Chapter 1

Rain hammered the windshield like bullets.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter, peering through the blur at the winding mountain road ahead. Pacific Northwest storms always hit like this – sudden, violent, unforgiving. But nothing was going to stop me tonight.

I had incredible news for Kaelan.

My right hand drifted unconsciously to my still-flat stomach. 'Our baby.' The thought made my whole body glow with warmth. Three months I'd been keeping this secret, waiting for the perfect moment. Tonight was a full moon – Silver Moon Pack's most sacred night. It couldn't be more perfect.

"He's going to be so happy..." I smiled at my reflection in the rearview mirror, silver-white hair catching the dashboard lights.

As an Omega, I'd always known my place in werewolf society. Bottom of the ladder. Overlooked. Always needing an Alpha's protection. But Kaelan was different. When he looked at me, there was never disgust or pity – only pure love.

'We're finally going to have our own pup.'

The car skidded slightly on the wet asphalt and I snapped back to attention. I'd driven this road to Silver Moon territory a thousand times, but storm nights were a different beast. Especially that sharp turn coming up – nothing but a few hundred feet of cliff on the left side.

I eased off the gas, carefully turning the wheel.

Suddenly, my headlights caught a figure in the road.

A woman, standing right in the middle, red hair plastered to her face by rain. She raised her hand, making a desperate gesture for help. Instinct made me slam the brakes, but the tires lost grip on the slick road.

Time froze.

I saw her face clearly. Serena Bloodclaw. Kaelan's childhood sweetheart.

'What the fuck is she doing here?'

But there was no time to think. The car spun out of control toward the guardrail. Metal screamed against metal as the barrier shattered. I felt the sickening sensation of weightlessness, then endless falling.

'No, no, NO! I haven't told Kaelan yet!'

The impact echoed through the canyon. Crushing pain exploded through every nerve, then everything went silent.

I opened my eyes and found myself floating in midair.

Below me was my car, completely destroyed, the front end smashed deep into the rocks. And there was my body, twisted at impossible angles, blood mixing with rainwater.

'This can't be happening.' I tried to get back into my body, but it was like trying to grab smoke. 'How can I see myself? I should be...'

Dead.

I was dead. Actually fucking dead.

'My baby.' Panic crashed over me in waves. 'Our baby is dead too.'

Suddenly, an invisible force yanked at me. I found myself drifting toward Silver Moon territory, through the thick forest, over familiar stone walls.

The Moon Temple. That sacred, ancient place materialized before me.

This was where Kaelan and I had performed our blood oath ceremony. Where we'd sworn before the Moon Goddess to love each other forever, to stay faithful always. Where my wolf spirit had bonded with his soul, making us true mates.

But now, in the flickering candlelit hall, Kaelan was tending to another woman.

Serena sat on the temple's stone altar while Kaelan knelt before her, gently bandaging a wound on her arm. His movements were so practiced, so tender. I knew that look of concern too well.

"You're hurt," Kaelan's voice was low and worried. "I won't let anyone harm you."

"Only you can protect me, Kae," Serena said weakly, using his old nickname. "Just like when we were kids."

Kae. Only she called him that.

Serena looked up at Kaelan, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. "I thought I'd never see you again. Those vampires... they've been hunting me. I could only run here, to you."

"You're safe now," Kaelan brushed away her tears with his thumb. "I'll protect you."

Watching this, I couldn't make a sound. I was just a powerless soul, forced to watch.

Kaelan stood and walked toward the temple's private chambers. There was a bed there, one we sometimes used when staying overnight in the sacred grounds.

"You can stay here," he said. "The Moon Temple is the safest place. No one would dare hurt you here."

Stay here? In our sanctuary?

Serena walked slowly to the bed, every step calculated to look pitiful. She sat down, running her hand over the sheets.

"Remember the promises we made here as children?" Her voice was soft as a feather, but every word stabbed into my heart like a dagger.

Kaelan's body visibly tensed. "Right now I'm only concerned about your safety."

But he didn't deny it. He didn't say "that was the past" or "I have Kiley now." He said nothing.

Serena smiled – a victor's smile. "I know you remember. We said we'd be together forever, never apart. We even swore it in front of the Moon Goddess statue."

But Kaelan remained silent. He just looked at her with emotions I'd never seen before. Nostalgia? Guilt? Or... or love?

"You're tired," he finally said. "Rest. I'll have food brought to you."

"Don't go," Serena grabbed his hand. "Please stay with me for a while. I'm scared... those vampires might still be nearby."

Kaelan hesitated, then sat in the chair beside the bed.

I couldn't watch anymore. The scene was too painful, too humiliating. I drifted out of the temple to the courtyard outside.

The moon hung overhead, full and bright. Tonight should have been our celebration. I should have told Kaelan about the pregnancy. We should have been embracing under the Moon Goddess's blessing, dreaming about our future.

Instead, I was dead. Our baby was dead.

And my mate was comforting another woman in our sacred place.

'None of this is right.' I stared at the moon. 'Serena's appearance was too convenient. How did she know I'd be on that road tonight? Why was she in that exact spot at that exact time?'

Suddenly, a terrible thought flashed through my mind.

'What if my death wasn't an accident? What if this was all planned?'

I remembered how Serena had looked standing in the road, the expression on her face in that split second. It wasn't fear – it was calculation.

'She killed me.' The realization hit like lightning. 'She murdered me and my baby just to get back to Kaelan.'