LOGINThe day after the ceremony, I stood at the edge of the territory.Aiken approached with a blank expression and looked at me as he passed.Then he smiled through his tears. "Mira... you know I have nowhere to go... You're the one who took me in... Have you forgotten?"I held his gaze for two seconds. "The wolf I took in back then would rather die in a blizzard than let go of a pup. That's not who you are now."He let go and took a breath. "Will we ever see each other again?""Probably not."Jessa rushed over to steady him, but he shook her off."Three days east of the boundary, there's a river. Beyond it, you'll be outside Silvermoon territory." I looked at the two of them calmly. "I'm giving you enough food for three days. How long you survive after that is your problem."Jessa took the bag, her venomous glare still fixed on me.I walked up to her. "Jessa, you aren't an ordinary rogue wolf, are you?"Something flickered across her face, and she clutched the bag to her chest."There's a
Before the fight, Aiken came to me a few more times.He brought the pair of bear claws and the star pendant I'd thrown at Jessa.I didn't see him.Even through the door, I could hear how weak his voice was.Again and again, he spoke through the wooden door about our childhood.How I'd rescued him from a blizzard. How I'd taken the boulder for him. How happy we'd been when our marks first awakened.His voice grew quieter as he spoke, until he finally broke down and cried.I'd be lying if I said none of it affected me, but I knew I couldn't turn back.If I did, the pain would only get worse.The night of the full moon.The pack lit torches around the entire square.I wore black leather armor with the brace Oliver had reinforced strapped over my left knee.Aiken stood across from me, grief written all over his face.He was pale, with bruised shadows under his eyes and many emotions moving through his gaze."Mira, does it have to be like this?"I pulled the knife from my belt, exhaled, and
After Aiken brought up blood on the altar and passed out, Jacob and a few of his closest men carried him back to his house.He woke once that night, grabbed Jacob by the collar, and said Mira's name over and over.Jacob didn't dare say much, so he told Aiken that Mira had gone to rest and would come the next day.By the third day, Aiken could barely get out of bed and walk.The mark under his collarbone had rotted beyond recognition.Every heartbeat sent a dull ache through him.That was when Jessa came in.She carried a bowl of hot soup and walked quietly to his bedside. "Aiken, you were having a nightmare. I brought you some soup. Have some, then go back to sleep."Aiken looked up at her."How did you get in here?"Jessa stopped. "The door wasn't locked...""Who told you to come in?"His voice had gone cold.Jessa bit her lip, and her eyes reddened almost instantly. "I was just worried about you. You haven't let me near you in days..."She wiped her eyes and took his hand. "Aiken, do
The night of the full moon came quickly. The silver moon hung high. A ring of fire burned around the altar, and the whole pack gathered in the square.That night, Aiken would take the Alpha's seat and name his Luna before the whole pack.He stood on the platform. When he saw me coming, relief showed on his face. He smiled like a man who had just been let off the hook."Mira." He gently held out a hand to me. "Come."I didn't take it. I stopped at the bottom of the steps.His smile faltered for a second. Then he cleared his throat and raised his voice. "Following the guidance the Moon Goddess has given me, I declare before the whole pack today that Mira, my fated mate, will be the only Luna the Silvermoon pack will ever have."The pack turned to look at me, but instead of cheers, there was only scattered applause.Even the Elders stayed silent.Aiken froze. He scanned the square, his voice unsteady. "What's wrong with all of you?"I climbed the steps and stopped directly in front of him
The next evening, I dissolved a sleeping herb in Aiken's water flask.Once he'd drunk it and passed out, I took him to the altar.It was almost dark, and the silver moon hadn't risen yet. The empty altar felt eerie.Faye had already drawn a crimson circle on the ground for the mark-stripping ritual.She reached out and touched my face."You must be in a great deal of pain to want this. The Moon Goddess will forgive you."My eyes stung, and I forced myself to swallow.I laid Aiken flat in the center of the altar and unbuttoned his collar.Beneath his collarbone was a mate mark exactly like mine. It had once been our closest connection.I lay down beside him, took the hand I knew better than my own, and stared blankly at the sky.One by one, the threads of the bond began to pull free from beneath my skin.It felt as if a claw had pierced the skin around the mark, numbing half my body.I clenched my teeth as cold sweat beaded on my forehead.That was when Jessa came running onto the altar
Just before dawn, Aiken pushed open the door and saw the scratches my nails had left on the wall.He frowned. "Why did you do this to yourself again?"He reached for me, but I moved out of the way.His hand hung there for a second."I was going to come last night," he said. "But Jessa had a fever and was rambling. I couldn't leave her. And you know she only got hurt because she saved me..."I looked down at my left knee and didn't answer."Mira, you look terrible. Was it bad last night?"My lips moved, and for no reason, I looked up and smiled at him. "It was fine.""Don't be like this." He sighed. "I got her settled and then I came straight to you. Isn't that enough?""Aiken." My voice was cold. "She was hurt saving you. Didn't I get hurt saving you, too?""I know it was because of me!" he shouted suddenly, then started pacing the room. "I've spent all these years trying to make up for it! How many more times are you going to bring it up?"I watched him pace, and something inside me s







