Three nights before the Luna Ceremony, I was run down by a rogue. My spine was shattered. Damien Blackwood, my mate—the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack—ensured the rogue was executed. But as I lay there in the healer’s den, unable to move, none of it mattered. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to face the reality of never running with my pack again. Somewhere between the agony and the numbing fog, I heard Damien speaking to the pack healer. “We still have time for an advanced healing ritual. But if we wait a few more days, Selene’s paralysis will be permanent. If you truly want Lilah as your Luna, fine, but why put Selene through this?” Damien sighed, as if my life was nothing more than a burden to him. “If she’s permanently injured, she’ll have no choice but to stay in the packhouse. If she recovers, she’ll fight back.” My breath caught in my throat. “I swore to Lilah that I’d make her my Luna,” Damien continued, his voice eerily calm. “If Selene is disabled, she’ll have no choice but to accept my child as her own. She won’t have the strength to oppose me.” A single tear slipped down my cheek. So that was it. The ceremony, the bond I had cherished, the future I had believed in—it had all been a lie. I was nothing more than a stepping stone for Damien’s ambitions. Fine. If this was what he wanted, I would give it to him. “Just follow the plan,” Damien ordered. “Make sure the suppressant is given at the right dose. She can’t find out.” The healer hesitated, his voice uneasy. “Are you certain? Selene is already paralyzed. If you strip away her ability to shift, if you sever her wolf from her entirely… What will be left of her? She’s your fated mate, Alpha. The Moon Goddess chose her for you.” Silence. Then, Damien spoke, his voice like ice. “She won’t find out. As long as she remains weak, she’ll have no choice but to stay here. She won’t be able to leave, let alone challenge me.” The healer exhaled slowly, a sound filled with unspoken words. “And what about your child with Lilah? The girl is three. She has your eyes, your scent. If Selene ever discovers the truth—” “She won’t.” Damien’s tone hardened. “Make sure the suppressant is clean. No mistakes. Do it while she’s still unconscious.” The healer lingered for a moment, then turned away. Damien pulled out his communicator crystal and sent a quick message. “Did the rogue cover his tracks? Ensure his family is relocated to another pack. Selene can’t ever find out.” A fresh wave of tears slid down my temples, disappearing into my hair. My wolf whimpered weakly inside me, caged and helpless. Damien dipped a cloth into warm water and wiped my skin. His touch was steady, his movements almost tender. But no matter how much warmth he pressed into my body, I couldn’t stop shivering. The Luna Ceremony I had dreamed of for years had never been mine. It had always belonged to Lilah. And that rogue attack… it wasn’t an accident at all. My mate had planned it all. He had set me up, broken me, caged me. I was nothing more than an obstacle in his way. The love, the bond, the promises… they had all been a lie. I tried to open my eyes, to fight back, but before I could, a sharp sting spread through my veins. The suppressant. As they wheeled me toward the ritual chamber, Damien leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. His voice was gentle, almost affectionate. “Just rest, Selene. It’ll be over soon.” The cold magic seeped into my bones, and my wolf’s cries faded into silence. The pain barely registered. My heart had already gone numb.
