Because the Lunar Sanctuary declared me the only fated mate of Kael Blackwood, the strongest Alpha of the North was forced to marry me. But in our two years of marriage, he never truly treated me as his Luna.

The blizzard howled outside the thick glass windows of the Silvermoon territory command center. Ice battered the panes, a harsh contrast to the suffocating silence inside the corridor.

"Dismissed. Have the border patrols doubled by dawn," Kael barked from inside his office.

The heavy oak doors swung open. Three Beta commanders filed out, their heads bowed to avoid eye contact. They hurried past me, eager to escape the crushing weight of their Alpha's aura.

I stepped into the room. The fire in the hearth cast long, flickering shadows across the stone floor. Kael sat behind his massive mahogany desk, reviewing tactical maps.

I wore a thin, black silk dress. He had glanced at it twice during a banquet last month. For me, two glances were enough to make it my favorite garment.

"You're still awake," Kael noted, not bothering to look up from his papers.

"I waited for you," I said.

"The storm is worsening. I need to be back at the eastern command post soon."

I crossed the room, my bare feet silent on the thick rugs. I rounded the desk and stepped into his personal space. I didn't ask for permission. I just slid onto his lap, draping my arms loosely around his neck.

He breathed out a heavy sigh, finally abandoning his pen. He didn't push me away.

"You have a few minutes," I murmured, leaning in to press a soft kiss to his jaw.

He didn't turn his head to meet my lips.

In this world, Alphas wield raw, destructive wolf strength. Betas enforce order through mental suppression. Omegas provide healing and comfort. As an Omega, I possessed no predatory instincts to read his mood. I could only gauge his desire by the sudden, rigid tightening of his arms around my waist to keep me steady.

His grip was iron-clad, yet his silver-gray wolf eyes remained entirely calm. Cold, even.

"Evelyn, hurry up," he urged, his tone flat and unyielding. "I have to return to command in half an hour."

"You're leaving again? Tonight?"

"The rogues don't care about the snow. Neither do I."

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. I lowered my head, preparing to kiss him anyway. Preparing to take whatever scraps of affection he was willing to offer before he vanished into the freezing night.

Right before our lips brushed, the sanctuary stone resting on the corner of his desk flared. A violent, blood-red light washed over the dark wood.

Kael stopped. His eyes darted to the glowing rock.

"Emergency transmission," he stated.

"It's from the High Priest," I said, reaching over to pick it up.

"Answer it," Kael ordered, leaning back in his leather chair. "Make it quick."

I pressed the smooth, warm stone to my ear. The ancient magic within it ensured the voice on the other end echoed only in my mind, shielding the conversation from even an Alpha's sharp hearing.

"Luna Evelyn," the High Priest's voice rushed into my head. He sounded out of breath, frantic.

"I'm here," I answered softly.

"Are you in a secure location?"

"I'm with Kael."

"Do not put this on speaker. Do not let him hear."

I shifted on Kael's lap, turning my shoulder slightly to shield my expression.

"What happened, High Priest?" I asked.

"The priest who officiated your mating ceremony two years ago was arrested by the Sanctuary guard tonight."

"Arrested? For what?"

"Treason," the old man hissed. "We reopened the sealed Moon Disk to audit his past rituals. We found a horrific violation of the goddess's laws. Your mate mark, Evelyn. It was artificially altered."

My fingers clamped down hard on the stone.

"Altered?" I echoed.

"Kael Blackwood is not your fated mate."

The world stopped spinning. The roaring fire in the hearth faded into absolute silence.

*Not my fated mate.*

I stared blankly at the far wall. The words crashed through my mind, shattering two years of desperate hope.

"Evelyn?" Kael's voice broke the spell.

I looked down at him. He was frowning, his silver-gray eyes filled with impatience.

"Well?" he demanded. "Are we continuing or not? My time is short."

I studied his handsome, stoic face. Suddenly, every agonizing memory slotted into place.

I finally understood why his inner wolf had never recognized mine on the day we met. I understood why our moon crests refused to truly connect during the binding ritual, leaving me in agonizing pain while he felt nothing. I understood why, no matter how hard I tried to please him, he never once looked at me with love.

Because he wasn't mine. And I wasn't his.

"Did you hear me?" Kael asked, his voice dropping into a dangerous, Alpha rumble. He hated being ignored.

For the first time in two years, I didn't apologize. I didn't cling to his neck and beg for his attention.

I placed my hands on his chest and pushed myself off his lap.

Kael blinked, surprised by the sudden loss of contact.

I stood up straight and pulled the edges of my silk collar together, buttoning it up to my throat.

"No," I said, my voice eerily calm. "We aren't continuing. Go do your work."

