When I returned to the packhouse, my mother, Elliot Evans, summoned me to the main hall.
I walked in, and she gestured for me to sit beside her, her expression calm but thoughtful.
"Today, Zahir Rivera sent a message," she began, her voice steady. "He’s willing to honor the mate bond arranged in your childhood and make you his Luna."
My heart stirred, but I knelt before her, bowing my head.
"Mother," I said softly, "I don’t wish to accept this bond."
She motioned for Amaris Bishop to help me up, her eyes hardening with a flicker of coldness.
"Even if you were willing, I wouldn’t allow it," she replied, her tone sharpening.
"Zahir is willing to take you as his mate, but he’s set conditions. He wants to mark Milan Simmons first, making her his chosen mate before he even considers you. He plans to have her move into the packhouse before the ceremony, letting her take precedence over you."
Her anger grew as she spoke, and she slammed her cup onto the table.
"Zahir Rivera has gone too far! He’s just an Alpha, and if it weren’t for your father’s support, he’d never have risen to this position at such a young age! When your grandfather and I were leading this pack, Zahir was still a pup playing in the dirt. And now he dares to humiliate the daughter of the Southern Pack’s former Luna, letting a lesser wolf take precedence over you! This is an insult he’s all too eager to deliver!"
"I had hoped to arrange a proper mate bond for you, one where you’d be respected as the Luna. But it seems Milan is determined to claw her way into the packhouse, even if it means stepping over you."
Neither Milan nor I were Elliot’s biological daughters. Our mothers had been Zahir’s chosen mates before they passed away, and Elliot had taken us in, raising us as her own.
Milan’s mother had been a renowned singer, her voice enchanting everyone who heard it. Milan inherited her charm, always sweet-talking and skilled in the arts. My mother, on the other hand, came from a merchant family, teaching me to manage finances and navigate the complexities of pack politics. I was never as charming as Milan.
I thought Elliot might choose Milan as her successor, but she chose me instead.
"The daughter of the Southern Pack’s Luna must be intelligent and composed," she had said. "Charm and flattery are useless in the long run."
Perhaps that was the day Milan began to resent me.
But even though Elliot hadn’t chosen her as her successor, she had always treated Milan with care and consideration.
I thought back to my previous life, when Elliot had tried to arrange a mate bond for Milan with Ryland Palmer, a Gamma warrior known for his bravery. But Milan had stubbornly refused, choosing to leave the pack instead.
A plan began to form in my mind.
"I heard Ryland Palmer will be arriving in the Southern Pack next month," I said carefully. "Would it be possible for me to meet him?"
This time, I didn’t want to remain confined to the Southern Pack. I wanted to see the world beyond its borders.
Elliot’s eyes widened, and then she laughed, a deep, genuine sound.
She walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"My judgment has never failed me. You’re even more insightful than I imagined."
"If two wolves truly love each other and choose to stay in the pack, that’s one thing. But clinging to a one-sided bond is nothing but foolishness."
"Christina, you’ve chosen a path that leads to a broader horizon."
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Yes, she had once been a free-spirited wolf, soaring through the skies. But for love, she had landed on a branch and stayed.
Elliot sent a message agreeing to Zahir’s conditions.
But she kept Ryland’s arrival a secret.
According to pack law, if a chosen mate was marked before the Luna, she could never take the Luna’s place unless the Luna passed away. And even then, it would take years before the chosen mate could be considered for the position.
The Lycan King himself had set this precedent, remaining loyal to his Luna for decades. Requests to elevate a chosen mate to Luna had always been denied.
Milan Simmons, it seemed, would forever remain in the shadows.
