“I was the Alpha's fated mate, chosen for him by the Moon Goddess. I spent years loving him in secret, certain he would finally announce me as his Luna at the pack's Ascension ceremony. Instead, he stood on the dais and presented another woman. I discovered he had used my own blood in a secret ritual to bind himself to her, a political marriage he had planned for months while whispering promises to me in the dark. In front of our entire pack, he publicly rejected me, a brutal act that shattered our sacred bond and tore my soul in two. He allowed his new bride to frame me for treason, destroy my home, and erase my history. He stood by while his warriors threw silver-laced stones at my head, then commanded me to kneel and apologize for a crime I didn't commit. The man I would have died for broke me for power and ambition. Then he came to me in the ruins of my life and asked me to be his hidden mistress, his secret prize locked away from the world. I refused. I escaped his tyranny, rebuilt myself from the ashes, and found a new love with a true Alpha who saw my worth. I became a Luna in my own right, powerful and finally free. But my rejected mate's obsession festered. A year later, he lured me into a trap. The last thing I remember is the sting of a needle in my neck and his chilling voice whispering, "It's time for us to go home."”