Chapter 1

At the Moonbinding Feast, Kael Ravenwood learned that his childhood sweetheart had been promised to his crippled rival Alpha.

His expression changed instantly.

He cornered me beneath the shadow of the ancient Moon Tree and demanded that I remove the Bloodstone Bracelet from my wrist. It was a Ravenwood heirloom, passed down through generations to the future Luna of the pack.

And he wanted me to give it to Seraphina Vale.

“Take it off. Now.”

His voice left no room for argument.

“There’s no way I’m letting Seraphina bind herself to that cripple. He can barely stand, let alone protect a mate. I won’t let him ruin her life.”

I had loved Kael Ravenwood for ten years.

For five, I had lived within the Ravenwood stronghold as his chosen mate.

Once, while carrying his pup, I had thrown myself between him and a rogue wolf’s claws.

The pup died.

I nearly followed.

Even so, I had endured everything to remain beside him until the day I could finally become his Luna.

Now every wolf at the feast was watching me.

Waiting for me to scream.

Waiting for me to humiliate myself over Kael again.

But as I stared at the man before me, so familiar yet suddenly so distant, something inside me went still.

There was a point beyond heartbreak where nothing hurt anymore.

I smiled.

“Fine. She can have it.”

Surprise flashed across Kael’s face.

Seraphina, dressed in the ceremonial white robes meant for another Alpha’s mate and nestled against Kael’s chest, immediately stopped crying.

A sweet smile curved her lips as she held out her hand.

Without hesitation, I unclasped the Bloodstone Bracelet from my wrist and fastened it around hers.

Only then did Kael look satisfied.

“Delia Ashbourne, remember your place. You owe me.”

I lowered my eyes to my bare wrist and smiled.

I said nothing.

But one thought remained perfectly clear.

I never owed you anything.

That same night, Kael took Seraphina beyond the Ravenwood borders, claiming he needed to escort her to the sacred Moon Shrine before the next full moon.

He assumed I would do what I had always done.

Stay behind.

Wait for him.

Forgive him when he returned.

What Kael didn’t know was that shortly after he left, his crippled rival arrived at Ravenwood Keep.

“I’ve never been the sort of Alpha who allows an insult to go unanswered.”

Lucian Blackthorn sat in a carved ebony chair, his useless legs hidden beneath a dark wolfskin cloak.

Yet nothing about him seemed weak.

He reminded me of a predator resting in the shadows, perfectly still only because it had not yet decided to strike.

His silver eyes settled on mine.

“Ravenwood took the woman who was promised to me. I have no intention of simply accepting that.”

I studied him carefully.

“What exactly are you proposing, Alpha Blackthorn?”

The corner of Lucian’s mouth lifted.

“Delia, how would you feel about coming with me to the Moon Temple?”

His gaze dropped briefly to my bare wrist before returning to my eyes.

“And becoming my Luna instead?”

……

I stared at the image spreading through every great pack in the Southern Territories.

Dustin Delgado and Gabriella Hughes stood beneath the crimson leaves of the Moonwood, locked in a passionate kiss as hundreds of sky lanterns drifted above them.

I looked at it only once.

Then I gathered my identification sigil and followed Les Simmons straight to the Temple of the Moon Goddess.

It wasn't until the High Priestess pressed our joined hands to the ancient Moonstone and our names appeared together on the silver marriage parchment that the truth finally settled over me.

I was married.

And my husband wasn't Dustin Delgado, the Alpha heir I'd loved for years.

It was the man Dustin hated most in this world.

"Now that the Moon Goddess has witnessed our bond, you're my wife."

Les's fingers brushed lightly over my wrist, dangerously close to the fresh silver mark left by the binding ritual. His smile was as charming and reckless as ever.

"When are you coming back to my territory with me?"

"Give me ten days. I need to settle everything here first."

He considered that for a moment before nodding.

"Then we'll hold the bonding ceremony in ten days. It's rushed, but I promise you, Delia, nothing will be neglected."

He motioned for me to come closer.

Then he fastened a platinum brooch to my cloak. At its center rested a flawless green moonstone, an ancient gem said to have been blessed by the Moon Goddess herself.

"This belonged to my great-grandmother. Every Luna of the Simmons bloodline has worn it. Now it's yours."

As he lowered his hands, I noticed something almost absurd beneath that careless, devil-may-care expression.

The tips of his ears had turned bright red.

I ran my fingers over the brooch and couldn't suppress a quiet laugh.

"I'll treasure it."

A week into Dustin and Gabriella's so-called journey of blessing, Dustin finally remembered I existed.

"We return to the Delgado territory tonight. Prepare the Great Hall. I'm holding a pack banquet."

His mind-link dragged me awake at dawn.

Not once did he ask how I had endured the past several days while every noble pack in the South whispered about my humiliation.

His tone was still commanding.

Still arrogant.

As though nothing had happened.

But that wasn't true.

It wasn't that nothing had happened.

It was simply that my pain, my dignity, and even my existence meant almost nothing to him.

Meanwhile, every stage of his journey with Gabriella had been carried across the territories by messenger hawks and enchanted mirrors.

I'd seen the images.

The two of them kissing beneath the sacred falls of Silverpeak.

