Chapter 1
Isabella's POV
Noah's pencil scratched against his homework in the living room, and I smiled. These quiet evenings were my favorite, just our little family, safe in our home.
"Mom, is it true?" Noah looked up from his math problems. "Teacher said blood moons are really rare."
"They are, sweetheart." I walked over and ruffled his dark hair. "Blood moon years only come once in a century."
"Will something bad happen?" His eye looked worried.
My heart squeezed. "No, baby. We have your dad to protect us. He's the strongest Alpha in the pack."
The front door opened, and Xavier's familiar presence washed over me like warm honey. After ten years as mates, I could still feel him before I saw him. Our bond hummed contentedly between us.
"Something smells amazing." He pulled me into his arms, and I melted against his chest. His mark on my neck tingled pleasantly.
"Dad!" Noah jumped up. "Did you see the blood moon? It's huge!"
Xavier kissed my forehead before going to Noah. "I did, buddy. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Dinner was perfect. Noah chattered about his day, Xavier told us about boring Alpha meetings, and I just listened, soaking in every moment. This is everything I ever wanted.
After Noah went to bed, Xavier led me to our balcony. The blood moon hung low in the sky, casting everything in crimson light.
"It's kind of creepy," I admitted, leaning back against him.
"Superstitious Luna." He wrapped his arms around my waist. "It's just a moon."
"The pack elders don't think so." I turned to face him. "They say blood moon years bring change."
"The only change I want is growing old with you." He cupped my face. "You and Noah are my world, Bella. Nothing will ever change that."
If only I'd known those would be his last true words to me.
I woke up at midnight gasping for air. Something was horribly wrong.
My mark burned. This wasn't the pleasant warmth of Xavier's presence, this was fire, scorching my skin from the inside out. I clutched my neck, and my hand came away wet. For a second I thought it was blood, but the silver glow of my mark was just changing, shifting into something I didn't recognize.
Through our bond, I felt Xavier. His emotions slammed into me, shock, horror, and something else. Something raw and primal that made my wolf whimper inside me.
Another woman.
I knew it instantly, felt it in every cell of my body. I stumbled out of bed, my legs barely holding me up. He wouldn't. We're mates. He loves me. This can't be happening.
But the bond doesn't lie. I felt everything, the moment his wolf took control, the moment he marked someone else.
I made it to the bathroom before I threw up.
How is this possible? We'd been so happy just hours ago. He'd promised me forever. He'd looked into my eyes and said I was his world, and I'd believed him because I felt it through our bond every single day.
The pain got worse. My mark was splitting, literally tearing itself in half. One side stayed silver, our bond, our love, our ten years together. The other side turned blood red, pulsing with someone else's claim on my mate.
My mate. He's mine. But apparently he belonged to someone else too now.
