Chapter 1 BETRAYAL BENEATH THE MOON

New Beginnings and Betrayal

The packhouse's great hall was alive with activity. Glasses clinked, laughter resounded, and the aroma of honeyed wine and roasting meat filled the air. I should have been pleased to be the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack, standing in the middle of it all. However, something felt off.

My fingers clenched around my glass's fragile stem. All eyes were on me as the ceremonial toast was about to start.

Lyra stood next to me and said, "You look nervous." She smiled warmly, but there was something in her eyes that I couldn't identify.

"Do I?" I said, suppressing a little chuckle. "Perhaps it's the gravity of the situation."

She brushed a stray hair off my cheek as she drew closer. "Nadia, you'll be all right. You own this evening.

I should have been reassured by her comments, but they didn't. For years, Lyra had been my closest friend and confidante throughout all of Luna's difficulties. But something about her tone tonight made my stomach turn.

I raised my glass in response and said, "Thank you." I ignored my uneasiness when the wine's harsh flavor met my lips. I couldn't afford to spoil this celebratory evening with pointless concerns.

I said to the audience, "Tonight, we celebrate strength and unity." The Silver Moon Pack has an unbreakable connection. We all rise together in the moonlight.

I grinned as cheers broke out, despite my clammy palms. Across the room, my mate and Alpha, Aiden, stood with an enigmatic face. After a brief period of looking at me, he moved to talk to our Beta, Damon.

A shiver went down my spine as Damon grinned while whispering something to Aiden. Damon didn't have my trust. His movements and the way his eyes lingered on power seemed too deliberate. I was forced to accept him, however, since Aiden appreciated his devotion.

Lyra nudged me gently and said, "Drink." "After all, it's your toast."

I raised the glass to my lips once again and nodded. This time, the wine was sweeter, but I was paused by a strong metallic aftertaste.

"Is everything okay?" Lyra asked in a lighthearted tone, but her eyes were fixed on me.

"Yes," I said hastily, overcoming the odd feeling. "I'm all right."

However, I wasn't.

The space started to get hazy. My knees swayed under me, and my heart raced. I extended my hand and grasped the table's edge, but my fingers were numb.

"Lyra..." I could hardly raise my voice above a whisper.

As I staggered, she grabbed me with a solid, firm hold. Her face was near mine, and I briefly believed I saw a glimmer of victory in her eyes.

Her voice was so quiet that only I could hear her whisper, "You were never meant to lead."

"What?" My head was whirling, but I was having trouble understanding what she was saying.

I saw Damon walking toward me, his face composed and uninterested. His lips curled into a chilly grin as he drew closer.

Just "Goodbye, Luna," he said.

I was enveloped by darkness.

________________________________________

I awoke to the gentle, rhythmic sound of a river in the distance. My limbs felt heavy and disjointed, yet my body felt weightless.

"Where am I?" My voice echoed in the silent air as I whispered.

The world was luminous as I opened my eyes. The air was heavy with a reassuring warmth, and blue blossoms glistened in a silvery light.

"Nadia."

I turned to see a person moving forward, and the voice was soft yet strong. She was dazzling, with eyes full of old knowledge and silver hair that flowed like liquid light.

I dropped to my knees and said, "Moon Goddess."

She said, "Rise, child," in a loving but authoritative voice. "Your story does not end here, even though you have been betrayed."

My eyes filled with tears. "They poisoned me," I said. Why, Lyra... Damon?

"Because greed and envy grew in their hearts," she said. "You obstructed their pursuit of power."

Her remarks were profound. My closest pal, Lyra. One reliable Beta is Damon. I wasn't sure how to handle the hurt of their treachery.

"However, why am I here?" My voice trembled as I asked. "Why didn't I?"

With penetrating eyes, she completed for me, "Die?" "Because your adventure is far from done. Nadia, the moon has plans for you. Plans that call on you to get back up and go again.

I gasped as I glanced down at myself. I saw hands that weren't mine; they were thin, strange, and had little knuckle scars. I clambered over to the edge of a neighboring tiny pool and gazed at the water's reflection.

It wasn't my face that was peering back. Sharp eyes, dark hair, and a face I didn't know.

"How did you harm me?" Panic building in my chest, I sobbed.

She said, "You have been given another chance." "You are no longer Silver Moon Pack member Nadia, Luna. You are Iris, a rebel whose fate is connected to the moon.

"A rebel?" The term seemed unclean and alien. Why would you act in this way? Why don't you simply let me pass away?

She said, "Because your pack still needs you." Not as the lady they deceived, however. You will discover the truth, reveal the falsehoods, and recover what was taken from you in your role as Iris.

I shook my head and mumbled, "I can't." "They won't recognize me. Aiden refuses to.

Her eyes became softer. Even if Aiden doesn't comprehend it, he will sense your presence. Have faith in the connection that the moon has bestowed on you.

I felt a mixture of optimism and rage at what she said. My partner, Aiden, had not kept me safe. However, the idea of meeting him once more and helping him comprehend what had transpired sparked something within me.

"How can I go about doing this?" With a hint of urgency in my voice, I asked.

"You'll discover your inner strength," she added. However, be advised that the road ahead is dangerous. Your adversaries won't stop fighting. They'll try to ruin you once again.

The light around her dimmed as her form started to disappear.

One last echo of her voice said, "Rise, child of the moon." "You have a long way to go."

The ethereal radiance had vanished by the time I woke up. The air felt chilly on my skin, and the surrounding woodland was gloomy. My body was stronger than before, but it also felt weird and alien.

I gently sat up and pressed my palms into the wet ground. I recognized the face of Iris that I had seen in the sea.

Anger, anguish, and questions raced through my head, but one idea stood out above the others. I had to return.

Iris, a renegade with nothing to lose and everything to fight for, rather than Nadia, the gullible Luna who had been deceived.

I balled my fists, a fire burning in my chest at the weight of their treachery. I had been let down by Lyra, Damon, and even Aiden. They believed they had ruined me.

They were mistaken.

I was startled out of my reverie by a stir in the woods. The hair on the back of my neck stood on edge as I looked about in the darkness, my heart pounding. Then I saw them, two bright yellow eyes in the darkness, observing me.

I paused as a rumbling growl reverberated across the air.

I wasn't alone myself.