Chapter 1

My alpha mate Damien had no idea that I'd been secretly in love with him for seven years.

The day his first love Sofia ran away from their mating ceremony, I put on the wedding dress and took Luna's place without hesitation.

Despite everyone's dissuasion, I insisted on mating to the devastated man.

After mating, he was incredibly caring and thoughtful, remembering every anniversary. I thought he'd finally fallen in love with me.

Until the day his first love returned, all my illusions were shattered.

"Sylvia, you're really going to break your bond with Alpha Blackwood and leave the Stormfang Pack?"Lidia sat across from me, her fingers clenched tightly around her cup, her knuckles white.

I set the spoon down and met my friend's disbelieving gaze. My voice was calm. "Our mate termination agreement. dissolution agreement is already signed."

"Signed?!" Lidia nearly knocked over her coffee "Domine is the Alpha! The Blackwood heir! For three years, you've handled pack affairs for him, calmed him during his ruts, and even took a silver dagger for him! You've sacrificed so much! Did he really have no feelings for you at all?"

I managed a small smile, my gaze flickering.

Honestly, I wasn't sure if he'd really agreed.

Half a month ago, when I handed him the mate termination agreement, he'd been on the phone. He'd muttered something into the receiver and signed his name at the bottom of the document without listening to a word I said, then left the council chamber in a hurry.

He hadn't mentioned it since.

Now, I just had to wait another half month. Once the Wolf Court finalized the approval, my bond with him would be completely dissolved, and I'd be free.

Before I could answer, a deep voice laced with an undeniable authority came from behind us.

"Done talking?"

We turned simultaneously to see my Alpha mate, Damine Blackwood, approaching.

He wore a black tactical coat that made his frame even more imposing. Even with his Alpha presence contained, it was intimidating.

He walked with a confident stride, his boots making almost no sound on the wooden floor—a trait of a top predator.

Lidia was still caught up in her anger from earlier. She stood up abruptly. "Damine, Sylvia said you dissolved your bond—"

"How did you know I was here?" I quickly stood up, placing a calming hand on Lidia's arm to stop her from continuing.

"Blood moon energy's about to surge," he said, his gaze sweeping over my face. His tone was flat. "Thought I'd give you a ride home."

The blood moon was a significant event for wolves, when our power surged but we were also more prone to losing control. Regular wolves needed special suppressants, while an Alpha's mate was more sensitive due to the bond connection and would experience greater pain.

I smiled at him, picked up my leather backpack, said goodbye to Lidia, and followed him out of the café.

Before leaving, Lidia hugged me. "Don't be afraid," she whispered, only for me to hear. "Whatever you decide, I'll always support you. Even if he's the Alpha, I won't let him bully you."

On the drive back to Blackwood Manor, cold rain began to streak against the windows. The car was silent except for the low rumble of the engine.

After a long moment, it was as if he finally remembered something. "Sylvia," he asked, "what was that document you had me sign half a month ago?"

After all this time, he was finally asking?

Well, his mind had been completely occupied with Sofia's return lately. How could he remember something so insignificant?

A slight smile touched my lips. I was about to answer when the encrypted communicator on the console suddenly buzzed. A female voice, slurred with a hint of playful coquetry, came through the speaker, shattering the car's silence.

"Damine... my head hurts. I feel... like my wolf is about to break free. Can you come get me? Like you used to."

The contact read "Sofia."

Sofia. I'd heard Damine whisper her name in his sleep countless times.

Listening to that familiar, dependent tone, Damine's long fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white. His expression darkened instantly.

"Sofia," his voice held a warning, suppressing his anger. "I've reminded you many times. I have a bonded mate."

There was a pause on the other end, then a more brazen response came through. "So what if you do bonded? Damine, don't forget that three years ago at the blood moon ceremony, the one who should have been by your side was me."

This careless attitude completely enraged Damine. In our three years together, I'd always seen him as the calm and composed Alpha. This was the first time I'd witnessed him lose control.

He slammed his foot on the brake. The high-performance SUV's tires screeched against the wet pavement.

"Then why didn't you show up?!" he roared into the communicator, his voice filled with a pain and anger I'd never heard before.

The line went silent.

After a moment, Sofia's voice came out, choked with tears. "I'm sorry... I'm bothering you. I won't... contact you again."

The call ended, but Damine's expression didn't improve. If anything, it darkened further.

His fingers tapped restlessly on the steering wheel as if he were having an intense inner battle. Finally, he seemed to completely surrender, picking up the communicator and typing a few words quickly.

"Send me your location."

When the other party sent the coordinates, he turned to me with an apologetic expression.

