Chapter 1

I covered my mouth with both hands, desperate to keep my sobs from escaping, even as my entire body trembled. From the kitchen, I could hear Isabel’s giggles, light and teasing, followed by a low moan that made my stomach churn.

“Oh my God, Gaby... yes,” her voice cooed, sickly sweet.

“Yes, baby,” Gabriel’s voice rasped, each word cutting through me like shards of glass. “Ride my dck just like that.”

I couldn’t take it. The bile rising in my throat, the ache in my chest—I couldn’t endure another second. I stumbled back from the doorway, heart pounding so loudly it drowned out the sound of my hurried steps. My mate. My so-called mate.

Once again, Gabriel was with her, and I knew what awaited me the next morning—another scar, not on my skin but on my heart, carving itself deeper. He would come to me, throw a cursory excuse my way, and continue his betrayal as if the mate bond between us meant nothing.

“Why me, Goddess?” I whispered, my voice breaking as I clung to the wall for support. Tears streaked down my face, hot and relentless. “Why did you pair me with him?”

The answer never came. It never did. Instead, a sharp voice yanked me back to my current nightmare.

“Hurry up, bitch,” Lena barked from the dining room, her voice laced with venom. “You’ve been here two years. You should be used to it by now. Gabriel loves Isabel. You’re nothing but dead weight.”

I bit my tongue, holding back the words I wanted to scream. Who was I? That question haunted me now. Once, I was the daughter of the Alpha King, a woman of power and pride. Now? I was nothing. Less than nothing.

“Move faster, sloth!” Alpha Vincent’s thunderous voice cut through the chatter of the dining room, making me flinch. His piercing eyes locked on my trembling hands as I carried a tray of food. “If my daughter’s birthday celebration is ruined because of you, I’ll skin you alive.”

I kept my head down, murmuring a soft, “Yes, Alpha.”

My hands shook as I arranged the dishes on the table, my humiliation burning like fire under my skin. For Gabriel, I had sacrificed everything: my crown, my home, my dignity. And for what? This—endless torment in the Lunar pack.

My sister Avery’s voice echoed in my mind. She had warned me. “Evelyn, don’t trust him. I’ve seen betrayal in your future.” But blinded by love, I ignored her. I ran from an arranged marriage to the most ruthless Alpha in the continent, chasing passion over reason.

The clatter of the tray slipping from my hands snapped me out of my thoughts. Cupcakes tumbled to the floor, frosting smearing across the tiles. Gasps filled the room.

“You clumsy little bitch!” Luna Penelope’s hand cracked against my cheek, and my head snapped to the side. Pain radiated from where she struck me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice hollow as I knelt to gather the mess.

“Reject her, Gabriel,” Isabel’s sugary voice whined from across the room. “She ruins everything.”

Gabriel’s arm rested possessively around Isabel’s waist. He didn’t even glance at me. His gaze stayed fixed on her as he murmured, “Soon, my love. At our wedding. I’ll make it public.”

His words hit me like a blow, and I struggled to breathe. My wolf howled in agony, clawing at my insides. I forced myself to my feet, my vision swimming with tears.

“Back to the kitchen, wench,” Lena sneered, her heel crushing my hand as I reached for a fallen cupcake. The sharp pain forced a gasp from me, but I didn’t retaliate. I couldn’t.

I stumbled to the kitchen, gripping the counter as the tears finally spilled over. If Gabriel rejected me, I’d be cast out as a rogue. I’d lose everything—my mate bond, my place here, what little dignity I had left. And I couldn’t go back to my father. Not after the shame I’d brought upon him by fleeing.

“Crying doesn’t suit you, princess,” a deep, mocking voice cut through my despair.

I whirled to see Cole, the Alpha’s illegitimate son, leaning casually against the doorway, a smug smirk plastered across his face.

“Leave me alone, Cole,” I snapped, hastily wiping my tears.

He chuckled, stepping closer. “You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But here’s the thing—girls like you? You’re not born to cry in kitchens. You’re born to cry in my bed.”

I stiffened, glaring at him. “Not interested.”

He grabbed my wrist, his grip firm. “You’d be better off as my mistress. At least then, you’d have protection.”

I yanked my hand away, taking a step back. “Go to the celebration, Cole. I’m not your charity project.”

His grin didn’t falter. “Suit yourself, princess. But they won’t celebrate for long.”

Before I could question him, a scream tore through the air, chilling me to the bone. Cole’s expression shifted, and he left without another word.

I bolted toward the garden, heart racing. Chaos greeted me. Wolves clashed, their snarls and growls mingling with screams. Blood soaked the earth where once there were decorations, and the air reeked of death.

“Isabel, run!” Gabriel’s voice rang out above the carnage.

My gaze locked on his, desperate, pleading. But he looked away, focusing only on Isabel, shielding her with his body as wolves encircled us.

And I knew.

When the time came for him to choose, he wouldn’t choose me.