Chapter 1 Perfect Life, Perfect Lie

Luna's POV

"Luna, you need to eat something," Marcus said, his voice carrying that Alpha tone that usually made my knees weak. Today it just made my stomach churn harder.

"I can't keep anything down," I muttered, pushing the plate of eggs away from me. The smell alone made bile rise in my throat.

Marcus sighed, running his hand through his dark hair-the same gesture that used to make my heart flutter. Now it just looked impatient. "The pack doctor said morning sickness should be getting better by now. You're almost four months along."

Four months. Four months of carrying the child I'd dreamed about for three years. The heir that would finally prove I belonged here, that I was worthy of being Luna of the Silvermoon Pack.

"Maybe I should see Dr. Hendricks again," I suggested, wrapping my silk robe tighter around my still-flat stomach.

"No." Marcus's response was sharp, final. "He's busy with more important pack matters. This is normal."

More important than his pregnant mate? I bit back the words. Marcus had been distant lately, always busy with "pack business" that somehow never included me anymore. Gone were the days when he'd seek my counsel on everything, when he'd tell me I was his partner in leading our people.

"Where are you going today?" I asked, trying to sound casual as he adjusted his tie.

"Council meeting with the Northern Territories. Alpha business." He kissed my forehead absently, the way you'd kiss a child. "Stay in bed. Rest."

I wanted to remind him that I used to attend council meetings, that before our mating ceremony I'd been the head healer of my birth pack. But pregnant Luna apparently meant fragile Luna, meant useless Luna.

After Marcus left, I wandered through our massive house feeling like a ghost. The pack members who used to greet me warmly now barely met my eyes. Even Rosalind, Marcus's mother, had been colder than usual.

"Luna needs to understand her place," I'd overheard her telling her daughter Lydia last week. "Being pregnant doesn't make her any less common-born."

Common-born. After three years, I was still just the healer's daughter who got lucky enough to catch the Alpha's eye. Never mind that I'd helped build this pack's reputation, that I'd saved dozens of lives, that I'd loved Marcus with everything I had.

My phone buzzed with a text from my sister Celeste: "Missing you! Can't wait to see you at dinner tonight. Have news to share!"

At least Celeste still treated me like family. She'd been visiting more often lately, which meant everything to me when I felt so isolated. My sweet little sister who'd always looked up to me, who'd been so excited when I became Luna.

I spent the afternoon in what used to be my office, trying to organize medical supplies. But even that felt hollow now. Marcus had quietly reassigned most of my healing duties to other pack members, claiming I needed to focus on "growing our child."

By evening, I'd managed to keep down some crackers and was feeling slightly more human. Marcus still wasn't home when Celeste arrived for dinner, looking radiant in a flowing blue dress that made her silver-blonde hair glow.

"You look beautiful," I said, hugging her. She'd always been the prettier sister, the one who could have had any Alpha she wanted.

"Thank you," she said, her smile seeming different somehow. Secretive. "Is Marcus joining us?"

"He's at a council meeting. You know how it is."

"Actually, I don't think he is." Celeste's voice was soft, almost pitying. "Luna, there's something I need to tell you. Something you deserve to know."

My blood went cold. "What are you talking about?"

"I saw Marcus today. He wasn't at any council meeting." She reached for my hands, her touch surprisingly cold. "He was at the Moonlight Hotel on Fifth Street."

The world tilted. "That's impossible. He said-"

"I know what he said." Celeste's eyes filled with what looked like tears. "Luna, I'm so sorry. He wasn't alone."

The room spun around me. "You're lying."

"I wish I was." She pulled out her phone, and my heart shattered into a million pieces.

There on her screen was a photo of Marcus entering the hotel with a woman. A pregnant woman with long auburn hair and a familiar laugh.

Someone who looked exactly like me, but wasn't me.

"Who is she?" I whispered.

Celeste's grip on my hands tightened. "Luna, I'm so sorry. I didn't know how to tell you."

But I already knew. Deep in my bones, I already knew my perfect life was about to become my perfect nightmare