ANMELDENOn my eighteenth birthday, my three adoptive brothers gave me a present—a stray she-wolf. My eldest brother, Caine, said her obedience might finally tame my vicious temper. Rhael said her delicate nature would make my rough strength stand out even more. Lucian said her beauty might distract everyone from how plain I was. But that she-wolf had only one ambition: to become a Luna. When a blind Alpha from a distant pack came seeking a bride, she volunteered to marry him in my place. She never made it. Worn down by the grueling journey, she died along the way. My brothers were consumed by grief. When an enemy pack attacked, they threw me into the enemy ranks with their own hands. I stared at them in disbelief. Caine accused me, “You knew Sophia might die. That’s why you let her take your place without a second thought!” Rhael glared at me with hatred. “You love throwing your status around and bullying others, don’t you? Today, you’ll learn what it feels like to be completely at someone else’s mercy!” Lucian turned to the wolves around us and ordered, “No one helps her. I want her to know what it feels like to be abandoned by everyone!” When I died, there wasn’t enough left of my body to piece together. Then I opened my eyes—and found myself back on the day Sophia volunteered to marry in my place. Remembering how my three brothers had shielded her behind them in my previous life, I smiled. “Father, I’ll marry him.” Father frowned. “Knox is blind and brutal. Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” Since my brothers couldn’t bear to part with Sophia, they could stay with her forever.
Mehr anzeigenCaine inched forward on his knees, reaching for the hem of my skirt.Knox didn't move. His tone was mild."Do you want me to send them away?"I shook my head.This time, I didn't need anyone else to decide for me."You used to believe I couldn't live without you, so no matter how much you hurt me, I would always forgive you."Now I'm telling you myself: that's over."Do not come to the North again. Do not contact me under the pretense that you're still my brothers."The guards stepped forward and led the three of them out.They didn't resist. They only called my name, over and over, as the hall doors swung shut.I didn't look back.Three days later, Knox and I completed our mating bond with the Moon Goddess as our witness.My wolf was calm and at peace.Knox never showed the slightest distaste for my scars.In front of every visiting pack envoy, he kissed my right hand and declared:"Layla and I hold equal authority."She is not a wife who exists in her Alpha's shadow. She is the one a
The next day, Father pronounced his judgment according to pack law.Sophia was stripped of her pack status and banished from the territory. My brothers lost command of the pack's young warriors, were demoted to common soldiers, and were permanently barred from competing for the Alpha title.A month later, they removed every insignia of rank, dressed in the worn armor of common soldiers, and set out for the North.From the Frostmoon Pack to the North, the road crossed three mountain ranges buried year-round in snow, then cut through the Black Pine Forest, where wild beasts roamed.In the old days, wolf guards cleared the road for them, and pack members prepared their food and tents. Now they were ordinary soldiers stripped of rank. No pack along the way gave them special treatment.At the second snow-capped mountain, a blizzard buried the trail. Their mounts collapsed one after another.Caine's left leg developed frostbite, so Rhael carried him through knee-deep snow. Lucian dug through
I learned the rest later from a letter Mother sent. After I left, Father had not let anyone leave right away.Mia led the servants from the farewell banquet into the great hall. Together, they knelt and revealed everything Sophia had done.Sophia had deliberately let the moonstone slip and shatter. She had thrown the bracelet into the bonfire. And when no one else was in the room, she had hurled the scalding healing oil into my face.Even all those inexplicable fights in the past had been staged.She would tear her own hem, pinch her wrist until it reddened, and then cry to my brothers that I couldn't stand having her around. She would hide gifts they had given me and, once they were convinced I was spoiled and unreasonable, casually "find" them again.Caine stared at her."The moonstone too? You framed Layla for that too?"Sophia tried turning on the tears again. For the first time, Rhael didn't step forward to comfort her."Enough."He looked at his own hands, the hands he had used t
Caine's hand froze around my wrist.Knox strode into the hall. His pale gray eyes had no focus, yet the force of his presence made every wolf instinctively lower their head.Guided by the mind-link, he came straight to me and raised his hand, stopping half an inch from my cheek."A scald from healing oil. Your right hand smells burned too."He couldn't see, yet he understood my injuries better than my three sighted brothers did.Caine finally let go of my wrist and managed a stiff explanation."This is a family matter. Layla is only acting out. She could never survive in the North."Knox turned his head slightly."I'm asking my wife."The choice is hers."He held out his hand to me."Layla, will you come with me?"All three brothers looked at me.For the first time, genuine panic showed in their eyes.I didn't hesitate. I placed my uninjured left hand in Knox's palm."I will."A barely audible sigh passed through the mind-link.Knox draped his cloak over me and turned to leave, his voi












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