Chapter 4

Chapter 4

...

“Hk!” Elena gasped softly, holding back the pain in her arm as the umbreal blood that had splashed onto her skin burned fiercely, leaving it blistered and raw.

After burying the umbreal blood in its usual place, she hurried through the forest toward the river.

Elena knew this ancient forest well. Though it looked dark and unsettling, with its towering trees and thick shadows, it had always been her safe place. She had grown up here, wandering beneath its canopy since she was a child.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

When she reached the edge of the clear river, she immediately tore a strip from the hem of her worn skirt. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to endure the pain as she carefully wrapped the wound around her arm.

Only after securing it did she lift her gaze toward the water.

The river was clear and beautiful, reflecting the dim light like glass. Her hazel eyes shimmered with unshed tears, making them look almost like crystal.

But Elena quickly shook her head.

“There’s no time to cry. I have to get back to work.”

“Today I’ll receive my monthly pay. I’ll buy venison for Grandma… it’s been so long since she’s had meat.”

“Stay strong, Elena.”

She clenched her fist, ignoring the sharp pain in her arm.

The only reason she kept going—the only thing that kept her from breaking—was her grandmother. Old and growing weaker with each passing day, she needed Elena to survive, and Elena would never abandon her.

...

“H-h!” Elena ran out of the forest, her figure moving lightly between the trees. She looked like a delicate fairy, her golden hair glowing softly against the darkness of the woods.

Unbeknownst to her, a majestic stag-like beast watched her silently from the shadows, its gaze lingering as if it had known her long before she was ever born.

After some time, Elena finally reached the Blackthorn Pack.

Without wasting a second, she quickly gathered the soldiers’ uniforms stained with umbreal blood and carried them straight to the washing area.

“Hurry up, let’s go! That cursed girl is here!”

The other girls around her age, fellow werewolves working in the laundry hall, immediately left the moment Elena arrived.

Elena only smiled faintly.

Once again, she tightened her grip on her worn skirt. Her life had only grown more miserable and painful since the tragedy eight years ago.

...

Time passed, and night eventually fell.

Inside his dimly lit room, Caelan stood in silence, his expression restless. His hands clenched tightly at his sides, his breathing heavy and uneven.

Tonight was the Luna Selection Ceremony.

Through the Moon Goddess, the Moon Seer Hera would reveal who his true Luna was.

His jaw tightened as memories surfaced—of the promise he had once made to Elena, that she would become his Luna, that no matter what happened, she would be the one by his side when they grew older.

But everything had changed.

His feelings no longer mattered.

Hatred and resentment toward half-humans and umbreals had long consumed his heart.

“My Luna must be a true wolf,” he muttered coldly as he put on his war robe.

In the traditions of the Lupus Kingdom, every Alpha was required to wear their war robe during the Luna Selection Ceremony. To them, a Luna was not just a partner, but someone to be honored and protected—just as they would protect their land in battle.

His dark eyes sharpened as he mounted his horse and rode toward Rodes Hill.

By the time he arrived, the entire pack had already gathered. The wolves of Blackthorn stood in formation, their presence filling the vast area.

As Caelan made his way toward the platform where Moon Seer Hera stood, his eyes searched instinctively through the crowd.

Elena Ashvale.

At the edge of the gathering, Elena stood with her head lowered. She had just finished preparing the ceremony grounds under Cairis’s orders.

Even from a distance, Caelan noticed the injury on her arm.

“Tsk!”

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, irritated by the way his body seemed to move on its own, always seeking her out no matter where she was.

The sound of a gong echoed three times through the night.

The sun had long set, and the moon shone brightly above them.

“By the absolute will of the Moon Goddess, every Alpha of each tribe and pack must be granted a true Luna—one who can stand beside him and support him,” Moon Seer Hera announced, her voice clear yet gentle at the same time.

“Tonight, the time has come for Alpha Caelan Blackthorn. The Moon Goddess will reveal the chosen Luna.”

Her gaze swept across the gathered wolves.

The unmated girls smiled with quiet excitement. Who wouldn’t want to become the Luna of Caelan—the commander of the strongest warriors in the kingdom?

At that moment, Moon Seer Hera turned toward Caelan.

His heart pounded heavily in his chest. His brows furrowed, and his hands trembled slightly.

“The Moon Goddess will place a crescent mark upon the forehead of the chosen Luna,” she continued. “Find where your Luna stands.”

Caelan gave a slight nod.

His gaze sharpened as he stepped forward into the crowd. With every step he took, his heartbeat grew louder, heavier.