When I opened my eyes, the sterile scent of the pack’s infirmary filled my lungs. The numbness hadn’t changed—I still couldn’t feel anything below my waist. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, restless and weak, trapped in the same helpless state as me. Damien sat beside me, his expression tense. The second he noticed I was awake, his face softened into an illusion of concern. He took my hand and pressed it against his cheek. “Selene? You’re awake. Do you feel okay? If anything hurts, I’ll call the pack healer right now.” His voice was gentle, his touch careful—just like always. But his eyes… they were empty. It was almost impressive how well he could fake it. I gave him a small smile, reaching up to brush my fingers over the rough stubble on his chin. “You didn’t sleep, did you? I’m fine, Damien. You should rest.” He exhaled, nodded slightly, and within minutes, he was fast asleep. His grip on my hand loosened just enough. I glanced at his phone on the nightstand. Without thinking, I picked it up and unlocked it. The wallpaper was still the ceremonial mate-bonding photo we had taken in advance. It felt ridiculous now. His message app was still open in the background. At the top of his chats was Lilah. I tapped in. The messages were simple, but each one felt like a gut punch. [Rhea called for her dad again today. She already knows how strong you are. She’s going to be trouble when she grows up.] [Rhea ate the treats you sent, finished every last bite.] [She won’t stop asking to run with the pack at full moon. I tried to talk her out of it, but she wouldn’t listen. Come if you can.] Damien hadn’t replied with words, but under every photo, there was a two-hour video call log. I remembered when he once told me he didn’t want pups yet. Now I knew the truth. It wasn’t that he didn’t want children. He just didn’t want them with me. I checked his gallery. There was a private album for Lilah. The password? The child’s birthday. Over five thousand photos. Three years of memories that had nothing to do with me. Damien was there for every holiday, every special occasion. The second chat in his messages was with the pack elder overseeing the mating ceremony. From the very start, he had put Lilah’s name down. The ceremonial robes were her size. The invitations had both their names on them. I was never meant to be his Luna. I let out a quiet laugh and closed the app. No point reading any further. Instead, I reached out to my best friend Mira, asking her to find me a healer outside our territory. I filed to renounce my position within the pack. She didn’t question it. She just assumed I had finally woken up, finally seen Damien for who he was. She was relieved. Every message she sent was full of excitement, happy that I was finally letting go. I set my phone down and drifted off to sleep. When I woke up, Damien was crying. He was gripping a hospital report, his whole body trembling. “Selene.” His voice cracked. “The healer found something during your exam. You—” He swallowed hard. “You were born without a womb. You can’t have pups.” I didn’t react. Just stared at him. “It’s okay,” he said quickly. “I don’t care about that. You’re still my mate, and that won’t change. Once you’re discharged, we can adopt. A pup will help you recover, I promise. Everything will be fine.” I was the one who had supposedly lost something, yet he looked more devastated than me. His performance was almost flawless. I didn’t call him out on it. I just let the silence stretch, watching him clutch that report like it was the worst thing that had ever happened to him. After a long pause, he wiped his tears and nodded, as if making some kind of deep, emotional decision. Then he pulled me into his arms. “I swear, I’ll take care of you,” he whispered. “No matter what the pack says, I’ll always stand by your side. And once we’re bonded, I’ll transfer all my assets to you. I just want you to be safe.” His chest was pressed against mine, but our heartbeats weren’t even close to matching.
Damien hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. “The mating ceremony is already planned. Since you’re still recovering, you might have to…” “Find someone to stand in for me so the Silvercrest Pack doesn’t lose face,” I cut in, already knowing what he was getting at. Rather than waiting for him to put me in a weaker position, I took control. At least this way, I could keep some dignity. His golden eyes flickered with something unreadable before he masked it with a sigh. “You don’t have to say it like that, Selene. The pack needs a Luna, and with your condition…” I let out a humorless chuckle. “My condition? You mean the injuries from the accident? Or the fact that I can’t shift anymore?” He looked away, not answering. That was answer enough. Then my phone buzzed. Damien’s ears twitched as he caught the sound. His gaze flickered to the screen, and his brows furrowed. “Selene, what documents did you cancel?” I quickly deleted the message and kept my voice steady. “Nothing important. Just some old pack records. I updated them online.” He didn’t question it, just pulled me closer, his voice full of concern. “You’re still recovering. If you need anything, just tell me. I’ll handle it for you.” I looked up at him and smiled. “Damien, I want to be discharged.” His expression darkened instantly. “No. You’re not fully healed yet. I can’t agree to that.” I tugged on his arm, forcing my voice to be light and playful. “Didn’t you say we should adopt a pup? There’s a caretaker at home, I’ll be fine. I just want to visit the orphaned pups at the sanctuary and look around, okay?” In five years, this was the first time I had ever acted sweet with him. Damien hesitated, then gave in. On the way, he reached into the backseat and pulled out a bag of wrapped treats, placing them in front of me one by one. “I got these just for you,” he said, but then I noticed the packaging—soft biscuits and honeyed treats, things that young pups would love. I closed the bag, tossed it aside, and leaned back. “My stomach feels off,” I muttered, shutting my eyes. This five-year lie had gone on long enough. It was time to end it. As soon as we stepped into the sanctuary, I sat in a wheelchair, playing the role of the fragile Luna-to-be. A little girl with silver-streaked hair came bounding over, her scent warm with familiarity. She threw her arms around Damien’s legs, clinging to him like she had known him forever. “Dad!” she called out excitedly. Damien stiffened. His expression changed for a split second before he quickly composed himself. Worried I might get suspicious, he rushed to explain. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I sponsor this sanctuary and have visited a few times. She’s just a pup who started calling me that.” I inhaled sharply, taking in the girl’s scent again. There it was—his scent, mingled with hers in a way that only blood ties could explain. She wasn’t just some orphaned pup. She was his.
