Chapter 1

The entire wolf realm envied the flawless bond Luna Freya Ashenfell shared with her mate and their pup. Yet only she knew the truth. Her Alpha mate had formed another pack-nest far from home—with their pup standing proudly at his side.

On the night Alpha Riven Corvath took their young heir to honor his “unforgettable first mate bond,” who had just won the Moonlit Best Shifter Star Award at the Silverfang Festival, Freya made her choice.

She would vanish.

She would fake her death within one lunar week and leave their territory forever. Neither mate nor pup would follow her into her new life. She wanted no trace of them.

——

“Luna Freya, are you certain you want to stage your own death during the moon-crossing on the fourteenth? A staged carriage crash at the border road…?”

Freya paused. But the memory of her mate and pup laughing beside another she-wolf hardened her resolve. She nodded.

“I have one more condition,” she said. “The illusion of me must die right before Riven’s eyes. Ideally… he should be the one whose carriage collides with mine.”

If she couldn’t have his loyalty, she would leave him with a guilt that gnawed deeper than any wolf’s bite.

“That… is a grave request,” the voice on the crystal-comms murmured.

“Payment won’t be an issue,” Freya cut in.

After ending the call, she looked at the carved stone portrait of their family—three wolves smiling in harmony. Her gaze dimmed.

She still remembered the day he marked her. The moment Riven had trembled so hard he nearly botched the ritual.

During their union ceremony, he’d cried openly before the gathered packs, swearing eternal devotion under the Moonstone Oath.

When their pup was born, he had kissed the sweat from her temple and promised one pup was enough. He had even secretly undergone a spellbinding to ensure it.

They had been the perfect pack. The family everyone envied.

No matter how busy he was, Riven always returned with moon-petals in his hands. He’d tell her, “Loving you is like tending a sacred grove. I want to watch you bloom every dawn.”

Even little Kael mimicked him. He carried her satchels on tiny arms, insisting he was her “little wolf knight.” His small face flushed with effort, but he never let her lift a claw.

Who would have imagined that the mate and pup the world praised for their devotion were secretly worshipping another she-wolf?

The nights Riven claimed to be “on patrol,” he was whispering sweet promises to someone else.

Even their pup, Kael, had begun calling the woman “Sister,” nuzzling her with puppy-like trust.

That father and pup had built a hidden life beyond the territory—concealing it from Freya for three long years.

After surviving young love, trials of ascension and building a home together, she never imagined their bond would crumble under the cursed seventh-year mark the Moon Priestesses warned of.

Opening her crystal-mirror, Freya saw the trending howl-news. The rising star, Sorenna Ashfend had claimed the Moonlit Best Shifter Star trophy. A shimmering image showed the radiant she-wolf in a crimson gown, full of youth and charm.

Behind her walked Riven—though he had sworn he was at the council hall. And he wasn’t alone. He held Kael’s hand, their five-year-old pup trotting excitedly beside him.

The gentle look Riven gave the Shifter Star was the same tender gaze he once reserved only for Freya.

Tonight was their seventh mating anniversary. Freya had spent all day preparing sacred dishes—Riven’s favorite moon-beast stew and Kael’s beloved ember-ribs.

Yet neither father nor pup came home.

She waited from six until ten, only to receive a short, cold mind-link, [Urgent pack business. Not returning tonight. Kael is with me.]

Remembering that, Freya felt her final tether snap. She no longer wished for explanations.

She no longer wanted them—neither the mate who betrayed her nor the pup she nearly died to bring into the world.

She rose, swept the lovingly prepared meals into the trash bin, turned their family portrait face-down and went upstairs.

Over the years, father and pup had given her countless gifts—especially Kael.

Pup expressed their love in simple, earnest ways.