Chapter 1

My mother was the most powerful Priestess in all of Alaska. Three years ago, at the Moon Rite, she declared I had been cursed by the Blood Moon—that if I became Luna, I would bring ruin down on the entire pack, and the only way to lift the curse was to stay away from the Alpha for three full years.

At that time, Christopher had only just defeated the other heirs and taken his place as the new Alpha. His footing was still unsteady. The Elders demanded that he cancel the mate ceremony we were about to have.

Christopher looked at me and said, "Elena, trust me. In three years, I'll make things right and make you my Luna."

I believed him. I left the villa without a word.

For three long years, I hid away in a small cabin on the edge of pack territory, not daring to see anyone.

On the day the three years ended, I was already at the door before dawn. Just as I reached for the handle, I heard my mother's voice from inside.

"Emma, don't worry. Three years or not, I can still make sure your sister never comes back."

Emma's voice trembled, but there was a stubborn edge to it.

"I've already taken three years from her. That's enough. I can't let Elena and Christopher be torn apart again."

Then my brother's fist slammed down on the table.

"Emma, you're too soft-hearted. Forget about Elena. You love Christopher, and you have a pup with him—can you really bear to let him go?"

A little girl's crying cut through the room.

"I don't want to lose Mommy."

Just like that, everyone in the room was crying.

After a long moment, Christopher sighed.

"Emma, listen to your mother and your brother. We'll figure it out when Lucia is a little older."

I stood rooted to the spot, a chill sinking deep into my bones.

So the so-called curse had been a trap—one my entire family had set for me.

All so that my sister could steal my Alpha.

Fine, then. I'd disappear for good. I'd give them exactly what they wanted.

That was when I felt the Mindlink request from my mother.

The moment I accepted, her voice cut through my mind.

"Elena, your curse hasn't lifted yet. You'll need to—"

"How long this time? Another three years?"

She fell silent, as if she hadn't expected me to push back.

When I was ten, my father cheated on my mother with my aunt. My mother, seven months pregnant at the time, collapsed in a pool of her own blood.

She never looked at me the same way again. In her mind, I was the one who'd cost her my father—because I was the one who'd brought my aunt home that day.

For years I tiptoed around her, doing everything I could to please her, never once contradicting her. I thought if I gave enough, someday she'd soften, someday she'd hold me again.

Only now did I understand that it had all been wishful thinking.

The silence broke. My mother's voice snapped, impatient.

"What kind of tone is that? I'm doing this for your own good—don't be ungrateful!"

I let out a soft laugh.

"For my own good? Are you sure it isn't for Emma's?"

"Of—of course it's for you. Emma's never given me half the trouble you have."

Her voice rose sharply, but it faltered at the end.

"Is that so? I'm standing right outside the door. How much longer are you planning to lie to me?"

I pressed my hand to the blood seal, waited for it to recognize me, and pushed the door open.

The moonstone in the middle of the living room—carved with the wolf crest—made me falter for a heartbeat. That was the gift Christopher had promised me. A wolf-clan heirloom, meant for his Luna.

The memory rose up before I could stop it: the day Christopher proposed, holding me close, laughter in his voice.

"Elena, when you truly become my Luna, I'll give you the moonstone with our clan's crest."

I had believed him completely. I had been so sure I would be his Luna.

Now I was finally seeing that moonstone. And it wasn't mine.

"Since you already know, do the smart thing and leave. Stop meddling in Emma and Christopher's life."

I stared at her.

"Mother… we're both your daughters. Why did you do this to me?"

She gave me a sidelong glance, contempt written all over her face.

"Because Emma is the one who deserves Christopher. She's the only one worthy of being an Alpha's Luna.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

A mother who had once nearly destroyed herself over a sister's betrayal was now telling me, in her own voice, that she supported one daughter stealing the other's Alpha.

The sheer absurdity of it, and the fury that came with it, snapped whatever restraint I had left.

I lifted the moonstone and smashed it against the floor.

Shards flew. One sliced across my arm, and blood soaked through my sleeve almost at once.

"Elena, you're hurt."

Christopher rushed forward, reaching for my arm.

I stepped back, out of his grasp, and looked him in the eye.

"Christopher, how much longer are you going to keep up this act?"

He froze, his lips moving without sound. When his voice came, it was rough.

"That's not—"

Before he could take another step, Emma grabbed my arm, choking on tears.

"Elena, it's all my fault. Please don't blame Christopher."

"If my body weren't so weak, if I could have gone through with the abortion, he never would have agreed to let me keep Lucia. He didn't want to hurt what you two had. I'll give him back to you. With how weak I am, I don't even know how much longer I'll live..."

"You stole my mate, tore us apart, and now you're the one making excuses?"

I cut her off, my voice flat and cold.

Her head shot up, her eyes red-rimmed.

"Elena, I didn't—"

She never finished. Her hand flew to her chest and she swayed on her feet, half-collapsing.

"Elena, that's enough!"

Christopher practically threw himself forward and caught her, worry practically pouring out of him.

When he turned back to face me, his eyes had gone glacial.

"Emma isn't well. Stop provoking her."

My mother went livid, jabbing a finger at me.

"You are a stain on this pack. When you were ten, you destroyed what I had with your father, and now you want to destroy your sister's happiness too."

My brother, who had been silent until then, finally spoke up.

"Elena, that's enough. If you keep this up, you won't have a place in this pack."

Behind their backs, Emma flashed me a triumphant smile.

I squared my shoulders and stood my ground.

"What part of what I said was wrong? She's the one who stole my future, and every one of you helped her do it."

A sharp crack echoed through the entryway, and my cheek started burning at once.