Chapter 1

I accompany the Luna of the north and my future mother-in-law, Willow Joynes, on a cruise for a vacation.

A high-pitched, feminine voice resounds behind us not long after we make our way to the deck.

"Who gave you permission to be here? Moonshine is reserved for noble wolves. Rogues have no business being on this cruise ship!"

I turn around and see a she-wolf clad in a tailored gown and dazzling jewelry. She marches toward us and lets out a scoff after she scrutinizes Willow’s plain clothes and mine.

"Whose maids are you? Or did you sneak onto the ship? How repulsive. The Moon Goddess blessed this part of the sea, and yet it's been tainted with the stench of poverty that both of you reek of."

My expression immediately turns cold.

"Moonshine is open to all invited patrons," I say. "If you don't like looking at other wolves, you should buy your own cruise ship."

The she-wolf's expression darkens. She points an accusing finger at me and exclaims, "Do you have any idea who you're speaking to, you bitch? I'm Beatrice Quillo, and my mate is the future Alpha of the north! This entire stretch of sea is his territory. The luxury suite on this ship is open only to me!

"Get on your knees and grovel for my forgiveness right now. If you don't, I'll teach you the consequences of getting on my bad side."

Willow and I frown as we exchange glances.

It's true that this part of the sea belongs to the north. However, the future Alpha of the north, Julian Layton, is Willow's only son—as well as the wolf I'm about to be mated with.

When did Julian get another mate?

Chapter 1

When my mother-in-law, Willow Joynes, and I boarded Moonshine, we intentionally hid the fact that Willow was the Luna.

We just wanted to distance ourselves from the power struggle that was occurring between the packs and enjoy a few days of peace and quiet. We could never have imagined that our peaceful vacation would suddenly turn into an utter fiasco.

As the Luna of the north, Willow had a noble status. Thus, no wolf had ever spoken to her with such a brazen attitude.

She swept her gaze over the she-wolf, Beatrice Quillo's expensive clothes and exquisite makeup, before making a retort.

"Money can buy many things, but it can't buy manners. A she-wolf who hasn't been acknowledged as the Alpha's official mate has no right to claim to be the future Luna and flaunt the authority that is only reserved for her."

Willow no longer paid Beatrice any attention, turning to me and saying, "Let's continue enjoying the sun. It's pointless to waste our time on her. We can question Julian when we return to the pack."

Beatrice's face twisted in rage when we stopped entertaining her. However, a cruel smile stretched across her lips a few seconds later.

"Fine. Since you're being so shameless and refuse to leave, I suppose I can show you my generosity and play along until you've learned your lesson!" she exclaimed, pulling out her phone and dialing a number.

A young wolf appeared a few minutes later.

"What are your orders, Ms. Quillo? Do you want to go diving?" he asked with a fawning expression.

Beatrice pointed at us and gritted out, "These two bitches have no idea how to show respect, Gary. I want you to teach them a lesson!"

Gary immediately understood what she wanted from him.

"Don't worry. I'm a dive safety officer. I know exactly how to make someone suffer in the water," he said with a smile, slowly stalking toward us.

An ominous feeling reared its head in my gut. "What are you trying to do?" I demanded.

Gary acted before I could react. He grabbed Willow's arm and shoved her toward the side of the ship.

"Mom!" I shouted in surprise, hastily rushing to her side.

However, Gary anticipated my reaction, blocking my path and shoving me aside.

Willow lost her balance and crashed against the railing. Her body then tipped over the railing, sending her falling into the sea with a loud splash. The icy waters swallowed her in an instant.

I watched as Willow thrashed around in the water. Her hair was soaked with seawater, and her body was slowly being swallowed up by the waves.

I threw all caution to the wind at that moment. I threw myself over the railing and dived into the sea without any hesitation. My body was instantly surrounded by bone-chilling seawater.

I swam as hard as I could toward Willow and propped her up.

Willow was deathly pale. She let out hacking coughs as her body shivered violently. A long time passed before she finally caught her breath.

She once stood at the pinnacle of the business world for decades. She also single-handedly established the business empire that earned her the respect of the Alphas from other packs. It was hard to believe that someone so great was forced to endure such terrible humiliation.

