Chapter 2

After a sleepless night, I forced myself to go to Moonlight Square.

It was where Sterling and I had sealed our mate bond seven years ago.

Through the bustling crowd, I spotted Sterling and Vesper laughing together.

When Vesper saw me coming, her face stiffened. Sterling frowned and looked me over.

"You still haven't recovered your mental energy? You're so pale. Maybe we should wait another week..."

I shook my head and walked straight to Hester Blackwood, the former Luna. Her face was stern.

"Are you sure about this, Livia?

"Breaking a mate bond takes a heavy toll on your mental energy. I wouldn't recommend..."

I smiled and nodded, but tears welled in my eyes.

She was the strict teacher I respected most. She was also Sterling's mother, and she loved him more than anyone.

She'd known for a while that Sterling had fallen for someone else, and she'd helped him keep it from me.

Under the crowd's conflicted gazes, Sterling and I stood at the center of the platform.

The sun overhead was dazzling. It reminded me of the day we'd stood in this same spot and made our vows.

We were young back then and on top of the world.

Sterling was the strongest Alpha our pack had ever seen, and everyone had adored him since he was a kid.

And I was the only one our age who could hold my own against him in a fight.

When the Moon Goddess told him we were fated mates, Sterling's joy had been impossible to miss.

He'd spent three days and nights searching for golden flowers to make me a bouquet. When he handed it to me, he was grinning.

"This is amazing, Livia! We're going to be the strongest, most perfectly matched mates ever!"

But now, when our eyes met, his were flat. All that fierce love was gone.

"Before the Moon Goddess, I, Sterling Blackwood, reject Livia Rowe of the Greatwolf Pack as my mate."

As he spoke the words, I looked down at my wrist.

The mate mark was almost invisible.

A month ago, the mark on Vesper's wrist had looked exactly the same.

Right after her bond was broken, she'd smiled and told me not to worry about her.

My wolf had unusually sharp hearing, so I often heard her crying in her room.

So before I left for the retreat, I asked Sterling to look out for her while I was gone.

It was the first time I'd ever asked Sterling for help.

I never imagined it would also be the last.

When I snapped out of my thoughts, Hester was watching me with concern.

I smiled, and when I spoke, my voice came out steady.

"I, Livia Rowe of the Greatwolf Pack, accept your rejection."

In that instant, something exploded inside my head with a roar.

When the bond snapped, all the damage from years of overusing my mental energy hit at once.

Everything went black, and I passed out.

When I woke up, I was propped against the steps below the platform.

Vesper was about to feed me a recovery potion.

She'd made every one of those potions especially for me.

Our parents died on a hunt 15 years ago.

At just ten years old, I began pushing myself and my wolf to our limits, determined to grow stronger so I could protect Vesper.

Vesper's wolf was weak, so she couldn't hunt.

But she taught herself to make potions from the old healers' notebooks so she could have my back.

After every hunt, no matter how badly I was hurt, I held on until I'd brought the kill home to Vesper.

Vesper would cry as she dragged me to bed and fed me whatever tonics she'd mixed herself.

Just like now.

I turned my head away from the potion.

From then on, I would never need any of her potions again.

Pain filled Vesper's eyes as she begged me.

"Livia, please don't do this to me. I didn't set out to seduce Sterling.

"The first time I went out gathering, I got lost. Sterling was poisoned while saving me, and his wolf went berserk.

"I couldn't just watch him die in front of me. Wolves should know how to repay a kindness, Livia. You taught me that..."

I looked her straight in the eye and spoke softly.

"Vesper, I saw it last night. There was a universal antidote in the box you brought me. It could have stopped his wolf from going berserk."

Her lashes trembled, and she was quiet for a long time.

When she looked up again, there was something in her eyes I couldn't read.

"Livia, you asked me before what would make me happy. I want Sterling...

"He's all I want, even if it means you'll never want me again."

The moment she said it, something in my chest shuddered.

I looked over at Sterling, who'd heard every word.

His eyes were on Vesper, focused and tender.

When he saw me looking, he stepped forward, took Vesper's hand, and said earnestly.

"Livia, stop giving Vesper a hard time. I'm the one who chose her.

"For you, fighting and training always came before me. I was just a small part of your life..."

He and Vesper shared a smile, and he went on.

"But to Vesper, I'm her whole world.

"I love her."

I looked down at my wrist.

There was nothing there anymore.

When I looked up, Vesper was still staring at me with stubborn resolve.

I let out a quiet laugh.

Even mates chosen by the Moon Goddess can still break their bond.

Vesper, how can you still believe in a man's love?

Inside me, my wolf lay limp and listless.

I gave a small smile and offered my sister the blessing she'd been waiting for.

"Fine. Go ahead and bond with each other.

"I hope you'll be happy together."