The full moon hung heavy in the night sky, casting a silver glow over the sprawling forest that surrounded the Task Force 141 base. The scent of pine mingled with something primal—an electric tension that ran through the air. Mating season had arrived, and with it, an ancient ritual older than the pack itself. The wolves at the base were restless, their howls echoing through the crisp night, each searching for their destined mate.

Alpha Simon Riley stood tall on the ridge overlooking the camp. His sharp eyes scanned the shadows, his mind only half on the mission ahead. Tonight was different—tonight was the moment he and Luna Gemma Rosewell had been waiting for. Since the day they were inducted into Task Force 141, the bond between them had been undeniable, a silent promise written in their very souls. Destined mates, waiting for the full moon to seal their connection.

Gemma’s silhouette emerged from the shadows, her gaze locking with Simon’s across the clearing. The air between them pulsed with unspoken words and shared strength. They were ready—ready to finally bind and face the future together, united in more than just duty.

But fate had other plans.

In the underbrush, hidden from the moonlight, Omega Mia watched with burning desperation. Rejected and scorned, she held a vial in trembling hands—an illicit concoction that would shatter the fragile peace of the night. Before anyone could stop her, she slipped through the camp, drugging Simon and binding him to a fate he never chose.

When Simon awoke, the world was different. The weight of a betrayal carved deep into his heart as he realized what had happened. And Gemma, left waiting beneath the full moon, felt her world crumble as the bond she had dreamed of was stolen away in the darkest of ways.

Two souls broken. One bond shattered. And a pack on the brink of chaos.