The women he passed looked disappointed.

Because each step he took beyond them meant only one thing,

they were not his chosen Luna.

Until...

whispers began to spread through the crowd as Caelan’s footsteps carried him forward, heading straight toward the one they all despised.

Elena Ashvale.

“Hk!”

A strange sensation surged through Elena’s body. Her heart pounded violently, her hands trembling as they clenched tightly, as if she might collapse at any moment. Her head spun, her vision blurred, and darkness threatened to swallow her whole.

But she quickly pinched her thigh, forcing herself to stay conscious.

She had to endure.

She still needed to bring venison home for her grandmother.

“That’s impossible…”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

And just as they had expected...

Alpha Caelan stopped right in front of her.

Before the half-human girl they had always humiliated and tried to cast aside, the very curse they despised, stood the chosen Luna of Alpha Caelan, marked by the Moon Goddess herself.

A crescent mark had appeared on Elena’s forehead.

Her breathing grew uneven as she felt someone standing directly before her.

Slowly, she lifted her head—

and her eyes widened.

Alpha Caelan stood tall in front of her.

But his expression…

was filled with anger.

“This is impossible! A half-human cannot become the Luna of the strongest Alpha commander in this kingdom!”

“No, this cannot be!”

“This is an insult! She carries cursed blood!”

The elders of Blackthorn openly condemned her, while the rest of the pack whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with deep, terrifying hatred as they looked at Elena.

“Huh…?”

Elena, who understood nothing, looked around in confusion. She didn’t know why they were staring at her like this again—as if she were nothing more than worthless trash.

Her hands tightened into fists, and before she could stop herself, tears began to fall. The strange pain echoing within her chest, combined with the suffocating hatred directed at her, overwhelmed her completely.

And as if that wasn’t enough...

Caelan did something that shattered her entirely.

“I REFUSE THIS LUNA!”

“No! Filthy blood like Elena Ashvale is unfit to become my Luna. I would rather tear my own soul apart than be bound to something like this!”

His voice was cold and merciless.

Caelan looked at her with nothing but anger and disgust.

Elena froze.

Her wide eyes stared at him blankly, unable to process his words.

His cruel rejection overlapped with the promises he had once made—back when they were still young, standing at the edge of the forest, surrounded by blooming flowers.

‘You will become my future Luna. The only woman who will stand by my side. One day, I will hold your hand and raise your status…’

She could still see him back then, smiling at her as he spoke those words so easily.

But now...

everything had changed.

The Caelan who once protected her, who always stood by her side, now hated her more than anyone else.

Her heart shattered.

So completely that her body could no longer move.

“Yes, that’s right! Filthy blood like hers does not deserve to become Luna!”

“She should be eliminated!”

“I refuse to let that kind of blood remain in this pack!”

The voices around her rose in agreement.

Everyone sided with Caelan.

And through it all, he continued to stare at her sharply, while Elena stood there in silence, drowning in her own pain.

Perhaps because they were fated to be mates—

Caelan could feel the pain in her heart.

But he chose to ignore it.

“I am canceling this Luna selection. I would rather have no Luna than accept her as mine,” Caelan declared coldly before turning his back on her and walking away.

But once the Moon Goddess had chosen—

whether they accepted it or not—

they were already bound to each other.

And the moment Caelan rejected her, both of them felt an overwhelming pain tear through their bodies.

Caelan was strong.

The pain did not weaken him.

But Elena...

she was only a half-human.

The pain of being rejected by her Alpha crushed her completely.

“Aah…”

A small cry escaped her lips as her body gave out, collapsing under the unbearable agony.

Hearing her voice...

Caelan’s steps faltered.

His chest tightened, his breathing grew heavy, and before he could stop himself, tears slipped from his eyes.

“Please… Alpha Caelan…”

“Don’t leave me… it hurts so much… please…”

Elena cried, unable to endure the pain any longer.

Her trembling voice stopped him.

His heart ached violently as he stood frozen in place, his fists clenched tightly at his sides, unable to move forward—

yet unable to turn back.

And just as he was about to look behind him—

“I will take her place as Luna.”

A woman’s voice broke through the silence.

“I am far more worthy to stand beside you, Alpha Caelan. And according to our law, when an Alpha rejects his chosen Luna and replaces her with another woman, the rejected Luna must be cast into the Black Forest.”

“Because no matter what… a rejected Luna will only suffer until she dies.”

The voice belonged to a female wolf—

the daughter of one of the most influential figures in the Lupus Kingdom.

Lily Minera.

...