Chapter 1My mate was in the shower after we'd fucked—his phone lit up on the nightstand.
[Dear Nightfang Academy parents, don't forget tomorrow's First Shift Ceremony!]
I froze.
We've been bonded for five years. Still NO pups.
Must be a wrong number.
Then another message popped up.
[Hello! This is Torin's instructor. Thank you SO much for the Moonstone training ground donation!]
[We've prepared a special honor ceremony for you and Luna Lockhart tomorrow!]
Wait.
Torin?
That's Draven's advisor's son.
I set his phone down before I crushed it in my grip.
Breathe.
Focus.
I grabbed mine and mind-linked my guard.
[Castor. Pick me up tomorrow morning. Nightfang Academy.]
Using MY pack's resources to play hero daddy?
Fine.
Then I—the REAL Luna Lockhart—deserve front-row seats to meet my little "bonus pup."
---
A few minutes later, Draven walked out with a towel slung low on his hips.
He picked up his phone, a barely noticeable smirk crossing his face.
Then it buzzed again.
He didn't answer.
Instead, he started pulling on his clothes.
"Babe, something urgent came up with the territory patrols. Don't wait up tonight."
I nodded like I knew nothing.
The second he left, I opened the vehicle tracker on my phone.
That custom black Escalade?
My five-year bond anniversary gift to him just last week.
Guess he couldn't wait to drive it straight to his side piece.
Half an hour later, I followed the GPS to the most exclusive estate on Nightfang territory—Alpha's Ridge.
Draven pulled up in front of a massive lodge.
Then his "advisor," Odessa Vale, came running out.
She threw herself into his arms, whining.
"Drav, I sent Torin to my sister's tonight. Why'd you take so long?"
My breath caught.
So it was HER.
Just then, I overheard a couple of pack members walking past the treeline.
"Those two are shameless. You can hear them going at it every night."
"Seriously. I once saw them fucking on the balcony under the full moon."
"That lodge is prime Alpha land. Heard he claimed it and put it in her name."
I let out a bitter laugh.
Six months ago, I'd found a property deed in Draven's jacket.
I foolishly thought he was planning to surprise me with a new den for our anniversary.
Turns out, he was.
Just not for ME.
Before I could process it, Draven's indulgent voice drifted over.
"We already had our fun this morning. Still need more?"
Odessa giggled and smacked his chest.
"Well, your Luna's probably got you on a tight leash, huh?"
Draven scooped her up. "What Luna? You're my Luna."
"Besides, she doesn't even compare to you."
What?
I knew this was coming.
But hearing him say it out loud still shattered something inside me.
When I first met Draven, he was just a low-ranking Omega with nothing.
My father despised him.
Only after I accepted Lysandra as my stepmother did Father finally stop blocking our bond.
I even spent three days at my mother's grave, apologizing for betraying her wishes.
And this is what I got in return.
Betrayal. Humiliation.
I bit my lip, pulled out my phone, and snapped photos of the lodge.
Then I sent them to my private investigator and my lawyer.
I could make Draven into Nightfang's rising Alpha.
Of course I could just as easily destroy him.
Chapter 2
After I was done, I called Draven.
It took him forever to answer.
His voice came through sharp with irritation.
"Babe, I already told you—territory issue. Why are you calling?"
"Oh, right. I totally forgot you were handling patrols." I kept my tone light.
"I just wanted to let you know—Father's on his way to the border. Said he wanted to inspect the alliance defenses with you."
Silence.
Then panic flooded the bond. "Your father's coming? Now? Okay. Yeah. I'll meet him."
Then he severed the link abruptly.
I smiled as I watched him stumble out of the lodge, half-dressed, yanking his shirt on as he ran.
Odessa stood in the doorway, eyes red and wet.
I almost laughed.
My father wasn't going anywhere. I made it up.
But so what?
I simply couldn't stand watching them be happy.
Once Draven's car disappeared down the road, I walked up and knocked on Odessa's door.
Thinking Draven had come back, she rushed forward with that sugary voice.
"Drav! I knew you couldn't stay away—"
Then she saw ME.
She froze, stumbled back.
"Luna Lockhart! Wait, no—please don't misunderstand!"
"What I just said, I didn't mean..."
I looked at her, disgusted. "All bark, no bite?"
"Come on, Odessa. If you're gonna be a homewrecker, at least commit."
She blinked, then straightened up, her expression shifting.
"Luna, if you already know, why bother showing up?"
"Don't you think you look pathetic right now?"
I raised an eyebrow. Didn't expect her to grow a spine.
"Pathetic? Me?"
She lifted her chin, no trace of guilt in her eyes. Just contempt.
"You know he doesn't love you. But you keep clinging to the bond anyway."
"You think pack alliances can keep a mate?!"
