Chapter 1

I was packing my bag when I suddenly spotted a smooth, polished bracelet engraved with Randy Foster's name.

I first met him at the border during a raging blizzard. He'd been out patrolling the pack's territory when the storm hit. I followed his scent and found him.

We kept each other company as we fought off the cold. He saved the best parts of his hunt for me, and I carefully fed him warm water.

For countless days and nights, we huddled together for warmth and shared stories about our pasts. As we spent more time together, we grew to understand and love each other.

Those days were hard, but they were also filled with warmth and tenderness.

When he saw my sketchbook filled with drawings of flower-covered hills, he promised to take me across the mountains after winter ended so I could see fields of flowers in the south with my own eyes.

The love Randy had shown me, along with my longing to see those flowers, made me choose to believe him. I agreed to spend the rest of my life with him, and we formed our mate bond before the Moon Goddess' altar.

I sighed as the memories ended abruptly. Then, I set down my bags and headed to the heart of the territory to pick up some spare winter gear.

The door was half open, and the fireplace was burning brightly. Randy stood by the table, leaning over to guide Annie Pike through her combat moves. They stood close, and something Annie said made him laugh.

I wasn't comfortable seeing them like this, so I decided to leave quietly.

But Randy had already spotted me.

"Nora, are you here to see me?" His eyes were still on Annie's training gear as he spoke to me casually. "If it's nothing urgent, leave first. Annie needs my help with her training right now."

My voice was colder than usual. "I understand, Alpha Randy."

Randy noticed my attitude and turned to look at me. "Nora, you're about to become Luna. You should learn to be more understanding and stop getting upset over every little thing."

Annie's voice was soft, sounding almost guilty. "Nora, I know I've been taking up the time you could be spending with Alpha Randy, but I really need his help right now. And as the future Luna of the pack, you should be considerate of him. He's already busy enough as it is.

"As for that legend, it's just a legend. You don't need to take it so seriously."

Seeing how well they got along, I frowned. I didn't say another word and simply walked out of the room.

Behind me, I heard Annie gently apologizing to Randy, saying she felt bad for me.

Then, I heard Randy say, "Don't worry about her. Nora's best quality is that she knows how to behave. She'll understand."

I still remembered the night we formed our mate bond before the Moon Goddess. He'd held my face in his hands and told me, "Everything about you matters more to me than anything else."

Now, those words had become nothing but a reason for the pack to mock me and another little thing Randy could dismiss.

After Randy failed to show up at another full-moon rendezvous, I told him we should dissolve our mate bond.

He grabbed my wrist so tightly, his face dark. "Are you really going to throw away everything between us over some legend?"

Our mind-link let me feel his pain. I took it as a sign of how deeply he loved me and how hard it was for him to let me go, so I thought maybe I shouldn't give up on our relationship over a legend.

In the end, I relented and decided to wait a little longer.

But after that, rumors began spreading through the pack.

No one dared to criticize Randy, so they directed all their contempt at me. I was just an Omega, the lowest-ranked member of the werewolf pack. They said I didn't know my place and was delusional enough to think I could ever be with Randy.

I was too afraid to even leave my room during that time, as I couldn't bear their contemptuous looks or the nasty things they might say about me.

"What's on your mind?" Randy's voice pulled me back to the present as he walked over. "I'm the Alpha of the Winterveil pack. Protecting the pack is my responsibility. Don't throw a fit at a time like this."

When I stayed silent, he draped a brand-new fur coat over my shoulders. "You're more sensitive to the cold than others. Put this on."

Annie had one just like it. I took the coat off and handed it back to Randy. "No need. I can take care of myself."

Randy wanted to say more, but one of his subordinates called for him from outside. Something had come up involving Annie. He fell silent for a moment, then set the coat and accessories on the table, turned, and strode away.

I didn't know how long I'd stood there. My hands and feet had gone numb with cold when Vivian Gilmore's voice finally pulled me out of my thoughts.

She'd brought me food. Seeing how dazed I looked, she sighed. "Nora, don't let Alpha Randy reduce you to this. You have your own journey to take. The patrol shifts change in seven days. I can help you leave the pack without anyone noticing then."

In just seven days, I would be able to leave. I quietly marked the date in my mind, then looked at my bags, my resolve growing stronger.

Vivian was right.

I had my own journey to take. I didn't need anyone to accompany me. I would head south on my own.