Three Years Later… A week before our mating ceremony, I overheard Damien speaking with his Beta. "Alpha, there are other ways to claim control over the Silvercrest pack. Is marrying Selene really necessary? If she finds out the truth, it could be dangerous." Damien exhaled sharply. "This is the only way to make her lower her guard. Florence deserves to rightfully inherit the Silvercrest name. If I have to involve myself, so be it. For her, I will do anything." My breath hitched. The salvation I had clung to—the mate bond I had convinced myself was real—was nothing but a carefully laid trap. I pressed myself against the wall, my wolf trembling in rage and betrayal. Damien’s voice was calm, almost affectionate. "Luna Eleanor won’t last much longer. Selene will insist on having her at the ceremony, but once she’s gone, the Silvercrest pack will be weak. She will have no choice but to rely on me. That’s when I will strike." The Beta hesitated. "Are you sure about this, Alpha? Florence is just an omega-born bastard. Isn’t this too cruel to Selene? Over the past three years, she has fallen for you." Damien’s voice turned cold. "Do not call her a bastard again. Florence is the rightful second daughter of the Silvercrest family. And Selene…" He let out a sigh, as if I were nothing more than a burden. "Marrying her is a form of compensation. Even when the Silvercrest pack falls, she will still have me. Her life won’t be difficult." The Beta still looked uneasy. "Your brother—" " Arthur always loved competing with me. Now that Florence has chosen him, I will make sure their future is secure. As for me… I don’t matter." My claws dug into my palms. The bond between us, the years we had spent together, had all been a lie. The lawyer sighed. "I’ll finalize the agreement. Just… make sure you won’t regret this." "Oh, and delete the video from the funeral three years ago," Damien added as an afterthought. "Selene can never find out it wasn’t Arthur who leaked it." My heart turned to ice. The video that ruined my life—the betrayal I had blamed Arthur for—hadn’t been his doing. It was Damien’s. The man who swore to protect me, to stand by my side, had orchestrated it all. He had never been my savior. He had been the executioner, waiting for the right moment to deliver the final blow. The footsteps in the hall grew louder. I swallowed my panic and hurried back to my room. The hot tea I had been carrying spilled onto my hands, but I barely felt the burn. I had spent the last three years believing in a mate bond that never existed. I had trusted him with my pack, my mother’s dying wish, my heart. I had been a fool. The sound of a door clicking shut signaled the lawyer’s departure. A moment later, Damien entered. His scent, laced with the faint bitterness of alcohol, filled the space. He found me standing by the door, his golden eyes softening. "Why are you just standing there?" I forced a smile, masking the rage boiling beneath my skin. "I was bringing you tea, but I spilled it." He stepped forward, cupping my face with warm hands, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "You’re too good to me." I closed my eyes, suppressing the urge to rip him apart. Soon, Damien. Very soon, I would return the favor.
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