Chapter 1
The forest had never felt so cold.
Not because winter had arrived early, but because Aria Nightshade no longer had a pack to call home.
The moon hung high above the towering pine trees, casting silver light across the forest floor as she ran through the darkness in her wolf form, her paws barely making a sound against the damp earth while the wind rushed past her fur and carried with it the scent of freedom… and the faint lingering memory of the home she had just abandoned forever.
Princess of the Nightshade Pack.
Future Luna.
Political pawn.
Those titles had followed her for her entire life like chains wrapped tightly around her throat, suffocating every dream she had ever dared to have, and tonight—after years of silent resentment and buried rage—she had finally done the unthinkable.
She had run.
Her father’s voice still echoed in her memory.
"You will mate Alpha Ryker Stone. The alliance between our packs depends on it."
The words had been spoken like a command, not a choice.
Because to her father, Aria was never truly a daughter.
She was a bargaining piece.
A crown to strengthen the throne.
And the worst part?
No one had asked her what she wanted.
Her wolf growled low in her chest as she slowed her run, shifting behind a cluster of tall trees as her body twisted and reformed, bones cracking softly while fur melted into skin until she stood barefoot beneath the moonlight, her silver-black hair falling down her back as cold air brushed against her skin.
She leaned against a tree, breathing hard.
“Mate him,” she whispered bitterly into the empty forest.
Alpha Ryker Stone.
The man known for ripping out the throats of rival wolves during challenges.
The Alpha whose pack ruled through fear and blood.
Her father expected her to share his bed and bear his heirs.
A humorless laugh escaped her lips.
“Over my dead body.”
The wind shifted suddenly.
Aria froze.
A scent drifted through the air.
Not familiar.
Not Nightshade.
Not Ironclaw.
Another pack.
Her instincts sharpened instantly as her wolf stirred beneath her skin, alert and tense, because stepping into another pack’s territory without permission could easily end in a fight—or worse.
She quickly dressed in the spare clothes she carried in a small pack and moved quietly through the trees, following the faint sound of voices echoing deeper in the forest.
The scent grew stronger.
Several wolves.
Male.
Warriors.
Her pulse quickened.
She should leave.
Smart rogues avoided packs.
But before she could retreat, laughter echoed through the trees.
“I'm telling you,” a deep male voice said playfully, “if Marcus steals my food again I’m challenging him to a duel.”
Another man laughed.
“You'd lose. He fights dirty.”
“Yeah well—”
The voice suddenly stopped.
Silence fell.
Aria’s breath caught.
The wind shifted again.
And then it happened.
The scent hit her like lightning.
Warm.
Wild.
Completely intoxicating.
Her wolf surged forward violently inside her mind, claws scraping against her consciousness as one word exploded through her entire being.
Mate.
Aria’s heart slammed against her ribs.
“No,” she whispered in disbelief.
That was impossible.
She was supposed to mate an Alpha.
Royal blood.
Power.
Strength.
Her mate couldn’t be—
Footsteps approached.
A tall figure stepped out from between the trees, moonlight revealing a broad-shouldered man with dark hair and piercing green eyes that locked onto her instantly.
He froze.
The moment his gaze met hers, his entire body went rigid.
Then his eyes widened.
Slowly… dangerously… he inhaled.
And Aria saw the exact moment realization struck him.
His wolf recognized her.
“Mate,” he said hoarsely.
Her stomach dropped.
Because she already knew exactly who he was.
Rowan Cross.
Royal Beta of Moonridge Pack.
Not an Alpha.
Not a king.
A Beta.
And according to every ancient law of the werewolf world…
A princess like her was never supposed to belong to someone like him.
