Chapter 4

I watched Connor closely, searching his face for the slightest trace of regret.

But all I saw was mild annoyance.

"What did you say?" His voice was cold, distant. "Clara is dead?"

Duncan kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Connor's gaze. "Yes… Luna… she was trapped in that well for over ten days. No food, no water… she… she didn't make it."

Connor scoffed, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke. "Oh, she's still bluffing. Fine. If she's really dead, then call the priest for a ritual. Toss her corpse into the sea and let her see where playing dead gets her."

His cruelty sickened me. I desperately sought to elevate my soul, to distance myself from him. However, an unseen tether held me fast, dragging me inexorably back.

And then I realized—the force binding me wasn't Connor himself, but the wolf-spirit bracelet he wore.

The bracelet, woven from wolf bone and silver thread, was an ancient relic of my father. More than that, it was the token of love I had once given Connor.

I used to be like Cinderella, that pitiful girl.

My father had been the Alpha of the Starlight Pack. But after my mother's death, he remarried and brought another woman and her children into our home. When Dad left for campaigns, those children tormented me for sport.

When I was 12, they cornered me yet again, taunting and laughing. That was the day Connor happened to pass by and save me.

After that, I began sneaking into Blackclaw Pack territory just to catch a glimpse of him. That was when I realized he, too, was bullied by his siblings.

I fell for him completely.

So when the Moon Goddess prophesied that we were fated mates, I was overjoyed. My heart nearly burst with happiness, too blinded by love to notice the flicker of displeasure in his eyes as we sealed our bond.

I didn't know then.

I didn't realize the only reason Connor married me was for the wolf-spirit bracelet.

With it, he could win the trust and loyalty of my father's warriors.

Until I handed it over, he played the role of the perfect mate. He left water by my bedside each night and brought me fresh flowers when he returned home.

I fell even deeper for him. Without hesitation, I gave him the bracelet.

With the power of the wolf-spirit bracelet, Connor quickly crushed his siblings and claimed the title of Alpha of the Blackclaw Pack.

But was I truly just a pawn to him?

I didn't think so.

I wasn't naive.

The small, fleeting smiles he let slip when he thought no one was watching, the quiet care he still showed me, even after obtaining the bracelet—these were all signs—signs that, despite everything, Connor was slowly falling for me too.