Chapter 1

It was the fifth year of my mating to Silas Blackwood. He walked into the pack house, bold as brass, with a she-wolf he'd bought out of a shady dive bar called The Velvet Den.

She was his eighth mistress. When our eyes met, she whimpered and buried her face in Silas's chest.

"Silas, is this the Lunar Queen you always tell me about?" she asked, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

Silas wrapped his arm around her slender waist, his voice a low growl of comfort. "Don't mind her."

He brushed past me, his shoulder hitting mine. That night, the lights in her suite stayed on until dawn.

He forced me to stay outside their door, listening to the sounds of his betrayal. He wanted me to hear every moan and every promise he made to her.

The next morning, he told me to prepare a prenatal tonic for her. Apparently, she was already carrying his pup.

I smiled and obeyed. He seemed to have forgotten that in ten days, our mating contract would expire, and I would be gone.

1.

I walked into the room with two bowls of honeyed cream. I found Seraphina lounging in Silas's lap.

Silas looked at the bowls, his brow furrowed. He turned a cold gaze toward me.

"Seraphina is allergic to honey. Eat the extra one yourself," he snapped.

He took a spoonful from one bowl and fed it to her, his expression softening only for her.

I didn't argue. I just bowed and walked out with the tray.

Behind me, Seraphina's giggles echoed through the hall.

"You were right, Silas. The Lunar Queen is nothing to be afraid of. You'll have to protect me from her glares."

"Of course. You're my precious prize. I paid a fortune to get you back," he replied.

I felt a bitter smile touch my lips. Protection? He wouldn't have to protect her from me for much longer.

For five years, everyone in Silver Ridge knew I was the most patient wife. I let him bring woman after woman into our home.

Other Alphas even used me as an example to lecture their own mates about obedience.

But they didn't know I was once a starving stray in the woods. Silas found me near death and brought me to the Blackwood Estate.

"Elara, you'll be safe here," he had said.

I wanted to run, but he didn't give me the chance.

"Stay with me. I need you to manage this entire pack for me."

He pulled a silver hairpin from his pocket and tucked it into my hair.

That was the first time he'd ever been so close. I could feel his warm breath against my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

That year, I fell for him completely. He promised me the world.

"Elara, don't worry. I will make you my mate," he vowed.

Back then, his eyes were full of me. I was the only one by his side.

He kept his word and mated with me. But he also kept bringing in other women.

He was the son of the High Elder, after all. Every girl he touched thought she was special.

But they all eventually realized they were just echoes. They all looked a bit like me.

But this time, Seraphina was different. She looked almost exactly like me.

If you didn't know us, you'd think we were twins.

I used to ask him why he needed them if he had me. He always dodged the question.

But with Seraphina, his heart seemed to have truly shifted.

The thought sent a sharp pang through my chest. Then, I heard high-pitched laughter approaching.

It was Seraphina, leading a group of his other consorts toward me.