Hate Me, Claim Me: The Luna Who Destroyed Them All.

Lady Lyssara Thornwyck yanked up her head in utter disbelief, her jaw slack. How could her proud bloodline ever be expected to bow her neck and apologize to a worthless, low-ranking omega like Tessa Frostmere?

High Alpha Odran Thornwyck turned his withered face to Commander Garrick Frostmere, attempting a soft, diplomat's smile. "Commander Frostmere, let an old wolf explain. Our territories shared hunting pacts years ago, and I speak only out of concern for your sacred bloodline. We knew this female beside you long ago when she roamed our borders. She is an indecent, greedy omega who craves nothing but pack resources and status. We only fear your family is being deceived..."

Before the old Alpha could finish his speech, Garrick lowered his dark eyes, pinning Odran with a look so cold the old man’s words choked right in his throat.

Tessa let out a small, musical laugh, stepping forward so her small frame took center stage. "Long time no see, High Alpha Odran. After three long winter moons, you are still just as fond of spewing lies to the surrounding packs."

Odran’s face twisted with deep revulsion as he stared down at her curvy, dark figure. "Tessa Frostmere, you know full well what dishonor you brought to this Keep three years ago. My guards welcome Commander Garrick to step through our stone gates, but an exiled omega like you will never cross this threshold!"

The visiting pack delegates began whispering among themselves, watching the bitter confrontation with wide eyes. Despite his age and status, the High Alpha was publicly barring a noble commander’s sister from entering the hall.

Before Garrick could unleash his inner wolf, Tessa pinched her brother’s forearm under his sleeve, her brown eyes slowly sweeping over the high stone arches of the Thornwyck Alpha Keep.

A sharp, mocking smile curved her lips. "The Thornwyck Alpha Keep? Do you think I actually care to step inside your bloody den? I only came to make every single one of you choke on your own pride. Now that I’ve seen your desperate faces, my task is done. I won't waste another breath here."

Tessa paused, her dark eyes locking directly onto High Alpha Odran's trembling jaw.

"However..."

Her rich voice dropped into a dark, lethal register that carried over the silent crowd.

"High Alpha Odran, you lock your gates against me today. But mark my words—a day will come when you and your entire bloodline will kneel in the freezing mud, begging this very omega to step inside your Keep to save your pack. And on that day, I will step over your heads. You cannot undo what is coming."

Her words slammed into the Thornwyck family's pride like a physical blow. Lyssara lost her mind, roaring out, "Who do you think you are, you filthy omega?! Beg you?! Who would ever—"

Garrick turned his head slightly, his Alpha aura flaring so violently that the air around Lyssara grew suffocatingly thin, cutting her off mid-shriek.

Garrick’s face remained impassive as steel. "My sister is leaving, which means the Frostmere delegation is leaving as well. Good evening, High Alpha."

He wrapped his broad arm around Tessa's small waist, turning to lead her back toward the heavy iron war carriage.

Tessa giggled softly as they walked, her small hips swaying. "Oh, Garrick, we shouldn't leave without delivering our tribute, should we? The visiting packs will think the Frostmere bloodline has no manners. How could we crash High Alpha Odran's grand feast without handing over his special birthday surprise?"

Lyssara had a terrible gut feeling, her chest heaving as she screamed, "What did you do, Tessa Frostmere?!"

Suddenly, the large scrying crystals mounted along the stone pillars of the Keep flickered to life, blazing with bright magical projection light. Every single crystal in the grand courtyard aligned, forming a massive, glowing image above the feast tables.

A familiar female wolf appeared on the floating screen.

It was Vespera Nightthorne.

The projection showed her from four or five winters ago, dressed in cheap leather straps and glowing paint, staggering drunk inside a dark tavern outside the territory borders.

Her hair was dyed a wild, chaotic silver, and her face was coated in thick makeup as she pressed her body intimately against a dozen male rogues on a wooden dancing platform. Low-ranking male wolves were running their dirty hands all over her bare waist and thighs, and instead of pulling away or using her wolf, Vespera was tossing her head back, laughing wildly and soaking in the vulgar touch.

A pack delegate from the northern borders gasped, pointing at the sky. "Is my sight failing me? Isn't that Lady Vespera? The future Luna candidate of the Keep?!"

"By the Moon Goddess! What kind of filthy behavior is this?!"

Before the crowd could recover from the shock, the projection shifted to even darker, more explicit memories stored in the crystal.

Vespera wasn't just dancing with rogue wolves; the crystal laid out graphic, undeniable proof of her engaging in wild, multiple-partner heat sessions in the outer border dens, completely unbonded, indulging in raw, degraded mating acts with nameless wanderers. The graphic visual of her lying bare beneath male rogues sent a wave of utter disgust through the noble lords and elders.

Vespera’s face turned paper-white. She dropped to her knees right in the middle of the stone path, clutching her head as she screamed hysterically, "That's not me! That isn't me! It's a curse! It's a dark illusion!"

However, not a single wolf in the courtyard believed her lies. The noble lords looked at her with pure disgust, pulling their own mates back as if Vespera were a disease standing exposed in broad daylight.

Desperate, Vespera scrambled across the stone floor on her knees, grabbing Alpha Kaelen's dark trousers with trembling, sticky hands. "Kaelen! Please, you have to believe me! I never did those vile things! Tessa Frostmere forged those memory crystals! She's using dark magic to frame me because she hates me!"

