Chapter 1

At eighteen, I initiated a mate bond with my stepbrother, Adrian.

Three years later, he announced an arranged marriage. I faked my death and fled, and he searched for me for three agonizing years to no avail.

After we got back together, all the werewolves envied me for having such a devoted Alpha.

Until the day of the hurricane, when I saw a video of him desperately shielding the she-wolf by his side.

I rushed to the hospital to visit, only to overhear him on the phone with a friend:

"Don't tell Rebecca I'm hurt. She'll worry."

"Rebecca is different from Cynthia. Cynthia is utterly shameless; she was the one who took the initiative to seduce me at eighteen."

Ten years, only to be called shameless by him.

When I was about to leave with the miscarriage report in hand, he regretted it.

"Cynthia, where else do you think you can run?"

————————

1

The cold draft blowing down the hospital hallway jolts me awake.

I composed myself, about to go in, when Adrian's phone rang again.

His voice instantly softened, "I'm fine, don't listen to their nonsense. Don't cry, as long as you're okay..."

"Just stay safe with the pack and don't come out. It's dangerous outside."

I remembered that just two hours ago, he had texted me, asking me to come and bring him some clothes.

The flooding after the hurricane was relentless, but I was so worried about him that I paid no attention to my own safety on the way here.

"Luna, you're here."

Adrian's assistant took the medical kit from my hands. "The Alpha is inside. I'll take you in."

He knocked and entered. When Adrian saw me, he quickly said, "Be good. I'm hanging up now."

I pretended not to have heard and spoke first, "How are you? Are you okay?"

He reached out, took my hand, and pulled me in front of him. "When you broke our mate bond three years ago, I coughed up blood in agony every single day and still didn't die. What's a little injury like this in comparison?"

In the past, whenever he brought this up, I would inevitably feel a pang of guilt and put him first in everything.

After all these years, he knew exactly how to control me.

But this time, I said nothing. He glanced at me with a hint of confusion and was about to speak when a soft, feminine voice sounded from the doorway. "Alpha, how are you?"

Adrian withdrew his hand, his voice flat. "I told you not to come."

She hurried inside and stood beside Adrian, her hands subconsciously reaching for his arm before she quickly pulled them back upon seeing me. "I was worried..."

Halfway through her sentence, she quickly changed her tune. "Alpha, I was just shopping nearby, so I bought you some things for your hospital stay."

I lowered my gaze to the paper bag in her hands.

Men's personal items were placed right on top, in plain sight.

A change of clothes, ointment, and even underwear—it was all there.

Smiling sweetly, she placed the bag down next to the medicine I had brought over earlier, then looked at me with a little "oops." "I didn't realize Cynthia had already prepared everything."

"Hi, Cynthia. I'm Rebecca, the Alpha's new assistant."

I reminded her, "You will address me as Luna."

"And another thing, you are the Alpha's assistant, not his life partner. From now on, you will learn to distinguish between what is professional and what is private."

The color drained from Rebecca's face. Adrian's gaze turned cold as he looked at me. "Cynthia, she is my assistant. It is not your place to reprimand her."

This was the first time he had ever publicly humiliated me for an outsider.

Rebecca then moved closer to Adrian. "Alpha, Cynthia is right. It's my fault..."

He cut her off. "You did nothing wrong. There's no need to apologize."

The moment the words were out, he raised his eyes to me. "Cynthia, apologize to Rebecca."

I stared at him in astonishment, and even his assistant's eyes were filled with shock.

Everyone in the North American packs knew how much he used to cherish me, how he had once revered me as his Luna.

Rebecca pursed her lips, her expression troubled, but she couldn't hide the glint of delight in her eyes.

I clenched my fists and asked Adrian, "And what if I don't?"

Adrian's stance was unyielding. "You can try."

He then added lightly, "You know the consequences."

In reality, it was more of a threat.

He was the Alpha of the Rageclaw Pack; for him, deciding a pack member's life or death took but a single word.

I used to think I was the exception in his heart, but now, it seemed everything had changed. He knew I needed him, that I had to rely on him. Otherwise, I never would have been the one to initiate our mate bond.

I bit down hard, the coppery taste of blood filling my mouth as my lip split. "Assistant Rebecca, I'm sorry. What I said earlier was out of line."

Rebecca smiled, looking for all the world like the true Luna. "It's nothing, really..."

I turned and walked away.

Notifications about the aftershocks kept popping up on my phone.

Adrian's assistant hurried out after me. "Luna, the Alpha has instructed me to arrange a hotel for you. I'll have the driver take you there now."

I didn't say a word. I got into the car, and after a long while of trying to calm myself, I suddenly received a friend request:

Cynthia, it's Rebecca.

Cynthia, I'm staying at the hospital tonight to take care of the Alpha. If you need anything, you can contact me. The Alpha needs his rest.

Her messages popped up one after another.

Just as I was about to decline, the car suddenly lurched violently. A giant tree, caught in the storm, came crashing down. Its heavy trunk slammed directly onto the roof, crushing the car with me still inside.

The driver was knocked unconscious, and my phone was flung from my hands.

I screamed for help with every ounce of strength I had, but no one answered. The seconds ticked by. I was hanging upside down, my energy nearly gone, when my phone finally rang.

It was Adrian.

My last shred of hope for survival was pinned on that call.

Just before the ringing stopped, I managed to use a thrown pillow to swipe and answer the call. "Adrian, please, save me..."

But the voice on the other end was Rebecca's, soft and gentle. "Alright, alright, I'll help you change the dressing. Just stop moving around, okay? It's not like I want to look."

"I didn't touch you there on purpose, you know. You're the one who keeps squirming."

"Adrian, you're terrible..."

Listening to her voice, I couldn't hold on any longer and finally blacked out.