Come Back, My Luna

At the anniversary of the mating ritual on the twenty-fourth of January, Cassandra Raeburn sat expressionlessly on the sofa, her gaze fixed on the day highlighted in a bold red circle on the calendar.

Slowly, she closed her eyes.

If they were just an ordinary couple, they would have been celebrating their anniversary at this moment. Instead, she was nestled in the chilly bedroom sofa, occasionally glancing at the full moon outside.

Six years ago, under a similar full moon, she and Thaddeus Fallon had engaged in a mating ritual that didn't receive the blessings of others.

Cassandra knew that the werewolves from Dark Moon Pack were all eagerly anticipating Meredith Gardner to become their new Luna. Everyone could clearly see Alpha's love for Meredith.

A large crowd of pack members stood by, coldly observing this mating ritual. It was the most desolate and bleak ceremony they had ever witnessed, and it was clear that the Alpha was participating reluctantly and without any real desire.

"The position of Luna should have originally been Meredith's," said the woman speaking from below the stage. She was Alpha's mother, Sienna Wagner. Her eyes were filled with resentment as she continued, "That despicable b*tch, Cassandra, threatened Alpha into choosing her as Luna!"

"To be honest, Cassandra is the most shameless female werewolf I've ever encountered in my life!" someone echoed Sienna, "Sandstrider Pack truly specializes in producing despicable individuals!"

"Exactly, they forcefully separated Alpha and Meredith. Such a despicable person will inevitably face retribution one day!"

Cassandra wasn't deaf. In fact, her hearing was exceptional, so she clearly heard every single insult from the audience below the stage.

The rage of her inner wolf, Haley, was as uncontainable as a stormy sea. "What do they know? What do they mean you threatened the Alpha? Cassandra, could you stand up for yourself? Loudly tell everyone what the truth is! I've had it with this b*stard of an Alpha! There has not been a single word of explanation from him, not even giving you a chance to clear things up! That b*stard!"

Haley was in a state of rage, yet Cassandra kept her suppressed.

The truth no longer mattered. What was crucial was the completion of the mating ritual. Ignoring Haley, Cassandra trembled as she took one step at a time, moving toward Thaddeus all by herself.

Thaddeus frowned as he watched Cassandra approach him, his eyes filled with impatience. This mating ritual was causing him immense irritation. He could also hear the soft jeers directed at Cassandra from a section of the werewolves in the audience.

Thaddeus' lips twitched slightly, but in the end, he chose to remain silent. This was the path Cassandra herself had chosen, so it was only natural for people to criticize her.

Cassandra noticed the impatience and resentment in Thaddeus' eyes. Unable to hold back, the inner wolf within her spoke up again. "Are you sure you want to become Thaddeus' Luna? I can't even begin to imagine how miserable your life will be in Dark Moon Pack! Why? Why are you insistent on walking into this trap?"

Cassandra took a deep breath, forcing a smile onto her face. She comforted Haley, but it felt like she was also reassuring herself, "Haley, I chose this path myself. No matter how tough or painful it gets, I won't regret it."

"Alpha Thaddeus, are you willing to accept Cassandra as your mate, to regard her as your one and only Luna in this life, and to devote your life to Dark Moon Pack, until death do you part?" said the elder of Dark Moon Pack as he hosted the mating ritual. Under the bright full moon, the surroundings were eerily quiet.

Thaddeus remained silent for a while, leading the pack members to believe that Alpha was going to refuse. Just as they were ready to breathe a sigh of relief, Alpha's deep voice broke the surrounding tranquility.

"I, Thaddeus, am willing to accept Cassandra as my mate. In this life, I regard her as the sole Luna of Dark Moon Pack. I will stand by her side, pledging my lifelong loyalty to Dark Moon Pack, until death do us part," he declared.

As Cassandra listened to these vows, she couldn't help but let her tears fall. She was fully aware that she was consciously falling deeper.

She was fully aware that Thaddeus didn't love her. She knew just how insincere he was when he made those vows.

Yet, she, undeterred by the consequences, rushed to Thaddeus' side like a moth to the flame.

"Ms. Cassandra, would you accept Alpha as your mate, considering him as your one and only Alpha for life, pledging your loyalty together to Dark Moon Pack, until death do you part?"

"I accept Thaddeus as my mate, and will consider him as my one and only Alpha in this lifetime. Together, we pledge our loyalty to Dark Moon Pack, until death ultimately does us part."

When Cassandra voiced this vow, she felt a trace of happiness. Her inner wolf was howling in misery, but she chose to ignore it at that moment.

"Cassandra, you will never be worthy of being my mate!"

Thaddeus said as he leaned toward Cassandra's neck, his warm breath cascading onto her skin, sending shivers down her spine.

"In this lifetime, only Meredith is worthy of being my mate and Luna," Thaddeus declared. After he uttered these words, Cassandra felt a sharp pain emanating from her neck. Thaddeus' teeth had sunk into her flesh, and soon after, she felt a numbness spreading from the bite.

A surge of potent energy coursed through Cassandra's body as the mating ritual between them was officially completed. Once the mark was completed, the moon acknowledged Cassandra as the Luna of Dark Moon Pack.

"Cassandra, you're unworthy!" Alpha's icy gaze was like a sharp blade, mercilessly piercing Cassandra's heart. On the night of the mating ritual, Cassandra's heart had been tormented by the blade for six long years.

Suddenly, Cassandra's eyes snapped open, her forehead damp with cold sweat that wet the stray strands of hair there. At that moment, the spot on her neck that had been marked throbbed with intense pain.

No one had ever told her about the side effects of an Alpha's reluctant mark. The marked area would occasionally throb with pain, sometimes so intense that it made her wish for death.