MasukI push through my Gamma warrior training ahead of schedule just to get back to the pack sooner. All I want is to stand beside my Alpha, Kyle Faucher, and finally complete our mate-bonding ceremony. But when I step into our house, scarred and feeling hopeful, I see 100 old boarding passes to the Darkmoon pack littering the floor. That pack is only a mile from my training grounds. Kyle's been that close for two years, and still, he never came. I sprint to the place where we were supposed to have our mate-bonding ceremony, clinging to the desperate hope that there's an explanation. But the moment I burst through the doors, I stopped cold. Kyle is down on one knee, dressed in a tailored suit, his eyes locked on someone with a softness I've never seen in him before. Standing across from him, smiling through her tears, is my stepsister, Vivian Blackwell. "Vivian, I haven't completed the mate-bonding ceremony with Serene. Say the word, and I'll reject her and mark you right now." At that moment, the world goes still, and I even forgot how to breathe. So this is what he's been doing while I was gone, chasing the woman he never let go of. Meanwhile, I spent those two years giving everything I had, trying to become someone worthy of standing by his side. I don't ask why or shed a tear. I just turn around and walk away. If she's what he wants, then so be it. The mate-bonding ceremony I dreamed of will be theirs instead. But the second I'm gone, he loses it and sends every warrior looking for me.
Lihat lebih banyak“Mommy please tell me a story before bed.”
I have my best puppy dog eyes as I cling to my mother’s leg, begging for a story before bed. Mommy smiles at me and I know I’ve won.
“Alright Haley, which one?”
“The one about the Blood Red Wolf.”
“That one again? Oh, alright.”
Mommy tucks me under the covers and then cuddles up in bed with me as she begins to tell the story. I have heard this story several times but it’s one of my favorites.
“The blood red wolf is known to bring destruction and misfortune to it’s pack along with being the very reason their mate dies. You see, the blood red wolf is cursed. The last known cursed wolf was a Luna of a wolf pack in Europe. The Alpha was strong and powerful, but not strong enough to have a blood red wolf as a Luna. He died a tragic death and the pack went into chaos without their Alpha. Some went rogue while others fled to join other packs.”
“How did the Alpha die mommy?”
“No one is really sure. But one thing is certain, the blood red wolf was the cause of his demise. There is a legend that one day a blood red wolf will break the curse, saving her mate from that awful fate.”
“Who mommy?”
“No one knows. Hopefully it is soon. The curse is passed down to the first born daughter so this will not only save the blood red wolf’s mate but it’ll save her future children from suffering the same fate.”
“Mommy, do you think I’ll be the blood red wolf to break the curse?”
“What makes you say that?”
“I heard you and daddy.”
Mommy has a sad look on her face. I am not suppose to know that I am a blood red wolf, but I caught mommy and daddy talking about it one night. When I turn eighteen I will shift, revealing my blood red wolf to the world. Mommy sighs and wipes a tear away.
“Yes, dear. You are a blood red wolf. You must keep this a secret no matter what. You can’t tell anyone and keep your birthmark behind your left ear hidden. It’s how we tell who is a blood red wolf.”
“I won’t tell mommy. Does that mean my real mommy was a blood red wolf?”
“Yes, Haley. My sister was a blood red wolf and when she died I took you in as my own.”
“What happened to her?”
“We will save that conversation for when you are older Haley.”
Mommy’s same answer every time I ask her about my real mommy. I wish she would just tell me the truth, but I can tell it’s bad by the pained look in her eye every time I ask.
“You must not even tell your mate should you find him. You must fight the mate bond at all cost if you wish to save him. Do you think you can do that Haley?”
“Yes, mommy.”
Little did I know at the tender age of seven, just how strong the mate bond actually is and the difficulty of fighting against it is near impossible.
