Amal is a young wolf betrayed by her older sister, Ramlat, who seduces her destined mate and becomes pregnant by him. Under the shock and pain of this betrayal, Amal finds herself isolated and dishonored. After a year of silent suffering, Amal's father decides to find a new ally to restore strength to the pack and restore their honor. He then betrothed her to Amjad, a powerful and fearful Alpha, in his late forties. Tall, imposing, and coldly handsome, Amjad is known for his arrogance and ruthless nature. Constrained by her duty to the pack and her mother's wishes, Amjad reluctantly accepts this union. On the day of their lunar union, Amjad presents Amal with a "Moon Contract" stipulating the terms of their loveless union, specifying to her that he only considers it as a means of ensuring the stability of the pack. Wounded but determined, Amal accepts the challenge. From this moment, a power struggle begins between Amal, who refuses to submit, and Amjad, who tries to maintain control. Their relationship evolves between cold war and rapprochement, while Amal discovers her own strength in Luna, capable of rivaling the domination of an Alpha.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
Amal stood by the window of her room, staring into space. The winter wind blew against the windows, and the bare trees swayed in the bitter cold. She didn't know if it was the temperature or the torment that was boiling in her heart, but everything was blurry. The last few days had been a series of moments that stretched like centuries, and yet they had only lasted a few hours. A few more hours which had been enough to destroy all her certainty, everything she thought she knew about her family, about her future.
She didn't see the betrayal coming. Ramlat, her older sister, the person she had always admired, had taken away what was supposed to be hers. Their once strong bond had turned into a gaping chasm, an abyss that nothing seemed to be able to fill. The pain of having been betrayed by the one she considered her confidante was incredibly violent. Amal had always felt protected by her family, but this illusion was shattered that morning, when she discovered, returning earlier than expected, Ramlat in the arms of her destiny. The man she had always believed was the one she would one day marry, the one she loved deeply, the one she had always believed was hers.
The room was silent except for the rustling of the curtains, as if the entire universe had stopped breathing with her. But there was a noise in the air, a dull tension, and Amal knew that confrontation with Ramlat was inevitable. She knew that her sister was going to appear before her to justify the unjustifiable, and that their lives would never be the same after that. She took a deep, shaky breath and walked slowly towards the door.
Ramlat was not far away. The sound of heavy footsteps on the floor announces his arrival. Amal felt a wave of heat pass through her, a mixture of anger, sadness and despair, but she couldn't move. She waited, frozen, for the woman who was once her sister to come and face her. A moment of silence settles in the room, then the door opens.
Ramlat entered without a glance, her eyes downcast, as if she knew Amal was going to judge her. She was no longer the image of the older sister that Amal had idolized. She seemed colder, more distant, and yet, it was the same woman. The shiny black hair looked duller, as if betrayal itself had embedded itself in its roots. Amal had difficulty recognizing her, as if the blood tie had been definitively severed between them.
"Amal," Ramlat began, his voice soft but devoid of warmth, "I suppose you want an explanation. »
Amal couldn't speak. The pain that gripped him was too great to put into words. She just stared at her, her eyes filled with tears that she refused to let fall. The words stuck in her throat, like a weight she couldn't shake. Ramlat finally lowered her eyes, as if she no longer dared to face her sister's accusing gaze.
"I'm sorry, I...I didn't mean for it to happen like this," Ramlat whispered, but the words rang false. Amal knew, deep down, that the sincerity was not in her sister's voice.
"You took what was mine," Amal replied hoarsely, each word a blow to his chest. "You took my future, you took... my love. And you didn't even have the decency to tell me. »
Ramlat bit her lip, visibly embarrassed, but she said nothing. She just looked away, obviously looking for an excuse that would never come. Amal could no longer bear this false victim posture. She walked forward, with a determined step, and grabbed her sister's hand, adjusting it slightly.
"I've always looked up to you as a role model," she said with palpable resentment. "But now, I... I don't even know what I feel about you anymore. I feel like I've lost a part of me, a part of my own soul. »
The two women were there, in a meaningful silence, each in their own thoughts, unable to find the right words. Finally, Ramlat raises her head, as if she had made an internal decision.
"Amal, it didn't have to be like this. I love you, but... I'm in love with him. » Ramlat appears to take a deep breath before continuing. "I made this choice, the one that seemed right to me. I didn't want it to end like this between us. I thought...I thought you would understand. »
Amal looked at her, incredulous. " To understand ?! » she exclaimed, anger rising in her voice. "You want me to understand that you stole from me the man I thought was mine forever? That you betrayed me, that you broke everything we had built? »
Ramlat lowered her eyes, as if she no longer had any strength to oppose. She seemed about to say something, but the sound of the door suddenly opening interrupted their exchange. Amal's father enters the room, his expression somber and his brows furrowed. His imposing figure stood in the doorway, his deep voice breaking the tense atmosphere.
"Amal, Ramlat," he said in a commanding voice. "This discussion is over. »
He walked towards them, his eyes hard. "Ramlat, you have made a decision. And I'll take mine. »
Amal turns to her father, her heart beating hard in her chest. "What do you mean, father? » she asked, almost in a whisper, afraid that the ground beneath her feet would give way completely.
Amal's father did not respond immediately. He turns to Ramlat, giving him a cold look, then turns to his daughter. "Amal, you are my daughter, and you deserve better than this. But we have to reorganize ourselves. Ramlat made his choice, but there is no room for weakness in this pack. His voice was firm, but there was an underlying pain, a pain he had learned to hide over time.
"I am going to betroth you, Amal," he announced at last, without trembling, "to Amjad. »
The shock was immediate. Amal widened her eyes in disbelief. "To Amjad? » she repeated, her voice cracking. "Why him?! »
The father stared at her for a moment, his face impassive. "Because that's what's needed. Amjad is a strong Alpha, and he will bring the alliance pack no need. You don't have the luxury of choosing your destiny. Family must come first. »
Amal feels strangled by the harshness of his words. She looked at Ramlat, who avoided her gaze, his head lowered. There was nothing more to say. Everything was decided.
She turns towards the window, watching the snow falling silently outside, carrying her last dreams with her. "I understand," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I completely understand. »
But in that precise moment, as she looked beyond the snow, she no longer knew if she was ready to accept this choice, nor to what extent this decision would forever mark her heart and her life.
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