Chapter 1

Liora POV:

I stood before the full-length mirror, the white ceremonial dress a stark, hopeful slash of light in the dim room. Kade and I had picked it out together. The silk was cool against my skin, a promise of the Moon Goddess's pure blessing.

My fingers traced the silver-thread wolf totem embroidered over the heart. In just a few hours, I would be his Luna. The mother of our pack. A wave of longing, so sharp it was almost a pain, washed over me.

*Our mate! Kade! Hurry!* My inner wolf, Lyra, tumbled with giddy impatience in my mind.

A soft smile touched my lips. I sent a wave of calm toward her. *Soon, Lyra. It's almost time.*

My gaze fell to the vanity, to the single piece of jewelry resting on the velvet cloth. My mother's moonstone necklace. It was the only thing she'd left me after my father, a powerful Alpha, had cast her aside for a more politically advantageous match. The stone seemed to drink the light, its milky depths holding a quiet power. It was my constant reminder of the one thing I craved above all else: a love that wasn't conditional on rank or power.

I remembered my mother's last words to me, her voice a fragile whisper. *Never let your rank define your worth, my sweet girl.* Her pain had forged my resolve. It was why I'd hidden my true self, why I'd worn the guise of an Omega. I needed to know Kade's love was for my soul, not for the power a top-tier Alpha mate would bring him.

Lifting the necklace, I fastened the clasp. The stone was cool against my throat, a familiar weight that grounded me.

From the window, a roar of cheers drifted up from the packhouse courtyard. The air buzzed with celebration. I walked over, peering down at the sea of pack members arranging garlands of moonflower and lighting silver lanterns. I pictured myself down there, standing beside Kade, his hand in mine, accepting their blessings.

The memory of our first meeting ambushed me. A pack run under the full moon, the wind whipping through my hair. The moment our wolves had laid eyes on each other, a primal jolt had shot through me, so powerful it buckled my knees. A single word had echoed in both our minds, a soul-deep declaration: *Mine!*

Kade's promise from that night still warmed me. "Liora, you are my only moonlight," he had whispered, his eyes sincere. "I don't care if you're an Alpha or an Omega. It's your soul my wolf chose."

A pang of guilt pricked at me. My test felt almost cruel now. I decided then and there: after the ceremony, I would tell him the truth. I would reveal my true Alpha nature as a surprise, a gift to the man who loved me for who I was, not what I was.

A sharp, hurried knock on the door shattered my reverie.

My heart leaped. Kade. He was early. A giddy, sweet smile spread across my face as I rushed to the door.

I pulled it open, my breath catching in my throat, ready to fall into his arms. But it wasn't Kade.

It was my best friend, Selena Croft.

She stood there in a plain, dark tunic, a stark contrast to the festive mood. Her face was pale, her eyes wide and haunted.

My smile froze, melting from my face. "Selena? What's wrong? You haven't changed. The ceremony is about to start."

She didn't answer. Her gaze flickered over me, a toxic cocktail of emotions swirling in their depths-jealousy, pity, and a sliver of something that looked horrifyingly like triumph.

A cold dread began to seep into my bones, heavy and suffocating. My heart, which had been soaring moments before, plummeted into my stomach. In my head, Lyra fell silent, her ears flattened in alarm.

Selena stepped inside, pushing past me. She reached back and closed the heavy oak door. The latch clicked shut with a sound of finality, a dull thud that seemed to sever me from all the joy and celebration outside.