Chapter 1

The next day, Alpha Adrian publicly said to the entire pack:

“I, Adrian of the Silvermoon Pack, reject you, Omega Nora, as my mate.”

I was standing right outside the medical center.

The wolf soul Aster inside me let out a tearing howl. I clenched my back teeth so hard they nearly broke, saying nothing.

The mate bond burned and shattered the instant he rejected me.

He couldn’t feel my pain.

And I could no longer sense any of his emotions either.

He wouldn’t even keep my scent in his memory, and he ordered all of my medical records erased.

Six months later, I heard him announce, “I already have someone I truly want to mark.”

Fine.

I touched my three-month-old pup and booked a flight to Seattle.

The beeping at the security checkpoint urged me on again and again.

I handed the ticket to the staff.

In my mind, Aster let out a faint whimper.

Too long away from the pack, she was growing weaker. But all I could do was grit my teeth and hold on.

“Don’t look back.” I roared at her in my heart.

After handing over the ticket, I walked through the security checkpoint without looking back.

Behind me was the Silvermoon Pack, and the destined mate who had rejected me in public.

Ahead of me was Seattle, the only way out for me and the pup in my belly.

The plane engines roared, shaking the cabin walls. I sat in my cramped seat and rested a trembling hand over my flat stomach. Inside me, a three-month-old pup was growing.

*Don't look back,* Aster whimpered in my mind. My silver-gray wolf soul curled into a tight, shivering ball.

I didn't look out the window. I just closed my eyes and let the darkness take over.

Three years later.

The plane tires hit the tarmac with a heavy thud. Moonlight City.

I unbuckled my seatbelt. Beside me, Leo kicked his little sneakers against the seat. He hugged a worn sketchbook tightly to his chest. His messy black hair fell over his sharp blue-gray eyes.

"Mommy?" Leo tugged my sleeve.

"What is it, baby?" I asked.

He flipped his sketchbook open. He pointed at a drawing of a large, dark scribble with sharp teeth. "Are we going to see that really scary Alpha?"

My chest tightened. A cold sweat broke out on my neck. I knelt down right there in the aisle and grabbed his small shoulders.

"Listen to me, Leo." I looked straight into his eyes. "We are not here for him."

Leo blinked. He tilted his head.

"If you see anyone with a silver moon badge on their chest, you run. You stay away from the Silvermoon Pack. Do you understand me?" I lowered my voice. I made sure every word sank in.

He nodded quickly. "I understand."

I grabbed our bags and walked off the plane. I wasn't here for Adrian. I was the director of the Seattle Stray Wolf Aid Center now. I came back to secure the municipal cooperation fund for my rescue project. Nothing else. I didn't care about the past anymore.

We checked into a short-term rental downtown. The small apartment smelled like dust and old coffee. I dropped the heavy suitcases on the hardwood floor.

I walked straight to the window and pulled the cheap plastic blinds open.

The Blackwood Group building pierced the city skyline right across the street. The massive glass facade reflected the harsh afternoon sun. It loomed over the city like a giant, mocking eye.

My breathing hitched. Aster paced nervously in the back of my mind. Her claws scratched against my skull.

I gripped the windowsill. My knuckles turned stark white.

I forced myself to look away. I unzipped the bags and unpacked Leo's small shirts. I laid out my professional gray suit for the press conference tonight. I had a job to do. I refused to let this city break me again.

The evening air in Moonlight City was freezing. I held Leo's small hand tightly in mine. We walked toward the grand entrance of the municipal charity event.

Cameras flashed near the red carpet. Reporters shouted questions over the loud chatter of the crowd.

I kept my head down. I guided Leo toward the quiet side entrance.

Then, the wind shifted.

A heavy, overwhelming scent of pine and cold rain hit my nose. My lungs froze.

Aster let out a sharp, terrified howl.

I stopped dead in my tracks. My blood ran completely cold.

Three black SUVs pulled up to the curb. The noisy crowd instantly parted.

Alpha Adrian Blackwood stepped out of the lead car.

He wore a tailored black suit. His face was carved from absolute ice. He looked exactly the same. Powerful. Ruthless. Untouchable. Beside him stood Beta Caleb, smiling that familiar, hypocritical smile for the cameras.

I tried to move my legs. They wouldn't budge. Panic rooted me to the concrete.

Adrian stopped walking. His head snapped violently in my direction.

Across the crowded, brightly lit plaza, our eyes locked.

I saw his broad chest heave. His pupils dilated rapidly, flashing a dangerous, predatory gold. Rex, his massive black wolf soul, was slamming against his consciousness. I could feel the violent ripples of his Alpha aura hitting me from fifty feet away.

He caught my scent.

Adrian shoved past a startled reporter. He walked straight toward me. The entire crowd fell silent. The air grew suffocatingly thick.

My heart pounded against my ribs. I couldn't breathe.

I didn't run. I couldn't run anymore.

I shoved Leo behind my legs. I stood tall and squared my shoulders. I dug my fingernails into my palms until the pain grounded me.

Adrian stopped exactly three feet away. His massive frame blocked out the streetlights. He smelled like power and absolute control.

He stared at my face. His golden eyes darted to my neck, checking for a mating mark. Finding bare skin, his jaw clenched hard.

"You're still alive?" Adrian's voice was a low, dangerous gravel that vibrated in my bones.

I looked right into his cold, unforgiving eyes. I didn't flinch.

"Sorry to disappoint you," I said calmly.

Caleb stepped up behind Adrian. The Beta's eyes widened in fake shock. "Nora? What on earth are you doing here?"

I ignored Caleb completely. I kept my eyes locked on the Alpha who threw me away like garbage.

Adrian took a half-step forward. His heavy leather boots clicked on the pavement. The oppressive weight of his Alpha pheromones crashed down on my shoulders, trying to force me into submission.

I planted my feet. I refused to bow my head.

Behind my knees, Leo shifted