Chapter 1

I stood by James for four years, helping him fight for revenge after his Pack was destroyed.

Yet, at the celebratory banquet, he proposed to my half-sister, Olivia.

He told me, "That special status is only for Olivia. You? You were just my most obedient tool."

Olivia deliberately stumbled and framed me for causing her miscarriage. Then she had someone inject me with poison. He witnessed it all but chose to believe her, not me.

It wasn't until the mate Ceremony, when the surveillance video of the truth played, that her malicious self-staged act was thoroughly exposed.

James was shattered with regret, begging me to come back to him.

But I simply linked arms with my fated mate, Alpha Ethan, and smiled faintly. "James, it's too late."

Emma Wilson POV

The Mooncrest Pack was invaded, and James fled in a desperate escape with his core members.

Everyone said the powerful Pack was gone forever, but I was the only one who stood by James and fought with him.

I believed he could rise again, that he could exact his revenge and reclaim the Pack.

Four years later, he proved me right.

James not only defeated the invaders but, with his immense strength, elevated the Mooncrest Pack to an even stronger position than before.

After four years, he once again stood at the pinnacle of power, unrivaled.

Everyone marveled, saying James was truly a genius Alpha, unlike any other.

"Emma, your hardships are finally over." My best friend, Sophie Miller, called, her voice full of joy. "I heard James is proposing at the celebration banquet tonight. Such a big deal. Did he drop any hints?"

James was proposing at the celebration banquet tonight?

My heart skipped a beat.

I knew about the celebration banquet; it was a dinner to mark the Mooncrest Pack's successful reclaiming of its territory.

Many members from other Packs were invited.

It was a grand announcement of the Mooncrest Pack's return and James's alpha status.

But a proposal... he'd planned this in secret?

"He didn't tell me. Maybe he wants to surprise me," I said, a smile I couldn't hide blooming on my lips. "Alright, I can't talk now. I'm picking up his gift."

I hung up and took the deep blue velvet box from the clerk.

Inside was a pair of cufflinks, two perfectly cut black diamonds set on a platinum base.

These cufflinks were a special, custom-made gift I'd commissioned for James to celebrate his successful revenge.

But I hadn't expected him to propose at this celebration banquet.

Thinking of it, my heart was wrapped in a warm, sweet sensation.

I put the box away, about to leave the jewelry store, when suddenly, a familiar voice drifted from behind a pillar nearby.

"Are the items ready?" It was James.

"They're ready. This ring was custom-made according to the design you personally provided and the measurements. Please take a look."

His design?

So, for tonight's proposal, he'd even personally designed the ring.

He truly wanted to surprise me tonight, just as I wanted to surprise him.

My heart felt even sweeter, and my anticipation for tonight's banquet grew.

I was debating whether to go over and greet him when I heard the calm, smiling voice of Charlie Green, James's friend and now his Beta. "When Olivia sees this ring you custom-designed for her, I wonder if she will be more delighted or surprised?"

I froze, like a nail suddenly hammered into place, my mind a sudden blank.

Olivia. My half-sister.

Charlie sounded curious. "You specifically invited Olivia to tonight's celebration, but Emma will be there too. Aren't you worried she will see you propose to another woman and cause a scene?"

The air seemed to still for a moment.

Then, I heard James speak in a tone so calm it was almost indifferent. "She won't know. I'll find a reason to keep her from showing up."

Charlie sighed. "Four years ago, when the Pack was invaded, everyone thought we were finished. Only Emma believed in you. She endured four years of hardship with us, gave up her job and her life to help you, and even sold her grandmother's sapphire necklace to buy supplies... Does all that still not compare to Olivia, who saved your life when you were young?"

"During the toughest times, Emma was willing to follow me. She was indeed very good to me." James was silent for a few seconds, then spoke slowly, his voice low. "I can give her anything, but Olivia not only saved me, she's also my fated mate..."

Charlie let out a sigh. "Alright, since you've already made up your mind, I won't say anything more."

Footsteps quickly receded from behind me.

I gripped the cold jewelry counter, my fingertips trembling, my blood freezing in an instant. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard.

My phone vibrated then, a message from James.

"Emma, many Pack members will be at the celebration banquet tonight. You always dislike those large shifter gatherings, don't you? Would you mind waiting for me at home? I'll come back to you once the banquet is over."

I stared at the words, a chill spreading from deep within me.

He didn't know that I disliked shifter gatherings only because I didn't want to run into members of the Silvermoon Pack.

But these past few years, to help him, hadn't I interacted with various Packs enough?

Slowly, I lifted my stiff fingers and sent a reply: "Okay."