Chapter 1

Chapter One

Leah’s POV

“Now, everyone, prepare to mark your mates!”

The elder’s voice echoed across the field, and I instinctively straightened in my spot.

Hundreds of wolves surrounded the central platform, their voices blending into one loud celebration as the annual collective mating ceremony officially began.

This was it. The moment I’ve been waiting for all my life.

My heart raced as I lifted my gaze toward the man standing across the ceremonial grounds, hope blooming in my chest.

There he was…

Axel Carter. Alpha of the Silvermane pack. The man I had loved for as long as I could remember.

Growing up, I had never imagined someone like Axel would spare me a glance.

I was an orphan. A girl who had been brought into the pack out of pity.

His father took a liking to me for some reason, raising me as his own, but even then, it wasn’t enough to escape the pointed judgement of the pack members.

I had gotten used to being pushed aside, so you could imagine my shock when the Alpha’s son took my hand, his grip firm and reassuring.

It confused me, so much that I began to wonder if he was doing it to please his father.

Then one fateful night, he shifted and let me ride on his back. I could still remember how the wind swept through my hair, carrying my laughter as we raced beneath the moonlit sky.

We stopped beyond the pack borders and sat beneath an old oak tree, talking until the sun rose over the horizon.

I was so focused on the sight that I didn’t notice Axel leaning in, and just as I turned to face him, his lips pressed against mine.

My mind went blank, and I surrendered to the kiss without a second thought, awakening feelings I never knew existed until that very moment.

It was the first of many kisses, and somewhere along the way, I fell hopelessly in love with him.

I swallowed hard, unconsciously holding my breath as he got closer. The crowd began murmuring, and I could feel dozens of eyes on us.

“Is he really going to pick the wolfless orphan?”

“He should know better,”

“She’s not fit to be Luna.”

“This is going to ruin the pack.”

No matter how hard I worked, no matter how much I proved myself, nobody ever thought I was good enough.

I tried my best to drown them out, pushing every doubt to the back of my mind.

But then—

He walked past me.

My breath hitched as his shoulder brushed against mine, leaving behind the soft whiff of his cologne.

I froze, my chest tightening.

What the….?

Slowly and dreadfully, I turned, the color draining from my face.

Behind me stood Zara Sinclair. The Beta’s daughter.

Axel stopped in front of her, his back facing me. Zara looked up at him in expectation, her lips curved into a knowing smile.

For a split second, she glanced at me over Axel’s shoulder, her eyes glistening with satisfaction.

The realization crashed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs

I should have turned away then. I should have spared myself what came next by walking away. But I couldn’t.

Instead, I watched as Axel gently cupped her face.

She tilted her head, baring her neck to him, and I watched helplessly as he leaned down and buried his fangs into her skin.

Cheers exploded around us, but I could barely hear with the ringing in my ears.

When he pulled away, Zara sealed their bond with a kiss, the fresh mating mark already beginning to glow faintly under the blessing of the Moon Goddess.

I staggered back, tears stinging my eyes and blurring my vision.

My hands trembled at my sides, desperately wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

The humiliation dug deep, searing into my chest like a blazing arrow.

After the kiss, Axel finally faced me, his arm still wrapped around Zara’s waist.

I didn’t know what to expect, searching his gaze for some kind of explanation, guilt, fear—anything. But there wasn’t a hint of remorse on his face.

He looked content, like a man who’d simply done what was expected of him, not someone who had just betrayed the person they claimed to love.

That was when I realized….that I was never an option to begin with.

I didn’t even dare to confront him. Pack elders surrounded him, patting his back and wishing him the best.

It was my cue to leave, and even though every breath felt like shards of glass scraping my lungs, I forced myself to move.

“Leah.” Zara’s sickly sweet voice stopped me in my tracks.

I wanted to ignore her and keep walking, but before I could take another step, she crossed the distance between us and caught my wrist.

Her touch made my skin crawl, dragging up memories of every time she had shoved me to the ground and called me useless.

She stepped in front of me with a smile so gentle it almost looked sincere. Almost.

Her fingers slid between mine, lacing themselves with my hand as though we were the closest of friends.

“I’m so sorry, Leah,” she said softly, loud enough for the people around us to hear. “I know this must be difficult for you.”

From the outside, she looked like the compassionate future Luna trying to comfort her rejected rival, but only I could sense the mockery in her tone.

“I’ll be fine,” I replied, keeping my voice steady.

I glanced at our interlocked hands, hoping she would let go, but she only held on tighter, blinking up at me through her lashes.

“Are you leaving already?”

“Yes,”

Zara pouted, looking back at where Axel stood. He was having a conversation with the ceremony priest.

“I want you to stay,” she started, “You’re like family to Axel,”

Family.

The word felt more like an insult.

“I want you to witness this.” The corners of her lips curled into a faint smirk. “I want you to see just how much Axel loves me.”

