Chapter 1

"Olivia, do you remember Lucas? The bonding ceremony your father and the former Alpha of the Silver Moon pack arranged for you two is next week. Are you—willing now?"

"Mom knows you've been healed for a while. It's just—James. You've been refusing to come back because of him, but..."

Seeing me stay silent, Mom let out a helpless sigh and said instead:

"If you still don't want to, I'll go and cancel the ceremony for you."

My grip on the phone tightened slightly. I hung my head and stayed quiet for a long time.

Just when Mom thought I was going to turn her down again, I spoke:

"I'm willing—to bond with Lucas."

Mom froze, stunned. "You... you agreed?"

"I agree." My voice was calm. "But I still have some things to take care of in the Blackwood Pack. I'll be back in time for the ceremony next week."

The moment I hung up, I heard a burst of cheers from the Moon Temple not far away.

It was Emily Smith's Wolf awakening ceremony, and James Brown, the Alpha of the Blackwood Pack, had arranged the whole thing himself.

I listened, and for a moment, I just spaced out.

Then, footsteps approached.

The next second, Emily pushed open my door.

She made a point of stroking the glittering necklace around her neck, her eyes full of smug satisfaction as she looked at me.

"Olivia, why didn't you come to my Wolf awakening ceremony?"

"Oops! I forgot!" She suddenly leaned in close, her smile smug and bold. "Olivia, you haven't even awakened your Wolf yet! Watching me awaken mine must be so hard for you, huh? Poor thing..."

I'd been sickly since the day I was born, and the Blackwood Pack had the strongest healers of any pack, so my family sent me here when I was three.

Originally, all I had to do was get cured, then go back to my pack and receive the Moon Goddess's blessing to awaken my wolf.

But because of James, I kept putting off going back.

I looked at that fake sad face of hers, and disgust rolled through my stomach. My voice was cold. "I've got patients to take care of. No time to be sad. Congratulations on awakening your Wolf."

I turned to leave, but Emily grabbed my hand.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at me, her voice dripping with hurt. "Olivia, do you hate me?"

My brows furrowed before I could stop them.

It was always like this with Emily. I hadn't done a thing, and she'd already put on that look—like she'd been bullied horribly and didn't dare say a word.

And everyone believed her. Everyone loved that act.

I let out a dry laugh, my face showing pure, undisguised irritation. "Playing the victim won't work on me. Save that face for James."

I tried to pull my hand free, but the second I moved, Emily suddenly screamed and fell backward.

"Olivia, how could you—ah!"

The next second, she hit the ground hard.

I stared at her crumpled on the floor, face twisted in pain, tears streaming down. I froze.

I hadn't even used any force. What the hell was she faking now?

But the next second, I understood—

"Emily!"

James rushed in from behind me and carefully helped Emily up.

He checked her all over for injuries, then turned to me with a deep frown, his voice sharp and cold:

"Olivia, you don't have to like Emily, but why would you hurt her like this? You used to be so kind. How did you become so cruel?"

But when he turned to Emily, his voice softened. "Does it still hurt? I'll take you to the healer's den."

With that, he scooped up Emily, who was crying her eyes out, and headed for the door. Just before he left, he looked back at me, his eyes full of disappointment.

"Olivia, Emily's had such a hard life. You don't get to hurt her just because she awakened her wolf and you haven't. That's jealousy."

Then he carried her out without a backward glance, his gentle, soothing voice fading into the distance as he comforted her.

I stood in the doorway, watching their backs grow smaller, my eyes stinging. A wave of dizziness washed over me.

I remembered how it used to be. James was the one who always protected me like that.

When I was three, I came to the Blackwood Pack for treatment.

My parents had asked James's parents—the former Alpha and Luna of the Blackwood Pack—to look after me.

But they were always busy running the pack.

It was James who took it upon himself to care for me.

He cooked for me, played with me, stayed up night after night by my bed when the pain hit, chasing off every suitor who came near me.

We grew up together, inseparable.

Until the day my illness improved enough that I could go home to recover, and my family started pushing for me to come back.

But James was the next Alpha of the Blackwood Pack. He couldn't leave with me.

When I was packing my bags to go, James just stood there in silence, tears in his eyes, watching me.

Those eyes that held only me were full of heartbreak and pain, like he was begging me not to go, not to leave him.

My heart melted on the spot. Even though staying here meant my Wolf might never awaken, I didn't go back.

When James found out I was staying, he pulled me into his arms and held me so tight, saying "thank you" over and over.

I always knew James liked me.

And I liked him too.

I thought becoming his Luna was just a matter of time, and then we'd live happily ever after.

But after Emily showed up, everything changed.

I found Emily at the pack border.

She sobbed and told me her family was too poor to keep her, so they dumped her past the border to be torn apart by rogues.

I was the daughter of the Alpha of the Frost pack. I'd been spoiled my whole life, never wanting for anything. She looked so pitiful that I brought her back to the Blackwood Pack and begged James to let her stay.

And that was when it started. James, who'd always been so quiet, suddenly had a lot more to say.

And James, who'd always put pack business first and never bothered with Wolf awakening ceremonies, personally arranged this one for Emily.

Thinking about it all, I forced a smile and circled a date on the calendar.

In one week, I'd leave this place. Leave James.