1

The night before our Mating Ceremony, Ryker, my Alpha, pinned me against the wall, his hot breath fanning my neck.

I thought he wanted to mate with me again before the ceremony.

But then, out of nowhere, he demanded I give him the Willow Creek Pack's "Moon Soul Crystal."

That crystal can only be made by a Willow Creek healer when she first awakens her mating bond, using the purest energy.

If we lost it, the Willow Creek Pack would lose all its protection. We'd be in mortal danger.

But there wasn't a hint of softness in Ryker's eyes, nothing like a mate's. Just a cold command.

"Selena," his voice was a low, chilling rumble, "you're about to be my Luna. The pack needs you to contribute. The 'Moon Soul Crystal' will boost our 'Blood Moon Altar,' awaken the ancestral totems. It's vital for the Howling Moon Pack."

He saw me hesitate. He put his hand on my stomach, and the pressure was unsettling.

"You're carrying my child, Selena."

"You're not a Willow Creek wolf anymore. Protecting Howling Moon, raising our heir—that's your future now. Give me the crystal, and I'll protect Willow Creek. And I'll take… better care of you both."

He leaned down, and his kisses rained down on my face, so possessive, like he wanted to swallow me whole.

For my baby, for my people in Willow Creek, I agreed.

My mother, Elara, used up all her life's moon energy to temporarily seal the "Moon Soul Crystal's" power and put it in my hands.

Her hand was cold, trembling.

"I know Alpha Ryker has big responsibilities," she said weakly, trying to comfort me. "Just seeing you and the baby safe, that's all I want. I'm willing to give up the crystal."

But just three months after the Mating Ceremony, my mother's life force started to drain, fast.

Only the "Silverleaf Herb" from the Howling Moon's forbidden grounds could save her.

I knelt before Ryker, begging him to help.

He just stared at me, cold, like I was some stranger making a scene.

The key to his vault was with Brynn, his most trusted female warrior—the one who always looked at me with suspicion and jealousy.

"Selena," Ryker's voice was flat, "the Silverleaf Herb is for elders who've done great things for the pack, or for the Alpha to break through his own limits. Elara has made her contribution. Her honor will be remembered. But the pack's future is more important."

I broke down, screaming at him.

But he thought I was using my mother's illness and my pregnancy to blackmail him, to challenge him. He grabbed my chin, his eyes fierce.

"You just became my Luna, and you think having my baby gives you power over me? The Luna of the Howling Moon Pack must be loyal and obedient, first and foremost. What you did today proves you're not fit to carry my heir!"

His cold fingers brushed over my still-flat stomach.

Then, he ordered his shamans to perform a painful "bloodline-stripping" ritual on me, saying it was to "cleanse the bloodline, to stop any impure emotions from tainting the baby."

The ritual didn't kill the baby outright, but it badly damaged its wolf essence. It had almost no chance of being born healthy. It was a death sentence.

I couldn't even think about how sick I felt. My mother was waiting for me.

I desperately tried to find another way to save her, even doing the lowliest chores in the deepest part of the wolf fort's herb room.

But I still couldn't afford even a single leaf of those rare herbs.

The day my mother died, I couldn't even buy a burial slab etched with protective runes.

I was holding my mother's cold belongings—a simple wooden totem she always used—walking back to my small hut.

As I passed the pack's Plaza of Honor, I saw Ryker holding a small but grand ceremony for Brynn, giving her a "Silver-moon Badge," a symbol of the "Alpha's special trust."

Brynn shot me a smug look, then cooed at Ryker, "You were right, Alpha. Wolves from those small, outlying packs are just selfish and weak deep down. You can't trust them. Looks like I won our… little bet."

My hands, clutching her things, were shaking so bad.

So, my mother's life, my lost baby… it was all just a game to test my "loyalty."

"Just a wager," Ryker's voice was terrifyingly calm. He didn't even look at me, just coolly fastened Brynn's weapon belt. "Indeed, I misjudged. This badge, you earned it. She… was just a trial in my search for a true mate."

Brynn snuggled into his arms, all smug. They got on Ryker's mount and rode off.

I stood there, holding my mother's things, for a long, long time.

That Silver-moon Badge, just the materials were worth a fortune, and forging it would cost even more.

But I had less than twenty silver wolf coins on me, not even enough for half a day of my mother's medicine.

Now, it was all I had.

I stumbled back to my hut, a mess. The Captain of the Guard, the one who collected the "Moon Energy Tax," was waiting at the door. As a member of the Howling Moon Pack, everyone had to pay this tax monthly to keep up the pack's wards and daily operations. The Luna was supposed to be exempt, but I was already seen as an outcast.

"Selena, you're two months behind on your 'Moon Energy Tax.' If you don't pay up, you'll be kicked out of the pack."

I let out a bitter laugh, clenching the silver coins in my hand, and just said, "Sorry, I can't pay right now. I'll move out soon."

The Captain's eyes held a hint of mockery. "What? Alpha Ryker didn't set you up with a new place? I saw him showing Captain Brynn around the Luna's exclusive Moonlit Tower the other day."

I just looked down, a bitter smile on my face, not knowing what to say.

Just then, Ryker turned the corner from a nearby hallway.

When he saw me, he made an annoyed "tsk" sound and threw a scroll of animal hide at me, so hard I stumbled.

The Captain immediately bowed respectfully to Ryker, then said, a little awkwardly, "Alpha, Selena's 'Moon Energy Tax'…"

Ryker cut him off, looking at me with contempt. "A descendant of Willow Creek healers, and now that you've joined Howling Moon, you won't even make the most basic contribution to the pack?"

I didn't want to respond to his scorn anymore.

The "Moon Soul Crystal," which my mother had given her life and all of Willow Creek's hope for, was just a prop in his game, and it had destroyed my mother.

He scoffed, pulled out a handful of shiny moonstones, and threw them hard in my face.

The cold crystals cut my cheek, stinging like fire.

"Since you care so much, here, a little something for you! Go buy your cheap pride and pathetic dignity!"