Chapter 1
“Sylvia, we’ve arranged a Mateship Ceremony for you,” her mother’s voice cut through the mind link, firm and insistent. “Your blood is growing more volatile by the day. Only the power of an Alpha mate can stabilize it and keep you safe”
Sylvia sat in her dimly lit room, the shadows seeming to press in from all sides. She stared into the darkness, her thoughts drifting. The silence between them was thick with expectation. She knew her mother would speak again, offering her the same escape as always.
“If this isn’t what you want, I’ll talk to your father. We won’t force you into it,” her mother finally said, her voice softening with a
familiar hint of concern.
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Sylvia’s lips parted, but her response was unwavering, calm, and decisive. “I’m willing, Mom. I’ll go through with the arranged mateship.”
There was a stunned silence on the other end, followed by her mother’s disbelieving voice. “You… agreed?”
“Yes, I agreed,” Sylvia answered, her voice steady, revealing no trace of doubt. “But I need time to handle some matters with the Bloodmoon Pack first. Please, begin preparations for the Mateship Ceremony”
She ended the mind link before her mother could ask any more questions about the Alpha her parents had chosen. It no longer mattered who he was or what stories had been spread about her fragile condition. The only thing that mattered was that he
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was willing to mate with someone everyone believed was dying.
Though Sylvia wasn’t dying–at least, not yet. Her Lycan blood, potent and ancient, surged through her veins, too wild and untamable for her body to handle without the steadying mark of a mate. Every day, she felt herself growing weaker, fighting the relentless strength inside her.
The truth was, her mother had been urging her for years to find another Alpha to mate with. Sylvia had been in a relationship with Alpha Elio for so long, yet he still refused to claim her, making it harder by the day for her to control her blood.
“I won’t mate with you unless you give me an heir. We agreed on that, didn’t we?” That was the one condition Elio had set. But despite all their attempts, Sylvia had failed to give him
the child he demanded, and her blood grew more unstable with every passing day.
Then, a month ago, Elio dropped a bombshell: a breeder had joined their pack. Her name was Phoebe–an orphan with a tragic past, left alone in the world, forced into the life of a breeder.
Sylvia couldn’t help but feel sorry for Phoebe. The woman had been condemned to such a life because of her dark past. But what happened next was beyond anything Sylvia could have expected.
Just an hour ago, before her mother’s mind link, Alpha Elio made another shocking announcement:
“Phoebe is pregnant with my child! My heir!”
She never saw this coming. Sylvia had
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always believed Phoebe was just a breeder for pack members who couldn’t have children. But what she hadn’t known was that Phoebe had already become involved with the Alpha–her own ex–boyfriend.
As she ended the mind link with her mother, the distant sounds of music and clinking glasses floated up through the walls.
Laughter and the hum of a celebration filled the air. Downstairs, Alpha Elio–her childhood love, the man she had devoted eight years to–was hosting a party for Phoebe, the woman now carrying his heir.
A soft knock on her door broke her thoughts, followed by the quiet creak of it opening. Phoebe stepped in, wearing a smug, self–satisfied smile. Her eyes sparkled with victory as she glided closer, her hand resting on the small curve of her belly, as if deliberately flaunting it to remind Sylvia of
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her own failure.
“Sylvia,” Phoebe cooed in a syrupy sweet voice, “Why don’t you come downstairs and join us? We’re celebrating my pregnancy, and it would mean so much to have you there.”
Sylvia’s gaze hardened, her eyes narrowing as she took in Phoebe’s deceptively innocent expression. Beneath the surface, she saw the sly, calculating glint in those eyes–a cunning that was impossible to ignore.
“I have work to finish, Phoebe,” she replied coldly, her voice like ice. “Go enjoy your party.”
Phoebe’s smile never wavered. In fact, she stepped closer, her voice dropping into a low, almost mocking whisper. “I suppose you wouldn’t want to join us. After all, I’m giving Elio something you never could. He’ll finally
ugh her resolve. Her fists clenched at her sides, but she refused to let Phoebe see the pain in her eyes. Instead, she stood tall, meeting Phoebe’s gaze with icy determination. “Is this what makes you feel better? Rubbing your pregnancy in my face? How pathetic”
Sylvia like a dagger, cutting
Phoebe’s smile faltered, her sweet façade slipping as her eyes turned cold. “Maybe Elio wouldn’t have looked elsewhere if you weren’t so… defective and barren.”
Before Sylvia even realized what she was doing, her hand shot out. The slap rang through the room, the sharp sound echoing in the tense silence. Phoebe’s head snapped to the side, a red mark blooming on her cheek.
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For a heartbeat, everything froze.
Then, the door burst open, and Elio stormed in, his eyes blazing with fury. Without a word, he rushed to Phoebe, who was clutching her cheek and whimpering.
“Sylvia!” Elio’s voice cracked like a whip. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Sylvia stood her ground, her face an impenetrable mask.
“Ask her what she said to me.”
“I don’t need to ask” Elio retorted sharply, his eyes cold, drilling into her with an intensity that made her blood run cold. “I know you. I know your bitterness. You can’t stand that Phoebe is giving me something you couldn’t
a heir”
Her heart twisted, the pain sharp and raw, but she refused to let the tears betray her. “If that’s what you think, Elio, then you never really knew me at all.”
He didn’t answer. His attention shifted immediately to Phoebe, his hand reaching out to gently brush a strand of hair from her face. The tenderness in his gesture cut deeper than any of his cruel words. The man she had loved, the one who had once sworn to stand by her side forever, had chosen someone else. And in that choice, he had shattered everything they had been.
As Elio led Phoebe away, whispering soft reassurances, Sylvia closed the door behind them with a quiet finality. She leaned against it, her mind flooded with memories–the laughter, the loyalty, the promises that now lay in ruins.