Kael froze. A muscle twitched in his jaw. He searched my face for the usual desperation, but found nothing.

"What did the Sanctuary want?" he asked, his tone sharpening with suspicion.

"Just a routine check on the territory wards," I lied smoothly. "Nothing that concerns the military."

He stood up, towering over me. The sheer size of him used to make my heart race. Now, it just made me feel exhausted.

"You're acting strange," he noted.

"Am I?" I asked.

"You usually beg me to stay five more minutes."

"You said yourself, the rogues don't care about the snow. Your soldiers need you more than I do."

He frowned, stepping closer. He reached out, his large hand gripping my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

"Did someone disrespect you today?" he demanded. "Did one of the Betas say something?"

"No, Kael. No one said anything."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I'm a stranger."

I pulled my chin out of his grasp.

"We've been married for two years. How could you be a stranger?" I replied.

The sarcasm was subtle, but his wolf caught it. A low growl vibrated in his chest.

"I don't have time for these games, Evelyn. If you have a problem, state it."

"I have no problem. Have a safe trip to the eastern post."

He stared at me, his silver-gray eyes searching mine for any sign of deception. Finding none, he finally turned away.

"Fine," he snapped, snatching his heavy black military coat from the brass rack. He threw it over his broad shoulders. "I'll be gone for three days. Don't wait up."

He strode out of the office, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind him.

The moment the latch clicked into place, my knees buckled. I caught myself on the edge of his desk, gasping for air.

I lifted the glowing red stone back to my ear.

"I'm still here," I whispered, my voice shaking. "If Kael isn't my mate... who is?"

"We don't know his identity," the High Priest replied, his tone heavy with sorrow. "The original moon crest was severely damaged by the dark magic used to alter it. The symbol is still recovering its true shape."

"So you have no idea who I actually belong to."

"We only know that he exists. And Evelyn... the readings from the Moon Disk are unprecedented. Your soul resonance with this unknown male is incredibly strong. The pull between you two will be overwhelming once the false mark begins to fade."

I turned my head. Above the grand stone fireplace hung our wedding portrait.

It was a massive, expensive oil painting. Kael stood tall and imposing in his formal military dress, staring straight ahead like a soldier going to war. I stood beside him, looking small and fragile, reaching out to hold his arm.

He had never looked at the painting once it was hung.

I reached up to my collarbone. My fingers brushed against the cold metal of my moon-silver necklace. The sacred jewelry symbolized my status as the Luna of the Silvermoon pack.

It was a lie. All of it was a lie.

I unclasped the chain. It slipped off my neck and pooled heavily in my palm.

"High Priest," I said, my voice stripping away the last two years of weakness.

"Yes, my child?"

"Keep this a secret. Temporarily."

"You aren't going to tell Alpha Kael?" he asked, sounding alarmed. "He has a right to know his territory has been compromised."

"No. Do not tell him yet." I squeezed the silver necklace, the sharp edges biting into my skin. "I'm going to end this mistaken marriage myself before he finds out the truth."

"Understood," the Priest murmured. "But be warned, Evelyn. The true mate bond is already waking up. You will start feeling his emotions soon... and wherever he is, he will come hunting for you."

"Pack the Alpha's clothes," I ordered. I tossed a heavy velvet tunic onto the mattress. "Move them back to the East Wing."

Elias, the head butler, froze in the doorway. He stared at the empty armoire, then at me. "Luna? Did you have a fight?"

"No fight," I said. I grabbed a stack of Kael's black military trousers and shoved them into an open iron-bound trunk. "Just correcting a mistake."

Elias stepped further into the room. His brow furrowed in deep confusion. "You spent two years trying to get his belongings into this room. You snuck into his bathroom when he returned from patrols. You sat on his lap during classified military reports to force him to look at you. You even threatened him."

I let out a dry, bitter laugh. "I remember perfectly. 'Reject me again, and I'll tell the entire North their strongest Alpha is impotent.' I was pathetic."

"You were in love," Elias corrected gently.

"I was distracted," I snapped. I slammed a drawer shut. "Five years ago, I fell through a spatial rift into this world. I am human, Elias. I don't have Alpha strength to command armies. I don't have Beta tracking skills. I don't even have Omega healing magic. I am completely powerless here."

Elias frowned. "You are our Luna."

"Only by a forced mandate," I argued. "I only agreed to marry Kael because the Sanctuary matched our marks. He controlled the restricted archives. I just wanted to find the records on spatial rifts. I wanted to find a way home."

Elias sighed. He reached out and closed the heavy trunk lid for me. "But you stopped looking in the archives."