Bathing together in the steaming springs of the Northern Mountains.

Standing before an ancient Moon Goddess shrine and exchanging vows beneath a sky full of stars.

Every place had once been on the list I'd made for our own bonding journey.

Dustin had fulfilled every wish.

Just not with me.

"Answer me, Delia Sullivan. Have you gone deaf?"

When I remained silent, Dustin's voice turned cold through the mind-link.

I pulled myself from my thoughts.

"Understood."

This would be the last time anyway.

"I'll prepare everything."

For five years, every important gathering held by Dustin had been arranged by me.

With the fewest resources, I made certain every feast, hunt, and alliance ceremony displayed the strength of the Delgado Pack.

Dustin fell silent for a moment.

Then he said, "Remember this. Without me, you're nothing but a wolfless orphan with no pack to call her own."

The mind-link snapped shut.

What Dustin didn't know was that three days from now, my husband would arrive to claim me before every Alpha in the Southern Territories.

And I would become the youngest Luna in the history of the Simmons Pack, the oldest and most powerful wolf clan in the Northern Realm.

I worked until nightfall.

By the time I finally straightened, the moon had already risen.

The Delgado Pack's banquet began beneath the light of the full moon.

The Great Hall blazed with hundreds of candles. Alphas, Lunas, warriors, and elders from the surrounding territories filled the long stone chamber.

Goblets clinked.

Music echoed beneath the vaulted ceiling.

Then Gabriella entered on Dustin's arm.

They wore matching silver ceremonial robes.

Gabriella's gown clung to her body before spilling across the floor like liquid moonlight.

She deliberately lifted one hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

Every gaze in the hall immediately fell upon the Blood Jade Bracelet around her wrist.

Whispers swept through the crowd.

"That's the Delgado heirloom."

"It has belonged to the Luna of the Delgado Pack for generations."

"It suits Lady Gabriella far better."

Another woman laughed softly.

"Can you imagine? That orphan who abandoned Dustin for his uncle actually thought she deserved to wear it."

"She really believed she could become Luna of the Delgado Pack."

"How ridiculous."

Their contemptuous gazes turned toward me.

Seven years ago, I'd forced myself to leave Dustin and accepted a mating arrangement with his uncle, Marvin Delgado.

Two years later, Dustin defeated Marvin in the Alpha Challenge and seized the position of heir.

The first thing he did afterward was bring me back to his side, despite the opposition of nearly every elder in the Delgado Pack.

For five years, I had stood beside him.

When rival packs challenged our borders, I negotiated alliances.

When the Delgado treasury nearly collapsed, I rebuilt its trade routes.

When half the elders opposed Dustin's succession, I helped him secure their loyalty one by one.

I had helped drag the Delgado Pack back from the edge of ruin and made it stronger than it had been in generations.

Yet now, in their stories, I was nothing more than a greedy orphan who changed mates whenever a stronger Alpha appeared.

I didn't defend myself.

I simply sat in silence and took a sip from my goblet.

Dustin said nothing either.

He moved through the hall greeting visiting Alphas and exchanging ceremonial toasts.

Every so often, his gaze drifted toward me.

After Gabriella had enjoyed enough admiration, she finally approached.

She stopped directly in front of me.

Her red lips curved as her eyes settled on the ruby earrings hanging from my ears.

"Delia, darling. The Blood Jade Bracelet is already mine."

Her smile deepened.

"Don't you think those earrings no longer belong to you either?"

I touched them instinctively.

Dustin had once surrendered three silver mines and a fertile hunting valley to obtain those rubies because they perfectly matched the Blood Jade Bracelet.

He had given them to me himself.

Gabriella's smile turned malicious.

She reached toward my ear.

I raised my hand to stop her.

I hadn't even touched her when Gabriella suddenly cried out and collapsed onto the stone floor.

When she lifted herself again, a thin red scrape marked her palm where it had struck the ground.

Her eyes immediately filled with tears.

"It hurts..."

She looked at me as though frightened.

"I only wanted to borrow them for a moment. Why did you push me, Delia?"

Across the hall, Dustin turned.

The instant he saw Gabriella on the floor, his expression darkened.

Conversation died around us.

He crossed the hall in several furious strides and lifted Gabriella into his arms.

His eyes dropped to the scrape on her palm.

Then he looked at me.

"Who gave you permission to touch her?"

His Alpha aura exploded through the Great Hall.

He had no intention of asking what had happened.

No intention of hearing my explanation.

Every word carried concern for her and fury toward me.

I stared at him.

At the wolf I'd loved for ten years.

At the man I'd sacrificed almost everything for.

A vicious pain twisted through my stomach.

I closed my eyes and forced the tears back.

When I opened them again, I didn't argue.

I didn't make a scene.

I simply reached for the ruby earrings.

Then, beneath the stunned gazes of everyone in the Great Hall, I tore them from my ears.

The sharp posts ripped through my earlobes.

Blood slid slowly down my neck.

I didn't flinch.

I placed the bloodstained rubies in Gabriella's palm.

"You're right."

My voice was calm.

"I overstepped."

I looked at the Blood Jade Bracelet gleaming around her wrist.

"Since you're going to be the Luna of the Delgado Pack, these should have been yours all along."