Chapter 1 The Betrayal Of The Moon

• Seraphina’s POV
• The stone room reeked of damp moss and rot.
• I was screaming, but no sound came out.
• Tonight was the Moon Goddess Festival. Outside these thick walls, the air should have vibrated with the joy of every new adult in the Sterling Pack finally awakening their true bloodline.
• I was an Alpha’s daughter, born of the Wilder Pack. I should have been standing beneath the moon, welcoming my power.
• Instead, I was curled on this floor, my thin robe soaked in sweat, fighting for a breath that wouldn't come.
• Fragile bloodline, the elders had called it.
• My mother’s injury during pregnancy had doomed me. She died bringing me into this world, and ever since, every full moon tried to tear me apart from the inside.
• Tonight was worse.
• My bloodline was collapsing.
• Without the Moon Soul Herb, it would finish the job.
• Gritting my teeth through the agony, I forced my mind outwar, reaching for the one person who could save me.
• Aiden Sterling.
• My fiancé. The Alpha of the Sterling Pack.
• The moment our link connected, his annoyed voice hit me.
• “Seraphina. What is it now?”
• “Aiden, please. My bloodline is collapsing. I’m not pretending! I need the herb.”
• A beat of silence. Then a cold response.
• “Sera, Amber’s ceremony is tonight. She’s unwell and needs me. Don’t make this harder.”
• Amber Lynch.
• His moonlight.
• Amber came only months ago, all soft eyes and trembling words, fragile in the exact way that makes men feel heroic.
• And just like that, she replaced five years of my life.
• Five years of being Aiden’s first love.
• Five years of stolen moments and whispered promises.
• Five years of standing beside him when no one else would.
• I still remembered the night he was injured in a rogue skirmish, how he collapsed into my arms, blood soaking my clothes as he begged me not to tell the elders.
• His recklessness cost the pack three Gammas.
• I cleaned the blood from his hands.
• I took the blame. Bore the punishment meant for him.
• I treated him while he clung to me as if I were the only thing keeping him alive.
• But my hands, the ones that once saved him, meant nothing now.
• The hands that saved his life meant nothing now.
• It was as if those five years had never existed.
• The pain in my chest was almost worse than the pain in my veins.
• “Aiden, I’m not lying. I’m in pain. Help me.”
• “It’s just an awakening,” he snapped. “Stop trying to get my attention.”
• “Aiden Sterling!” I forced my voice steady. “If you don’t bring the herb, I’ll end the engagement.”
• He laughed.
• “You? End it? You’re just an unwanted Alpha’s daughter used to tie two packs together. Don’t pretend you matter.”
• I sucked in a shaking breath. “Please… I’m really dying.”
• He didn’t care.
• “You know, Amber is so sweet,” he said lightly.
• “She offered you the Moon Soul Herb I found for her. She said it’s fine.”
• I could picture her clinging to him, performing innocence.
• “But I made her a promise,” he continued. “And you, a weak, unstable wolf, aren’t worthy of a sacred herb. I’ll give it to Amber myself.”
• Then he cut the link.
• My mind went silent. The pain still tore through me, but the numbness was worse. Tears slid down my face as I sank against the cold wall.
• Five years, wasted.
• And the worst part? I’m furious at myself for only now seeing the truth about the man I loved.
• Bang!
• The door exploded inward.
• I jerked upright as two rogues stepped inside, muscled and grinning like they’d found treasure.
• “Well, look at this,” one said, sniffing the air. “A Sterling girl all alone.”
• The other let his gaze drag over me. “The Moon Goddess must really favor us.”
• Fear tightened around my throat.
• “What… what do you want?”
• He pulled out a small glass vial filled with a dark, metallic-smelling liquid.
• “What do you think?” he sneered. “We’re going to help you enjoy yourself.”
• Before I could move, he grabbed my chin and forced the liquid down my throat.
• “No!”
• Frenzy potion.
• Heat crashed through me instantly, searing, feral, uncontrollable.
• The world twisted. My vision blurred, then bled into red.
• The last thing I saw was their hungry smiles.