Chapter 1

Our bonding ceremony was set for 11:19 am, right on the day of the new moon.

At 10:30 am, Kyle Stanton was nowhere to be found.

I tried repeatedly to reach him through the mind-link but got no response.

His Beta, Phillip Donovan, called him seven times, but he didn't answer any of them.

Kyle's mother, Eloise Powell, sat in the elders' row, her silver hair perfectly coiffed. She forced a smile to reassure the pack. "It's the New Moon Festival, so the town is packed. Border checkpoints always have long lines. Kyle is a man of his word. He won't miss this."

I smiled right along with her.

The stylist helping me get ready had ice-cold fingers. As her hand brushed against the moonstone necklace around my neck, she whispered, "Ms. Crane, should we swap this out? It doesn't quite match the dress."

"No need."

My mother, Maddison Hunter, gave this to me before she passed.

She always told me that on my ceremony day, doing what makes me happy was all that mattered.

This necklace used to be her absolute favorite.

My father, Reid Crane, was the Alpha King, holding ultimate power.

Kyle managed to become the Alpha of the largest border pack by age 30 partly through his own victories and partly because Dad used his council vote on him when we registered.

We had already registered our mate bond with the Werewolf Council, but a werewolf's ultimate oath wasn't a name on paper; it was the mark.

A single bite two inches below the nape of the neck merged our wolves, binding us together for life and death.

We had waited until today to complete the ceremony under the new moon.

Mom picked the date. She used to say a mark forged under a new moon would never fade.

At 11:00 pm, a video began playing on the screen above the hall.

It was a montage of Kyle and me growing up together, from pups to adults.

At 17, he shifted in front of me for the first time in the border woods and used his body to shield me from a rogue beast.

At 21, at the pack graduation, he leaned down and kissed the back of my hand.

At 25, witnessed by the elders of both packs, he placed his family's ancestral ring on my finger, swearing I was the only one he'd ever want by his side.

Three days later, we registered as mates at the Werewolf Council.

The final frame showed Kyle turning around while fitting his ceremonial suit.

Moonlight washed over his shoulders as he looked back at the camera. His eyes were overflowing with devotion.

A single line of text appeared. "Serafina, this time, I won't make you wait."

The guests broke into applause, and wolf howls echoed through the hall.

As I stood on stage, my grip on the bouquet tightened.

I still couldn't reach him.

He wasn't answering calls, and our mind-link was either blocked or completely severed. I had no idea where he was.

At 11:10 pm, Naomi Palmer posted a short message on her public social media account. "I'm sorry."

Attached was a photo of a hospital wristband against the silver-gray walls of a healing center.

I gave up on the mind-link and started dialing Kyle's phone repeatedly.

The first call was cut off.

So was the second.

On the third try, he finally picked up.

In the background, I could hear the rushed footsteps of healers, along with Naomi's soft, pitiful sobbing.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"The Royal Healing Center."

"Do you know what day it is?" I cut in before he could go any further.

"I know, but something came up. Naomi had an acute separation anxiety attack and almost crashed into the silver fence. The healer said she's extremely weak and can't be left alone right now. Serafina, don't start a fight over this."

Outside the hall, an elder was still trying to soothe the crowd. "Kyle is preparing a special surprise. Please hold on just a moment longer, everyone."

Everyone was waiting for a man who wasn't coming.

"Is she out of danger?" I asked.

Kyle replied, "She's stable for now, but her emotions are still unstable."

"How long until you get here?"

"I'll get there as soon as I can."

"The bonding ceremony starts at 11:19 pm."

"Then delay it." His tone was flat, as if this were no big deal.

Nine months of preparation, a rare new moon, a full house of guests all had to yield to him.

Even me.

For six years, I had been the one yielding.

I slowly closed my eyes. "Kyle, don't bother coming."

He went quiet for a couple of seconds. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"The ceremony is canceled."

His voice dropped, heavy with the command of an Alpha. "Serafina, this is no time to throw a tantrum. You need to consider the bigger picture."

So refusing to wait for him at our bonding ceremony was a tantrum?

Meanwhile, leaving me on stage to keep over 200 pack members waiting was just considering the bigger picture.