.

"Ever since he was crowned king, we've been waiting for an opportunity to kill you and the rest of your family. In fact, we couldn’t wait. That’s why David killed your father.”

“No!” I shouted, tears uncontrollably streaming down my face.

“Yes,” she replied with a laugh, as if she enjoyed seeing me in pain. “Did you think it was a coincidence that your father fell ill right when David’s pack fell on hard times and needed your pack's resources?"

I had so many questions buzzing through my head, but the pain in my heart was too much for me to speak. I put my hand to my chest, and beneath my fingers, I could feel the way my heart was pounding.

"I just had to let you know. You are no longer the alpha daughter that gets everything she wants," Amanda smiled. "Now I don’t have time for you.”

Without warning, she lunged forward and forced the vial of poison into my open mouth.

I grabbed her wrist and tried to push her away, but it was too late. The bitter taste hit my tongue and burned my throat. I fell to the ground.

I looked up at Amanda, who was smiling at me with so much cruelty that she looked like a demon.

As my vision started to go black, I promised myself that if I ever met them again in another life, I would make them pay.

With the last bit of energy and will that I had, I wished that I could have lived my life differently.

I opened my eyes, expecting to see bright lights or pitch darkness, but what I saw instead was confetti floating through the air around me. I was surrounded by the sound of applause, and when I looked down, I was holding a bouquet of flowers.

My mind struggled to process the scene. I looked and saw my friends and family assembled around me in a familiar banquet hall.

David, a younger version of him, was kneeling in front of me, sliding a ring onto my left hand.

Was I reliving his proposal? But why?

He stood up and moved to embrace me, but I quickly stepped out of his reach. I wouldn’t let him touch me. I hated him with every fiber of my being.

He reached for me again, and I smashed the bouquet of flowers directly into his face.