2

Chris's brow furrowed, and he had just opened his mouth to say something.

Lucy suddenly let out a cry.

Eyes red, she looked at Chris, the picture of wounded innocence.

"Sheila was so harsh just now, she scared me. The last moonstone rolled into a crack between the flagstones."

"Chris, what do I do? The bracelet can't be one stone short. If the moonstones aren't complete, neither is the Moon Goddess's blessing."

Crying, she wedged her fingers into the crack, groping around.

Without a word, Chris crouched down with her, searching bit by bit for that last moonstone.

Moonlight spilled across his back.

Three years ago, on a moonlit night just like this one, Chris wasn't yet the Alpha of the Grayfang pack.

Blushing, he had handed me a moonstone necklace.

He said, "Sheila, I'll make you this pack's Luna. I'll give you the grandest mating ceremony there is."

I believed him.

Then I spent three years collecting seven broken promises.

Vivian finally snapped.

"Enough!"

She charged over and seized Chris's arm.

"Chris! You and Sheila have already missed seven ceremonies!"

"And you're wasting these precious minutes helping Lucy find her stupid beads?!"

Lucy bit her lip, her eyes reddening again.

"Stupid beads? Vivian, how could you say that about me?"

"Chris went to so much trouble to ask the Moon Goddess to bless this bracelet for me. I just want to string it back together and return that blessing at the mating ceremony. Is that so wrong?"

The friends nearby knew what mattered more and gently urged her.

"Lucy, why not leave it for now and look for the bead after the ceremony?"

"Right. It's already the eighth time. Miss this one, and there really won't be another chance."

Lucy shook her head at once.

"How is that the same? The moonstone bracelet falling apart right before the ceremony is a terrible omen. If it isn't restrung, what if the Moon Goddess withholds her blessing from them someday?"

I answered coldly.

"No need to wait for someday. I'm about to lose the Moon Goddess's blessing right now."

Lucy stared at me with wide eyes, tears dripping down one after another.

"Sheila, I really am doing this for your own good. Is it wrong to wish you both a happy future?"

At the sight of Lucy's tears, Chris's face darkened completely.

"Sheila, you've gone too far. Don't you know what kind of person Lucy is?"

"Wait a little longer. Just a little."

Wait?

A scornful laugh escaped me.

"Chris, do you remember how many times I've waited for you?"

"Last time, you asked me to wait ten minutes. You said Lucy's cat had gone missing and you had to help her find it."

"I waited all night. Then you finally called to say the ceremony was postponed."

Chris's face soured.

"That cat was left to Lucy by her parents. It matters to her."

I didn't bother arguing.

"And the time before that? Lucy called saying she was out drinking alone, and you were so worried you dumped me at the ceremony venue and told me to wait for you to come back."

"The time before that was my birthday. You swore you would complete the ceremony with me. Then Lucy's stomach hurt, and you rushed her to the hospital."

"And the time before that..."

Chris stood there looking mortified, with nothing to say.

Every time, he had a different reason for making me wait.

But the ending was always the same.

I was the only one left standing there.

Lucy's voice suddenly shot up. She covered her ears and shrieked.

"Sheila, why are you airing all this in front of everyone? What are you trying to say? Are you blaming me?"

She cried until she could barely breathe.

"I didn't want any of this to happen either! How can you be so petty, holding on to these little things for so long?"

Chris anxiously comforted her.

I stood three steps away, watching the moonlight stretch their shadows long.

Only eight minutes remained before my blessing time closed.

"You two can keep looking," I heard myself say." But today, I will receive the Moon Goddess's blessing and go through with the ceremony."