Chapter 1

Arabella’s Pov

“No. Recall every patrol and suspend all negotiations with the neighboring packs. It seems I will be returning to the Moon Shadow Pack far sooner than we expected.”

I lowered the moonstone communication crystal from my ear, watching its pale silver glow fade until it became nothing more than an ordinary stone. The moment the connection broke, the strength I had forced into my voice disappeared with it.

A trembling breath slipped from my lips as I stared at the velvet gift pouch resting in my hands. My vision blurred, and I let out a bitter laugh that sounded hollow even to my own ears.

“Seven years,” I whispered. “Seven years of giving him everything... and this is all it was ever worth.”

With stiff fingers, I lifted the small carved box hidden inside my mate's ceremonial cloak.

For seven years of our mating bond, Tony had never once given me a meaningful gift. Whenever I admired a necklace displayed by a merchant or lingered before the jewelry crafted by the pack's finest silversmiths, he would dismiss me with the same cold words, claiming such things were frivolous and that a Luna should not concern herself with vanity.

Yet inside the box rested a bracelet fashioned from moon diamonds, each flawless stone catching the afternoon light like fragments of the full moon itself. It was worth a fortune, a treasure worthy of a Luna.

Only it had never been meant for me.

It belonged to Hailey.

My heart splintered as my gaze fell upon the delicate engraving etched along the silver band.

My love, beneath every full moon and beyond every lifetime. From Tony to Hailey.

Those words were sacred among our kind. They echoed the promise Tony had whispered while placing the Luna's mark upon my wrist during our mating ceremony beneath the Blood Moon seven years ago.

He had simply given those vows to another woman.

The bedroom door creaked open.

Tony stepped inside, his dark cloak still dusted with dirt from the training grounds. His brows drew together the instant he saw me standing beside the wardrobe.

"What is taking you so long to fetch my cloak, Arabella?" he asked, sounding more impatient than concerned.

I walked toward him without answering until only a single step separated us.

Then I pressed the gift box into his hands.

"This."

His expression faltered for the briefest moment before he released a weary sigh.

"Hailey has been heartbroken," he explained smoothly. "Her chosen mate rejected her before they could complete their bond. She has been grieving for days, so I wished to lift her spirits."

A quiet laugh escaped me.

The ease with which he lied no longer surprised me.

Hailey had arrived at our pack nearly two years ago as Tony's personal attendant, and from the moment she crossed our borders, the home we had built together slowly unraveled.

He stopped sharing our chamber most nights, claiming pack matters demanded his attention. Entire weeks would pass before he returned to sleep beside me, and even then he often smelled of vanilla blossoms and cinnamon bark instead of the pine forests surrounding our territory.

I had suspected the truth for a long time.

I simply lacked proof.

Perhaps because I had been too occupied protecting everything he believed he had built himself.

Every alliance with neighboring packs, every trade agreement, every negotiation that strengthened Moon Shadow Pack had been arranged through my own family connections and my reputation as Alpha Edgar's daughter. Tony accepted every tribute and every success as though they were the rewards of his own leadership, never realizing how often I worked quietly behind him to preserve the respect he enjoyed.

"Arabella," he continued after my silence stretched between us, "this is hardly worth arguing over. Hailey serves this pack faithfully. As Alpha, I may reward any member I choose. Whether I gift her silver, jewels, or coin is entirely my decision."

I met his gaze steadily.

"Does rewarding your attendant also require repeating the vows you once swore to your mate beneath the Moon Goddess?"

His jaw tightened.

For an instant, he had no answer.

Then his expression hardened.

"You misunderstand everything," he replied. "I instructed the silversmith to engrave her former mate's name. The fool carved mine instead because I commissioned the bracelet. It was nothing more than an unfortunate mistake."

I laughed again, though my chest ached with every breath.

"You truly expect me to believe that?"

His eyes narrowed.

"You speak to me as though I were an ignorant pup, Tony. You can commission moon diamonds for your attendant, yet in seven years you've never once thought your own mate deserved the same kindness."

His patience finally shattered.

"Enough!"

His voice thundered through the chamber, making the windows tremble.

"Do you have any idea what I've sacrificed for this pack?" he shouted. "Everything we possess exists because I have carried this burden alone while you remained inside these walls with nothing to do but question me. Instead of gratitude, all I receive is endless suspicion."

Before I could answer, he snatched the gift box from my hands and stormed from the room, the heavy door slamming shut behind him.

Silence settled over the chamber once more.

I stood perfectly still.

If his words had reached me years ago, perhaps they would have left wounds.

Now they only felt empty.

Today we had been expected to attend the Moon Farewell ceremony together.

One of Tony's longtime warriors had lost his life protecting the northern border from rogue wolves, and the pack would gather beneath the sacred oak to return his spirit to the Moon Goddess. I had grown close to the fallen warrior's mate over the years, and regardless of everything happening within my own marriage, I intended to stand beside her during her grief.

I changed into a simple black mourning gown, fastening a silver crescent brooch over my shoulder before leaving our chambers.

Outside, one of the palace servants bowed apologetically.

"Alpha Tony has already departed, Luna."

Of course he had.

Suppressing another sigh, I walked toward the stables instead.

Tony's favorite black stallion remained saddled, pawing impatiently against the earth.

As I secured my own cloak before mounting, a small wooden casket tumbled from the saddlebag and landed at my feet.

I frowned.

Another gift?

Curiosity overcame hesitation.

The moment I opened it, the familiar fragrance of vanilla blossoms and cinnamon drifted into the air.

I knew that scent.

For nearly two years it had clung to Tony whenever he returned home after spending long nights away from the packhouse. Each time I questioned him, he dismissed it with effortless confidence, saying warriors and visitors from neighboring packs carried all manner of fragrances, and naturally some lingered after council meetings.

Inside the casket lay delicate crimson lace undergarments, far too revealing to mistake for anything else.

Folded neatly atop the silk was a handwritten note.

To remind you of the unforgettable night we shared beneath yesterday's moon.

My fingers curled so tightly around the parchment that it crumpled in my grasp.

Yesterday.

Tony had not returned until dawn.

He had claimed urgent pack business required him and Hailey to remain in the council hall long after moonrise before escorting her safely home through rogue territory.

I had believed nothing then.

Now I had proof.

A cold laugh escaped my lips as I threw the casket back into the saddlebag.

For two years I had endured whispered excuses, empty promises, and carefully crafted lies, convincing myself I simply needed patience.

No longer.

Seven years of sharing my life, my title, and my wolf with him had earned me at least one thing.

The truth.

I urged the stallion forward, galloping toward the Alpha Hall where Tony spent most of his days.

The guards immediately stepped aside as I entered the great stone building, bowing respectfully to their Luna.

My eyes swept across every attendant and warrior moving through the corridors.

Hailey was nowhere in sight.

Without slowing, I climbed the winding staircase leading to the Alpha's private council chamber.

I pushed open the heavy oak doors.

The scene before me froze me where I stood.

Hailey stood beside Tony's desk, smiling brightly into a polished crystal recording orb as she lifted her wrist for everyone watching to admire the moon diamond bracelet.

"So," she said sweetly, turning the bracelet so it shimmered beneath the light pouring through the tall windows, "what do you think of the gift my Alpha gave me?"