Chapter 1

When the wolves of the Silvermoon Pack saw that there wasn't a trace of humor in my eyes, they went completely still.

After all, this wasn't the first time Cain had bolted before a mate-bonding ceremony.

Three years ago, the rumor that "the Abel family's daughter got dumped by her fated mate" had spread like wildfire across the entire territory. For six months, I was cornered and taunted by my own kind, yet still I refused to let go of the ceremony.

The old Alpha lunged forward two steps, his voice rough with desperation. "Elena, Cain's just lost for now. Give him a little more time..."

He dialed Cain again. The second the call went on speaker, Cain's impatient voice crackled through.

"Dad, don't feed me that line. Everyone in the pack knows Elena would walk through fire to mate me. There's no way she'd choose someone else. Besides, I'm not canceling the ceremony—just postponing it. Lina's wolf has been unstable lately. She needs me by her side."

Lina's soft, breathy voice followed right after. "Cain, think of this as a test for Elena. If she's willing to wait after everything, then her feelings are real. Only then is she worthy of becoming the future Alpha King's Luna."

Listening to them trade shameless lines, a cold laugh escaped my throat.

"You're that sure... that I'll still have you?"

The moment the words left my mouth, the line went dead silent.

A few seconds later, Cain's booming laughter exploded through the speaker.

"Elena, who in the entire Silvermoon Pack doesn't know you're always coming up with new ways to get my attention? Just days ago, you couldn't keep your paws off me. And now you're playing hard to get?

"Not mate me? Then who exactly are you planning to mate?"

His tone shifted, softening deliberately.

"Elena, don't throw a tantrum. You know Lina's constitution is fragile. She's an orphan from another pack—we should cut her some slack. We'll push the ceremony to the next full moon. Once she's stable, we'll talk."

Pushed eight times already. Wasn't that enough?

Back when news of Cain and me being mated first broke, Lina had come crying all the way back from the Shadow Pack overseas. Cain had sworn to me, stone-faced, that he saw her only as a fragile little sister.

But for that "sister," he'd ground my dignity to dust and made me the pack's favorite joke.

The old Alpha's beard quivered with rage as he roared into the phone. "There are only three hours until the ceremony! I've already sent wolves to fetch you. Get back to the pack now!"

"Every noble wolf in the territory is watching! Where does that leave the Abel family? Where does it leave me?"

"I..." Cain hesitated.

For half a heartbeat, my chest actually seized with foolish hope.

The next second, Lina let out a pained whimper.

"It hurts! My bones feel like they're splitting. Cain, don't go! If I don't have your strength to anchor me, I'll die. Please..."

"I can't come back!" Cain's voice went frantic at once. When he spoke to me again, only hollow dismissal remained. "Elena, I really can't get away right now. You've handled this kind of mess before. One more time won't kill you."

He said it so casually, as if being circled and mocked by the entire pack was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

It felt like an ice-cold claw raked across my chest—numb pain wrapped in frost, surging up from my gut.

I laughed softly into the phone, the sound drained and hollow. "Do whatever you want."

Whether he came back or not no longer mattered.

Cain was too busy soothing Lina to hear the finality in my voice. He tossed out carelessly, "Be good, don't be mad. I brought you something."

Half an hour later, a black raven dropped off a package.

Inside was a battered, worn leather bracer. It still reeked of Lina's perfume.

I couldn't help remembering the first gift Cain ever gave me: a blunt iron dagger, crudely forged. I'd treasured it, kept it on me always—

Until the day I saw an entire wall of weapons in Lina's armory. Every single one had been forged by Cain himself, using materials he'd gathered from the forbidden lands.

When I confronted him, he just called me unreasonable.

"Lina's weak. What's wrong with giving her more weapons to protect herself?"

For Lina's birthday, he'd set entire mountains ablaze just to light up the sky for her. Rare energy crystals piled at her feet like ordinary stones.

And for me, he couldn't even be bothered to wipe the grime off this secondhand bracer.

My phone buzzed. Lina sent a voice message.

"This bracer might be a little worn, but it still carries traces of Cain's battles. Elena... you don't mind, do you?"