Chapter 1

Six years after Alpha James rejected me, we met again at the Full Moon Feast.

The moment our eyes met, shock and anger flashed in James’s eyes.

"Emma? What are you doing here? You are no longer the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack. You have no right to attend the Full Moon Feast."

I didn’t want to waste my breath on him. I turned to leave, but he reached out to grab my arm.

"Fine. For the sake of the son you gave me, just stand behind me. No one will give you a hard time."

I sidestepped, dodging his hand, and refused coldly, "No, thank you."

Instead of letting it go, he pointed at the child beside me, his voice trembling with shock. "Is this filthy little brat your daughter? Emma, since you were once my fated mate, if you kill her, I’ll allow you to come back to me."

I almost laughed out loud. Had he lost his mind?

My daughter’s status was far more honorable than his petty Alpha title!

***

I pulled Lily behind me, my voice freezing cold. "Alpha James, this is my daughter. She has nothing to do with you!"

With that, I took Lily’s hand to leave, but James blocked our path. He frowned, scanning me up and down.

"Emma Vance, sneaking in here with a kid just to get free food? You must have suffered a lot out there these past few years, huh?"

He sneered, his eyes falling on Lily with pure disgust. "Little beggar, how old are you?"

Lily put her hands on her hips and glared back at him. "I’m three and a half, and I am not a beggar!"

A beggar? I looked down at Lily’s clothes and mine.

We had been ambushed on our way here. I had to treat some injured warriors on the spot, and our clothes got stained with mud and herbal juices before we could change. We did look a bit disheveled.

Hearing her reply, James’s face darkened. "Bullshit! Just like your mother, you’re a liar! Look at your height. How can a three-year-old be this tall?"

I looked down at Lily. She was indeed much taller and stronger than other pups her age.

It was all her father’s fault, and the pack warriors. They spoiled her to no end.

I shielded Lily behind me, my brow furrowing with frost. "Alpha James, let me say this one more time. Lily is not your child!"

James let out a mocking laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"Emma, stop lying. If she’s not mine, then whose could she be? Who else would want a rejected woman besides me?"

"Stop acting. You sneaked into this feast today just to see me, didn't you?"

I rolled my eyes. Six years, and he was still as arrogant and delusional as ever.

"Move!"

James didn't budge. Instead, he spoke in a patronizing, charitable tone.

"Emma, you were once my fated mate. I can overlook the fact that you had this pup with another man. Just let me wipe away that foreign mark on your neck and return to me. You can still be the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack."

He waved his hand toward the teenager behind him.

"Ethan, take your sister to a lounge. Don’t let her embarrass us here and offend the esteemed guests of the other packs!"

Only then did I notice the boy standing behind him—Ethan Sterling.

He was the son I carried for ten months, the one I almost died giving birth to.

Six years had passed, and he had grown into a handsome young man. But his eyes were filled with a coldness that did not match his age.

Ethan had a stern expression, his brow tightly knit. "I don’t want a little beggar as my sister! Sophia is my only sister!"

My grip on Lily’s hand tightened. The Sophia he referred to must be Olivia Thorne’s daughter.

Years ago, the moment James found out I wasn’t the biological daughter of the former Silvermoon Alpha, he rejected me without hesitation.

He said I wasn't worthy of being the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack, calling me an imposter.

Olivia took that opportunity to fan the flames, and even my own son, Ethan, chose to stand by their side.

Heartbroken, I accepted the rejection and left the Silvermoon Pack.

On the day I left, Olivia caressed her stomach and told me she was already pregnant with James’s pup.

It was all her carefully designed trap.

The memories of past humiliation and betrayal rushed to my mind, and my fingernails dug into my palms.

Lily pulled at the corner of my shirt and retorted angrily, "Mom, I don't want this ugly jerk as my brother either! He is way worse than Michael!"

Ethan’s face darkened even more. He sneered, "A common werewolf dares to compare himself to me?"

Looking at the father and son who shared the exact same arrogant face, my heart went completely cold.

Fine. I would just pretend I never gave birth to this son.

I held Lily’s hand and tried to walk past them, but a sweet, mock-surprised voice suddenly came from behind.

"Emma?"

***