Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The betrayal

"Sweet Jesus, you made it!" Jen slammed the bathroom door open. Again. "Congrats on surviving four years of hell! Now Prince Adrian can finally deflower your virginal ass on that penthouse bed."

Click – my strapless bra snapped open. "Jennifer!" I scrambled to cover myself. My pulse hammered – not just from embarrassment, but from the old, familiar dread. ​​Jen was right about one thing: my wolf lineage was weaker than Adrian's Crescent Moon pack. I had every reason to feel insecure.​​

She snorted, fingers hooking back into my neckline. "Puh-lease. If that wolf didn't want that tight little pussy," her breath scorched my ear, "he'd have ghosted you after Date #1. But no, Sunshine, he stayed." Her nails dug into my hip. "Hungry men wait for prime meat – even ​​second-tier Crescent wolves like Adrian.​​"

Heat twisted low in my stomach. ​​Adrian wasn't the pack's brightest star – his father was. The Alpha.​​ I'd never met him, but Adrian's descriptions chilled me: ​​domineering, cruel, arrogant.​​ "He said I didn't need to meet him," I whispered.

"Exactly!" Jen tugged my zipper lower. "He's protecting his prize. The man dreamed of how wet you'll get for an alpha wolf. Tonight's about screaming his name, not playing coy." She spun me toward the mirror. "Virgin sacrifice wrapped in designer silk. He's probably jerking off right now."

"Enough!" I shoved her, breathless. Mortified. Terrified.

Aroused.

"Time's up." She grabbed my wrist. "Bet the Alpha's pup is already here. Salivating."

She hauled me out. The graduation roar hit – cheers, glitter, bodies. My frantic pulse synced with Jen's crude prophecy. I scanned. Found him. Adrian's frame. His dark head. Gravity pulled.

Halfway there.

Froze.

My champagne flute shattered on marble. Sound died.

He was kneeling.

But not in front of me-Nicole Montgomery stood before him. Her perfect little mouth formed a stunned "O." She was the daughter of the Moonlight Pack Alpha-born into inherited wealth and power. Her brown hair cascaded down her back like a glowing waterfall, a halo of light. The emblem of her pack hung proudly on her neck-a higher status than mine.

Adrian looked up at her, his face glowing with unmistakable admiration.

"Nicole Montgomery," his voice rang through the now-silent room, "Will you be my wife and future Luna?"

Cheers erupted, but they sounded distant, muffled-as if I were underwater. Each cheer stabbed at my heart like a knife. The ring-the one I had found in our apartment, the one I thought signaled a proposal for me-now lay in his palm, offered to someone else.

My little wolf whimpered in agony, a pure pain reverberating through every cell. I felt her curling into herself, trying to escape the unbearable hurt. My vision blurred.

"Claire?" Jen's voice sounded miles away. "Claire, you good?" Her hand gripped my elbow, the touch barely registering.

Faint? Scream? Let him off easy? Not a fucking chance. I would meet his eyes. He'd see the cold fury in mine, not tears.

I wrenched my arm from Jen. Shoulders back, face blank, I carved a path through the gawking crowd towards the sticky bar. Liquid courage, stat.

Adrian was basking in the applause, his arm possessively banded around her tiny waist. Nicole preened, twisting my ring on her finger, basking in stolen sunlight. Adrian spotted me. A flicker crossed his face. Not shame. Not even annoyance. Ice-cold dismissal. Like swatting a fly buzzing too close to his prize.

"We. Need. To talk." The words rasped out, low and hard. My voice didn't waver, a miracle. "Now."

Nicole looked confused, but Adrian leaned down and whispered something in her ear. She gave me a contemptuous look, then turned to chat with someone else, as if I were just another poor woman clinging to Adrian.

Swallowing the humiliation, I led Adrian into a dim storage room beside the hall. The door shut behind me.

"I want an explanation!" I shouted. "Three years, Adrian. Three whole years! You can't treat me like a fool!"

He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, wearing an expression I'd never seen-contempt.

"Oh, Claire." He laughed, not with the warmth I once knew. "Did you really think the heir of North America's most powerful Crescent Moon Pack would choose an Omega from some no-name pack?" His lips curled cruelly. "You were convenient. Always available. Eager to please. But my future-my pack's future-was never going to include you."

Each word cut like a dagger-precise and merciless. My wolf recoiled deep within me, wounded beyond measure.

"You could've just said no!" I roared. "Instead of stringing me along!"

"I'm doing it now." He smirked.

"I, Adrian Valmont, heir to the Crescent Moon Pack, reject you, Claire White."

Pain crashed over me, but I didn't fall. I looked him in the eyes and said, "I accept."

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my arm. "If you ever need help, I'd be happy to assist you."

I tore my arm free. "Don't fuck touch me!"

Ignoring his shout, I ran out.

Jennifer was waiting, her face full of concern. One look and she understood. She didn't say a word, just wrapped her arm around my shoulders and led me toward the exit.

"No. Jennifer, I need to be alone." I pushed her away, avoiding her worried eyes. My mind was a mess. I needed alcohol-something to dull the chaos.

I jumped into a cab.

The moment I sat down, the tears returned. I wiped them away. "Claire, don't be weak. " I tried to console myself.

"Take me to Wolf Elite," I told the driver.

It was a club just for wolves-blaring music, dark lighting, the kind of place where tears could hide.

Five drinks later, my pain dulled to a manageable edge. I sat at the bar, staring into my glass, barely noticing the crowd.

Then I felt it-the prickle at the back of my neck. Someone was watching me.

I turned slowly. My breath stopped.

Gray eyes. Deep, sharp gray eyes set in a face deadly enough to drive she-wolves mad. A chiseled jaw dusted with silver stubble. Broad shoulders beneath a perfectly tailored black suit. Every inch of him radiated strength, control, and undeniable dominance. This was a man who had earned power-and wore it effortlessly.

With predator's grace, he walked toward me, sitting on the barstool beside mine. I caught his scent-sandalwood and mint, mixed with something darker, deeper. My wolf, which I thought had retreated completely, stirred with excited energy.

"Whiskey. neat." His voice was deep. Like thunder, but soft. It shook inside me.

Then he looked. His stormy eyes moved over me. Felt like warm fingers touching me. Then he held my eyes. Like giving an order. "For her. Dry martini. Cold."

I tried to sound tough. I raised an eyebrow. "Do you always order for women you haven't introduced yourself to?"

He almost smiled. Very old look. "You fight back. Good." He put his hand out. Big. Strong hand. "Theo. I have a son. Wild. Always needs fixing. So I must be strong." Truthful. That surprised me.

My face got hot. Like a kid caught whining. My hand shook as I took his. Hot fire ran down my back. I could barely speak. "Claire White."

Inside, my little wolf cried. *Needed him._

He leaned in closer. Warm. His breath, smelling like whiskey and Alpha, touched my cheek. Close. Mine. He whispered low in the loud noise: "Claire White... what hurts those brave eyes?"

Adrian was gone. Only Theo now.