Chapter 2

That night, Dominic was covered in blood, his eyes glowing red, consumed by a rage that threatened to tear apart anything that came near. It was me, an Omega who could barely even hold her shift, who soothed the feral beast inside him.

Under the moonlight, his sanity returned. The moment he grabbed my hand, a jolt like electricity shot through us both.

"It's you," he rasped, his eyes wide with shock and ecstasy. "Moon Goddess, you're mine."

We were fated mates. In the werewolf world, there is no higher connection.

After that, he brought me back to the Silver Moon Pack.

He kept me by his side, teaching me the ways of the pack himself. The elders disapproved of a plain, ordinary she-wolf like me, but Dominic would just kiss my ear and smile. "You're all I want."

And in our bed, he would kiss me, claim me with a desperate force, whispering obsessively, "You're a treasure from the Goddess. Only with you... God, only you feel this good."

Who could resist the devotion of such a powerful Alpha?

To be worthy of him, to become a Luna who could stand by his side, I gave up everything and dove into the pack's ancient medicinal texts. I studied relentlessly, mastering the most complex healing arts and earning the title of the pack’s respected Chief Healer.

I thought I was getting closer to him, step by step.

Until six months ago, when his ex-girlfriend, Chloe—a pure-blood heiress with immense status in the Silver Moon Pack—returned from abroad.

Everything changed.

"Evelyn, Chloe's family is one of my most important supporters. She needs a position in the pack," Dominic told me.

And just like that, half the authority in the medical center I had built from the ground up was handed over to her.

"Evelyn, there's an alliance treaty I need to handle with Chloe. It's for the pack's stability."

And so I could only watch in silence as my mate and his ex were seen everywhere together, turning me into the laughingstock of the entire pack.

I compromised again and again, telling myself it was for the pack, for our future.

Until now. Until I lost my grandmother.

Ring, ring, ring—

The harsh ringing of my phone pulled me from my memories. I sat numbly in my empty apartment, clutching the cold, heavy urn of my grandmother's ashes.

The name "Dominic" flashed on the screen.

I answered. His impatient voice came through. "Evelyn, where are you? The prep meeting for the mating ceremony is about to start. All the elders are waiting for you."

A dry laugh escaped my throat.

The mating ceremony? How ironic.

"I'm busy," I said, and hung up.

Less than ten minutes later, tires screeched outside.

A black Bentley pulled up. Dominic had come for me himself.

He pushed the door open, not noticing the cloth-wrapped urn in my arms.

Seeing my pale, worn-out face, his voice softened for once.

"About yesterday... I was wrong," he started. "No matter how busy I was, I should have gone to see her."

I looked him straight in the eye. "You felt me calling for you, but you cut our mind-link. Let me guess, what were you busy with? Busy getting tangled up with Chloe?"

"Evelyn!" A flash of anger crossed Dominic's face. He looked at me with disappointment. "I told you, I need her family's allegiance. If you're still angry, we can visit your grandmother tomorrow. Happy now?"

"Don't bother. You won't be seeing her," I said, my voice flat as I clutched the urn.