Life carried on as it always did—cold, heavy with judgment, and full of whispered scorn from my family and the pack. But something had shifted, something I couldn’t ignore.

The entire pack had begun to treat Bianca like she was the Luna.

It was subtle at first—more smiles when she passed, more bows and lowered eyes—but now it had grown into something undeniable. They praised her. Followed her. Worshipped her like she was the true mate of the Alpha. Like she was me.

We had the same face, the same voice, but our cores were different. That was what mattered. My core was what connected me to Mark. My core was the reason we were fated. And though I’d lost it, I was still his mate… wasn’t I?

But that wasn’t the only change.

Mark had changed too.

He smiled more when Bianca was in the room. His entire energy seemed to brighten with her presence, as if she carried the sun in her hands. And when she wasn’t around? He was cold. Distant. Tired.

I tried to reason with myself, telling my heart that they’d known each other since childhood. That we all had. That his closeness to her was nothing more than comfort from an old friend. But I couldn’t unsee the way his eyes lingered on her… the softness in his gaze that I hadn’t felt in months.

He used to look at me like that.

But now, when his eyes found mine, they were dull. Empty. As if I had become a burden. As if loving me had become a chore.

I told myself it was the core—my missing wolf—that made things difficult for him. Still, hadn’t he promised to love me through it all? Hadn’t he said he'd never leave me? That I was everything to him?

One morning, I woke with a wave of nausea so strong it forced me out of bed. Mark wasn’t beside me—again. My stomach churned, but this time not from pain or fear. Something felt different.

Hope fluttered in my chest.

I’d been feeling off for weeks, and finally, I decided to confirm what my body had been trying to tell me. I retrieved the test kit I’d bought in secret and rushed into the bathroom.

The moment the two lines appeared, my heart soared. I was pregnant.

I stood frozen, hands trembling with joy. For the first time in months, I felt alive. This… this was hope. A new beginning. A reason to smile again.

Without wasting a second, I showered, dressed, and rushed through the hallways of the pack house to find Mark. He had to know. I wanted to see his face light up, to feel his arms wrap around me with joy. This child would bring us closer again—I was sure of it.

When I reached his office, the guards at the door stepped forward, blocking my path.

“I’m sorry, Luna,” one said with a slight bow. “The Alpha is in a meeting and cannot be disturbed.”

My heart sank. “Please… it’s urgent. He’ll want to know this.”

But they stood firm.

I was about to argue when something made me freeze.

A sound. Faint, but unmistakable.

A moan.

My eyes darted toward the door. The guards exchanged nervous glances, trying to avoid my gaze. Then the sound came again—clearer this time. And it wasn’t just any moan. It was familiar.

My stomach dropped.

“Open the door,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

The guards hesitated. One looked truly pained as he said, “Luna… please. Walk away. Pretend you didn’t hear anything. It’s better that way.”

But I couldn’t walk away. I wouldn’t.

“Open. The. Door,” I repeated, this time with steel in my voice.

He sighed, defeated, and pushed the door open.

What I saw inside shattered me.

Mark—my mate—was on top of my sister, their bodies tangled on the desk as their moans filled the room. I stood frozen at the threshold, unable to breathe, unable to think. My heart cracked in my chest as if it had taken a physical blow.

Then Bianca’s eyes met mine.

She didn’t flinch. She didn’t hide. Instead, she smiled.

My legs went numb.

“Mark!” I screamed, and he stopped abruptly, turning his head toward me.

For a second, I hoped he’d jump up, explain, say it wasn’t what it looked like—some pathetic excuse like all cheaters do.

But instead, he snapped, “Are you insane? Barging into my office like this?”

My eyes widened. “But I’m your wife! What are you doing with my sister?!”

He climbed off Bianca and zipped up his pants like nothing had happened. He stepped toward me and… laughed.

“Wife?” he scoffed. “You? You’re nothing. A wolfless, useless shell.”

His words hit me like knives. I staggered backward, gripping the doorframe for support. Tears spilled down my cheeks. “You… you know what they did to me. You know. Why are you saying this?”

He looked down at me with disgust. “Because I’m tired of pretending. You think I wanted this? You think I was happy the Moon Goddess cursed me with you as a mate? Every time I look at you, I see what I lost. What I could’ve had.”

My eyes flicked to Bianca, who was still lounging on the desk like nothing had happened.

“You don’t even look guilty,” I whispered.

She stood up, brushing imaginary dust from her clothes, and walked toward me with a smirk. “Why would I feel guilty?” she said sweetly. “I’m finally getting everything I deserve.”

“What… what are you talking about?” I choked out.

Mark crossed his arms as Bianca stepped closer, pulling down the neckline of her shirt to reveal her chest. My breath caught.

There were scars.

But they weren’t like mine—jagged and rough. Hers were precise. Clean. Surgical.

“I took your core,” she said, smiling like it was a badge of honor. “And now… your mate belongs to me.”

My vision blurred as the world tilted around me. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.

“You… you planned this?” I managed to say through sobs.