Willow's gaze was terrifyingly cold as she shouted, "Do you have any idea what you just did? You almost took someone's life! I'm going to report you to the authorities as soon as possible!"

Beatrice crossed her arms over her chest and simply smiled. "Took someone's life? My mate has businesses all over the world. The money in his bank account is more than enough to buy both your lives!

"And what was that about reporting me to the authorities? Would you like to bet if the authorities will listen to you or me, the future Luna of the north?"

My frown deepened.

Moonshine was one of the many engagement gifts that my fiance, Julian Layton, personally gave me. However, Beatrice was acting as if she was in charge.

An uneasy feeling festered in my heart.

Could it be that Julian actually had another mate?

I supported Willow until her breathing evened out. I then shot a cold look at Beatrice, asking, "Is your mate Julian Layton?"

Beatrice stuck her nose into the air with a gleeful expression. "That's right. Well, it seems that you're not clueless enough not to know the name of the future Alpha of the north. I might consider letting you off the hook if you get on your knees, grovel for my forgiveness, and clean the deck until it's spotless.

"If you refuse, you'll have to face an Alpha's wrath when Julian gets here."

An icy sensation wrapped around my heart.

Julian had once made a vow to me in front of everyone during our engagement party, promising to give me his heart, his loyalty, and his future.

Could it be that he had been hiding another she-wolf this whole time?

Chapter 2

Just then, my gaze unconsciously swept across Beatrice's neck, which left me frozen in place.

There was a moonstone necklace around her neck. Only the future Lunas of the north had the right to wear it.

I had been wearing that same necklace a month ago, but it suddenly went missing one day. I had blamed myself for a long time for losing it.

I remembered Julian comforting me gently, telling me that it didn't matter that I lost it because it was just a necklace. He also said that he would search for an even better moonstone and make another necklace for me.

His words had filled me with gratitude and regret at the time. Only then did I realize how pathetic I had been.

I didn't lose the necklace at all. Instead, Julian was the one who gave it to Beatrice. If it wasn't for this chance encounter between us, I would be none the wiser to the truth and would have kept believing in Julian's lies like a fool.

However, the greater the flames of rage that burned in my chest, the calmer I was.

"From what I've heard, Lily Whitfield is the future Luna of the north, not Beatrice Quillo. Don't tell me that you're just Julian's mistress? Using Lily's title to flaunt an authority that doesn't actually belong to you… Aren't you afraid that the true, future Luna will find out about what you're doing?"

It was obvious that I had struck a nerve in Beatrice. Her humiliation swiftly morphed to fury.

"A mistress?" she screamed hysterically. "The one who's not loved is the real mistress! And so what if she finds out? From Julian's perspective, she's just an accessory that he can swap out at any time. It looks to me that you have no plans to leave. If that's the case, I'll tell Julian to come over right now!"

Beatrice pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The moment the call connected, her voice turned sweet and tender.

"Are you free right now, Julian?" she asked. "I'm on Moonshine. I'm so scared because these two hags are bullying me. Please come and help me."

She glanced at us as she continued whining. "Moonshine should be reserved only for me in the future. I bought a few new swimsuits. I only want to wear them for you. I don't want anyone else to see me in them."

A gleeful expression appeared on Beatrice's face after she hung up. "Julian will be here in half an hour. The two of you are done for! He has plenty of ways to deal with wolves like you!"

Disgust roiled in my gut when I thought about how Julian had been fooling around with another she-wolf behind my back while kissing me deeply.

Willow's expression instantly darkened when she noticed my expression. Her eyes burned with rage.

"Julian, that bastard! He's just like his father!" she spat, curling her hands into tight fists. "I can take back everything that I've given him any time that I want."

Willow hated betrayal more than anything else.

Many years ago, she broke her mate bond with Julian's father without any hesitation when she found out that he was cheating on her with another she-wolf. They started living separately ever since.

Willow single-handedly raised Julian while also building up her business empire in the north. She never could have imagined that the pup whom she meticulously nurtured would make the same mistakes that his father did.

Although she had entrusted some of the businesses to Julian over the years, the true power of the business empire was still firmly grasped in her own hands.

Meanwhile, just the fact that Julian and I were engaged proved that my own background was nothing to sneeze at.

