After My Mate’s Murderer Forced Me to Be His Luna

Five years. That is exactly one thousand, eight hundred and twenty-five days of suffocating in a bond that felt more like a shackle than a blessing.

Today marked the fifth anniversary of my mating ceremony to Alpha Vincenzo Snyder. In any other pack, the air would be thick with the scent of jasmine and roasted meats, a celebration of the Moon Goddess’s union between the Alpha and his Luna. But here, in the Silver Moon Pack, the air only smelled of damp earth and my own humiliation.

We stood at the edge of the Whispering Woods for the ceremonial Pack Run. Tradition dictated that the Alpha and Luna lead the hunt, running flank to flank, a symbol of their united strength. The wind bit at my exposed arms, raising gooseflesh, but the cold was nothing compared to the icy stare Vincenzo cast in my direction.

He stood tall, stripping off his shirt to reveal the broad, muscular chest that had once made my heart stutter—not because it was his, but because it was a cruel, mirror image of the man I had lost. Keith. My fated mate. The Moon Goddess had a twisted sense of humor, gifting me a second chance with a male who wore my dead lover’s face but carried a monster’s soul.

"Nora," Vincenzo’s voice was a low growl, devoid of any warmth. "Step back."

I froze, my bare feet digging into the dirt. "Vincenzo, it’s the anniversary run. The pack expects the Luna to—"

"The pack expects strength," he cut me off, his eyes flashing with a dominance that forced my wolf to whimper in submission. "Look at you. You’re frail. You reek of misery. You’ll only slow us down."

Before I could protest, a sleek, dark shape emerged from the crowd of shifting wolves. Selene Hunt. The Beta female. She didn’t even bother to hide the smirk on her lips as she dropped her robe, her body toned and ready for the shift.

"Don't worry, Luna," she purred, the title dripping with sarcasm. "I’ll keep the Alpha warm tonight."

Vincenzo didn't reprimand her. Instead, he shifted. His massive grey wolf—so like Keith’s, yet lacking the silver sheen—shook out his fur. He nudged Selene affectionately with his snout, a gesture of intimacy that stole the breath from my lungs. With a howl that signaled the start of the run, they took off into the trees. The rest of the pack followed, leaving me standing alone in the settling dust, the whispers of "The Barren Luna" floating back to me on the wind.

***

The banquet hall was alive with the roar of laughter and the clatter of silverware, but silence fell like a guillotine the moment I walked in. I kept my chin high, forcing a mask of indifference onto my face as I approached the head table.

My seat—the Luna’s seat—was empty. But Vincenzo had pulled another chair intimately close to his own. Selene sat there, still flushed from the run, wearing a dress that