Chapter 1

Every pack knew me as the perfect mate.

I gave Ezra Sylvan six years. I stayed quiet and swallowed it all while he slept around.

That day, in his den at Alpha’s Peak,

I caught a scent that wasn’t mine—wild roses and desire.

He wasn’t even sorry I caught him.

Just leaned back against the stone wall and smirked.

“Be a good girl. Go chase off that wild little bitch.”

His Betas and inner circle were already betting on how long I’d last this time.

Ezra, chin in hand, said,

“She’s tame. Give her two days, and she’ll drop it.”

He expected me to crawl back and beg. Just like always.

But Ezra didn’t know: when noble females come of age, we send our souls out to seek our true mate, just as the old laws require.

So while he sat there full of himself,

I found the courage to ask the suitor my family had chosen for me:

“If our pups must carry the Obsidian Moon name and bloodline, can you accept that?”

...

I showed up at Ezra’s den. The guards blocked the entrance.

They told me the Alpha was “resting.”

I stepped back against the cold stone wall, a heavy scroll in my arms—

the latest trade map I’d drawn for the two packs. It dug into my shoulders.

After a long while, the stone doors finally opened.

Ezra stood there half-naked. Water on his chest. A pelt loose around his waist.

Ezra leaned against the doorframe, his golden eyes narrowing.

“Why not wait until the next full moon?”

I held the scroll tighter and looked up.

“Sorry. The border wards acted up. It delayed me.”

Ezra stepped aside to let me in. He scoffed.

“Does your little paperwork put meat on the table? Just quit already.”

I slipped inside before the heavy doors shut. Then the scent hit me. I froze.

Ezra’s den was a massive cavern. A long dark hallway led to the main chamber.

I turned the corner. A silk dress lay torn to shreds on the fur rug.

And scattered everywhere... lace lingerie that smelled of roses.