I was curious to see exactly how Julian planned to deal with us.

Just then, I noticed Willow sneezing. She was getting on in years, and she had fallen into the icy seawater. It made sense that her body couldn't hold out for too long.

My chest tightened. I immediately swam toward the ladder that was attached to the side of the cruise ship while supporting her.

Gary suddenly appeared just as Willow was about to climb back up onto the deck using the ladder. He stood at the edge of the deck, raised his foot, and cruelly stomped on Willow's hands.

Willow lost her grip on the ladder and fell into the sea again.

"Watch out!" I screamed, immediately throwing myself forward to catch her.

Beatrice clapped and laughed as she stood on the deck. "Where did all your confidence go? Why do the two of you look like soaking wet dogs? No need to rush getting back onto the ship. I haven't had my fill of watching you struggle yet."

She looked at Gary and continued, "Don't let them onto the ship before Julian gets here!"

"Don't worry, Ms. Quillo," Gary said with a fawning smile. "I can certainly carry out such a simple task. Be sure to put in a good word for me when Julian gets here."

After that, Gary would intentionally shove us away every time we tried to climb back up onto the ship with the ladder. He even stepped on the ladder, making it impossible for us to approach it.

Willow's condition was deteriorating by the second. The icy seawater had triggered her old heart condition from a previous injury that had remained dormant for many years.

Her powerful wolf began to weaken, making it difficult for her to maintain her body temperature.

Fear and fury gripped my heart as I watched her shiver violently.

Mustering all of the strength that I had within me, I shouted, "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Mom has an old heart condition! You're killing her! You'll definitely regret it if anything happens to her!"

Gary hesitated upon hearing my words. He was a professional dive safety officer. Naturally, he could tell that Willow was already in critical condition.

He shot a hesitant look at Beatrice and said, "That particular she-wolf is quite old, Ms. Quillo. She looks like she's in bad shape. We're going to be in trouble if she actually dies in the sea."

However, Beatrice simply scoffed and shot a disdainful look at us. "What are you afraid of? I already said that neither of them is allowed back onto the ship unless they grovel for my forgiveness.

"Put the lifebuoys away, Gary. I'm curious to see how much longer they'll insist on being stubborn!"

Chapter 3

Fury blazed in my chest, and I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

"The authorities will definitely launch an investigation if someone dies here," I said. "Do you want to get thrown into prison?"

Beatrice sat on the lounge chair while balancing a glass of champagne between her fingers. She swirled it lazily as she said, "Beg me for forgiveness right now if you want to return to the ship. You were so stubborn earlier. Is your courage failing you now that you know that Julian is about to arrive?"

Willow had an old heart condition. Not only had she been humiliated by Beatrice on the deck, but she was also shoved into the icy seawater multiple times.

She had exhausted most of her strength at that point. The color was steadily draining from her face.

I gritted my teeth. I couldn't let anything happen to her no matter what happened—even if I had to temporarily discard my pride to guarantee her safety.

I was just about to open my mouth and beg Beatrice when Willow suddenly grabbed my wrist. Her voice was weak, but her words were still colored with the pride of a Luna who once stood at the very top.

"I've never conceded to anyone in my life," she said. "I most certainly won't beg a shameless she-wolf like her for mercy."

She breathed in deeply before looking at me, saying, "Don't worry about me. We'll settle the score once Julian's here. I've seen many wolves make up excuses for their betrayals in my lifetime. I'll take your side even if he's my son."

Beatrice's gaze turned dark and cold upon hearing how we refused to concede. She turned to look at Gary and said, "Bring a few buckets of ice water. Let's help them clear their minds since they insist on being so stubborn."

A few minutes later, two large buckets of ice water were poured over our heads.

My entire body stiffened in an instant at the bone-chilling cold.

Willow's expression also twisted severely. She curled up into a ball as her consciousness began to fade.

"Mom…" I mumbled as I patted her cheek.

Willow opened her eyes with much difficulty. She didn't even have enough strength left to respond to me.

I threw all caution to the wind. Using all my strength to support her, I tried approaching the ladder on the side of the ship again. However, every time I got close, Gary would use a long rescue pole to push us away.

"Stop struggling," he said. "You're not allowed on the ship unless Ms. Quillo gives you permission to board."

