At the engagement feast beneath the full moon, Fredrik of the Graywolf Pack learned that his childhood mate was to be bound to his crippled rival from another Alpha bloodline.
His expression changed at once. He trapped me near the stone pillars, his aura pressing down like a command, ordering me to hand over the Bloodmoon Bracelet, the Graywolf clan relic that marked me as the future Luna, and give it to Zora of the Wargrove lineage. His voice carried the weight of an Alpha. There was no room to refuse.
"Hurry. Zora will not be mated to that broken wolf. I will not allow him to destroy her fate."
I had loved Fredrik Graywolf for ten winters. I had lived within the Graywolf territory for five winters. I had once thrown myself before a speeding carriage for him while carrying his pup. The pup was lost. I almost followed. And still, I had endured, step by step, until I reached this moment.
Every wolf in the hall watched, their instincts sharp, waiting for me to lose control, waiting for me to become a disgrace whispered through the packs.
But as I looked at the man before me, once so familiar and now colder than winter frost, something inside me stilled. When a heart has already died, even pain loses its voice.
I smiled.
"Fine. She can have it."
Shock flickered through Fredrik’s gaze. Zora, wrapped in her ceremonial gown and held within his arms, stopped her tears as if on cue. A sweet smile curved her lips as she lifted her hand toward me.
Without a tremor, I removed the Bloodmoon Bracelet and placed it around her delicate wrist, the relic glowing faintly under the moonlight as it accepted a new bearer.
Only then did Fredrik give me a satisfied glance.
"Caylin, remember your place. You owe me."
I lowered my eyes to my empty wrist and smiled without a word. I never owed you anything.
That same night, Fredrik’s private jet carried him and Zora across the skies to a distant desert kingdom for their early mating journey.
He believed I would remain as I always had, standing in place, waiting for his return like a loyal shadow.
What Fredrik did not know was that not long after he left, his crippled rival came to my door.
"I don’t forgive insults. Alpha Graywolf took my intended mate. I won’t let that pass in silence."
"Alpha Rydell, what are you implying?"
Dante Rydell sat in his wheelchair, yet nothing about him seemed weak. His presence was like a resting predator, calm yet dangerous, his wolf hidden but watchful.
"Lady Celviere, would you consider walking into the Hall of Bonds with me?"
I glanced at the image spreading through Pinehowl City, a magical projection shared among the elite packs, showing Fredrik and Zora locked in an intimate kiss beneath the rising sun.
Without hesitation, I gathered my documents and went with Dante Rydell to the Hall of Bonds.
Only when I saw our names inscribed together under the sacred seal did the truth settle in.
I was mated.
And my mate was not Fredrik Graywolf, the man I had loved for winters, but the man he despised above all others.
"Now that the bond is sealed, you are my Luna." Dante’s fingers brushed lightly over my wrist, his smile edged with danger. "When will you return to my territory?"
"Give me ten days. I need to finish things here."
He gave a low hum. "Then in ten days, we will hold the mating ceremony. The time is short, but I will not let anything fall short of perfection."
He gestured for me to lean closer.
Then he fastened a platinum brooch over my chest, set with a deep green gem that shimmered like living magic.
"This belonged to my great ancestor. It guarded my bloodline for generations. Now it guards you."
When he finished, I noticed something unexpected beneath his careless expression. The tips of his ears had turned faintly red.
I brushed my fingers over the brooch and let out a soft laugh. "I will treasure it."
Seven days into their mating journey, Fredrik finally remembered me.
"I’ll be back tonight. Prepare everything. I want a Graywolf clan banquet held this evening."
The call woke me at dawn. Not a single word asking how I had endured these past days, confined within the estate while every noble pack in Pinehowl City passed around my humiliation like entertainment.
The same commanding tone. As if nothing had changed.
But it was not that nothing had changed. It was that my existence had never held weight in his world.
Meanwhile, his time with Zora had been displayed openly across the elite circles through magical projections.
I had seen them. The two of them sharing a kiss above the clouds. Resting together in sacred hot springs. Exchanging vows beneath ancient castle walls blessed by moonlight.
Every place had once been part of my dream journey. He fulfilled them all, just not with me.
"Answer me, Caylin. Have you lost your hearing?"
When I stayed silent, Fredrik’s voice turned cold.
I forced myself back to the present.
"Understood. I will prepare everything."
This would be the last time.
For five winters, every Graywolf gathering had been arranged by my hands. With the least resources, I created the greatest display, making him appear as an unrivaled Alpha.
Fredrik paused briefly.
"Remember. Without me, you are nothing but a stray with no pack."
Then the call ended.
What he did not know was that in three days, my mate would come for me with the highest honor. I would become the youngest matriarch of the Rydell bloodline, the most powerful clan in the capital.
I worked without rest until the sky darkened. By the time I stopped, night had already fallen.
The Graywolf banquet began exactly on time. The hall shimmered with power, filled with the city’s strongest wolves.
Amid the sound of glasses and voices, Zora entered on Fredrik’s arm with perfect timing.
They wore matching silver garments. Her gown glowed under the chandeliers like flowing moonlight.
She lifted her hand with deliberate grace, ensuring every gaze fell upon the Bloodmoon Bracelet resting on her wrist.
Gasps and praise spread through the crowd.
"That’s the Graywolf relic. It suits Lady Wargrove perfectly."
"That woman who left Alpha Graywolf for a better match once thought she could claim that bracelet. Thought she could be Luna. What a joke."
Cold stares cut toward me like blades.
Seven winters ago, I had ended things with Fredrik and accepted a bond with his uncle, Layne Graywolf.
Within two winters, Fredrik defeated Layne and took the position of heir. The first thing he did was bring me back, ignoring all opposition.
For five winters, I stood beside him, rebuilding the Graywolf clan from ruin and raising it higher than ever.
And now, I was nothing but a greedy climber in their eyes.
I said nothing. I remained seated, quietly drinking water.
Fredrik offered no defense.
He moved through the hall, speaking with others, holding his glass, acting every part the perfect Alpha. At times, his gaze drifted toward me.
After Zora absorbed all the attention she desired, she walked toward me, her steps light and deliberate.
Her lips curved as her eyes fixed on the ruby earrings I wore.
"Caylin, the bracelet is already mine. Do you not think those earrings should belong to me as well?"
Those earrings. Fredrik had traded a fortune for them, simply to match the bracelet. They were meant for me.
A cruel smile formed on Zora’s lips as she reached for my ear.
I raised my hand to stop her. I had not even touched her when she suddenly cried out and fell to the ground.
When she stood again, a red mark appeared on her palm.
She trembled, her voice sharp with pain.
"It hurts. I only wanted to try them. Why did you push me, Caylin?"
Fredrik turned instantly. The entire hall fell silent as his expression darkened.
He strode forward, lifted Zora into his arms, and stared at her injured hand. Then his gaze snapped toward me, filled with fury.
"Who allowed you to lay a hand on her?"
He did not intend to hear me. His voice carried only anger for me and concern for her.
I looked at him, the man I had loved for a decade, the man I had given everything to, and a sharp pain twisted in my stomach.
I closed my eyes and forced the tears back.
When I opened them again, there was no anger left.
I lifted my hand to my ear and grasped the ruby earrings.
Before the stunned crowd, I tore them free. The metal ripped through my flesh, and blood ran down my neck.
Without expression, I placed the earrings into Zora’s hand.
"You are right. I was wrong. Since you are to be the Luna of the Graywolf Pack, these were always yours."
