Chapter 1

EIRENE

The night was alive with silver moonlight, casting a haunting glow over the clearing. The annual Moonlight Celebration was supposed to be a sacred tradition, a night where fated mates strengthened their bond before the pack. It should have been the most important night of my life. Instead, something felt off.

And then I saw her.

Annika.

She wasn’t supposed to be here.

I strode through the crowd, ignoring the whispers that followed me. My white ceremonial dress flowed behind me, but the unease crawling up my spine made it feel like a shroud.

“Why are you here?” My voice was cold, cutting through the murmurs around us.

Annika turned with a practiced, innocent smile. “I’m here to help you, of course.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Help me?”

She sighed as if I were the problem. “You aren’t familiar with the customs, Eirene. I grew up learning these things. I thought you could use the guidance.”

Before I could snap back, Rane’s deep voice came from behind me.

“She should be here.”

I turned to him, heart pounding. He looked… distracted. Not like a mate who was supposed to be preparing to mark his Luna in front of the entire pack.

I clenched my jaw. “I wasn’t asking you. I was asking her.”

Annika flicked her golden hair over her shoulder. “Oh, come on, sister. Why so hostile?”

I hated when she called me that. We weren’t sisters. Not by blood. My mother had died giving birth to me, and my father remarried Annika’s mother shortly after. That woman had poisoned him against me, and Annika had followed her lead.

Annika turned away before I could respond, her attention shifting to the maids arranging the ceremonial torches. “Not there,” she said, waving a hand. “They should be placed on the northern side, so they catch the moonlight better.”

The maid hesitated. “But Luna Eirene asked—”

“Do as she says,” Rane interrupted.

I snapped my head toward him. “Rane—”

He exhaled sharply, as if I were the one being unreasonable. “Annika knows what she’s doing.”

My fingers curled into fists. The murmurs started then, hushed voices slithering through the crowd like poison.

“She’s much more suited to be Luna.”

“She’s graceful, unlike Eirene.”

“Look how she handles everything. The pack already respects her.”

I felt like the ground was shifting beneath my feet. Annika was deliberately undermining me in front of the entire pack, and Rane—my mate—was letting her. No, he was encouraging her.

My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to straighten. “Annika,” I said, keeping my voice even, “you are not the Luna of this pack. I am.”

Annika gasped dramatically, pressing a hand to her chest as if I had struck her. “Eirene! I’m only trying to help. It’s embarrassing that you’re acting this way in front of everyone.”

The whispers grew louder.

“She’s too emotional.”

“She doesn’t deserve the title.”

“Annika would be a better Luna.”

Rane said nothing.

Something inside me cracked.

This was supposed to be my night. My moment. And yet, here I was, standing in my own pack, watching as my mate let another woman—my stepsister—take my place.

I turned away before my anger could get the best of me. My wolf growled inside me, furious and betrayed. But this wasn’t over.

I needed air. I needed space.

But more than anything, I needed the truth.

—

The palace halls were eerily silent as I walked back toward my chambers. The weight in my chest hadn’t lessened, and my instincts wouldn’t settle. Something wasn’t right.

I paused outside Rane’s door. It was slightly open.

A flickering candle cast shadows against the wall.

Voices.

A giggle.

My blood ran cold.

I pushed the door open.

And my world shattered.

Annika was draped across Rane’s lap, her ceremonial dress loose at the shoulders. His hands were on her waist, fingers tracing the fabric in a way that sent bile up my throat. They hadn’t seen me yet, too caught up in whatever sick game they were playing.

Annika smirked, running her fingers down his chest. “You don’t need to marry her, Rane,” she purred. “Not when I’m right here.”

He groaned, pulling her closer. “You know it’s not that simple.”

“I could be Luna,” she whispered.

“You should be.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Rane stiffened.

Annika turned, and the look on her face when she saw me—satisfaction.

She wanted me to see this.

I stepped into the room, my heart hammering against my ribs. “What. The. Hell.”

Rane shot to his feet, but I wasn’t looking at him. I was looking at Annika, who slowly adjusted her dress, completely unbothered.

“Oh, Eirene,” she said with a fake sigh. “This is so unfortunate.”

I trembled with rage. “You lying, manipulative—”

“Enough,” Rane snapped.

My head snapped toward him. “Enough?”

He ran a hand through his hair, looking like I was the one making this difficult. “Eirene, this isn’t what it looks like.”

“Really?” I let out a cold laugh. “Because it looks like my mate is cheating on me with my stepsister on the night he’s supposed to mark me.”

Annika smirked. “Technically, he hasn’t marked you yet.”

I lunged, but Rane stepped between us. “Stop it, both of you.”

I shoved his chest, forcing him back. “Don’t touch me.”

His jaw clenched. “Eirene, listen to me—”

“No.” My voice was like ice. “You made your choice.”

His eyes darkened. “You’re being dramatic.”

I almost laughed. Dramatic?

I stepped back, my wolf clawing at my insides, howling at the betrayal.

“You don’t deserve to be Luna,” Annika said softly. “You never did.”

I turned my head slowly toward her, my vision going red.

And then I smiled.

“You’re right.” My voice was eerily calm. “I don’t deserve this.”

I reached for the ceremonial dagger on the nearby table. Rane stiffened, but I didn’t even look at him. Instead, I grabbed the blade, sliced it across my palm, and let the blood drip onto the floor.

The bond between us snapped like a rubber band stretched too far.

I looked Rane dead in the eyes.

“I, Eirene Sylver-Stone, reject you, Rane Storm, as my mate.”

Silence.

The room seemed to close in on itself.

Rane’s face paled, his body jerking as the rejection took hold. Annika gasped, horror flashing across her face. This wasn’t what she expected.

I turned on my heel, walking toward the door with my head high.

“Eirene, wait—”