Chapter 2

However, in the depths of my dreams, memories surged like a tide.

…

"Now that you're back, you need to follow the family rules properly."

In the stone tower, my grandfather's voice held no warmth. I had just been brought back to the family, yet I'd been locked in this cold tower for three months already.

When I was very young, I got lost during an attack on our pack. Grandfather's family then took in Lydia from the pack.

Three months ago, they found me at the territory border and brought me back. I thought I would finally return to a warm home.

"Grandfather, why won't you let me come downstairs?" I asked tentatively.

"The power inside you is too dangerous." His eyes flickered. "We'll let you out once you learn to control it."

I knew this was an excuse. The real reason was that they feared me, this "anomaly" with priestess bloodline.

For three months, aside from the servants who brought meals, no one came to see me. But things finally changed on that stormy night.

On the night of my 18th birthday, candlelight flickered in the council's stone tower.

"Elena!" Grandfather pushed the door open, several elders following behind him. Their faces were grave, as if they were about to make a major announcement.

"Sit down." He pointed to the stone chair.

I obediently sat down, waiting for them to speak.

"The Moon Goddess' oracle has been delivered." Elder Mary Morse spoke first. "You will become Alpha Damon's mate."

I froze. "But wasn't the oracle for Lydia? The entire pack knows she's the Alpha's fated mate."

The elders exchanged glances.

"The situation has changed," Grandfather said coldly. "Damon was poisoned with a strange toxin during the border war. His wolf form is weakened, and his strength is greatly diminished.

"Lydia's..." He paused.

"Lydia was brought into our pack from another one. Her bloodline is too weak to withstand the Alpha's affliction. You're different. You have the priestess' bloodline. You can purify the toxin."

My heart sank. "So you chose me?"

"You have the priestess' bloodline. You can purify the toxin," Elder Mary said. "This is the Moon Goddess's arrangement."

They said it was the Moon Goddess's arrangement. So back then, I naively believed the Moon Goddess had chosen me.

"Where's Lydia?" I asked.

"She..." Grandfather hesitated. "She went to another territory to study, so..."

So she left. And I, this "anomaly" who'd been locked in the tower for three months, became the perfect replacement.

"What if I refuse?"

Grandfather's eyes instantly darkened. "You can't refuse. Think about your parents and about everything this family has given you. As a member of this family, you need to bear the family's responsibilities."

They spoke so righteously, but it was nothing more than a thinly veiled threat.

"I need to think about it." I stood up.

"There's nothing to think about," Grandfather said coldly. "The marking ceremony is tomorrow. You'd better be prepared."

After they left, I stood alone by the window. Moonlight spilled through the lattice onto the floor, like the shadow of a cage.

I had once admired Damon, that brave Alpha and the pack's protector. When I was lost at the border, I knew he had been poisoned while driving out foreign wolves to protect the border packs. So back then, even knowing I was a substitute marrying a man who didn't love me, I ultimately agreed.

The next day, the marking ceremony was held at the Moon Goddess Hall. I wore a white ceremonial dress and slowly walked toward the altar. Damon stood there, his face pale, without a trace of joy in his eyes.

Throughout the entire ceremony, his face remained cold, and he looked at me with eyes full of resentment. I knew what he resented. He resented that I wasn't Lydia, and this forced union.

"Do you accept Damon Aldrige as your Alpha mate?" the priest asked.

I looked at Damon. His gaze cut through me like ice.

"I do." My voice was barely audible.

"Do you accept Elena as your Luna mate?"

Damon fell silent for a long time, long enough that everyone present began to grow uneasy. Finally, he uttered two words, "I do."

However, his tone sounded as if he were reading out a death sentence. After the ceremony ended, his parents came over.

"Welcome to our family, Elena," Damon's mother said warmly. "You look tired. You need to rest well."

Pauline Blackhart's warmth made my eyes well up instantly. She was the first person in three months to show me kindness.

"Thank you." I choked out.

But Damon didn't even glance at me. He simply left the hall.

In that moment, I realized I had married a man who was deeply in love with someone else. This marriage was perhaps a mistake from the very beginning.