Chapter 4

Chapter 4

…

“Hk!” Elena held back the pain in her arm. The umbreal blood that had splashed onto her skin made it feel as if it were burning and blistering.

After burying the umbreal blood in its usual place, Elena jogged toward the river deep within the forest.

Elena knew this ancient forest very well. Although it looked terrifying and dark because of the dense, towering trees, she had played here since she was little. This forest was a safe place for her.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

When she reached the edge of the clear river, Elena immediately tore the hem of her skirt and, with great difficulty and while enduring the pain, wrapped the wound on her arm.

After that, her round hazel eyes gazed at the river. It was clear and beautiful. Tears welled up, making her eyes look like crystals, but Elena shook her head.

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

“Today I’ll receive my monthly wage. I’ll buy deer meat for Grandma. It’s been a long time since Grandma last ate meat!”

“Stay strong, Elena!” She clenched her fists. Even though her arm hurt terribly, Elena didn’t care at all.

The only thing that kept Elena going and never giving up was her grandmother, who was growing older and weaker. Elena would never abandon her grandmother, who depended on her to survive.

…

“H-h!” Elena ran out of the forest. She looked like a beautiful fairy, her golden hair like a beam of light illuminating the dark woods.

Unbeknownst to Elena, a majestic deer beast watched her from the shadows of the forest, as if it had known her even before she was born.

Not long after, Elena arrived at Blackthorn Pack. Swiftly, she gathered all the soldiers’ clothes stained with umbreal blood and hurried to the washing area.

“Let’s go quickly, there’s a cursed girl here!” The werewolf girls around Elena’s age, who were also in the laundry building, immediately left when Elena arrived.

Elena smiled bitterly. Once again, all she could do was clutch her worn-out skirt tightly. Her life truly had become more miserable and painful because of the tragedy eight years ago.

Time passed. Night fell.

In his dim room, Caelan looked restless. His hands were clenched tightly, and his breathing was heavy.

Tonight was the Luna Selection Ceremony, and the Moon Goddess, through Moon Seer Hera, would reveal the true Luna.

His jaw tightened as he remembered the promise he once made to Elena, that she would surely become his Luna, and that no matter what happened, she would be his mate when they grew up.

But everything was different now.

Caelan’s feelings no longer mattered. His hatred and resentment toward half-humans and umbreals had consumed his heart.

“My Luna must be a true wolf!” he snarled as he put on his war cloak.

In the traditions of the Lupus Kingdom, Alphas must wear their war cloaks during the Luna selection, because to them, a Luna was a partner who must be respected and protected, just as they protected their land in war.

His pitch-black eyes sharpened as he rode his horse toward Rodes Hill.

All the wolves were already gathered there, his pack members of Blackthorn Pack. As he walked toward Moon Seer Hera, who stood atop the hall, his eyes instinctively searched for someone.

Elena Ashvale.

Elena stood with her head lowered at the edge of the crowd. She had just finished preparing the Luna selection area on Cairis’s orders. At that moment, Caelan noticed that her arm looked injured.

“Tch!” Caelan growled softly. He hated how his body moved on its own, always seeking Elena’s presence wherever she was.

*The sound of a gong echoed, struck deliberately three times.*

The sun had set, and the moon shone brilliantly in the sky.

“By the absolute will of the Moon Goddess, the Alpha of every tribe and pack must receive a true Luna capable of supporting him. And tonight, the time has come for Alpha Caelan Blackthorn. The Moon Goddess will reveal the sign upon the chosen Luna…”

Moon Seer Hera spoke loudly yet gently, her gaze sweeping over all the wolves present.

The unmated wolf girls smiled brightly. Who wouldn’t want to become Luna to Caelan, the strongest warrior commander in the kingdom?

Moon Seer Hera then turned her gaze to Caelan, whose heart was now pounding violently. His brow furrowed, and his hands trembled.

“The Moon Goddess will place a crescent moon mark upon the forehead of the chosen Luna. Seek where your Luna stands,” Moon Seer Hera said, prompting Caelan to nod slightly.

