Chapter 1

I never understood why my older sister, Sera, fell so deeply in love with Kaelen.

That was until I saw him presiding over the Lycan ritual, bathed in the silver glow of the Full Moon, looking like a god descended to earth.

From that moment on, I couldn't tear my eyes away from him.

For years, I tried everything to make him break his sacred vow of celibacy and choose me, but he never truly accepted or rejected me.

Then, five years later, he returned from the Royal Pack House and suddenly announced that the Alpha King had sanctioned our mating.

I was crying tears of joy, thinking my dreams had finally come true.

But then, I overheard him whispering to my sister in the shadows.

"Kaelen, you don't have to mate with someone you don't love just for me. The Alpha King can't hurt me, don't let him threaten you," Sera pleaded.

"Sera, I took the Vow of the Moon for you once. Now, I will break it for you, just to ensure you stay safe and protected," Kaelen replied, his voice dripping with a devotion he never showed me.

It turns out he loved her all along.

Even the protection charms he gave me every year, inscribed with the words "Eternal Peace for Sera," were never meant for me.

Five years of devotion were nothing but a beautiful, cruel lie.

On the night before our mating ceremony, after settling my affairs, I threw myself into the dark depths of the Blackwood Lake.

Kaelen, in this life or the next, I hope we never meet again.

The note in my hand was brief: "In fifteen days, at the bottom of the lake pavilion."

This was the escape route I had meticulously prepared for my fake death.

It was New Year's Eve, a time for pack reunions. Kaelen had been at the Citadel performing the Moon Rites and didn't return until after midnight.

He carried a box of expensive pastries and set them on the table.

Then, he gestured for me to sit and personally fed a piece to me, a rare, faint smile touching his lips.

"Lyra, I brought these from the Royal Kitchens. I heard the high-ranking she-wolves love these. Try one."

I forced a smile and took a bite, nodding as the sweetness hit my tongue.

"It's so sweet," I whispered.

But my heart was overflowing with bitterness.

Seeing me eat, he pulled a silver protection charm from his pouch and handed it to me.

"This is for this year. May Sera always be at peace."

Sera. It was always about Sera.

Five years, and it was always the same dedication to her hidden in plain sight.

The tears finally spilled over, and I couldn't swallow the pastry no matter how hard I tried.

He looked startled by my reaction. "What's wrong?"

I shook my head vigorously, wiping my eyes. "Nothing. It's just... in five years, this is the first time you've fed me. I'm just too happy."

The first time, and the very last.

He sighed softly and brushed a tear from my cheek.

"Since we are to be mated, I will treat you well from now on. I will be a responsible husband."

For a fleeting second, his warm words almost shook my resolve.

But his next sentence plunged me straight back into the icy depths.

"In a few days, I must accompany the Alpha King to the Ancestral Rituals. You should stay behind. Your sister specifically asked that you rest and recover your strength so you can soon... bear my heirs."

He didn't finish the sentence, but I knew what he meant. Giving him children had always been Sera's dream.

As the Alpha King's favorite consort, she would surely be by his side during the rituals. She wanted me stuck at home just so she could have more private time with Kaelen.

I understood, and I was ready to let them have what they wanted.

"Fine, go. But the day before the mating ceremony is the Lunar Festival. Can you ask the King for a night off to stay home with me?"

His hand paused over the pastries, but then he gave a slight nod.

"Alright."

The next morning, a messenger arrived from the Citadel. The Alpha King was hosting a banquet for Lady Sera to celebrate the news of her pregnancy.

Kaelen's face froze for a split second before he regained his composure and accepted the invitation.

Watching his reaction, I pulled the messenger aside. "How long has Lady Sera been with child?"

"Over a month, Miss Lyra," the man replied respectfully.

My heart dropped. A month ago, Kaelen had spent the entire night at the Citadel for a "ritual."

When he returned at dawn, he smelled of Sera's signature honeysuckle perfume, and there was a smudge of crimson rouge on his collar.

A wave of profound misery washed over me.

He hadn't even broken his vow of celibacy officially back then.