chapter one

**POV: Cassandra**

"Mate..." said Sebastian Stones, my husband and Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack, his eyes gleaming with desire.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t referring to me, but to the woman sitting next to me at the dinner table, my younger sister, Emily. An anguished silence filled the room as Emily lifted her face and rose toward my husband, murmuring the same word.

"Mate..." she whispered, almost breathless upon seeing him for the first time after years away. Sebastian immediately let go of my hand, as if all our memories and moments together had been erased.

Instinctively, I followed my husband's gaze, which was fixed on Emily. She had just turned eighteen, and her wolf, Ayla, had recently awakened. Her beauty was stunning, with bright green eyes and blonde hair cascading in curls down to her waist. She had undoubtedly inherited our mother Johanna's beauty, who was sitting beside us at the table, as shocked as the rest of the guests, all waiting for my reaction.

"Sebastian and I have been married for five years, and together we decided to reject our fated mates. He marked me five years ago," I said firmly, highlighting the mark on my neck, indicating that he had chosen me as his mate. "Recently, the Moon Goddess blessed us, and we decided to have this dinner to celebrate our five years together and the arrival of our babies." I swallowed hard, caressing my belly, and looked in Emily’s direction, who narrowed her eyes in anger upon hearing my last words.

"How long have you been pregnant?" my mother asked, surprised, looking at my belly, which showed no visible signs of pregnancy yet.

"I found out about the pregnancy eight weeks ago. I didn’t say anything because I wanted to surprise you all!" I replied firmly, grasping my husband's hand, making a point to show off our gold rings. "We are very happy, right, Sebastian?"

He didn’t respond, continuing to stare at Emily, mesmerized by her beauty. The last time he had seen her, she was only thirteen, before leaving for her exchange program in Texas. Now, she had transformed into a stunning vision that seemed to capture all his attention.

Sebastian had convinced me to have a party to celebrate our wedding anniversary. At first, I refused, but he insisted, arguing that he wanted to show off my beauty to all the guests and celebrate the fact that we were expecting twins. The idea of sharing our joy with the pack seemed perfect until this moment, when everything we had seemed to be falling apart.

The room was full of curious and tense glances, everyone waiting to see how this unexpected scene would unfold. I squeezed Sebastian's hand tightly, trying to bring him back to reality. "Sebastian," I murmured, trying to break the spell that seemed to hold him, "we have something wonderful to celebrate here."

But he didn’t move, didn’t respond. The enchantment of Emily seemed unbreakable.

"Sebastian, don't forget where we come from and what we are building together!" I communicated with him through the mind link so no one else could hear. "We are expecting twins, and that is something worth celebrating. Please don't disappoint me!" I murmured nervously.

He blinked, finally diverting his gaze from Emily to face me, confusion and conflict visible in his eyes. Then, I simply took a bite of food from my plate, trying to ignore the embarrassing situation and distract the other guests' attention.

"Alright, let’s make a toast. Long life to the Alpha, the Luna, and the babies on the way," my mother suggested to ease the situation, and everyone around raised their glasses toward me, except for Emily, who rolled her eyes and huffed indignantly.

"Excuse me, I need to go to the bathroom!" She stood up, wiping tears from her eyes, trying to disguise her crying with a forced smile. "Congratulations, Luna, on your pregnancy. I hope they come healthy!" she murmured before leaving, pretending to be happy for me.

I took a deep breath and stood up to follow her when I felt someone pulling my arm. "Cassandra... can we talk in private?" Sebastian asked me through the mind link.

Before the party was even over, Sebastian took me to his office. His eyes were full of conflict as he spoke: "Cassandra... I... never imagined that my fated mate would be your younger sister. Out of respect for your mother, who has a heart condition, and for all the guests present, I must reject her in private to avoid causing more problems for your family. Since your father's death, they are your only family. You understand, right?"

I just nodded. It had been four years since my mother was diagnosed with chronic angina and had to go through several periods of hospitalization due to the instability of her condition. That was one of the reasons why Emily traveled to California and graduated in medicine. She wanted to take care of our mother and try to reverse her health condition.

"Alright... I'll go with you," I responded, nervous, with my hands trembling slightly.

"No!" Sebastian said, grabbing my arm and drawing my attention. "I will take her to the airport alone. You stay here at home, taking care of your mother and our baby. Remember what the doctor said; you need to rest. After all, this is a high-risk pregnancy." He said this seriously, caressing my belly tenderly.

Sebastian left me in the room that night, promising he would be back soon.

Hours passed, but Sebastian still hadn't returned. The news that the Alpha had found his true mate spread quickly throughout the pack. The sun was already rising, and I remember calling several times, but unfortunately, Sebastian was out of my reach. With each unanswered ring, my heart raced. The anxiety and uncertainty were almost unbearable. I sat on the bed, hugging my belly, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions threatening to overwhelm me.

"He promised me he would do the right thing. Sebastian will reject her, and everything will be fine. We'll be a happy family again, my baby," I murmured as tears streamed down my face. "He would never abandon me, not now, not while I'm pregnant. Sebastian loves me, and I'm going to be the mother of his children!"

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart, and wiped away the stubborn tears that kept falling. Every word was a desperate effort to convince myself that our love could overcome any challenge.

"Please, come back to us," I whispered, hugging my belly, feeling the gentle movement of our babies. "We need you. I need you."