Chapter 1

"Seraphina, it's just a crown. Don't throw a tantrum at a time like this," said my destined mate, Cassian Wolfe.

I looked down at my feet, where the Moon Goddess' crown symbolizing one's status as Luna lay in pieces.

The mate ring that Cassian was supposed to put on my finger was currently on Daphne's ring finger.

After a long while, Cassian finally let go of a trembling Daphne, picked up his cloak, and walked toward me.

"Daphne didn't mean it. Put this cloak on while I get someone to clean up the mess. The bonding ceremony will proceed as usual."

I took half a step back and avoided his hands.

Cassian frowned and lowered his voice. "Envoys from various packs are here. Anything you have to say can wait until after the bonding ceremony is over."

I simply found those familiar words absurd.

During the bonding ceremony in my past life, Daphne similarly shattered my crown and snatched away my ring. Yet, Cassian had claimed that she suffered from severe separation anxiety and requested that I be tolerant of her.

For Cassian and my unborn pup's sake, I let the incident slide.

From that day onward, Daphne frequently barged into our bedroom and interrupted every one-on-one moment I had with Cassian.

As long as I approached him, she would kick up a fuss, throw objects around, and even hurt herself.

In the end, I was always the one asked to make concessions.

Things continued up until the day I was set to go into labor. I lay in the healer's hut, in desperate need of Cassian's blood to suppress the toxins from wolfsbane.

When Cassian heard Daphne crying outside the door for him not to abandon her, he still chose to push my hand away.

He claimed that he would be back soon.

However, up until the moment my pup stopped breathing and my body went cold, the door never opened again.

I felt a faint tremor coming from my abdomen.

It was my pup, still alive.

I instinctively lifted a hand to shield my still-flat abdomen.

"Cassian, let's call off the bonding ceremony," I said.

Surprise flashed through his eyes.

He handed his cloak to an attendant behind him, then asked, "Seraphina Lovell, what nonsense are you spouting?"

I met his gaze directly. "I won't accept your mating bite, nor will I become your Luna. Our relationship ends here."

The attendees around us immediately started murmuring to each other.

Cassian grabbed my wrist and said in a low voice, "The envoys and elders of various packs are all waiting for us. Do you know how embarrassing it'll be for the Gale Pack if you cancel the bonding ceremony now?"

In Cassian's eyes, every one of Daphne's mistakes was just an excusable accident.

On the other hand, when I refused the bonding ceremony out of grievance, it was treated as a deliberate attempt to embarrass the pack.

Before I could break out of Cassian's grasp, Daphne walked up to us while clutching at her chest.

She exclaimed, "I'm sorry. I just couldn't control myself when I saw that Cassian was about to form a mate bond. Seraphina, you can punish me however you like, but please don't call off the ceremony because of me and put Cassian on the spot."

Her eyes were downcast, and she was breathing rapidly.

Cassian immediately let go of me and turned to steady her.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not abandoning you. It's just a crown that can be reforged any time. You can also keep the ring for now and return it to her when you've calmed down," he said gently and soothingly.

As I listened to him making decisions for us so casually, the last trace of warmth I held for him vanished completely.

Seeing the situation, Cassian's mother, Anna Crowe, stood up as well.

She declared, "Daphne's lived away from the pack since childhood and has endured much suffering. It's not her fault that she has separation anxiety. As long as you're willing to complete the bonding ceremony, we'll prepare the crown, ring, and celebration again. You won't be deprived of any of the honors of becoming Luna."

Cassian turned to gaze coldly at me.

"You'll have to take care of the entire pack after becoming Luna. If you can't even tolerate my adopted younger sister, how do you expect to win the trust and respect of our pack?"

In my past life, they demanded my tolerance by bringing up the responsibilities of a Luna and bought my silence with their promises of so-called honor.

I had assumed that so long as I was tolerant enough, Cassian would eventually notice my grievances.

But in the end, all I received in return was poisoning at Daphne's hands, Cassian's abandonment, and a tragic end for both me and my pup.

I walked straight toward the priest standing beneath the Moon Goddess' statue without any further explanation.

"Please stop the bonding ceremony. I will no longer become Cassian's Luna."

Cassian waved for his attendants to see the guests out, then ordered someone to bring me my favorite berry-flavored water.

"I know that your emotions are unstable due to your pregnancy, so I'll just pretend that today's events never happened," he said.

Instead of taking the out he offered, I simply asked, "If Daphne has another episode during the replacement bonding ceremony, who will you choose?"

Cassian replied without hesitation, "She's ill. Why do you have to compare yourself to her? Don't give me choices like these."

I pushed aside the berry-flavored water and turned to walk off the altar.

"Since she can't bear to be apart from you even for a moment, you might as well become her sole protector. I will see my pup safely into this world, but I don't want a destined mate like you anymore."