"Because I fell for him," I admitted. My voice hardened, stripping away the vulnerability. "I forgot the warning he gave me right before our wedding. 'I will protect you, and give you the status of a Luna, but do not expect me to love a stranger because of a moon mark.'"

I pushed the trunk toward the hallway.

"Take his things away, Elias. I am done pretending to be his fated mate."

Seven days passed.

I did not send Kael a single message. I did not ask the guards when he was coming back. I locked his gold in the vault and ignored the weekly market entirely.

On the eighth afternoon, Elias found me in the winter conservatory.

"Beta Thorne sent a raven from the border," the butler announced. He held up a small scroll sealed with black wax.

"Does it concern the territory wards?" I asked. I pruned a dead leaf from a frost-rose bush.

"It concerns your husband. Thorne says the Alpha halted a major tactical meeting this morning. Right in the middle of a siege plan, he completely zoned out. He stared at his silent communication stone for ten minutes while his generals waited."

I set my iron shears down on the glass table. "He is just surprised his annoying wife stopped begging for scraps of attention."

"He receives dozens of messages from you during every campaign," Elias pointed out. "The sudden silence must be deafening for him."

"He will adjust."

"Luna, are you sure about this?" Elias asked, his tone laced with genuine concern.

"I have never been more sure of anything," I replied. "Burn the raven's message. We have nothing to discuss regarding the Alpha's moods."

That evening, the red sanctuary stone on my vanity finally glowed.

I picked it up. I pressed the smooth, warm surface to my ear.

"The healer will check your body tomorrow morning," Kael's deep voice vibrated through my mind. No greeting. No asking how I was. Just a cold, military order.

"No need," I replied. My tone remained perfectly even. "I'm fine."

A long pause stretched on the other end. I could hear the howling wind of the borderlands whistling in the background.

"Elias says you didn't attend the weekly jewelry auction," Kael pressed.

"I suddenly lost interest."

"You bought a sapphire every week for a year."

"Tastes change, Alpha."

The stone flashed rapidly. The red light pulsed with his erratic, frustrated energy. Minutes dragged by in total silence. I set the rock down on the vanity, fully intending to walk away and go to sleep.

It flared bright red again, nearly blinding in the dim room.

"I am coming home tomorrow night," Kael stated. His voice sounded tighter than usual, the Alpha command slipping slightly.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror. My neck looked painfully bare without the heavy silver Luna chain.

"No need to rush," I answered. "The North needs you. This home isn't important."

I severed the connection instantly. The stone went dead black.

I walked down to the grand hall to inspect the evening guard rotations. The massive hearth fire crackled, casting warm orange light across the gray stone walls.

Less than forty minutes had passed since I ended the transmission. The eastern border was a six-hour ride away on the fastest horse.

A massive boom shook the entire castle.

The heavy oak front doors crashed open. They slammed against the stone walls with a violent, splintering crack. Freezing wind and snow roared into the hall, extinguishing the torches and the hearth fire instantly.

The guards drew their swords, shouting in alarm as the darkness swallowed the room.

"Stand down!" a thunderous voice roared.

Kael stepped through the threshold.

He was a terrifying sight. Snow clung thickly to his broad shoulders and dark hair. Fresh crimson blood stained his leather armor. It dripped steadily from his heavy metal gauntlets onto the polished floor. His chest heaved with violent exertion.

His silver-gray eyes locked onto me with a ferocious, unyielding intensity.

He hadn't ridden a horse. He had shifted into his wolf form and run through a deadly blizzard at breakneck speed just to get here.

Elias rushed forward, stammering. "Alpha! You're early—we didn't expect—"

Kael shoved past the butler without a glance. He crossed the grand hall in three massive strides. He closed the distance between us before I could even take a step back.

He stopped mere inches from my face. He towered over me, a lethal predator fresh from the kill. The scent of frost and fresh iron rolled off him.

He grabbed my upper arms. His grip was bruising, his fingers digging into my skin.

"Who told you," Kael growled, his voice vibrating with a dangerous, untamed fury, "that this home isn't important?"

I stared up at him, shocked by the raw desperation flashing in his usually cold eyes, but before I could answer, a sharp, searing pain ripped through my chest—the true mate bond was finally waking up, and the unknown male on the other end was furious.

The searing pain in my chest vanished the moment Kael’s heavy hands clamped onto my arms. His sheer physical presence forced the new, waking mate bond back into dormancy.

He didn't even bother removing his snow-covered black military coat. He pressed two freezing fingers against my neck, checking my pulse. Then, a heavy wave of his Alpha energy pushed against my mind, scanning my mental barriers.

"Temperature normal," he stated, his voice rough. "Heartbeat normal. Mental barrier intact."