Just then, the warmth in her eyes disappeared, replaced by something that sent a chill crawling down my spine.

Before I could make sense of it, Zara leaned closer, her grip on my hand tightening.

“You should have known your place from the very beginning,” she whispered, her voice dripping with malice.

Something inside me snapped.

On impulse, I jerked away from her hold, but then my claws shot out from my fingertips, slashing across her forearm.

Blood splattered between us, staining the sleeve of her dress.

“Aahh!” Her scream cut through the celebration, demanding everyone’s attention.

I stilled, staring at my own hand.

What had I just done?

“She attacked Lady Zara!” Someone shouted.

Shocked gasps followed, and within seconds, warriors rushed toward the platform, forming a protective circle around Zara.

Axel rushed to her side, and she immediately buried herself against his chest.

He carefully inspected the wound. It wasn’t deep. Barely enough to require a healer.

But that didn’t matter.

I had just injured Beta's daughter. The woman he had publicly chosen as his Luna. And judging by the public’s outrage, the consequences would be anything but minor.

“A-Axel…” Tears streamed down her cheeks, her lips trembling as she spoke. “I only wanted to comfort her… yet she attacked me.”

My heart lurched.

“I didn’t—”

I was cut off by Axel’s sharp glare.

The same eyes that had once looked at me so fondly now held nothing but disappointment. And that hurt more than any accusation would.

He looked from Zara’s wounded arm to my bloody fingers, his jaw clenching so tightly that the muscles ticked beneath his skin.

For the briefest moment, an unfamiliar emotion flickered across his face, but it was gone before I could tell what it was.

His expression hardened as he straightened up, and I could sense the hostile waves of his Alpha aura.

“Why would you attack her?” He snapped.

I pressed my lips into a straight line, my mind going blank.

“I-I…I didn’t mean to…it was just—”

“Apologize.”

“Axel—”

“Now!”

I flinched as he raised his voice, my knees growing weak with each passing second.

“Make her kneel!” The pack members continued to yell.

“She should be punished!”

On cue, the warriors around Zara turned towards me, waiting for Axel’s command.

I took a cautious step back, my hands balling into fists.

“No…” my voice broke,“…I can’t…”

Axel frowned. “Don’t make me force you.”

My teeth sunk into my bottom lip, now faced with a cruel reality.

What was the point of staying in the pack when the only person who had ever made it feel like home was no longer mine?

I was the one who stood by him when his father died, mourning alongside him because I had loved the late Alpha as though he were my own father.

I was the one who stood by him when the weight of being Alpha became too heavy to bear alone, encouraging him whenever he doubted himself and offering my advice on matters concerning the pack.

“Axel…” I muttered, a lone tear slipping down my cheeks.

His eyes widened momentarily, his shoulders tensing as though he wanted to step forward.

But I didn’t wait.

Without thinking, I turned on my heel and ran, pushing through the crowd before shifting mid-run.

“Get her!”

Axel roared, and the warriors lunged after me, their thundering footsteps shaking the ground.

Branches whipped against my fur as I tore through the forest, weaving between towering pines and jagged boulders. Every leap sent a jolt through my aching body, but I didn’t dare slow down.

I veered sharply to the left, narrowly avoiding the snapping jaws of a warrior who lunged from the bushes. He crashed into a fallen log instead, splintering it in two.

Another wolf came from above.

I ducked beneath him just as his claws grazed my back, a sharp sting rippling across my skin.

Still, I didn’t stop running, gritting through the pain rippling through me.

My lungs burned as I pushed myself harder, my paws pounding against the damp forest floor.

The voices from behind me became distant, fading as I picked up the pace.

As I leaped over a lake, a sharp pain twisted through my lower abdomen.

I yelped as my body crashed into the ground, skidding across the grass.

Panic surged through my veins, a whimper escaping my lips as I shifted back into my human form.

“Argh!” I wrapped an arm around my stomach, breathing through the strange ache.

It wasn’t the pain that frightened me. It was the feeling that came with it. Something oddly warm and protective.

My wolf, who had been frantic moments ago, suddenly went quiet.

Then…

I felt it.

A strong heartbeat resonated from within me, right where my palm rested against my stomach.

My eyes rounded, knowing it could only mean one thing.

I was pregnant.

It all made sense now.

The reason I had attacked Zara hadn’t come from impulse. My wolf had sensed Zara’s malice before I did, and she had only reacted to protect my puppy.

A broken sob escaped my throat, joy and grief crashing into me all at once.

I was carrying Axel’s heir, yet he had cast me aside as though everything we had shared had meant nothing.

Taking a deep breath, I cradled my stomach with both hands, making a silent promise.

For my child’s sake, I would leave this pack and never come back.

My child would never know what it felt like to be unwanted.

I would make sure of it.