Chapter 1

• Camellia's POV
• I was in my third month of trying to conceive when I saw a message on my mate Esmond's phone from a contact named "Hazel".
• I frowned in thought, suddenly，strong arms suddenly wrapped around my waist from behind.
• The scent of damp pine needles and smoky oak flooded my senses—Esmond's scent.
• His heated body pressed against mine as his teeth grazed my earlobe, sending sparks down my spine.
• "Where do you want me tonight, sweetheart? By the window or on the couch?" His voice rumbled against my skin, his breath hot.
• Before I could answer, he scooped me up and dropped me onto the leather sofa, his shadow looming over me.
• "Since you're being quiet, I'll pick the couch." His amber eyes glowed with that primal hunger all wolves carried during the full moon.
• "Will you finally mark me tonight?"
• "Soon," he growled, trailing kisses down my throat. "Like I promised—after you're carrying our heir. My father's itching to meet Ironclaw's future alpha."
• His fingers slid toward the zipper of my dress.
• "Wait—we're in the packhouse," I protested, pushing weakly at his chest.
• His thumb traced the faint crescent scar on my neck—the temporary mark he left during our bonding ceremony.
• "Meet me in our room. I'll wash off the patrol stench." He kissed me once more before disappearing down the hall.
• Lyra whimpered in my head, the hollow ache spreading through my ribs.
• "He's holding back," she hissed. "Why won't he claim us?"
• "Maybe tonight, Lyra," I said.
• I folded Esmond's discarded leather jacket.
• A slip of paper fluttered to the floor. My blood froze.
• It was a business card. It read "Hazel Berry."
• I flipped it over. Scrawled on the back, "When the moon swells full, I can't control how badly my wolf wants you. The same way yours wants me."
• The faint tang of verbena hit my nose.
• The card almost slipped from my trembling fingers.
• I took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
• The door slammed open.
• Esmond stood framed in moonlight, water glistening on his sculpted torso. His eyes burned with restless energy.
• "Babe, emergency at the company. Gotta handle it." He pulled me into a quick hug, his touch colder than usual.
• It felt like a knife had stabbed my heart. Disappointment and sadness washed over me like a tidal wave.
• "Can't it wait? It's the full moon—"
• "Wish it could. Be back soon." His kiss grazed my forehead before he vanished.
• The moment his footsteps faded, the temporary mark ignited.
• Burning pain shot through my veins, scorching my throat and nearly suffocating me.
• Suddenly, my chest started to ache. The pain was drilling into my bones, making it hard to breathe.
• Then the visions hit—a tangled bedsheet, Esmond's hands buried in golden hair.
• "He's with her!" Lyra howled. "Our mate betrayed us!"
• The pain faded, leaving me slumped in the corner of my bedroom. My clothes stuck to me like second skin, drenched in cold sweat.
• I was the Alpha's daughter of Shadowfang Pack.
• My arranged marriage to Esmond from Ironclaw Pack had been strictly political - two powerful werewolf packs merging through their heirs.
• As the Alpha's daughter, my marriage was a tool to strengthen our pack.
• We weren't supposed to feel anything. But after the mating ceremony's temporary mark... something shifted.
• The bond made me care. And now this?
• I couldn't believe he would betray me.
• The dam holding back my emotions burst, and anger made my blood boil.
• "Let me out," Lyra growled in my mind.
• I loosened my grip on my consciousness. A surge of power coursed through me.
• My bones cracked as fur erupted across my skin, and my claws and teeth sharpened.
• I endured the pain. With a series of crisp bone movements, I fully shifted.
• I shook my body, then I leaped from the bedroom windowsill with a powerful push from my hind legs.
• I sprinted toward the Shadow Forest on the border of the Ironclaw Pack's territory.
• Thirty minutes later, exhausted, I transformed back into my human form.
• I walked into a bar, ordered two drinks, said nothing, and downed them both.
• The liquor burned my throat first, then my stomach.
• I never drank. I had no idea how to face my dad.
• Soon, I polished off two bottles of whiskey. My vision started to blur.
• Next thing I knew, I woke up in some hotel bed that smelled like cheap air freshener.
• My phone buzzed.
• My friend Eugenia's texts lit up the screen.
• [Hey babe, you were trashed so I got you a room.]
• [BTW ordered you some dessert ;) Room 520. Six-pack abs, golden retriever energy. Go wild.]
• I put my phone down. I looked at myself in the mirror.
• My long, curly brown hair fell over my shoulders, my skin was pale, and my lips were red. I glanced down at the red dress clinging to my body, stood up, and swayed a little.
• Normally, I'd nope out.
• But whiskey courage had me replying back.
• I stumbled down the hallway and found the door of 520 stood ajar.
• Curious about what he looked like, I pushed the door open wider and peeked in.
• The room was dark. Moonlight outlined a broad-shouldered silhouette against the windows.
• I could just make out a tall figure. He was a foot taller than me, with a muscular build.
• I smiled. My fingers traced rock-hard abs under his unbuttoned shirt.
• He smelled like cedar and trouble.
• "Earn your paycheck, pretty boy," I slurred, pushing him backward.