"Draven's been done with you for a long time! Otherwise, why do you think you haven't had pups in five years?"
"He's been slipping suppressants into your food. Every. Single. Day. So you wouldn't carry his bloodline."
She sneered.
"If I were you, I would've rejected him a long time ago."
I listened quietly without interrupting her.
Honestly? It was almost funny.
I crossed my arms, glanced at the lodge behind her, then slapped her across the face. Hard.
"You had his pup. So what?"
"As long as he's still bonded to me, you and your little bastard are nothing but dirty secrets."
"And this lodge? Built with MY pack's resources."
"The ones who need to leave are YOU."
She staggered, hand on her cheek, staring at me in disbelief.
"You—you hit me!"
I smiled, pulled off the Luna ring from my finger, and tossed it into the dirt.
"Congrats. You can have my trash."
Her face went pale, but she stubbornly lifted her chin.
"What are you so proud of?"
"Draven's an Alpha now! He doesn't need you anymore!"
"One word from me, and he'll reject you!"
I actually laughed.
"Sure. Let's see who exactly he picks tomorrow."
I turned and walked away before she could say another word.
Draven didn't come home that night.
Didn't even reach out through the bond.
Guess Odessa was too scared to tell him I showed up.
I slept like a baby.
The next morning, I climbed into Castor's SUV.
"Castor, let's go. Nightfang Academy."
I couldn't wait to watch Draven play daddy.
Chapter 3
When we arrived, the clearing outside Nightfang Academy was packed with high-end vehicles.
A few minutes later, Draven's black Escalade pulled up.
Odessa stepped out of the passenger seat, holding Torin in her arms.
"Alpha Lockhart! Luna Lockhart!"
Alpha Vandren rushed over, beaming.
"You're here! Come in—the First Shift Ceremony's about to start!"
A crowd of pack members instantly formed around them.
"That's the Alpha who donated the entire Moonstone training ground?"
"Worth a fortune. And for his pup's academy. Talk about devotion."
"I heard he rose from nothing to Alpha in just a few years. Incredible."
Draven was eating it up.
He took Torin from Odessa's arms, all smiles.
"I wouldn't be here without my Luna. She's been with me through everything."
"If it makes her and Torin happy, it's worth every resource."
I almost gagged.
His 'Luna' stood by him?
Did he forget if it weren't for my father's alliance backing, he'd still be a low-ranking Omega with no standing?
Did he forget that I used my pack's territory and connections to secure every deal that put him in power?
Just as they were about to walk inside, I stepped out of Castor's SUV.
I took off my sunglasses and stared straight at him.
Loud enough for everyone to hear, I said:
"A worthless Omega daring to keep a side piece and a bastard pup. That takes guts."
Draven froze.
Odessa, on the other hand, was quick, clutching his arm tightly.
I walked right up to them, smiling.
"Wow, Alpha Lockhart really cares for his advisors."
"So much care that you bred one and built her pup a training ground. What a generous Alpha."
The crowd exploded.
Everyone's eyes shifted to Odessa.
The admiration? Gone. Replaced with disgust.
"Wait—she's his advisor?"
"So she's the mistress! And that pup's illegitimate!"
Odessa's face went pale, tears immediately welling up.
"I'm not a mistress! Draven and I have been together for six years! Torin's five!"
She looked up at him, desperate. "Drav, tell them."
Draven snapped out of it and glared at me.
"Valeria, what the hell are you doing here?"
"What do you want?!"
Then he turned to the crowd, pulling Odessa close.
"I'm so sorry, everyone. This is... a misunderstanding."
"She's a... a displaced wolf we took in. She's been unstable for years—thinks she's my Luna."
"I kept her around out of pity. Didn't think she'd follow us here and cause a scene."
What?
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
He just called me a CHARITY CASE.
The pack members instantly turned on me.
"Oh my Goddess. She's a psycho maid?!"
"Strays these days have no shame. Thinking they can just claim Luna status."
"Look at what she's wearing. No way a stray can afford that. She probably stole it from the real Luna."
"Disgusting. And she had the nerve to call the actual Luna a homewrecker!"
My phone buzzed.
A text from Odessa.
[See? Draven picked ME.]
[Wonder why he didn't come home last night? Guess.]
[I was gonna let it go—not tell him you hit me. But you just had to show up and embarrass yourself.]
Then a video.
Draven and Odessa were in his office. Half-dressed. Fucking ruthlessly.
No wonder he neither came home nor reached out through the bond last night.
But I still didn't get it.
Where did he find the nerve to treat me like this?
I looked him dead in the eye.
"Draven Lockhart, aren't you afraid my father will find out?"
He hesitated.
Then leaned in close and whispered, his voice low and mocking.
"Your father? Your stepmother's about to birth a SON any day now."
"You really think you're inheriting anything from Stormcrest after that?"
