Cindy Spencer's POV:

I stood quietly against an old tree at the border of our lands. The rough bark scratched my back, but it didn't hurt nearly as much as the ache inside me.

I stared through the branches, silently watching two figures tangled up with each other not far off.

Thanks to my wolf vision, I caught it all—their lust-clouded expressions and the red claw marks marring her white skin.

My nose, just as sharp, picked up the sickening scent drifting on the wind—a mix of sweat, musk, and the unmistakable stench of mating. It made my stomach turn.

That was James Nolan—my fated mate, my Alpha.

But the one tangled up with him wasn't me.

"Kill him, Cindy! Set me free! I want to rip him to pieces! And that damn woman moaning under him!" My wolf spirit, Diana, thundered inside my mind, her voice shaking me to my core.

Her anger burned like fire, ready to explode, threatening to drown out my thoughts.

"Calm down, Diana," I murmured inside, holding her back with everything I had.

I could feel my nails uncontrollably growing longer, digging deep into the soft flesh of my palms. The sharp, bone-deep pain was the only thing keeping me from losing control and breaking into my wolf form.

Today was meant to be joyful.

As Luna of the Duskfang Pack, I should've been standing proudly among my people, ready to greet my husband after a year of battle.

My husband, James, was a famed young warrior across the entire werewolf kingdom—the strongest and most prideful Alpha the Duskfang Pack had ever known.

His victories on the Northmere battlefield were so great that they became legends every werewolf would speak of with awe.

And I was a daughter of Benjamin Spencer, the Northmere hero and former Alpha of the Silverpeak Pack, sharing that same fierce and noble bloodline of warriors.

People used to say our bond was a perfect gift from the Moon Goddess, a love others envied.

But who could've guessed that after a year at war, what he brought back wasn't glory or love—but a betrayal so vile, it was too disgusting to even look at.

I ignored Diana's furious howls and the way she slammed against the walls of my mind. I didn't charge forward or expose myself to the pair, lost in their frenzy.

That would only make me look like a bitter, hysterical woman stripped of all dignity.

Instead, I gave the scene one final, lingering glance before turning away without a word, making my way back to the pack's land—to the cold, empty place we called Moonwhisper Residence.

About an hour later, James came back too.

He had already bathed, the nauseating scent of that unfamiliar female completely gone, replaced by his usual crisp, cold cedar-like aroma.

He had changed into clean, casual clothes, his handsome face showing a hint of weariness from the battle. If I hadn't witnessed it myself, I might've thought I'd imagined the whole thing.

But his next words hit harder than any nightmare.

He sat down without even looking my way, his voice flat and steady as he said, "Cindy, I've made up my mind. Evelyn will be the new Luna of the Duskfang Pack."

Evelyn Rusell.

I finally realized who the woman in the forest was.

It was his deputy, the Gamma-level warrior, the woman hailed throughout the kingdom as the "Valkyrie"!

My heart dropped like a stone into icy waters.

Even Diana was silent now, leaving behind only an eerie stillness.

"James," my voice trembled, yet I held on to the last bit of pride, sneering as I asked, "When did you betray the sacred bond sworn before the Moon Goddess and start sleeping with your deputy?"

For a moment, something stiff and awkward flashed across his handsome face, but it quickly turned into annoyance and rage. "Mind your words, Cindy," he growled. "I made this choice as your Alpha."

He rose to his feet, towering over me with that same cold arrogance in his eyes. "Evelyn becoming Luna is a reward I've earned through bloodshed and victory on the Northmere. It's final. There's no going back."

"Evelyn is exactly the kind of Luna I need," he said, eyes gleaming with pride for her and cold disregard for me. "She can fight right beside my wolf spirit in battle—we're a natural team. And you, Cindy? What have you done besides lounge around the house, trading gossip, and playing useless games with the other women? All you've done is stand in my shadow, benefiting from everything I spilled blood to earn!"

He talked like nothing I'd done this past year mattered at all, like it was some kind of joke.

A sharp, humorless laugh slipped from my lips. "Benefiting? James, think for a second—while you were off fighting, who held everything together here? Who never left your grandmother's side when she was sick and barely hanging on? I was the one who found a hidden wolf healer just to keep her alive!"

My voice cracked and rose as the anger I'd held in burst free. "You spent nearly every bit of the pack's money on your war! The only reason we aren't broke is because of me! I've been using the inheritance my father left me to keep the pack afloat. And you still dare say I'm just some helpless woman riding your coattails?"

To him, everything I said—every tear, every sacrifice—meant absolutely nothing.

James stared at me, eyes like ice, completely unfazed. Then he opened his mouth and spoke the words that shattered what was left of me.

"You were just doing your duty," he said.