Chapter 1

Nadia's POV

The full moon hung in the sky, its cold light flooding the bedroom and stretching long, faint shadows across the floor.

The only warmth in the bedroom came from the fireplace.

My heart raced, a chaotic mix of dread and longing.

The mark on my neck—left by my Alpha during the last full moon—had begun to burn.

Would he come tonight?

Suddenly, a surge of power spiked through our Mind Link. “I’m reaching home.”

Panic set in.

I rushed to the mirror, checking my reflection before pulling a shimmering energy crystal from my drawer.

Yes, humble as an Omega, but I was gifted at healing other werewolves, especially the powerful Alphas.

By infusing my calming energy into gemstones, I could soothe an unstable Alpha's volatile power, preventing his veins from rupturing under the strain of the moon.

At this moment, Lucian stalked in, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his pupils already shifting into predatory slits. The moment his eyes locked onto mine, he lunged, dragging me from my seat and pinning me to the bed...

Almost instinctively, I gripped the crystal and pressed it close to him. I closed my eyes, chanting the silent spell to activate its core.

As he leaned over me, I opened my eyes, searching his face for a flicker of tenderness amidst the frenzy—some sign that this was more than just the mate bond.

But his gaze remained as cold as ice.

I slightly turned my head to the side, waiting for him to mark me again, something I'd been longing for since the last time he pushed his fangs into the nape of my neck.

I waited and waited... Yet, this time, he didn't.

…

After a storm of primal passion, he finally calmed, drifting into a heavy sleep.

Hours later, he got up.

Without a word or a single glance back, he walked toward the bathroom, his expression once again a mask of indifference.

The air still carried the cloying sweetness unique to a mating cycle and the lingering musk of frenzy.

Lucian Thorne, the pack's youngest and coldest Alpha, was my mate, or I should say "temporary mate."

One moment ago, his primal Alpha instincts were claiming my body with a possessive hunger, but now he was as cold and detached as if he were just a stranger.

I had grown accustomed to it during our one-year temporary bonding.

Perhaps, he had never seen me as his true mate, but only a healer with soothing energies that he needed.

Gritting through the aches, I wrapped myself in a robe. I looked at my delicate face and curvy figure in the standing mirror by the bedside. Somehow, I possessed a kind of innate allure that could steal any man's heart. But just not for Lucian.

The sound of running water ceased abruptly. When Lucian emerged, his gaze was sharp as an ice pick, yet unnervingly calm.

I was just about to ask him why he didn't mark me just now, but then, he began first.

"Our mate bond is over," he said as he dried his lean and muscular figure with a bath towel; his intoxicating scent, cedar and sandalwood, hit my nose again.

I froze there. His words stung more sharply than a silver dagger.

"You... You wanna sever the bond? " I didn't expect him to say so, and my voice was trembling.

"Yes. It's time," he said calmly.

"After the rogue attack, Abbie finally woke up from her lingering state. I have to keep my promise to her," Lucian said as he snapped his fingers.

A flame ignited at his fingertips to light the cigar between his neat and white teeth. Smoke blurred his handsome yet aloof face.

My heart seemed to stop for a beat. As his temporary mate, a spiritual energy provider, it was not my place to complain.

I pressed my lips together and asked one last, humbling question, "Is there no other way? Well, for the sake of this past year... Is there no room for..."

"Nadia, our mate bond is temporary. You knew it from the beginning. And it was only because of your healing gift. You healed me after I got badly injured from the rogue attack."

He paused, "But I failed Abbie at that time. And my wolf won't let me hurt her a second time." His tone was final, leaving no space for negotiation.

When he uttered the name "Abbie," a tenderness flickered in his eyes, something I had never seen when he looked at me.

Yeah, Abbie Lowe, who was I trying to match with?

She had once taken a near-fatal blow for him, almost sacrificing her life. Compared to that profound debt of life and loyalty, my ten years of silent crush and one year of companionship were nothing to compare with.

I closed my eyes, ordering my wolf to stop howling inside.

"Then, as you wish." My voice was low but determined.

His brow furrowed slightly, as if he didn't expect me to agree so quickly. But that trace of puzzlement vanished in half a second.

"Soon, you'll not be the Luna of the pack, but if there's something you need, now is the time to say it. The Thorne family of the Silver Stone Pack recognizes your devotion to us."

I looked up, without lingering attachment to the past, but only a desolate gentleness in my gaze. "Yes, there's one."

"Name it."

"After our mate bond is severed, promise me that we won't ever see each other again. Not as mates, not as pack members."

The resolve in my eyes felt like a curse.

Lucian's eyes instantly darkened, turning deep and turbulent, luminating rage. His voice dropped to a dangerous low tone. "Nadia, are you throwing a tantrum?"

"Why?" I offered a bleak smile. I knew exactly what I was doing. Without the mate bond, I would be nothing but a wandering rogue.

He clearly didn't believe me, and even seemed to think I was using such a way to demand more.

So, he scoffed coldly, lifting his gaze to scrutinize me.

"I offered you compensation, not a stage for childish games. Never meet again? Is that even possible within the realm of wolf packs?"

"Childish?" I didn't argue. "Just do what you have to do now. I don't have any other conditions."

He hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a solemn tone.

"I, Lucian Thorne, Alpha of the Silver Stone Pack, stand before the Moon Goddess tonight to sever the bond. I reject you, Nadia Woodward, as my mate and my Luna. By the light of the full moon, I broke this tether. May the Goddess witness my words and set our souls free."

"I, Nadia Woodward, accept it."

As the words died out, our bond severed.

My heart wrenched violently. It felt like a physical amputation of the soul, leaving a phantom limb that screamed in agony, as if the colors of the world had drained away, leaving only a cold echo of what life used to be.

I felt powerless, my energy drained, and my legs turning to lead.

I stumbled, nearly hitting the ground, when a firm hand suddenly caught me. I shoved him away without hesitation. My wolf was already recoiling from his presence.

He stared at me in shock, unable to believe that I—usually so submissive—would dare to push back. His eyes flared with sudden rage.

For this past year, he had been kind to me, even letting me harbor the delusion that he might have felt some shred of attachment.

Now it was clear—it was merely the basic care an Alpha showed for an "object" within his territory, perhaps, with a bit of gratefulness for my healing power.

However, he would always belong to his true mate, and it was time for me to step aside.

I took a silent, steadying breath and met his golden amber eyes.

"So, it's over between us."

Lucian's frown deepened. He seemed not to have expected that, because I was always so obedient, and it seemed that I was somehow eager to cut ties with him.

Narrowing his eyes, his tone carried an irritation he himself seemed unaware of.

"Yes and No. I need to inform Alpha Reid, my grandpa, and make a formal announcement to the pack. By the way, your gift is highly valued here. Are you sure you wanna give up my protection to spite me?"

"Lucian, you are the one who asked for it," I replied with a hollow laugh, my voice as empty as the wind over a barren hill. "Since you've decided you are no longer my Alpha, my future is no longer of your concern."

My heart was being shredded, my wolf curled to the back of my mind.

As the mate bond was fading, I felt weak both mentally and physically, and I almost collapsed onto the bed.

He took a big step forward, trying to catch me, but I pushed him away without a second thought.

He stared at me in disbelief. "What now? Am I already a stranger to you?"

Looking at his unyielding need for control, I said in a calm tone, "No. But I wonder why there's such fluctuation in your pheromones?"