Bianca’s voice was dripping with mock sympathy. “We didn’t want to. But when the Moon Goddess paired him with you, we had no choice. Mark and I have loved each other for years. We were just waiting for fate to catch up. When it didn’t, we made our own.”

I almost collapsed to my knees, sobbing, my hand instinctively going to my stomach.

There, beneath the crushing weight of betrayal, was the only thing that gave me strength:

The baby.

Our child.

But even that joy was poisoned now.

Because the man I had loved… the man I had trusted… had never been mine at all.

I couldn’t move.

The joy I carried in my heart—my baby, the life growing inside of me—was shattered in an instant. I clutched my stomach protectively, as though shielding my unborn child from the cruelty that surrounded us. My voice trembled with grief.

“How could you?” I asked softly, choking on the pain. “You’re my sister. I loved you.”

Bianca laughed cruelly. Mark joined her.

Their laughter echoed through the room like a cruel chorus, mocking my shattered soul.

I turned to look at him, my mate—the man who once promised forever. The man I believed would stand by me even when my wolf was stripped away. Betrayal settled in my bones like frost.

And then—slap.

The sting burned across my cheek. I gasped.

Bianca had slapped me.

“How dare you look at another woman’s man?” she spat.

I stumbled backward. Another woman’s man? But he was mine—wasn’t he?

“That’s enough,” Mark said casually, adjusting his shirt. “She’s already crushed. That’s more than enough.”

I dropped to the floor, broken. My tears wouldn’t stop, spilling like endless rain. My lungs heaved but couldn’t fill with air. My thoughts spiraled.

Why me?

Why did this have to happen?

In that moment, a dark thought crossed my mind—it would be better to just die. To disappear.

But then my hand found my belly again, and I remembered.

My baby.

My precious baby who didn’t ask for any of this.

No. I had to live—for us.

I stood up slowly, silently. My pain was too deep for words. I walked out without another look at them. Behind me, the guards stood at attention. I saw it then—in their eyes.

They knew.

They all knew.

The maids stared as I passed. Whispers followed me. I wasn’t just betrayed by Mark and Bianca—I had been mocked and pitied by the entire pack.

When I reached my room, I tried to close the door behind me, but a maid arrived moments later.

“This will no longer be your room,” she said coldly. “Follow me.”

I followed her without resistance, numb, as though I were sleepwalking.

She led me to a small, dim room at the far end of the pack grounds—worse than even a servant’s quarters. Damp walls. A thin mattress. No window. No comfort.

I collapsed into the silence.

I cried until there were no tears left. Until I became a ghost of myself. I didn’t eat. I didn’t move. I simply existed.

Days turned into weeks.

And then one day, there was a knock. I didn’t answer. I didn’t care. The door creaked open, and suddenly warm arms wrapped around me.

“Becca, please…” a voice begged.

My eyes widened.

“Mama?”

It was my mother.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held me. “Please, baby, don’t do this to yourself. I’m so sorry. I failed you. We all did. But you have to live. Please… leave this place. Go far away and start over. I’ve convinced Mark to give you Bianca’s core. Please take it and run. Forget us. Forget the Bright Light Pack. Let it all go.”

I stared at her, hollow, then gave a dry chuckle.

“Do one good thing for me, Mama,” I whispered.

She nodded quickly, hopeful.

“When the core is inside me… give me something that makes it seem like I died. please mom, do this for me. Let them all believe I’m gone.”

Her eyes widened in horror. But after a long pause, she nodded again. “This will be the last good I do for you.”

The procedure was scheduled. My mother made the arrangements with a trusted doctor. As the core was placed into me, she slipped something into the anesthesia.

Mark wasn’t there. Of course he wasn’t. He didn’t care.

The operation went well—at first. But then my heart began to slow. Machines beeped frantically. Nurses screamed. The doctor worked to bring me back…

But it was no use.

Becca—the wolfless Luna—was dead.

News of my death reached the Alpha by nightfall.

“What did you just say?” Mark whispered. “No… that’s not possible. She’s one of the strongest girls I know.”

But the doctor only shook his head.

Mark clutched his chest. Panic, guilt, and something else clawed at his insides. He didn’t want me dead. He only wanted my core… so he could finally be with the twin he truly desired.

But it was too late.

I was buried with honors—a Luna’s grave. The pack gathered in black. Mark stood in silence, unreadable. But Bianca… she sensed something. A flicker of unease settled in her stomach.

That night, my mother returned with the doctor she’d bribed. They dug up the grave, their hands shaking with urgency.

She injected me.

And suddenly—gasp.

I breathed again.

I was alive.

Pain stabbed through my chest as I coughed and gasped for air. My mother held me tightly, sobbing.

“You’re okay, baby… you’re okay.”

They took me to a secluded hut where the doctor continued my treatment. I slowly regained my strength.

But then… came the worst news.

I had lost the baby.

I screamed. I cried. I broke all over again.

They had taken everything from me—my core, my place, my dignity… and now my child.

As I lay there, silent and scarred, a fire began to burn in me.

I vowed.

I vowed to return stronger. To make them pay.

I would give Mark and Bianca pain twice what they gave me.