Kyle's raspy voice carried a quiet dependence, like he'd finally found the cure he'd been waiting for.Coolly, I said, "I've already told Vivian. She'll be here tonight to look after you.""Serene, why would you call her?" Kyle pushed himself upright, visibly agitated. "I just want you! You don't have to do anything. Just being near you helps me fight off the silver!"In that moment, Kyle's selfishness was impossible to ignore. Just looking at him turned my stomach, and I didn't bother hiding it."Serene, you still can't forgive me, can you?" he asked, a faint flicker of hope in his eyes."No."The light in his eyes vanished instantly."I'm deleting all of Vivian's contacts right now, in front of you! I swear, I'll go back to loving and protecting you like I used to…" Kyle trailed off.I'd already paid him back for that "love and protection" with ten years of my youth.I wasn't about to waste another decade hoping he'd come around, especially now that I no longer saw him as th
Kyle's agonizing roar, thick with bitterness and a refusal to back down, made me wonder if jealousy had devoured him.The truth was, he never believed he was in the wrong. He betrayed me by cheating with Vivian, yet I wasn't allowed to walk away.So what was it? Had my absence ruined the spectacle of his and Vivian's mate-bonding ceremony? Or was it simply that he couldn't stand being outmaneuvered for the first time by a mate he'd never truly valued?Kyle played me for a fool for two years while I was at the academy, and it seemed he'd conveniently forgotten all about it.His repeated appearances in the Darkmoon pack were the gravest betrayal a fated mate could possibly commit.I had no interest left in debating right and wrong with him. The moment I rejected that mate-bonding ceremony, there was no turning back for us.I sighed. "Kyle, we need to move on. Just leave."But his grip on my arm tightened like a vice."Serene, everyone makes mistakes. Won't you just give me one
I shook my head. "Vivian's going to be heartbroken if you keep coming after me. Besides, our mate bond is already broken. An Alpha shouldn't stoop to this."Kyle didn't get angry at my coldness. The sharpness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a quiet, pleading look as he spoke to me with patience."Serene, just hear me out. I wasn't thinking straight. That's the only reason I went along with Vivian's ridiculous charade. When I first came to the academy, I really did want to surprise you."But on the way here, I was ambushed by a pack of wolves. I was badly hurt, and Vivian saved my life. She used the precious herbs she'd been carrying to nurse me back to health, caring for me day and night for two straight weeks."I didn't want to worry you, and I was terrified you'd be furious if you found out I'd gotten close to her, so I kept quiet. Then, on a full moon night, my wounds flared up again."I was burning up with fever, and in my delirium, I actually mistook her for you… I was so a
What was Kyle hoping to explain to me?Was he expecting me to justify why I bailed at the last second on all the pack elders and loved ones gathered for our mate-bonding ceremony?Or was he expecting me to explain why I, his supposedly fated mate, remained silent while Vivian flaunted the moonstone necklace meant for me and humiliated me in front of everyone?While his pack crumbled due to internal strife, it was I who provided Mom's healing secrets and rare herbs to help him stabilize his leadership.Later, when his pack required power, I abandoned my comforts and submitted to intense training at Werewolf Academy, purely to become his most formidable ally.Kyle claimed he was too swamped with pack business to visit me, so I was the one who traveled thousands of miles, time and again, just to see him.While I was pushing through grueling training, he was barely a mile away, whispering sweet nothings to the woman I despised the most.He took Vivian to every place he'd once promis
I threw out everything I'd brought into the home Kyle and I shared. This was never really my place, and now, there wasn't a single trace of me left.Only my handmade travel journal was left, with old boarding passes pasted in, each one from a trip I'd taken just to be with him. Beneath each one, I'
I clung to the doorframe, trying to hold back the trembling rage and sorrow building inside me.Kyle's face was a mask of impatience."Serene, can't you be reasonable for once? What happened to the compassion you're meant to have as the future Luna?" he chided.Was this man defending the woman wh
I said nothing.Kyle's tone sharpened on the other end of the line. "Serene? What's wrong? Are you upset? Just tell me where you are. I'll come right now!"He still read me like a book. As an Alpha, he could read my emotions without trying, and he always knew exactly how to make me feel safe."I'
I push through my Gamma warrior training ahead of schedule just to get back to the pack sooner. All I want is to stand beside my Alpha, Kyle Faucher, and finally complete our mate-bonding ceremony.But when I step into our house, scarred and feeling hopeful, I see 100 old boarding passes to the Dark


















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