Kaelen stood like a mountain above her, his golden eyes completely void of warmth. He looked down at her small, panicking hands clutching his clothes, his voice dropping into a terrifyingly cold whisper.

"Take your hands off me."

Vespera tried to tighten her grip, weeping frantically, but the lethal murder in Kaelen's golden gaze terrified her so deeply that her fingers slowly slipped off his fabric, letting her fall limp onto the stone.

Kaelen stepped back, his posture rigid. "If those memory crystals are forged, why did she target your memory crystals instead of anyone else’s? Vespera Nightthorne, don't you think you owe your Alpha a complete explanation?"

Vespera froze, her jaw trembling violently, completely unable to utter another lie.

Trying to suppress her own rising panic, Lady Morwen stepped forward quickly, putting her hands on Kaelen's arm. "Kaelen, you have walked alongside Vespera for six years! Don't you know what kind of pure female she is? Have you forgotten how that snake Tessa betrayed your trust three years ago? How can you take an exiled omega's word over your own bloodline's companion?!"

High Alpha Odran was trembling so hard his wooden staff rattled against the stone floor, his blood pressure spiking dangerously. "Tessa Frostmere! What madness are you inflicting on my Keep?!"

Watching their desperate, hypocritical panic unfold, Tessa paused near the iron carriage, letting out a soft, beautiful laugh that echoed over their frantic screams. "What did your Thornwyck family do to my wolf three years ago? Every tear, every drop of blood, every piece of stolen dignity—I am returning it all to your doorstep, piece by piece."

Tessa turned her head, offering a sweet, deadly smile to the old leader. "Consider that your official birthday gift, High Alpha. See you around the Dominion."

Tessa and Garrick turned, stepping into the dark interior of the iron carriage. As she passed Kaelen, her sweet dark honey scent brushed against his nose one last time, but she didn't spare him a single look, treating the supreme Alpha as if he were nothing more than invisible dust on the road.

High Alpha Odran barked orders for the guards to seize the carriage, but not a single warrior in the Keep had the courage to draw a blade against Commander Garrick Frostmere.

The heavy war carriage lurched forward, its iron wheels crushing the gravel as it sped away from the Keep.

Inside the quiet carriage, Tessa leaned her curvy body against the carved window frame, her brown eyes staring out into the dark pine forests of the Dominion, lost in heavy memories.

Garrick sat across from her, his arms crossed over his leather chest as he observed her quiet face. "Was he the one?"

Tessa let out a small, tired hum, nodding her head softly against the glass.

Garrick's claws extended slightly, digging into his dark leather armor. "Humph. They will bleed for what they did to you."

Three years ago, Tessa had insisted on leaving the Frostmere territory to attend the Silver Fang Academy of Elders on her own, wanting to prove that an omega could survive without relying on her family's name. Garrick and their parents had been terrified for her, but they had respected her independent wish.

Three years later, Tessa had dragged herself back to the Frostmere pack house, bruised, broken, her inner wolf clinging to life, her body so damaged she had spent three full months bedridden near death.

Garrick had conducted a secret investigation in the dark, discovering that a high-ranking noble female had intentionally driven a heavy war wagon over Tessa's body to destroy her wolf core. At the time, Tessa had begged Garrick not to slaughter the culprits, insisting that when she recovered, she would personally shatter the ones who tried to bury her.

Garrick had honored his little sister's pride and waited.

He knew the female wolf had done it to steal an Alpha's favor. And after seeing the Thornwycks' arrogant faces tonight, Garrick realized Kaelen's pack had inflicted far deeper scars on Tessa than he had ever imagined. The blood debt of the Frostmere line would be settled in full.

Meanwhile, inside the main hall of the Thornwyck Alpha Keep.

Vespera remained collapsed on her knees in the middle of the floor, shaking her head hysterically as the visiting delegates began leaving the feast in deep disgust.

"High Alpha! Kaelen! I swear on the Moon Goddess I am innocent!" Vespera wept, her voice hoarse. "Tessa Frostmere knew I was walking by Kaelen's side, so she bought dark crystals from outer territory merchants to destroy my name!"

Kaelen narrowed his golden eyes, stepping closer until his shadow completely swallowed her small, trembling body.

Vespera couldn't bear the intense, suffocating pressure of his Alpha aura and ducked her head, unable to look him in the eyes for even a second.

High Alpha Odran slammed his heavy wooden staff onto the stone floor, his voice roaring with dark fury. "I see through her game! Tessa Frostmere holds a grudge because Kaelen cast her out three years ago! How dare a weak omega pull such a dirty stunt at my birthday feast! Does she think having Commander Garrick by her side makes her untouchable?!"

Odran turned his furious, bloodshot eyes toward the pack heralds. "Send a high-priority messenger bird to Lord Frostmere immediately! I want to see if the old commander will allow his daughter to tarnish the sacred reputation of our entire Dominion!"

Kaelen didn't say a word. He slowly reached up, taking off his clear-lens glasses, folding them closed—one temple at a time—and sliding them into his dark leather tunic. The harmless mask was completely gone, leaving only the predatory, bloodthirsty Alpha shining in his golden eyes.

He didn't care about Vespera's ruined reputation. His inner beast was clawing violently at his chest, demanding he track down the sweet honey scent that had just vanished into the night.

Kaelen turned on his heel, his heavy boots echoing against the stone floor as he walked away from Vespera's weeping form, his deep voice carrying a terrifying promise over his shoulder.

"Clean up this mess. I am hunting down my mate."