They would suffer for what they did. For my baby. For my broken soul.

When I was strong enough, my mother handed me an envelope of money. I hugged her one last time. I thanked the doctor with a broken smile.

And then I left.

Disguised by a scarf and glasses, I boarded a bus heading… anywhere. As long as it was far from the Bright Light Pack.

I didn’t know what the future held.

But I was free.

When the bus stopped and I stepped out, I felt the unfamiliar breeze on my face. A small restaurant sat by the roadside, and my stomach growled for the first time in weeks.

I walked in, ready to begin again.

But before I could speak, a voice called from behind.

“Mate.”

I froze.

Gasps echoed through the restaurant.

Slowly, I turned.

And there he stood—a stranger, tall and intense, staring straight at me.

But I knew, without a doubt, he wasn’t my mate.

He was Bianca’s.

Because I carried her core.

I sighed as I heard the words leave his lips. I hadn’t even gathered myself fully, yet here I was, coming face to face with Bianca’s mate.

All I wanted was something to eat.

“I’m afraid you’ve got the wrong person,” I said, which, of course, was true. But he didn’t respond—he just kept staring at me.

For what felt like an eternity, he finally spoke.

“I’m not mistaken. You’re my mate… though your core and your scent—they’re slightly different.”

My eyes widened. My core and me? Could he really tell the difference between a person and their core?

His gaze darkened.

“You don’t seem surprised by that. Did you steal someone’s core?”

I chuckled—a sharp, cold sound.

“Or maybe it’s the other way around. Look, I’m hungry. Leave me be.”

I turned to order my food but quickly realized all eyes in the restaurant were on us.

I dismissed their stares and placed my order. Even the waiter looked lost in confusion, but I didn’t care. Whoever this man was, it wasn’t my concern.

Once I received my food, I proceeded to leave—but oh, right. There’s a man still standing behind me.

“You are my mate, and as such, we are to wed,” he said.

I turned to face him as he continued.

“Whether you stole someone else’s core or not, I don’t care. You’re my mate, and you will be mine.”

Who does he think he is?

“Look, give it up, okay?” I snapped, almost yelling. Gasps erupted from the people around us.

Wait—who the hell is he?

And why were they staring at me like I’d just insulted their Alpha?

He stepped closer, voice low.

“What’s your name?”

Disdain filled me. Bianca’s mate stood so close I could smell his scent. The very idea made my skin crawl. I wanted nothing to do with her—or him—but then an idea crept into my mind.

What if I use him to get revenge?

I had no plan yet, but I would. With time.

“Becca,” I answered.

Though subtle, I saw it—he flinched at the mention of my name.

“I’m Alpha Dean Lucas of the Wrath Pack,” he said.

Alpha? Wrath Pack? Did I even check where I ended up? Wrath Pack—as the name implies—was one of the most vicious, untouchable packs. No one wanted to cross them.

And he’s Bianca’s mate?

This might just get interesting.

Bianca… Mark… just wait. Wait patiently as I plan your downfall. You killed my child. Stole my core. Made me crawl through pain and humiliation. You will suffer.

“Well, it’s nice meeting you,” I said with a small bow. As my head dipped, a dark smirk spread across my lips.

“We’ll continue this discussion at the pack house,” he said.

I nodded.

“But first, eat your food. I’m sorry for interrupting you.”

For a second, guilt hit me. He had nothing to do with my pain, yet now he was part of my revenge. Almost sorry, but not quite.

I sat down and ate, the idea of revenge making every bite taste divine. I ate until I was full. When I finished, he led the way outside.

Three sleek black cars were parked out front. He opened the door to one and invited me in.

The drive to the pack house was long, but as I looked out the window, I couldn’t help but admire how beautiful the Wrath Pack lands were. Peaceful. Full of life. I saw a man playing with his child, holding his wife like she was his whole world.

I could have had that…

But Mark and Bianca ruined it.

My thoughts were interrupted as the car took a path covered in greenery. We were close. And soon, a massive gate appeared before us.

As we drove in, my breath hitched. The lands were vast—more than three times bigger than Bright Light Pack. The field alone could keep children entertained for hours. I clenched my fists.

My child… my sweet child… Mommy will make them pay. I promise.

When we stepped out of the car, the house that greeted me was massive—at least three times larger than my old packhouse. Richer, grander, more powerful.

Maids and butlers bowed as they greeted him.

“Welcome back, Alpha. How was your journey?” the butler asked.

“It went well. And on my way back, I found my mate,” he said plainly. “Is my office ready? I need to speak with her.”

The butler's eyes widened, as did the rest of the staff’s.

I didn’t care. I offered a weak smile, pretending to be unaffected.

Inside, the house was even more breathtaking. The outside didn’t do it justice. This was wealth. This was power. No wonder people feared them.

Once we reached his study, I was offered a seat across from him.

“Everyone, leave,” he ordered, and they scurried away.

He looked straight at me.

“Now tell me—why does your scent not match your core?”

I met his eyes, unfazed.

“Because it’s not mine. And I’m still getting used to it… so it hasn’t blended properly yet.”

His eyes widened.