My eyes reddened.

"She can't hold on for much longer!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. "All of you will be labeled as murderers if she dies here! Even Julian won't be able to protect you from being convicted and locked behind bars!"

Fear gripped Gary's heart as he looked at the unconscious Willow.

"Why don't we let them off the hook for now, Ms. Quillo?" he asked. "The old hag won't be able to hold on for much longer. If she dies here, she'll taint this stretch of the sea that was blessed by the Moon Goddess. Imagine how disgusting that would be if you want to visit this place again in the future.

"Julian will also hold me accountable if that happens…"

Beatrice rolled her eyes.

"So, you're just worried about your own skin," she snapped impatiently. "Don't worry. I have no plans to actually kill them. I just want them to understand the consequences of crossing me."

A wave of relief washed over Gary upon hearing her words.

"Let me make this clear to you," he said arrogantly. "Beatrice Quillo is the future Luna who Julian Layton has chosen. Moonshine specially operates for her sake. Everything on this cruise ship exists to ensure that she has a comfortable and pleasant time.

"Beg for her forgiveness properly if you want to live."

I bit my lip harshly. In the end, I discarded all my pride as I looked at Willow, who was getting weaker by the second in my arms.

"I'm begging you… Please let Mom onto the ship. She can't hold on for much longer."

Satisfaction glinted in Beatrice's eyes. She walked over to the edge of the deck and looked down at me from the tip of her nose.

"Finally begging me, are you? Didn't you criticize me for being shameless earlier? Didn't you call me a mistress who's ruining another couple's fated bond?

"I want you to repeat after me. Lily Whitfield is the shameless mistress. Beatrice Quillo is Julian Layton's fated mate."

I dug my nails into my palms, and I nearly suffocated under the massive wave of humiliation that crashed over me.

Beatrice had no idea who I was. She didn't know that the she-wolf whom she was humiliating was none other than the she-wolf she was pretending to be.

But as I looked at Willow, who was barely breathing in my arms, I had no choice but to hang my head and say, "Lily Whitfield is the shameless mistress. Beatrice Quillo is Julian Layton's fated mate. Are you satisfied now? Let Mom onto the ship!"

Beatrice burst out laughing.

I thought that she was finally going to let us onto the ship, but she lightly shook her head the next second.

"When did I ever promise that I was going to let you onto the ship? I only said that I might consider it," she said while absentmindedly twirling a lock of hair around her finger, looking at us mockingly.

"I've made up my mind now. I still don't want to let you onto the ship. What are you going to do about it?"

Chapter 4

I had never felt such overwhelming rage in my life. I wanted nothing more than to tear Beatrice to pieces with my own hands.

Unable to take it anymore, I stopped hiding Willow's identity.

"You've crossed the line!" I shouted. "She's the Luna of the north and also Julian's biological mother, Willow Joynes! Julian definitely won't let you off the hook when he gets here if anything happens to her!"

Beatrice was briefly stunned before she burst out laughing. She held her stomach and doubled over in laughter as if she had heard a hilarious joke.

"Her? The Luna, Willow Joynes? Lowly wolves like you are truly willing to spout the most preposterous lies to crawl your way up the food chain," she spat, pointing at Willow with a look of disdain.

"Besides, didn't you call her 'Mom' earlier? Why is she suddenly the Luna of the north, Willow Joynes, now? Do you really think that I'll fall for your lies? I must teach you a lesson for ruining my fun today.

"This way, you'll know to stay away instead of incurring the ire of those who are above you in the future!"

Willow weakly leaned against me, her breathing gradually weakening. Her wolf could be completely destroyed if she wasn't treated in time.

However, we had even lost the chance to climb back up on the deck at that moment.

I looked at the deck with bloodshot eyes and screamed at the top of my lungs. "Help! Somebody, please help us! She needs emergency treatment right now! I'm begging you!"

However, the upper deck of Moonshine was deserted. The guests in the other areas were too far away to hear the commotion.

Gary began to panic and said carefully, "Ms. Quillo, perhaps we should—"

Beatrice didn't even bother looking at him when she interrupted him and said, "Don't worry. Lowly wolves like them are tough. She's just pretending to be pitiful to garner sympathy."

