Chapter One

Elma

The drums were vibrating right through the soles of my shoes.

The Moon Festival was always beautiful, but tonight felt different. It was supposed to be a celebration. Tonight, the entire pack gathered to watch Liam take his rightful place as Alpha. For the first time in years, the harvest was plentiful, the borders were secure, and every unbonded wolf in the territory was buzzing with the desperate hope of finding their fated mate.

I should have been ecstatic. I had spent weeks helping design the festival banners, imagining how proud I’d feel seeing Liam step up onto that stage. But my stomach was in knots.

A sudden, sharp elbow dug into my ribs, making me jump.

"Why are you moody?" Nadia asked, sliding into the space beside me. She adjusted her silver hairpiece, her bright eyes scanning my face with deep concern.

"Elma, seriously. Look around. Everyone is drinking, dancing, and trying to scent their future husbands, and you look like you're attending a funeral."

I pulled my shawl tighter around my shoulders, looking down at my feet.

"Oh, please, Nadia. I’m just not in the mood."

"It’s Liam, right?" Nadia sighed, leaning closer.

"I know he’s been acting so differently lately. He hasn't spoken to you in weeks, has he?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat, trying to force a neutral expression.

"Oh, it’s nothing, Nadia. It’s just the pack's pressure. After all, he’s taking over and becoming the heir tonight. It’s just the massive responsibilities that come with it."

"He shouldn't be freezing you out, though," Nadia muttered, crossing her arms. "You two used to be inseparable."

I let out a tired sigh. I wanted to believe my own excuses, but the truth burned. Liam had become a stranger. My childhood friend, the boy who used to share his jacket with me had turned into a ruthless, unreadable man who looked right through me during training.

A shoulder slammed violently into my side. The force of it sent me stumbling backward, my knee catching the edge of a bench.

"Watch where you’re standing, pig."

Mirabella smirked, stopping right in front of me with two of her loyal followers flanking her. Her dress is low, practically dripping with expensive jewels. She looked down at me, her eyes filled with absolute disgust.

"Honestly, Elma, what were you thinking showing up to the mating festivals?"

“Hoping to find a mate?”

Mirabella laughed, drawing the attention of several nearby wolves.

"Look at you. You’re spilling out of that cheap dress. No high-ranking wolf is ever going to choose a plus-sized pathetic thing like you. You're a joke."

Nadia stepped forward, her face flushing with anger. "Shut your mouth, Mirabella! You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, please," Mirabella sneered, ignoring Nadia completely as she kept her vicious gaze locked on me.

"I’m just telling the truth. The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes, and she definitely wouldn't burden an elite warrior with... whatever this is. Go back to the kitchens where you belong."

My cheeks burned with a deep, humiliating heat. I was used to her remarks but tonight, with everyone watching, it hurt.

Mirabella tossed her glossy hair over her shoulder, letting out a dramatic giggle as she turned her back on us. "Come on, girls. Let's go greet the new Alpha. Real men like Liam need real women."

I watched them walk across the clearing toward the VIP deck where Liam was standing. Mirabella immediately threw herself into his line of sight, laughing loudly and flaunting herself. Liam didn't smile, but he didn't push her away either. His dark eyes remained fixed on the crowd, utterly detached.

"Don't listen to her, Elma," Nadia whispered, placing a gentle hand on my arm.

"She's a venomous snake."

"I need to get some water," I choked out, pulling away from her touch.

"I just... I need a second, Nadia. Please."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No."

"Just stay here. I'll be right back."

I turned and walked as fast as my legs could carry me, desperate to escape the heat of the fire and the mocking whispers of the pack. The cool night air hit my face, but it didn't do anything to stop the tears threatening to spill from my eyes.

I wiped my face with the back of my hand, cursing my own vulnerability. Why did I care so much? Why did I let her get to me?

"Elma."

The deep, gravelly voice sent a violent shiver straight down my spine.

I stopped dead in my tracks. Standing right in the middle of the stone path, completely cutting off my route, was Liam. He had his hands buried in the pockets of his dark trousers, He took a step toward me, his dark eyes scanning my face with a terrifying intensity.

"Are you okay?"

I let out a bitter, breathless laugh, the humiliation from minutes ago morphing into a sudden, reckless anger.

"Are you seriously asking me that right now, Liam?"

