Chapter 3

Elowen’s lips curled into a smug smile, her golden eyes gleaming with challenge.

“What’s the matter, Ophelia? Keeping an eye on me now?”

“Maybe you should just chain Alpha Tobias to your side if you’re so worried about him.”

“Tell me, how does it feel to be the Luna of Alpha Tobias? Living in someone else’s shadow, watching me take everything that was once yours?”

“You’ll never win against me. No matter how hard you try.”

Her laughter rang out, sharp and mocking. Around her neck, the necklace gleamed under the lights, its brilliance searing into my vision like a blade to my soul.

Elowen and I had once been inseparable—at least, I had believed so. We had dreamed of conquering the world of architecture together, our bond unshakable. But then, Alpha Desmond, my fated mate—severed our bond, choosing Elowen as his Luna and shattering my world in one brutal moment.

To be betrayed by my closest friend and my destined mate—there was no deeper agony.

For a time, I thought the darkness would consume me. Until Alpha Tobias, Alpha of the rival Calder Pack, entered my life. He offered me a way out, a promise of something greater.

In the beginning, everything felt safe, secure. But then came the moment that changed everything. Just as I was preparing for a prestigious international Pack competition, Alpha Tobias uttered the words that would define my downfall:

“Ophelia, you don’t need to fight for dominance or carry the weight of our Pack. Just be my Luna. I will protect you. Your family will be safe. You’ll never have to struggle again.”

His words burrowed deep into my wounded soul, and in a moment of weakness, I let go of the life I had built. I sold my architectural firm. I abandoned the competition without a second thought.

And who stood victorious in my place, basking in the limelight? Elowen.

My so-called best friend ascended, her name celebrated in thecircles of the architectural world, while I faded into obscurity, reduced to nothing more than Mrs. Hawthorne—Alpha Tobias’s Luna in name alone.

But now, as I stood in the center of it, something felt off. The towering structure before me was familiar—too familiar. My gaze traced the lines, the symmetry, the core design principles embedded in every detail. My breath hitched.

This was my design.

The one I had abandoned years ago. The one I had left buried deep in my personal files, never to be touched again.

And yet, here it stood, a living, breathing monument to my stolen dreams.

My pulse pounded in my ears. How had this happened? How had Elowen—

“Ophelia!”

Elowen’s sudden shriek shattered my spiraling thoughts.

She stumbled backward, her hands clutching her stomach. A strangled gasp tore from her throat as she crumpled to the ground, her face twisted in pain.

Gasps rippled through the gathered crowd.

“Someone call an PackDoctor!”

“She’s fallen! Get help!”

All eyes snapped to me, suspicion and accusation burning in their gazes. And then—I saw him.

My Alpha.