Chapter 1

Everyone knew that Alpha Marcus Hart cared about nothing more than his Pack.

The moment he became Alpha, he launched a massive territory expansion plan.

He promised me that as soon as the plan was finished, he would hold my coronation ceremony as his Luna.

I waited for six years.

Until that day, when I went to his office to double-check the pups' training schedule, and walked in on him holding a young she-wolf, Rose Miller.

She was sitting on Marcus's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Marcus, you’re about to officially name Lillian as your Luna. Am I going to lose you forever?"

His voice was incredibly gentle—a tone he had never used with me. "Never. You are the only Luna I want."

At that moment, I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice.

But my wolf inside me laughed.

She whispered, *Don't worry. Your fated mate is coming.*

I was about to walk away when someone called my name from the end of the hallway. "Lillian!"

It was an older she-wolf from the Pack, holding a stack of medical records for the pups, waiting for my signature.

The giggling inside the office stopped instantly.

I forced a smile, signed the papers, and then knocked on the door.

"Come in," Marcus’s voice sounded completely normal.

I pushed the door open. He was sitting at his desk. Rose stood next to him, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen.

"Lillian." He looked up, his eyes searching my face. "When did you get here?"

"Just now. Someone needed me to sign the pups' health records," I replied calmly.

He nodded. "Perfect. I have an announcement to make. Call everyone to the assembly hall."

In the assembly hall, Marcus stood high on the stage. Rose stood close to his left side.

I sat in the farthest corner, gripping the hem of my shirt.

"...So, we are in the final stages of our expansion plan," Marcus paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd before landing on Rose. "I want Rose to stand by my side as my future Luna to complete this journey."

The room fell dead silent.

Then, a few scattered, awkward claps echoed through the hall.

I froze.

Future Luna.

It wasn't "Lillian will be Luna once the expansion is done."

It was Rose, standing beside him as the future Luna.

I stood up so fast my chair crashed to the floor.

"Marcus!"

Everyone turned to look at me.

Marcus frowned. "Lillian, now is not the time."

"You promised me," my voice trembled. "You said once the expansion was done, I would be Luna. Six years. I waited for six years."

He sighed, his tone filled with annoyance. "Lillian, we already talked about this in private."

"No, we didn't." I took a step forward. "You were talking to me about the expansion plan just this morning. You didn't mention a single word about Rose."

Rose spoke up, sounding small and helpless. "Lillian, Marcus and I..."

"I wasn't talking to you," I snapped, keeping my eyes locked on Marcus. "Marcus, look at me. Tell me, what were these six years to you?"

His face darkened. "Do you really have to throw a tantrum here?"

"You're afraid of a scene?" I laughed, though my eyes stung. "If you didn't want a scene, you shouldn't have done this."

He walked down the stage, grabbed my wrist tightly, and lowered his voice. "Enough. Don't force me to embarrass you in front of everyone."

"You've already embarrassed me," I said, ripping my wrist from his grip. "You made me a joke for six years."

His eyes went cold. He leaned in close to my ear, his voice barely a whisper. "Don't forget what I have on my phone. Do I need to remind you?"

I froze completely.

Those nights, when we were intimate, and he took photos.

He told me it was just for fun, just a keepsake.

It turned out he was saving them as leverage.

"You..." My voice shook with pure disgust.

A smug look flashed in his eyes, and his voice softened. "Be a good girl. Go back to your cabin and calm down. I'll explain everything to you later."

Rose stepped closer, her eyes red. "Lillian, I'm so sorry... Marcus and I are truly in love..."

I looked at her fake teary face, and then at the silent threat in Marcus's eyes.

I slowly unclenched my fists and looked down.

"Fine."

I turned and walked out of the assembly hall.

Behind me, Marcus’s voice returned to its calm, commanding tone. "Alright, let's continue. Rose, tell everyone your thoughts on the new territory..."

I didn't look back.

The empty hallway echoed with only the sound of my own footsteps.

I stopped at the corner and leaned against the wall.

My nails dug so deep into my palms that they drew blood.

But I didn't cry.

I couldn't.

If I cried, they won.

I took a deep breath, stood tall, and walked out of the Packhouse.