"I'm asking you a direct question, Elma. Don't play games with me."

"I'm playing games?" I took a step toward him, completely forgetting the hierarchy, forgetting that he was about to be crowned the most powerful wolf in the territory. "You haven't looked at me in months. You treat me like I'm invisible. I get humiliated in front of the entire pack by Mirabella, and you just stand there on your little throne like you don't even know who I am. And now you want to meet me halfway in the dark and ask if I'm okay?"

"You don't understand the pressure I'm under," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, low register that sent a thrill of fear and something else straight through my chest.

"I have to think about the pack, Elma. I don't have time for this."

"Then why did you follow me?" I demanded, my voice cracking with raw emotion. "If you're so busy being the perfect future Alpha, go back to Mirabella. Go back to your adoring fans and leave me alone!"

"I followed you because I wanted to," he growled, taking another massive step forward, closing the distance between us until I could smell the familiar, intoxicating scent of cedarwood and winter air radiating off his skin. "And you will not tell me what to do."

"I don't care what you do anymore, Liam! You've been so withdrawn, so cold, so heartless"

Snap.

The words completely died in my throat.

A violent, electric shock ripped through my veins. My wolf flared to life inside my mind, howling with a feral roar of absolute submission and recognition.

I gasped, my hands flying to my chest as my knees turned to pure water. I would have hit the dirt if Liam hadn't moved with supernatural speed.

His hands clamped onto my waist, dragging my body against his hard chest. The moment his bare skin brushed against the exposed neckline of my dress, another wave of electric fire shot through us.

Liam let out a low growl. His dark eyes were no longer human.

"Mate," he breathed, the word mapping across my skin like a brand.

"Liam..." I whimpered, my head rolling back as the sheer power of the bond overwhelmed my senses. My fingers locked into the fabric of his shirt, pulling him closer. Every insecurity, every bit of pain Mirabella had inflicted, vanished, completely consumed by the sudden, burning need for his touch.

He didn't give me time to think. He didn't give me time to process the sheer chaos of what this meant for the pack.

Liam lifted me effortlessly, my legs instantly wrapping around his waist as he drove me backward, slamming my back gently against the trunk of a massive tree. His mouth crashed down onto mine with a lawless, hungry possessiveness that stole the very breath from my lungs. It wasn't a gentle kiss; it was a claim. His tongue demanded entry, tasting me, consuming me, while his large hands gripped my hips, pulling my center firmly against his core.

"You're mine," he growled against my lips, his breath hot and ragged. "Mine, Elma. No one else's."

Before I could even form a coherent thought, his lips slid down my jawline, tracing a path of pure fire to the sensitive crook of my neck. I arched into him, my wolf crying out for the final seal.

With a sharp, warning growl, his elongated canines pierced my skin.

A sharp burst of pain was immediately swallowed by an explosion of euphoric, blinding pleasure as his venom flooded my system, marking me permanently as his. I screamed, my fingers clawing at his shoulders as the mate bond locked our souls together forever.

Without breaking the connection, Liam carried me deeper into the dark woods, bypassing the festival entirely, straight toward the private, secluded cabin reserved only for the Alpha heir. He kicked the door open and slammed it shut behind us, tossing me onto fur blankets of the bed.

The entire night became a blur of slow-paced, breathless passion. There was no more coldness, no more distance. Every touch of his hands on my curves was worshipful, his dark eyes fixed on mine as he stripped away the cheap silk dress, leaving me completely bare beneath his intense gaze. When he leaned down, his voice was a deep, rough whisper that made me shiver. "You are perfect, Elma. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."

Every touch was electric, filled with a deep, consuming chemistry that made me giggle helplessly with delight before the intensity pulled me under again. When he finally came over me, taking my virginity with a slow, agonizingly beautiful possessiveness, I knew my life would never be the same.

I woke up tangled in the blankets, the scent of Liam coating every inch of my skin. I turned my head, expecting to see him beside me, but the mattress was cold.

Liam was standing, already fully dressed in his Alpha uniform. The light of morning hit his face, and my heart instantly shattered.

The warmth from the night was gone. The fierce, passionate mate who had held me like I was his entire world had vanished. In his place stood the cold, detached leader of the Silver Moon pack.

"Put your dress on, Elma."

"The elders are waiting at the pavilion. We need to go back, and you are going to tell everyone this was a mistake."