Five years of gnawing at moon herbs, their bitter essence carving a path through my insides like molten iron, and finally, I carried the fruit of our bond.

But the moment our pup drew his first breath,Peter Thornfield, my mate, slammed the cursed moon blood test onto the birthing bed with a force that made the metal tray rattle like a death knell.​

"The pup isn't mine!"

His howl ripped through the air. "

You reek of another wolf! Sign the bond break and leave!"​

I bared my throat in a show of submission.

"I've never strayed! You know I've only hunted in our territory!"

With a brutal shove, he flung me out into the cold.

The harsh winter air hit me like a wall of ice.

On the desolate street, a rogue wolf, driven mad by moon fever, lunged at me.

His teeth sank into my neck, piercing my flesh like daggers, and the world dissolved into a sea of pain and darkness...​

Then, I jolted awake.

The fluorescent lights of the birthing room flickered overhead, casting an otherworldly glow over everything. I was back, in this place of hope and horror.​

"Look at our pup," Peter crooned.

He nuzzled the tiny bundle in his arms.

"Does he carry your storm-gray pelt, or my midnight fur?"

I flinched, the memory of his previous snarls and accusations crashing over me like a tsunami,.​

Suddenly, a blood - curdling howl shattered the tense silence-the shrill ringtone of Peter's phone. My gaze snapped to the screen.

There, in bold letters, was the name: Freya.

Just the sight of it was enough to turn my stomach inside out.

That she - wolf, with her honeyed lies and serpentine ways, had been the architect of my downfall once before.​

In my mind, I was transported back to that fateful day. Her whispers, like poisoned arrows, had found their mark in Peter's heart.

She had spun a web of deceit about me hunting with a strange male, and he had fallen for it hook, line, and sinker.

The next dawn, the moon blood test-a test that was supposed to be a safeguard, but had become a weapon-had sealed my fate.

I had been home-bound, tending to our precious pup, with nothing but the elder healer and her moon herbs for company.

And yet, that test had lied, proclaiming our pup a bastard.​

"Freya," Peter growled, his voice a low.

Without another word, he stalked out of the room.​

I booked a place at the Lunar Maternity sanctuary.

When the sanctuary's guards arrived, all hell broke loose.

Peter's fury erupted like a volcano.

"Lila Vance! You drain our coffers on this? My hunts pay for your-"

"The fee comes from my sire's legacy," I snapped back. "Your monthly five silver pieces wouldn't buy a pup's chew bone."​

"Leave the pup. He's Thornfield blood," he commanded.​

"Like hell," I spat.

I shouldered past him, the soft whimper of my pup a battle cry that echoed in my ears, fueling my courage.

"You dare question my loyalty? Five years of moon herbs, vomiting under the full moon-all for this? You call me a traitor?"​

In the Lunar Maternity sanctuary.

I stared at my sleeping pup, his tiny chest rising and falling in a rhythmic cadence.

Suddenly, salt water stung my eyes.​

Once, I'd dared to dream of a future painted in the hues of three howls under the full moon: me, Peter, and our pup.

But reality had shattered those idyllic visions into a million jagged shards. Instead, my mate had chosen a she - wolf, and he'd callously branded our pup a stray.​

A low, feral growl rumbled in my throat.

"Moon blood test,".​

"When?"

"Three moons at quickest."​

With a swift, almost brutal motion, the nurse plucked two hairs from the pup's scalp. Before I could protest, she vanished into the shadows.​

Just then, Peter's snarl crackled through the air.

"Lila Vance! Return the pup, or I'll break the bond!"

"Bond break? Fine. Try me after the pup's first lunar howl."

A guard's voice shattered the tense quiet.

"A she - wolf claims to be your mother. Shall I let her in?"

A photo popped up on the communication device, and my breath caught in my throat. There, staring back at me, was Eden Thornfield, my mate's dam.​

Since joining the Thornfield line, she'd been a beacon of kindness in Peter's storm of cruelty, kinder than the mate who now sought to destroy me.​

"Admit her."​

Eden burst into the room like a whirlwind. "Lila! If Peter's crossed you, I'll rip his ear! Stay here, or come to my villa-"

She fussed over the pup, her maternal instincts in full force, until a healer's bark cut through the tender moment:​

"Time to nurse."​

Eden leaned in.​

"Mom! Stop staring!"

"Just checking the pup's milk source."

She huffed, but her gaze lingered, a hint of something unreadable flashing in her eyes before finally drifting back to the pup.​

When she left, I called my lawyer.

I knew Peter would stop at nothing to leave me homeless, to strip me of everything I held dear. I needed proof of his tryst with Freya Caldwell, evidence of their secret meetings at the Wolfsbane Academy.

Once, Eden had blocked Freya's bond to Peter, choosing me as the worthy mate.

Now, fate seemed to be playing a cruel, twisted game.

Dawn's first howl had barely echoed when Eden Thornfield stormed in.

Behind her, Peter Thornfield lunged through the flap.

"Lila Vance, don't think cozying up to my dam settles this," he snarled.

"Today, you take the pup for a moon blood test. I'll see if he's Thornfield stock!"

Before I could snarl back, he snatched the pup from his crib.

"Blasphemy!" Eden's hackles rose

. "Of course he's yours!"

"Freya saw her with a strange wolf!"

Peter barked. "Why else hide in this manor? Guilt!"

He tried to bolt, but Eden blocked him.

"Five years of moon herbs to bear your pup, and you call her a cheater?"

"Maybe she had litters with others first!" Peter yelled, hoisting the pup high.

The pup's wails summoned other she-wolves.

"See? The pack judges you!" Peter leered.