She glanced at the entrance of the deck before continuing, "Julian will be here soon. They'll just have to tread water for a few more minutes. If she really can't hold on, she only has herself to blame for being so weak."

A chill ran down my spine upon hearing her words.

A few minutes? The few minutes that Beatrice so casually spoke of would determine a wolf's life or death!

Just as I was teetering on the edge of despair, I heard the sounds of frantic footsteps coming from the deck.

The supervisor of the cruise ship hurried over to us. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Willow and me in the sea, exclaiming, "What's going on here?"

I began shouting at the supervisor as if my life depended on it.

"Please save her! She's the Luna of the north, Willow Joynes! Her wolf is very weak! She won't be able to hold on for much longer! Pull her up from the sea right now and call a team of healers!"

The supervisor glanced at Willow. Although he had seen her many years ago, he wasn't able to recognize her due to the passing of time, her deathly pale complexion, her drenched state, and her fading consciousness.

In fact, he had only rushed onto the deck because he heard that Beatrice was there, wanting to curry favor with the future Luna.

However, at that moment, fear gripped his heart as he looked at Willow, who was on the brink of losing consciousness as she continued treading water.

Getting in Beatrice's good graces would be the least of his problems if a wolf lost her life on the cruise. His own survival would be at stake if that happened!

The supervisor swiftly weighed his options before turning to Beatrice with an amicable smile. "Why don't we let them back onto the ship for now, Ms. Quillo? I fear that Moonshine will never be able to operate again in the future if a fatal case happens during the cruise."

Beatrice frowned before impatiently waving her hand, saying, "Fine. I'll let them back onto the ship only because you're the one who asked."

Gary immediately let down a rescue rope.

Mustering every bit of strength that I had left, I dragged Willow back onto the deck. I didn't even stop to catch my breath before I stumbled toward the cabin and grabbed the first-aid kit.

I was just about to feed the medicine to Willow when the bottle of pills in my hand was sent flying with a powerful kick.

The pills scattered all over the floor while the bottle rolled into the sea.

I was utterly stunned as I stared at the scene before me. I slowly looked up and saw Beatrice looking down at me from the tip of her nose. The corners of her lips were curled up into a wicked smile.

It was blatantly obvious that she was the one who kicked the bottle.

"What's with the pitiful look? I've already allowed you to come back onto the ship. You should be grateful. Get out of my sight now. I'm in a good mood today, so I'm willing to let you off the hook."

The last thread of rationality in my mind snapped at that moment. I lunged at Beatrice and delivered a hard slap across her face.

"I'll make you pay if anything happens to Mom!" I roared.

Beatrice shrieked in disbelief as she pressed a hand to her cheek. "How dare you lay your hand on me, you bitch? I was too softhearted. I should have let both of you drown in the sea!"

I tried to lunge at Beatrice again, but Gary and the supervisor held me back, giving Beatrice the chance to slap me over and over again as if she had lost her mind.

My cheeks turned numb. Blood leaked from the corners of my lips, but my mind was crystal clear. Revenge wasn't my priority at that moment. Saving Willow took precedence over everything else!

I thrashed around wildly until I freed myself from their grasp. My hands were shaking when I pulled out my phone and dialed Julian's number.

"Mom's in trouble, Julian," I said. "Her old heart condition is acting up again. Her wolf is very weak and on the brink of fading away. We're on Moonshine. Please send a team of healers here as soon as possible!

"If they're too late…" I muttered, swallowing the fear down. "She's going to die!"

Julian's cold and indifferent voice echoed from the receiver. "Why didn't you take better care of your mother if you knew that she was sick?"

My hand froze. "What did you say?"

"I have some urgent business to deal with," he said impatiently. "You can handle something as insignificant as this by yourself. Call an ambulance if you can't. It's pointless for you to tell me all of this."

He hung up right after he was done speaking.

I couldn't stop my hands from trembling violently as I gripped my phone.

Willow was the one who had an old heart condition, not my biological mother. How could Julian forget that?

Just then, Beatrice looked at the entrance of the deck.

"Julian!"

A radiant smile immediately stretched across her face. She lifted her skirt and sprinted toward him with a joyous expression, exclaiming, "You're finally here!"