He dropped his hands and took a half-step back, studying me as if I were a puzzle he couldn't solve.

"You aren't sick," he concluded. "Why are you suddenly acting like a different person?"

I twisted my shoulders, smoothing the silk of my sleeves. I forced a polite, easy smile.

"I just finally learned to be sensible, Kael."

His silver-gray eyes narrowed. He didn't believe a single word. He stalked past me, his gaze sweeping the bedroom. He stopped dead in front of the open armoire. Half the shelves were completely bare.

Then, he turned his head. He spotted the open velvet jewelry box on my vanity. The heavy silver Luna necklace sat coiled inside it, abandoned.

The air in the room plummeted ten degrees.

"Did the elders come to see you again?" he demanded. His jaw tightened, a muscle ticking wildly beneath his skin.

"No," I answered.

He ignored me. He strode to the doorway and shouted down the hall.

"Thorne!"

The Beta commander appeared instantly, bowing his head.

"Suspend the three elders who oppose the human Luna," Kael ordered, his tone deadly. "Ban them from all council meetings until further notice."

Thorne nodded and vanished down the corridor.

My chest tightened. A sudden, foolish warmth flickered in my heart. He was defending me. Without hesitation, he was punishing the most powerful men in his pack just to protect my peace.

"Why do that?" I asked, keeping my voice perfectly level. "Why do you care what they say about me?"

Kael turned back to face me. The anger in his eyes was entirely clinical.

"You are my officially wedded Luna," he stated, his voice hard. "Insulting you is a direct challenge to my authority."

The warmth in my chest turned to ice.

Of course. It was about his pride. His power. It was never about me.

He caught the brief flash of disappointment on my face. He shifted his weight, his heavy leather boots scraping against the stone floor. He looked entirely out of his element.

"We will eat dinner together," he announced.

Before I could decline, he reached up and popped the top brass buttons of his stiff collar. He closed the distance between us in two massive strides. Without warning, he swept me off my feet, cradling me against his chest.

He carried me toward the massive four-poster bed.

"You used to beg me to wear this uniform for you," he murmured, his tone stiff. "Today, you can have it."

Panic spiked through my veins. I shoved hard against his chest, kicking my legs to throw off his balance.

"Put me down!" I demanded.

He dropped me onto my feet, stumbling back a half-step.

"There is no need," I said, flattening the wrinkles from my dress. "You don't have to force yourself anymore."

Kael froze. His arms remained suspended in the empty air. The undefeated Alpha of the North stared at me, completely lost. He didn't know how to handle a wife who no longer wanted his attention.

A sharp buzzing sliced through the heavy silence. His military communication stone flashed bright green on the bedside table.

He snatched it up.

"Alpha," a crisp, female voice echoed into the room.

Serena Vale.

She was the daughter of Kael's mentor. A fierce, young female Alpha. Everyone in the North knew she was his perfect match. The pack whispered that if the Sanctuary hadn't forced our marriage, Serena would be the true Luna of Silvermoon.

"Speak," Kael ordered.

"The siege lines are shifting," Serena reported, her tone brisk and professional. "We need you back at the command center immediately."

"I'll be there."

He shoved the stone into his pocket.

I saw my escape route. The military archive access badge burned a hole in my pocket. I needed a reason to go to the command center to return it, to sever my final tie to his territory.

"I'll bring you dinner," I offered quickly. "Go handle the siege. I'll come to the command post in an hour."

Kael's rigid posture instantly relaxed. A faint, satisfied gleam returned to his silver-gray eyes. He thought I was playing the devoted wife again, eager to follow him into the snow.

"Fine," he agreed. "See you in an hour."

He turned on his heel and marched out of the room, the heavy oak doors shutting behind him.

One hour later, the blizzard raged with violent force.

I carried a heavy iron food box up the icy stone steps of the military command center. The wind whipped my hair across my face, stinging my cheeks.

Two werewolf guards crossed their steel spears to block the heavy iron doors.

"Halt," the left guard barked, his eyes flashing yellow in the dark. "Humans are not allowed in the core military zone."

"I am bringing dinner for the Alpha," I said, raising the iron box.

"No exceptions," the right guard growled.

A third figure stepped out of the shadows of the guardhouse. A high-ranking officer wearing a thick fur cloak. He leaned against the stone archway, a cruel sneer twisting his lips.

"Let her through, boys," the officer mocked, his voice cutting through the howling wind. "After all, this is the woman who stole the Luna seat with a fake moon mark."

I froze. My fingers tightened around the handle of the food box.

I snapped my head up to stare at him.

The High Priest swore absolute secrecy. How did this officer know?