"Luna Celeste has arrived!"
I looked up at the sound, watching Celeste strut in, surrounded by her entourage like a queen basking in her glory.
Her face radiated triumph, a smug glint in her eyes as she fixed them on me.
"Julia, you've been with Alpha Marcus for ten years. You know his tastes best. ou know his heart better than anyone. For our union ritual, does he favor silver or gold for the ritual garb??"
Her question caught me off guard.
Swallowing the bitterness rising in my throat, I kept my voice soft.
"Ever since Lord Kellan claimed you as his bondmate, I doubt he'd quibble over such details."
After all, Marcus had a way of loving so fiercely.
Once upon a time, when we were a couple, he had an intense fear of water and couldn't even stand being near the edge of a pool. But because I adored swimming, he pushed through his phobia, forcing himself to take swimming lessons. Even when panic left him breathless and his hands trembling, he kept going, just to be able to share the water with me.
When his advisors warned him about me-some mysterious she-wolf with no clear origins, possibly a spy-he just laughed it off, light as a breeze.
"I know you're looking out for me, but I've never given my heart to anyone. Only Julia. If she's the end of me, then let it be. "
Those memories surged, painting my heart with crimson waves of pain.
I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms.
Celeste's eyes flickered with jealousy as she studied my face, lit by the candlelight.
"Julia, haven't you heard my command? And why aren't you bowing?"
I jolted back to the present, but remained upright. Sliding a wolf's tooth pendant from beneath my tunic, I held it high. "Celeste," I said, my tone sharp as a blade honed on moonlit stone, "I don't bow to anyone."
The moment the token flashed, her attendants dropped to their knees in unison.
Celeste's lips tightened, her knees starting to bend-until a pair of strong hands yanked her back up.
Marcus swept her into his arms, his voice soft as velvet.
"You don't even kneel to me. Why let a piece of tooth pendant make you?"
I felt my hands clench tighter, nails digging deeper.
Celeste pouted, her voice dripping with fake vulnerability.
"I wasn't kneeling to the token. I was respecting your heart for Julia. I didn't want to put you in a tough spot..."
He pulled her closer, but when he turned to me, his gaze was ice-cold. Holding out his hand, he said flatly, "Give it to me."
The raw disgust and menace in his eyes made my heart lurch.
But I'm stubborn as hell. I met his stare head-on.
"Marcus, you taught me something once: what's given doesn't get taken back."
He froze, and for a split second, I saw a flicker of memory in his eyes.
Years ago, I was awful at carving, but he pestered me for a wooden amulet. When I finally made one-a lopsided thing with a wonky wolf symbol-I tried to hide it, mortified. He just slipped it over his neck, beaming.
"Julia, what's given doesn't get taken back."
The memory passed like a lightning flash.
His face hardened, and he stepped forward, yanking the token from my hand and smashing it to the ground.
"Julia, let me carve this lesson into your bones," he said, his voice low and dangerous.
"This isn't some cozy village where you can flounce around like you own the place. This is my territory, my kingdom of fangs and fury. Your whims, your little protests-they mean less than dust here."
He whipped his head toward the guards, eyes blazing with a cruelty that sent shivers down their spines. "Drag her to the Cinder Pit. Chain her to the iron stake and let the sun sear her skin until she's begging for Luna Celeste's mercy. And if she passes out before she grovels? Douse her with saltwater and let the fun start all over again."
I stared at him, my face draining of color.
I tried to fight, but the guards-burly wolves with iron grips-dragged me out.
They struck my knees.
Marcus didn't even glance back.
He just led Celeste inside, his voice gentle as he said,
""The wizard mutters that when the black moon swallows the sun at midnight three nights from now, the barrier between life and death will crack. I'm certain that's the hour for our blood pact. What do you think? And don't worry about asking anyone else-everything you've picked, I love."
His familiar profile, etched into my soul, twisted a wave of grief through me, bitter and bloody.
He was right. This wasn't my home.
This was Belvaria, where he could have a thousand mates if he wanted.
Staring at the closed doors of Silkshade Palace, I forced my tears back.
Ten years of love, severed in a single day.
If he could be heartless, I could let go.
I lifted my head, a tear-streaked smile breaking through.
"Marcus, this is how our story ends, huh?"
I knelt outside Silkshade Palace until dawn broke the next day. Marcus finally emerged, his handsome face cold as stone.
"Do you realize what you've broken?"
I looked up, meeting his indifferent eyes, my smile heavy with sorrow. "Marcus, my biggest mistake was thinking I could have a one-and-only bond for life."
His expression darkened.
"If you can't see your place, then from now on, you'll serve in Silkshade Palace. Maybe that'll teach you."
As he stormed off, I whispered,
"Thank you, Marcus, for your generosity."
Thank you for giving me the chance to leave.