His eyes sharpened as he stepped into the crowd. With every step, his heartbeat grew more intense.

The female wolves he passed looked disappointed because once Caelan walked past them, it meant they were not his destined Luna.

Until...

Whispers spread as Caelan’s footsteps led him toward the cursed mixed-blood.

Elena Ashvale.

“Hk!”

Elena felt something strange within her. Her heart pounded uncontrollably, her hands clenched tightly as if she were about to faint. Her head spun and her vision blurred, but Elena pinched her thigh to keep herself from collapsing.

She had to endure it so she could bring deer meat home for her grandmother.

“That’s impossible!”

People whispered, and just as they feared, Alpha Caelan stopped before the half-human girl they had long despised and wanted to erase. The curse they hated had been chosen by the Moon Goddess as Alpha Caelan’s Luna.

A crescent moon mark appeared on Elena’s forehead. Her breathing became labored as she sensed someone standing before her.

When Elena lifted her face, her eyes widened to see Alpha Caelan standing firmly before her.

But his expression was filled with rage.

“It’s impossible for a half-human to become the Luna of the strongest Alpha commander in this kingdom!” 

“Impossible!” 

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

The Blackthorn elders cursed Elena. Whispers filled the air, and countless eyes glared at her with horrifying hatred.

“Huh?” Elena, who understood nothing, was confused. She didn’t know why they were looking at her like this again, as if she were worthless trash.

She clenched her hands, and without being able to control herself, tears fell. A strange ache echoed in her chest, mixed with the painful stares directed at her.

And as if to deepen her suffering, at that very moment, Alpha Caelan did something that shattered her completely.

“I REJECT THIS LUNA!”

“No! Filthy blood like Elena Ashvale is unworthy of being a Luna. I would rather tear my own soul apart than be bound to this tainted blood!”

Caelan stared at Elena with fury and hatred. Elena froze, her wide eyes staring blankly at Caelan.

His cruel words overlapped with his old promise, made when they were young, at the edge of the forest where flowers bloomed.

“You will be my future Luna, the only woman who will be my mate. I will hold your hand and raise your status…”

Elena could still see Caelan from back then, smiling as he made that promise so easily. But now, everything had changed.

The warm Caelan who once protected her now hated her more than anyone else.

Elena’s heart shattered, so completely that her body became rigid, unable to move.

“Yes, filthy blood like hers is unworthy of being Luna!” 

“I refuse to let cursed blood remain in this Pack!”

Everyone there agreed with Caelan’s words. Caelan continued to glare at Elena, who stood frozen, drowning in despair.

And perhaps because they were truly destined as mates, Caelan could feel the pain tearing through Elena’s heart.

But he ignored it.

“I am ending this Luna selection. I would rather have no Luna at all than accept her as mine!” Caelan snarled cruelly before turning his back on Elena and walking away.

But once the Moon Goddess had chosen a Luna for an Alpha, whether they liked it or not, their souls were bound.

So when Caelan rejected Elena, both of them felt excruciating pain coursing through their bodies.

But Alpha Caelan was strong. The pain did not weaken him.

Elena, however, was only a half-human. The pain of being rejected by her Alpha left her body fragile, and she collapsed.

“Aaa…” Elena cried softly in agony as Caelan walked away. Hearing that cry, Caelan’s heart echoed painfully. His breathing grew heavy, and without realizing it, tears fell from his eyes.

“Please, Lord Caelan…” 

“Don’t leave me. It hurts so much… please.” Elena sobbed, unable to endure the pain any longer.

Her broken voice halted Caelan’s steps. His heart ached violently as he stood still, fists clenched, unable to turn around.

Just as Caelan was about to give in and look back...

“I will replace her as Luna. I am far more worthy of being your mate, Alpha Caelan. And according to our laws, when an Alpha rejects his Luna and chooses another woman, the rejected Luna must be cast into the Black Forest, because a rejected Luna will suffer and slowly die…”

A female wolf’s voice rang out.

She was Lily Minera, daughter of one of the most influential figures in the Lupus Kingdom.

And...

…