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.

Eden's eyes flared.

"You've gone mad from that she-wolf's lies!"

In a blur of motion, she lunged forward.

She wrenched the pup from Peter's grasp, her fingers digging into his flesh like talons.

Then, with a swift and brutal motion, she shoved him back.

Two sharp slaps, like the crack of a whip, echoed through the room.​

Peter fled, his nose dripping blood.​

Eden turned, her eyes instantly softening as she looked at me and the pup.

Her hands, now gentle and tender, reached out to us.

"Scared you, pup? Come live with me. I'll guard you both."

Her words warmed my heart, like a cozy fire on a cold winter's night.

But a nagging prickle of suspicion lingered in the back of my mind.

Was this a ruse, a carefully crafted deception to steal my precious pup?

"Thanks. Go rest-visit tomorrow," I said, my voice laced with a hint of caution.​

As she left, her promise hung in the air like a delicate web. "You're always mistress here."​

The moon blood test results arrived at first light.

An attendant, their face pale and solemn, shoved a parchment packet into my hands.

I tore it open with trembling hand.

And then, my world tilted on its axis.​

Conclusion: No genetic link to Peter Thornfield.​

It was the same lie as in my past life.

But I'd plucked his hairs myself. How could this be?

I'd never strayed under any moon, never betrayed my mate.

A click at the door jolted me back to reality.

I stuffed the scroll under my pillow. "Lila, you look gaunt," Eden crooned, her voice sickeningly sweet as she brushed my cheek.

I flinched, my eyes fixed on the window, unable to meet her gaze.​

"Time for the pup's lunar bath," a healer called.

A nursemaid reached for the crib, her movements slow and hesitant.

"Go with them, mother," I urged, hoping to get Eden out of the room.​

Eden waved her off dismissively, her eyes never leaving mine.

"They'll return him soon."

Most granddams hover over their pups, showering them with love and attention. Yet she always lingered near me, not the pup. Why?​

"I need rest," I lied, closing my eyes, praying she would leave.

Her gaze burned into me, like a searing hot brand, before she finally padded out of the room.​

Alone, I shredded the scroll and flushed it down the drain, watching as the pieces disappeared into the darkness.

But no answers came, only more questions.​

When my lunar confinement ended, Eden begged me to stay in her home.

Desperate to solve the mystery, I agreed.

Peter stormed in twice, howling for a bond break.

Each time, Eden chased him of.

As she stood between us, her body tense and ready for battle, I thought: This is the mother I never had.​

One day, while she went out, I decided to tidy her room.

As soon as I stepped inside, a stench hit me, a nauseating mix of my own scent and something foul, something rotten.

It was as if the air itself was contaminated. I lifted her blanket, and time seemed to stand still.​

My old clothes-underwear, nursing wraps-lay piled beneath, a macabre shrine.

The sight was both terrifying and confusing.

What was she doing with my things?​

The lock beeped, and my heart stopped.

I slammed the blanket down, my hands shaking.

Eden entered, her eyes narrowing as she handed my sweaty brow.

"Overworked, Lila. Rest."