Chapter 4

The message was met with silence.

Kaelen didn't reply.

I figured she was probably riding him, demanding all his attention.

Tomorrow was our bonding ceremony. It was also the day Lyra had promised to help me disappear.

I sat on the balcony all night, letting the cold wind whip against my skin.

When the sun came up, Kaelen returned. His shirt was a mess, but he looked energized. When he saw me on the balcony, looking like death, he frowned and rushed to wrap a blanket around me.

"Elara! Why are you sitting out here in the cold?" He tried to pull me into a hug, to warm me with his body. "If you get sick, I'll feel a hundred times worse…"

I didn't respond. "Did you see the message I sent you last night?" I asked coolly.

"What message?" He pulled out his phone, looking confused. The chat history was empty.

Just then, my phone buzzed. A new post from Seraphina: Alpha has too much energy, we went all night. I think his Mate found out and sent him a picture. Good thing I deleted it while he was in the shower. So dumb. Did she really think one photo would make him come back to her? Haha.

The picture was of Kaelen's back, a towel around his waist.

So that’s why he "didn't see it." I didn't bother calling him on his lie.

"I must have imagined it," I said flatly.

Kaelen visibly relaxed, pulling me into a tight embrace. His strong Alpha scent, which I used to crave, now just made me want to vomit.

He whispered in my ear, his voice thick with passion. "Tomorrow is our bonding ceremony, Elara. After tomorrow night, we'll be together forever. I promise you, you will be my one and only Luna."

My one and only Luna.

Seven years ago, when he proposed under the stars, he had called me his "one and only love."

Maybe he hadn't even noticed the change.

His love back then was real. And so was his betrayal now.

I stood stiffly in his arms but forced myself not to push him away.

This was the final act, and I had to play my part.

The bonding ceremony was held at the open-air altar on the Black Stone estate. Thousands of blue moonflowers, flown in for the occasion, covered the grounds. Every time I looked at them, I thought of Seraphina's post, and the sight of them made my blood boil.

The city's elite were all here—Alphas, Betas, and envoys from every major pack.

I stood at the center of the altar in a pure white gown.

Kaelen was beside me in a black tuxedo, looking breathtakingly handsome.

He held my hand tightly, his face beaming with happiness.

The High Priest was giving a moving opening speech when Kaelen’s phone rang.

He glanced at it and immediately declined the call.

Just as the High Priest intoned, “Kaelen Blackwood, do you take Elara to be your bonded Mate, to be loyal to her, in sickness and in health, until your souls fade?”

Kaelen looked at me with deep affection, about to say, “I do.”

His phone vibrated again.

This time, he didn’t immediately silence it.

He gave me an apologetic smile and whispered, “This might be urgent. I’ll just take it, I’ll be quick.”

He let go of my hand and stepped behind a nearby pillar.

I stood there, watching his back as he answered the phone.

He wasn’t far. I could see his expression shift from annoyance to stark, pale horror.

"What? Kidnapped? Where?!" he yelled, his voice cracking.

The entire ceremony fell silent.

Kaelen's head snapped up to look at me, his eyes a war of panic and conflict. "Elara, I'm sorry… It's an emergency. Someone's life is at stake. I'll explain when I get back, I promise!"

Then, under the shocked gaze of hundreds of guests, he shifted right there on the altar. A massive black wolf knocked over baskets of flowers as he sprinted toward the exit.

He left me standing alone at the altar.

I stood there, watching him go, and felt a strange sense of relief.

My phone buzzed. A new notification from Seraphina:

【Just had a friend fake a kidnapping, and he really ditched that woman and came running. Guess it's pretty clear who the true love is~】

A moment later, a text from Lyra: Everything is ready. Remember your promise.

I took a deep breath, wiping a single tear from my eye.

Facing the thousands of shocked, pitying, and mocking faces in the crowd, I raised the microphone to my lips.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry, but today's ceremony is cancelled."

"Because my Alpha, it seems, prefers another 'mate'."

I pressed a button on the remote in my hand.

The giant screen behind me, which had been showing a slideshow of our happy memories, suddenly switched. It began playing all of Seraphina's smug posts, her secret pictures, and even short clips of their passionate moments.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. The faces of the Pack Elders were thunderous.

I pulled the moonstone ring, the symbol of the Luna, from my finger and threw it to the ground. It clattered loudly in the dead silence.

Then, I gathered the skirt of my dress and ran towards the black sedan waiting for me by the side gate.

Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse on the other side of the city…

Kaelen burst through the door, panting, only to find Seraphina sitting on a crate, casually painting her nails.

There were no kidnappers.

"Surprise, Alpha!" she chirped, jumping down to throw herself into his arms.

Kaelen froze. A wave of pure rage washed over him. "You lied to me?! Do you have any idea what day it is?!"

Just then, his Beta called, his voice shaking.

"Alpha… it's over. The Luna… she knows everything. About you and Seraphina."