My husband thought I was his doormat Luna until I became his ruin.
…
I was the Goldbane heiress. Gideon Vexwood was the lowborn wolf I married for love. I thought we were building a kingdom; I didn’t realize he was building my coffin.

In one night, my world shattered. A tragic accident claimed my father’s life and stole my unborn child, leaving my body permanently broken. With the Pack Council threatening to strip my title unless I produce an heir, I was forced into a desperate gamble.

I trusted my husband. I trusted my loyal maid. Together, we struck a secret surrogate deal to save the Goldbane’s right to the Alpha seat. I thought it was our salvation. I didn't know it was a trap.

While I drowned in grief, Gideon and his mistress were celebrating my downfall, manipulating the very contracts meant to save me to turn me into a servant in my own home.

They called it strategy. I called it war.

For seven years, I played the victim. I endured their cruelty, letting them think they’d won while I forged a secret alliance with the only man they truly fear: Jarek Ashthorne. The infamous Rogue King. A man who rules the underworld with an iron fist and holds a debt to my father that he has never forgotten.

He was supposed to be my weapon of revenge. I didn't expect him to be my salvation. Now, as the secrets of that fatal night emerge, the long game is finally over.

They took my child. They stole my life. Now, I’m coming for their crowns.
____

Jarek hauled me forward until my chest collided with the rigid planes of his torso. “You have no idea, Elowen. Everything about you... every tear you shed for a man who doesn't deserve you… It’s all my business.”

I shivered, but I clamped down on the sensation instantly.  “Get your hands off me! I know what you’re doing. I’ve heard the stories, Jarek. Stay away from my marriage, stay away from my pack. And you better stay away from my life!”

Yet, he pressed his face into the crook of my neck, inhaling deeply. “Is that what you call it, Elowen? I call it a wake-up call. But if you’d rather go back to your ‘Alpha’ and pretend that the walls aren’t closing in, be my guest.”

I stared into the triple-paneled vanity mirror, and for the first time in twenty-one years, the reflection didn't make me want to spit.


For over a decade and a half, I had been the shadow. The girl who stood three paces behind the "Goldbane Jewel," holding her silk shawl, carrying her botanical samples, and smiling until my jaw ached while she played the benevolent princess.


 But today, the mirror showed something else. It showed ivory lace that cost more than a year of my former salary. It showed diamonds at my throat that felt like hard starlight.


"Careful with the pins, Sarah! If you snag the lace, I'll have your wages for the next month." I snapped. 


Sarah, a girl I had scrubbed floors with just last Christmas, flinched. "Sorry, Marisol. I mean... sorry, Miss Marisol. It's just so beautiful. I've never seen anything like it."


Chapter 40 - _ Got Everything I Wanted