I knew what he was about to say. Before he could speak, I said, "Go handle your business. I can get home by myself."

He looked at me, his eyes flashing with complex emotions, but ultimately nodded. "I'll come back after I'm done."

I nodded and said nothing.

I pushed open the car door, opened my umbrella, and stepped into the cold, drizzling rain.

Standing by the roadside, I watched the black SUV speed away like an arrow disappearing into the rain and deepening night, a profound calm washing over me.

This was the seventh year I'd been in love with Damine Blackwood.

I still clearly remember the first time I saw him at the Stormfang Pack's annual hunting trial when I was eighteen.

He wasn't the official Alpha yet, but he was already the designated heir.

He displayed a perfect wolf form—agile, powerful, precise—single-handedly holding off a giant black bear that had entered our territory and gone berserk, creating an opportunity for the pack to surround it.

Every pounce, every dodge of his wolf was filled with strength and beauty, like a silver-black lightning bolt, becoming the center of attention.

The young wolves watching, especially the unmated females, whispered excitedly, introducing him to newer members.

"That's Damine Blackwood, future Alpha of Stormfang Pack, one of the most powerful northern werewolf bloodlines."

"Too bad his heart only belongs to Sofia Keating, who grew up with him. They're fated mates."

They whispered among themselves, sharing stories about him and Sofia.

He would rent out an entire resort at the foot of the northern snow mountain just for Sofia's birthday, so she could see the most beautiful auroras.

When Sofia got jealous because other female wolves showed interest in him, he would set aside his pride as Alpha and publicly promise to her in front of all pack members, soothing her.

On a stormy night, he would stay in wolf form outside her house, even with frostbitten paw pads, all because Sofia had said that she was afriad of dark...

During my years in Stormfang Pack, I heard countless love stories about Damine and Sofia.

I always thought I would just be an insignificant background character in their legendary story, a silent witness to their eventual union.

That is, until three years ago, when Damine officially became Alpha and was eager to be mate with Sofia, completing the final bond to solidify his position and power.

At that grand ceremony under the blood moon, I hadn't originally been qualified to attend, but I went anyway, hiding in the crowd.

The ceremony was about to begin, the altar was ready, and the elders had taken their positions, but Sofia was nowhere to be found.

Damine called to her repeatedly through their mental link, but only received cold silence.

Finally, he just got a short message: "Damine, I'm afraid of this eternal bond. I'm leaving, going somewhere without pack rules."

In that moment, all the light in Damine's eyes went out. His patience, his years of indulgence, were completely shattered in front of everyone's eyes.

Unlike usual, he didn't go looking for her or trying to win her back. Amidst the pack's whispers and the elders' astonished stares, he ripped off the wolf-tooth necklace symbolizing the wedding, strode onto the altar, snatched the ritual horn from the lead elder, and his voice, like cracking ice, echoed throughout the territory:

"Today, I, Damine Blackwood, Alpha of Stormfang Pack, hereby announce that I will change my bonded mate! Any single lady present willing to bond with me, step forward!"

In that moment, my heart nearly leaped out of my chest.

I knew how many powerful, beautiful female wolves in the pack longed for this opportunity.

So, the moment his words fell, before anyone could react or hesitate, I almost acted on instinct. I shot up from the crowd and took a step forward.

On that day, I put on the Luna dress that didn't originally belong to me, too large on my frame. A mark, formed from his blood and power, was seared onto my neck, making me the bonded mate of this man who didn't even know my name.

For the three years since, we've been like most werewolf couples who bound themselves together despite not being fated mates—respectful but distant.

I did everything a Luna should do, managing internal affairs, coordinating pack relationships, and calming him during his ruts with my limited strength.

And he, in turn, gave me the respect and protection I deserved.

Until a month ago, when Sofia returned.

Watching Damine, who was both hurt by her past but couldn't control his attraction to her, I understood that this seven-year-long dream of mine needed to end.

I should return the Luna position to the person who originally belonged there.

To fulfill the deep-seated obsession in his heart that had never truly extinguished.

And to free myself completely.

The cold rain beat a dull rhythm against my umbrella. I took out my communicator and sent Damine a short message:

"The document you asked about? It's in the glove compartment of the passenger seat. If you really want to know what it is, open it. Then you'll understand."

After sending the message, I felt a sense of relief I'd never experienced before.

The Blackwood Manor was just a vague shape in the rain. It had been my home, but soon it wouldn't be anymore.

I took a deep breath of the air mixed with rain and soil.

My future shouldn't be trapped in this beautiful prison anymore.