Chapter 1

I was about to turn and go when I met Kyle's eyes.

The next second, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me into the cave.

The moment they saw me, every one of them looked uncomfortable.

Ella was the first on her feet. She sounded surprised. "Sasha? Were you... eavesdropping?"

Kyle shook his head in exasperation, then softened his voice. "Why are you hovering at the entrance like a scared little mouse? If you want to listen, just come inside!"

I dropped my gaze to the posting orders in my hand. They were a complete joke.

I stared hard at Ella, my eyes bloodshot.

"You lied to me to get the spot in the South? With some cheap little game?"

Kyle took half a step forward, quietly putting himself between me and Ella.

"It was my idea. Don't blame Ella."

Jack Mercer glanced at me, then took Ella by the wrist and drew her closer to his side.

"Sasha, now that you know, there's no point hiding it anymore. We all agreed to choose Ella."

I looked past Jack, back at Kyle.

"You once told me that whoever you gave the moonstone to would be your mate. Was that a lie too?"

Kyle hesitated. He glanced down at Ella and frowned.

"I was just afraid you wouldn't give up your spot in the South. And I couldn't bring myself to force you, so I had to do it this way."

He sounded so sincere, as if he'd staged the whole thing for my own good.

I stared at his face.

My chest tightened until I couldn't breathe.

Ella's eyes were brimming with tears, and she was trembling.

"Maybe we should just forget it. Let Sasha go South. I can go North, really."

Kyle looked up at me. "Sasha, can't you be the bigger person for once and step aside for Ella? Stop making a scene, okay?"

They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Ella, shielding her.

When Kyle finished, I actually laughed out loud. I couldn't help it.

They'd schemed to cheat me out of my spot, and now they were saying I was the one making a scene.

Kyle had known Ella for less than a year. But for her, he'd do anything?

I was done arguing with them. I turned and headed for the entrance. All I wanted was to get out of that suffocating place as fast as I could.

I'd barely taken a step when someone grabbed my wrist again. This time it was David Brennan.

"Sasha, you've never been the fragile type, right?"

"I believe you can handle the North. Ella's not like you. So just this once, could you give it up for her?"

My throat went tight. It took me forever to get the words out. "So because she's fragile, I deserve to suffer in her place?"

He frowned, sounding a little impatient. "We didn't have a choice. We could only pick one of you."

"Can't you look on the bright side? That Alpha you've always looked up to is in the North. Haven't you wanted to follow him since you were little?"

He wasn't wrong. I wanted to make something of myself, like the Crescent Alpha. That was why I'd always worked so hard.

But what he didn't know was that for their sake, I'd even given up my chance at the elite werewolf training camp.

I couldn't swallow past the lump in my throat.

It took me a long moment to force out five words. "You know me so well."

"Sasha," Kyle said softly. "Don't take it so hard. Even if you're in the North, it won't change how I feel about you. I'll come see you whenever I can..."

Before he could finish, Ella peeked out from behind him.

"Sasha, Kyle really does care about you. He wouldn't even let me wear that moonstone."

I smiled, took off the necklace, and hung it around her neck. "If you want to wear it so badly, go ahead!"

With that, I turned and walked away. I took out my commstone and called Maren Vale, my instructor. "I'll take the spot at the training camp. I can be there in three days."

I was done being the girl who'd give up anything just to keep us together.