Chapter 1

My soul drifted in the air, the wolf within me long since fallen silent.

I was pushed from a cliff by the sister I grew up with, dying instantly as the wolfsbane below delivered its poison.

Perhaps the Moon Goddess pitied me, leaving a sliver of my soul behind to witness the end of my old life.

The moments before my death were still so vivid, the memory alone sent a chill through me.

"Sister, you're being so careless." My adopted sister, Tessa, steadied me at the cliff's edge, her voice laced with concern.

"We grew up together. Why would I ever hurt you?"

Her hand gently stroked my back, an intimate, comforting gesture between sisters, right before she shoved me hard.

In an instant, the thorny stems of the wolfsbane below pierced my skin.

The wolfsbane burned through my body, each breath becoming a struggle as my lungs seized.

I tried to scream, but only strangled gasps escaped my throat.

My wolf whimpered once before falling completely silent, severed from me forever.

Every nerve felt like it was being torn apart, the agony so intense that I welcomed the approaching darkness.

I could felt my life slipping away.

Soon, everything fell silent.

My body lay at the base of Moonridge Cliffs, hidden behind a massive stone monument.

No one even noticed the gash a sharp rock had torn in my hand, the blood a stark stain against the grayish white cliff face.

The crimson stain spread across the rock like a grim, beautiful flower.

Every so often, I saw a group of shifted wolves race down from the mountaintop, their claws clattering against the stone.

"Alpha, there's no sign of the Luna here." They were reporting to Fenrir.

It was laughable. I was so obviously dead, yet no one had found me.

But even in death, I still cared about Fenrir's reaction.

One of the perks of being a spirit was hearing everyone's mind-link.

When Fenrir heard there was still no news of me, he launched into a tirade.

"Where has she run off to now, forcing me to deploy the entire guard to search the mountain!"

"Why couldn't she just stay put? Does she enjoy making me waste days searching for her!"

"Is she that unaware of her own weakness? Can't she go one day without causing a scene?"

Deep in the autumn mountains, the freezing night was filled with the howls of wolves.

At first, my spirit didn't dare stray far from my body.

I lingered by my corpse, enduring the loneliness of death while clinging to the fantasy that Fenrir would come for me.

He's my Alpha, I thought, he wouldn't really just leave me here.

But as night fell, darkness enveloped everything.

Pairs of glowing wolf eyes flickered in the gloom, and threatening growls from wild beasts echoed in the distance.

My soul trembled as I could only watch the beasts circle and sniff at my corpse.

My body began to reek of decay, though thankfully the cold mountain air slowed the process.

I was used to it. Fenrir had always seen me as delicate, a burden, useless.

Whenever a problem arose, no matter how I explained, his response was always the same:

"Are you faking it for sympathy again? What trick are you playing now?"

Whatever. I didn't want to argue anymore. Let him think what he wanted.

I floated back to the pack.

A young Omega in the search party couldn't help but mutter as he reported back:

"Alpha, the Luna should have returned by now... Have you felt anything wrong through your mate bond?"

Fenrir's brow suddenly furrowed. His heart stuttered, and he was about to say something when Tessa, at his side, cut in.

She covered her mouth with a shocked expression. "Are you a close friend of my sister's?"

The warrior she questioned shook his head, bewildered. "No, I don't know the Luna at all."

It was his first day on the search team. He didn't even know all his teammates, let alone me.

Tears instantly welled in Tessa's eyes, her voice choked with emotion.

"Oh, I see... I thought you were a friend of my sister's, showing your concern for her."

"I suppose I read too much into it. It's just... when you defended her so strongly, I worried people might get the wrong impression..."

"I don't want my sister's reputation to be damaged. After all, she is the Luna of our pack."

As she spoke, she looked at Fenrir, her eyes welling with innocent, aggrieved tears.

Just as she'd planned, Fenrir's expression instantly darkened like a sky before a storm.

His Alpha's power radiated through the area.

He turned to the warrior who had just spoken, his voice as cold as frost.

"You. You're demoted to omega duties, effective immediately."

"Let me make something clear. I am your Alpha. The mate bond is none of your business."

"If anyone else dares to forget their place, their fate will be far worse!"

At his words, everyone flinched and stepped back, terrified they would be next.

Only Tessa stepped forward, tears still glistening on her cheeks.

"I just don't know where sister could have run off to."

"Alpha, sister didn't mean it. She was spoiled growing up, a bit willful. Pushing me must have just been a fit of temper."

"She probably just ran off to play. Please don't be angry with her..."

Tessa played her part perfectly.

She had effortlessly convinced Fenrir that I was the one who pushed her, and that my disappearance was just me running off in a huff.

Hearing this, Fenrir's rage flared.

"Selene should be grateful your arm isn't seriously injured. Otherwise, I'll have her confined the moment she returns."

"The way she is now, she is in no way fit to be a Luna."

A hollow, soundless laugh escaped me. Just as he wished, I could never be his Luna again.