Chapter 1

In the underground tavern of the Black Thorn Pack, everyone was playing "Two Truths and a Lie."

Elena, my dear Damien's best friend, leaned against the long table and tipped her chin up with a smug little smile.

"I've slept in Damien's bed."

"I've worn Damien's underwear."

"I'm carrying Damien's pup."

Nearly everyone at the table pointed to the third one.

So did I.

After all, Damien and I had been together for seven years, and he'd always said he didn't want pups. The pack elders had pressured him. His mother, the former Luna, had pressured him. Even the full-moon priestess had brought it up. Every single time, he'd brushed it off with the same cool indifference: No rush.

Then Damien lifted his eyes, his voice perfectly calm.

"The second one."

The tavern went dead silent.

Elena glanced at me and quickly waved her hands.

"Serena, don't get the wrong idea. I just borrowed his Alpha bloodline—the moon witch performed a ritual. Nothing happened between us."

Damien picked up right where she left off, smooth as anything.

"She didn't want to go through a mating ceremony with a wolf, but she wanted a pup of her own."

Elena flashed a sweet smile.

"What are friends for? Just a little borrowed bloodline, that's all."

I stared at Damien.

So when he'd spent seven years saying he didn't want pups, what he really meant was he didn't want pups with me.

The back room stayed silent for a good few seconds before anyone found their voice.

"You're really carrying Damien's pup?"

"Yep. The healer confirmed it yesterday—there's already a fetal heartbeat." Elena patted her still-flat stomach.

Damien offered no further explanation. He just lounged back against the leather sofa, his expression so composed there wasn't a trace of guilt anywhere on his face.

"So will the pup belong to the Blackthorn family or the Ross family?"

"Ross, obviously." Elena didn't hesitate. "I'm the one having it, I'm the one raising it. It's got nothing to do with Damien."

"But it is Damien's pup. How can it have nothing to do with him?"

Elena rolled her eyes.

"Borrowed bloodline. That doesn't make him my mate."

She reached for her drink, but before her fingers even touched the rim, Damien had already taken the glass away.

"You've just conceived. No drinking."

"Just one sip."

"No."

He pushed a glass of berry water toward her instead.

"Did you take the stabilizing herbs the healer prescribed today?"

Elena groaned. "Yes, yes, God, you're worse than my mother."

I sat right there beside him without saying a single word.

In seven years, the most Damien had ever said about pups was:

"I don't like pups."

And I'd always believed him. I truly thought he had zero interest.

But it turned out he knew perfectly well that a pregnant she-wolf shouldn't drink. He remembered that stabilizing herbs couldn't be skipped for even a single day.

He was more attentive than Elena herself.

"With the pack registry being so strict these days, how are you going to handle the pup's identity and bloodline documentation?"

Elena smiled.

She set down her glass, fished two silver-sealed Moon Oath Blood Contracts out of her bag, and slapped them onto the table.

"That's why Damien and I went to the Moon Court today to register as mates."

My mind went blank.

There on the silver cover—Moon Court Mate Registry—in black and white, it confirmed that Damien and Elena had been officially recognized as bonded mates.

Someone gasped. "But registering at the Moon Court requires Damien to mark you. Did you two actually—"

Elena waved it off. "Yeah, Damien marked me. But we didn't want Serena to feel bad, so the scent's been temporarily sealed."

"Serena, relax. I'm just borrowing Damien for a few months. Once the pup's born, I'll give your Alpha right back."

I drew a deep breath and looked at Damien.

"You registered at the Moon Court?"

"Yes."

"You marked Elena?"

"I did."

"When did you decide this?"

"A few days ago."

He said it like it was nothing—like it was just some minor detail that didn't warrant mentioning to me.

Someone finally seemed to remember something and turned to look at me.

"What about your bonding ceremony next month?"

I looked at Damien.

He didn't even pause.

"It goes ahead as planned."

"We'll hold the ceremony first. The marking ritual can be done later."

I buried my face in my hands.

Damien knew perfectly well that a she-wolf who hadn't been marked by her Alpha on the day of the bonding ceremony would be looked down on by every wolf in the pack.

I would never be recognized as a true Luna. I would be humiliated.

But the voices around me kept going.

"Once Elena's had the pup, I'll dissolve the mark and the mate bond with her. Then I'll take you to the Moon Court to register."

Elena laughed from beside him.

"It's only a few months' delay. You two have waited seven years already—what's a little more time?"

The whole table laughed along.

It was absurd.

The ceremony I'd waited seven years for and never gotten.

And Elena had gotten it just because she wanted a pup.

Just like that. Easy as anything.