Chapter 1

The Alpha King laid two emblems on the table before me: an obsidian wolf fang for the Grey Fang Pack, and an ice crystal wolf claw for the Snow Ridge Pack.

This was it. The final choice.

My eyes drifted to the obsidian fang. It belonged to Alpha Darian. My fated mate. The Moon Goddess had bound our souls together, so choosing him should have been a no-brainer. He was handsome, powerful, with a smile as bright and arrogant as the midday sun.

But a chill shot up my spine.

Just last night, the Moon Goddess had sent me a warning in a nightmare so real it felt like a memory. In it, I saw our "future"—a future where I chose him without a second thought.

I became his mate.

On the night of the Blood Moon, I used my Siren song to soothe his pack's feral rage, helping them maintain their sanity. We launched a surprise attack and conquered their greatest enemies, the Snow Ridge Pack.

But at the victory feast, Darian gave all the credit to his childhood sweetheart, Fiona. As for me, the one who helped him rise to the pinnacle of the werewolf world? I got nothing but his cold dismissal. "She was just a useful tool."

Later, Fiona grew jealous. She deliberately strayed into the territory of rival hunters and was brutally killed. Darian blamed me for everything, convinced my very existence was what drove Fiona to her death.

On the night he united all the packs and was crowned king, he didn't give me the sacred Luna ceremony I was promised. Instead, he plunged a dagger into my throat, his eyes filled with pure hatred.

"If your song wasn't still useful to my pack, do you think I would have ever been forced to accept this fate with you?"

"Fiona would still be alive if it weren't for you! Now you can go and pay for your sins."

The searing pain of the blade tearing through my throat still felt real. I snapped back to the present, my face pale.

I yanked my gaze away from Darian’s emblem. Without a moment of hesitation, I pointed to the ice crystal wolf claw.

"Alpha King, I choose Alpha Kael of the Snow Ridge Pack."

The Alpha King’s voice was filled with shock. "Bella, are you sure? Darian is your fated mate, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself." His tone turned serious. "This is about an alliance between two great packs. Once the Moon Priestess announces it, there is no turning back."

He knew, just like everyone else, that my crush on Darian was the worst-kept secret in the entire werewolf nation. My choice made no sense to him.

But the dream, the warning from the Goddess… it was too bizarre to explain. I could only nod firmly.

"I have no regrets."

The Alpha King gave me a long, searching look but didn't press further. He pushed Kael's emblem toward me.

"Very well. I will summon the Moon Priestess immediately. At tomorrow's full moon ceremony, she will make the offering to the Goddess and announce your alliance with the Snow Ridge Pack."

I bowed and left the throne room.

The second I stepped outside, my handmaiden Anya rushed over, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Congratulations, Bella! You finally got what you always wanted, right?"

I was about to shake my head when I saw Darian storming toward me, his face a mask of fury.

He stopped right in front of me, his handsome features twisted with undisguised disgust.

"Bella, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but it ends now. I already have a chosen mate, and I will never, ever bond with you."

I looked up, surprised. In my nightmare, he’d accepted me reluctantly for the sake of my power. But now, he was trying to cut ties before the ceremony even happened.

His feelings for Fiona were even deeper than I'd imagined.

Seeing my silence, Darian grew impatient.

"For God's sake, Bella, have some self-respect! I've made myself perfectly clear. Are you still planning to use the 'fated mate' bond to force yourself on me?"

I shot him a cold look, my voice dripping with scorn. "Who gave you the delusion that I would ever choose you?"

"You can relax. I didn't pick you. And frankly, I don't give a damn who you want."

Darian's expression froze. He frowned, clearly not believing me.

"How could you not choose me? Bella, stop being childish. Go back to the Alpha King and fix your mistake. Once the Moon Priestess performs the ceremony, it will be too late."

I was so done with him. The memory of how he used me, betrayed me, and then murdered me in the dream made my teeth ache with rage. I had no patience for this conversation.

"Believe what you want."

With that, I brushed past him and walked away.

Anya scurried to keep up, fuming on my behalf.

"He's such an asshole, Bella! You used your song to help his pack during training so many times, and he just took it for granted."

"You showed him affection, and he never once turned you away. He even gave you just enough hope to keep you hooked."

"And now he suddenly has a 'chosen mate'? He was just playing with your heart!"

A bitter smile touched my lips. She was right. He’d had a thousand chances to push me away. All he had to say was "I love Fiona," and I would have backed off instantly.

But he was greedy. He wanted my unique bloodline, my Siren song to help his pack survive the Blood Moon, but he didn't want to betray his precious Fiona.

What a joke. He was the one who needed me, yet he always acted like I was lucky to even breathe the same air as him.

The werewolf nation wasn't exactly united. In the north, the Snow Ridge Pack was growing stronger under their new leader, Kael. Darian’s Grey Fang Pack had lost several border skirmishes against them. And the Blood Moon, a time when all werewolves lose their minds to feral rage, was their greatest weakness.

In my dream, Darian used my song to make his pack the only army that could think straight during the Blood Moon. That was how he crushed the Snow Ridge Pack and secured his crown.

This time, though, I was dying to see how the ambitious Alpha would win his war without my song.