Chapter 1 The Night Everything Broke

The pregnancy test shook in Aria’s trembling hands. Two pink lines stared back at her, confirming what her wolf had been whispering for weeks.

She pressed a hand against her stomach, tears of joy streaming down her face. After two years of being Kane’s secret, hidden away like something dirty, this would change everything. He would have to acknowledge her now. He would now mark her and make her his Luna.

“He promised,” she whispered to the tiny life growing inside her. “He said when the time was right, he’d mark me. He’d make me his.”

Tonight was the company's annual charity gala, the perfect time to tell him. Aria hid the test in her pocket and touched up her makeup. She had to look absolutely breathtaking tonight. She took one last look at herself in her bedroom mirror. Her black hair flowed flawlessly on her pale skin, and her green dress matched her eyes. After tonight, everything would change.

As she got to Pierce Industry, her wolf whined uneasily. Something felt wrong.

Ignoring the raging feeling inside her, she went in. The great hall was decorated with silver and gold ribbons. Dignitaries from all over the state were there, dressed in luxurious clothes.

Then she saw him. The breathingly handsome man who stole her heart.

Kane stood at the front of the room, perfect in his black suit. His silver eyes sparkled as he smiled, but not at the crowd. He was looking at the woman beside him. Victoria Blackstone, VP of Blackstone Pharmaceuticals and daughter of the strongest Alpha in the region. She wore a white dress that glittered like frost, her blonde hair shining under the lights, her blue eyes triumphant.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Kane’s deep voice echoed through the hall. “Tonight, I officially announce Victoria Blackstone as my future wife. With this union, Pierce Industries and Blackstone Pharmaceuticals will merge in what many are calling the merger of the century, securing strength, stability, and prosperity for generations to come.”

Applause erupted. Champagne glasses clinked. Cameras flashed.

Aria’s legs gave out. She stumbled out the back exit of the building, falling to her knees in the rain-soaked garden. Her trembling hand covered her mouth to stop the scream building in her throat. This couldn’t be happening. Just last night, Kane had held her. Just last night, he had whispered that he loved her.

Her wolf howled inside her chest, clawing against her ribs in anguish. The unsealed bond burned like acid.

She forced herself up after a while, soaked in rain, her heels slipping in the mud. “No. No. No.” This had to be some kind of mistake. She had to talk to him.

She ran to the side entrance, the one Kane had shown her for their secret meetings. Two men in dark suits blocked her path.

“Sorry, ma’am, private area,” one said flatly.

“I need to see Mr. Pierce,” Aria begged. “Please, it’s important.”

The taller man gave her a look of disdain. “Guests from the staff list aren’t permitted here. You need to leave.”

“What?” Aria’s heart pounded. “No, that can’t be right. I'm always on the list-”

The door opened. Kane stepped out, perfectly composed despite the chaos building inside her. For a moment, hope surged. He had come to fix this. To explain.

But his silver eyes were cold.

“Why are you still here?” His tone cut through her.

“Kane, please,” Aria said, following him into his office, “I don’t understand. What about us?”

“There is no us,” he said. His voice was sharp and precise, like he was reading from a prepared statement. “We were just having fun. Did you really think someone like me could be seen with someone like you? I'm an Alpha for God's sake. You're just an omega. You are nothing to me. Just a mistake I need to erase.”

Her chest constricted. “You said you loved me.”

“I lied.” His tone didn’t waver. “I have chosen Victoria Blackstone as my Luna. She has the strength, the status, and the bloodline I need at my side. You were never more than a distraction.”

Her hand shook. “Kane, I’m pregnant.” The words tore out before she could stop them. “With your child.”

His face went pale, then hardened. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not. I found out this morning. I was going to tell you tonight...”

“Enough.” His voice dropped low, controlled, lethal. “Whatever story you’re trying to spin ends now. If you tell anyone, and you're dead.”

"This can't be true," she stepped closer, attempting to touch his face.

He pulled back, "Stop it Aria, we're over." His eyes go to the door before coming back to her. "You're nothing but a weak omega. Get out before I kill you and that bastard you claim you carry."

He turned and walked out the door, leaving her standing in his office.

One guard walked in seconds later, “Ma’am, you need to go,” he said, grabbing her arm. He escorted her toward the service exit like she was an intruder.

On her way out, she heard Victoria’s laughter.

“Finally, that problem is gone,” Victoria said lightly. “Honestly, Kane, I don’t know what you ever saw in her.”

“Nothing,” Kane replied. “She was nothing.”

The words broke her.

They shoved her outside. She landed hard in a puddle near the street, the hem of her green dress soaking in rainwater. Traffic hissed by. The glittering lights of downtown Seattle blurred through her tears.

Her wolf whimpered inside her mind, fading under the weight of heartbreak.

“My baby,” she whispered, pressing a shaking hand to her stomach. “You deserve better than this. Better than him.”

Thunder cracked and the rain got heavier. Aria forced herself up, shoes slipping on wet pavement. She turned away from the glowing tower of Pierce Industries, its logo burning against the night sky like a cruel reminder.

Then she ran.

She ran through the sleeping streets, then beyond the city lights. Her body moved on instinct. By dawn, she had crossed the outskirts and entered the forest beyond Snoqualmie Ridge. Her feet were bleeding. Her vision blurred.

Then the pain hit.

It started as pressure, then sharp agony. She collapsed against the forest floor, clutching her stomach. “No. Please no,” she sobbed. “Not my baby. Please don’t take my baby.”

She felt its heartbeat weakening. She started bleeding.

Her gaze lifted toward the pale morning sky. “Please,” she cried, voice breaking. “Don’t take them from me.”

Then her birthmark, the crescent-shaped mark on her shoulder, began to glow. The light spread through her skin, silver and warm. The warmth poured through her veins, closing her wounds, steadying her breath.

The bleeding stopped. The pain faded. And then she felt it—the heartbeat, strong and alive.

Her pup lived.

A voice broke through the rain and she looked up, startled.

An elderly woman stood before her, white hair flowing freely, eyes full of wisdom.

“Moon Healer blood,” she whispered, staring at the glowing mark. “Child, you’re the one I’ve been waiting for.”