Chapter 1

When my Alpha came back from his trip and I knew he'd cheated, I didn't scream or cry.

I brought the Pack Healer's pregnancy report to him and spoke to him calmly.

Either sever the bond, or cut the other woman off for good.

He stared at the shadow of the pup on the scan, silent for a long time, and chose to come back to me.

After that he reported everything to me. Even my closest Pack sister spoke well of him. So I let it go.

Until the pup was born.

Damon let out a breath and said, "The one I've been sleeping with is your best friend."

"We were waiting for you to finish labor. We booked a room outside, just finished, and came back. She was still sleeping."

I was too exhausted to speak, but he didn't even blink.

"These six months, you had her watch me. That made it easy for us to sleep together."

"Your mother knew. She was afraid you'd lose both yourself and the pup, so she hid it from you. We were all doing it for your own good."

He finished, played with the pup, and said lazily, "The pup being born is thanks to Serena too."

"Say the word. She can be the godmother. Or the real mother. You choose."

……

As the healing herbs wore off, the pain between my legs cut into me.

But no pain matched what was in my chest.

I clenched the sheets and forced the words out.

"Why… why tell me right after I gave birth?"

The door opened. Serena and Damon's Pack brothers came in laughing.

"Luna, you lost! She didn't cry. That means you wear the bunny outfit!"

"Yeah, once she wears it, she'll have Damon wrapped around her paw!"

Serena slapped his arm, flushed, then said, "I only wear it for Damon."

My pupils shrank. The word "Luna" kept slamming into my skull.

Damon saw the disbelief on my face and explained flatly.

"We made a bet. If you found out I was cheating with your friend and cried, they'd have me ten times in one night. If you didn't cry, Serena would wear the outfit."

He said it like it was nothing, then arched a brow.

"Oh. You don't know. Serena and I already did the Marking ceremony."

"Then what about our Marking?" My voice cracked. Tears filled my eyes.

The whole room looked at me like I was a joke.

"Luna, you really didn't know? You and Damon have a fake Bond. He and Serena are the real one."

Serena gave the speaker a pretend glare.

Then she grabbed my hand and smiled. "Ivy, we didn't tell you. It was for your sake and the pup's."

Exactly what Damon had said.

The blood in my body went cold.

A year ago, I had gone to tell Damon about the pup, holding the scan, my heart full.

But when he came back from his trip, his neck carried another woman's scent.

I called my mother in panic.

My mother told me like someone who'd been through it: "If you step aside now you hand him to her. It's just a slip. I can tell — Damon still loves you the most."

She talked me into it. I swallowed everything and talked to him all night.

When Damon heard I was carrying the pup, he dropped to his knees without hesitation, apologized, and chose the family.

But he never said who the other woman was.

That became a thorn in my chest.

After that, Serena volunteered to watch him for me during my pregnancy.

Every move Damon made, she reported. Down to the detail.

Even how long he spent satisfying himself alone — she timed it.

Every call she made, she sounded half-asleep.

I thought she was exhausted from watching out for me. I kept buying her expensive herbal tonics.

Just a few days ago, she'd been encouraging me to go back to my atelier after the birth and become the independent Luna I wanted to be.

Now I knew. She was the mistress I'd been trying to catch all along.

My body shook. I didn't even feel the IV line tearing out of my arm, blood running down it.

No wonder his mother always looked down on me but treated Serena like a daughter.

No wonder Damon's Pack brothers felt free to spread rumors about me and fetched Serena's shoes with a smile.

Only I had been kept in the dark.

Blood pooled on the floor from my arm. The pain brought my mind back.

"What are you doing? You're still recovering. Don't you care about your body?"

"Drink the broth my mother made."

Damon held the IV line down with one hand and fed me the broth with the other.

His voice was gentle, like he'd already forgotten what he just told me.

My throat burned. I stared at him, eyes red.

"Damon, why?"

"Why did you lie? The Marking's fake, being Luna's fake — what the hell is real?"

My chest heaved. I couldn't stop the tears.

Damon put the bowl down. The eyes that used to hold only me were now cold as ice.

"Ivy. You forgot what happened. I didn't."

"Five years ago the three of us traveled abroad. We hit Rogues. I was dragged into the Dead Lands. Serena risked her life to save me, and you turned and ran."