Amelia Miller had thought her life as a wolf would change for good when she finally reached eighteen and met her mate. But it crumbled, and her mate, Alpha Ethan, chose her manipulative half-sister as his Luna over her. Banished and broken, Amelia finds her way into the arms of Kade, an Alpha strong and powerful, who teaches her what true love is. As Amelia finally starts to heal, she's thrown into the middle of a dangerous game. With her first mate desperate for her return to heal his mysterious illness, and a rogue leader using her as leverage in her quest for power, Amelia must fight for her freedom, her unborn children, and her future. Torn between two Alphas and a past that won't let her go, Amelia must rise above the pain and claim her destiny.
Amelia's POV
Shadows of my family, shadows of expectations, and shadows of pain-my life has been made from all these. Bright morning sun, filtering through the cracked window of my tiny bedroom, mocked me staring at a faded ceiling. Today was my 18th birthday, the day my wolf would awaken and the Moon Goddess would reveal to me my mate.
For anyone else, it would have been a day of celebration, but not for me. Not within the Silver Moon pack.
A sharp knock rattled my door, jolting me out from my thoughts.
"Amelia! Get downstairs!" My half-sister Lucy's shrill voice pierced through the silence. "We don't have all day for your lazy ass!
I groaned softly, knowing better than to talk back. Lucy was the golden child, the favorite daughter of Alpha Gregory and my stepmother, Clarissa. I, on the other hand, was nothing more than the unwanted daughter of his former mate-a woman long dead and forgotten.
Dragging myself out of bed, I slipped on a simple dress and tied my long, auburn hair into a loose braid. The moment I stepped into the kitchen, I was greeted by Lucy's smirk.
"Finally. You look worse than usual," she sneered, flipping her golden locks over her shoulder.
She stood at the stove, her sharp gaze slicing through me. "Don't just stand there. Make yourself useful."
"Yes, Luna," I muttered, reaching for the tray of breakfast dishes.
I started to set them on the table when Lucy reached out and tripped me with her foot. They crashed onto the floor, sounding like a death knell.
Clumsy idiot!" Lucy shrieked. "You can't even do one thing right!"
Clarissa's slap came so fast I barely registered it until the sting spread across my cheek. "You're a disgrace, Amelia. Clean this up before Alpha Gregory sees it."
I knelt on the cold tiles, biting back tears as I picked up the shattered pieces. This was my life-humiliation, cruelty, and endless servitude.
But that was yet to be the worst.
By the time the pack assembled in the great hall for the occasion, I was strung up by my nerves. My wolf churned inside me, a insistent whisper of hope and deliverance.
"Maybe today will be different," I whispered under my breath, tugging on the hem of my dress as I fitted myself within the back of the crowd.
The air crackled with energy as Alpha Gregory took the first step forward, his imposing figure commanding attention. Standing beside him was his son and heir, Ethan-my mate.
I'd known it when I laid my eyes on him, felt the bond snap into place like a chain around my heart. But Ethan's eyes, cold and disdainful, locked on me with no hint of recognition.
Today, we celebrate the rise of Ethan as Alpha and his mate, Lucy, as our Luna," Gregory said, the sound of his voice booming across the hall.
His words came like an axe to my head. My knees buckled, and the crowd erupted into applause oblivious to the anguish tearing through me.
Ethan stepped forward, taking Lucy's hand. "I, Ethan Blackwood, reject Amelia Miller as my mate and Luna. I claim Lucy as my chosen mate."
The crowd gasped, but I barely heard it over the roar of blood in my ears. My vision blurred, and the sharp pain in my chest threatened to consume me.
Lucy's triumphant smile was the last thing I saw before I turned and fled, tears streaming down my face.
Hours later, I found myself in the woods, the cool night air doing little to soothe the firestorm inside me. My wolf whimpered, shattered by the rejection.
"Amelia."
I spun around to see Ethan standing there, his expression hard.
What do you want?" I spat, my voice shaking with anger and hurt.
"You need to leave the pack," he said coldly. "There's no place for you here."
"After everything, you're banishing me?" I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. "You're unbelievable."
"Leave, or I'll make you," he threatened, his eyes glowing with dominance.
For the first time in my life, I felt something inside me snap. Perhaps it was the bond breaking, or maybe it was the realization that I'd never been anything to these people but a scapegoat.
"Fine," I whispered. "I'll go. But don't think for a second that you'll get away with this.
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
Madisyn was stunned to discover that she was not her parents' biological child. Due to the real daughter's scheming, she was kicked out and became a laughingstock. Thought to be born to peasants, Madisyn was shocked to find that her real father was the richest man in the city, and her brothers were renowned figures in their respective fields. They showered her with love, only to learn that Madisyn had a thriving business of her own. "Stop pestering me!" said her ex-boyfriend. "My heart only belongs to Jenna." "How dare you think that my woman has feelings for you?" claimed a mysterious bigwig.
When Zora was sick during the early days of her pregnancy, Ezrah was with his first love, Piper. When Zora got into an accident and called Ezrah, he said he was busy, when in actual fact, he was buying shoes for Piper. Zora lost her baby because of the accident, and throughout her stay at the hospital, Ezrah never showed up. She already knew that he didn't love her, but that was the last straw for the camel's back, and her fragile heart could not take it anymore. When Ezrah arrived home a few days after Zora was discharged from the hospital, he no longer met the woman who always greeted him with a smile and cared for him. Zora stood at the top of the stairs and yelled with a cold expression, "Good news, Ezrah! Our baby died in a car accident. There is nothing between us anymore, so let's get a divorce." The man who claimed not to have any feelings for Zora, being cold and distant towards her, and having asked her for a divorce twice, instantly panicked.
After hiding her true identity throughout her three-year marriage to Colton, Allison had committed wholeheartedly, only to find herself neglected and pushed toward divorce. Disheartened, she set out to rediscover her true self-a talented perfumer, the mastermind of a famous intelligence agency, and the heir to a secret hacker network. Realizing his mistakes, Colton expressed his regret. "I know I messed up. Please, give me another chance." Yet, Kellan, a once-disabled tycoon, stood up from his wheelchair, took Allison's hand, and scoffed dismissively, "You think she'll take you back? Dream on."
On her wedding day, Khloe’s sister connived with her groom, framing her for a crime she didn’t commit. She was sentenced to three years in prison, where she endured much suffering. When Khloe was finally released, her evil sister used their mother to coerce Khloe into an indecent liaison with an elderly man. As fate would have it, Khloe crossed paths with Henrik, the dashing yet ruthless mobster who sought to alter the course of her life. Despite Henrik’s cold exterior, he cherished Khloe like no other. He helped her take retribution from her tormentors and kept her from being bullied again.
"Never let anyone treat you like shit!" I learned that the hard way. For three years, I lived with my in-laws. They didn't treat me as their son-in-law but as a slave. I put up with everything because of my wife, Yolanda Lambert. She was the light of my life. Unfortunately, my whole world came crashing down the day I caught my wife cheating on me. I have never been so heartbroken. To have my revenge, I revealed my true identity. I was none other than Liam Hoffman—the heir of a family with trillions of dollars in assets! The Lamberts were utterly shocked after the big reveal. They realized what fools they had been for treating me like trash. My wife even knelt down and begged for my forgiveness. What do you think I did? Did I take her back or made her suffer? Find out!