Chapter 1

Julian walked away fast. His steps were sharp and decisive. He didn’t look back once.

I sat alone at the head table of our mating ceremony, watching his back disappear through the double doors. My inner wolf howled hysterically, clawing at my sanity.

Just like the 98 times before, my primal instincts screamed. They begged this Alpha to stay for just one more second.

And just like those 98 times, I got nothing.

The mate bond was eating me alive. But him? Relying on his sheer willpower as a top-tier Alpha, he could easily suppress his inner wolf’s craving for its mate. All to fulfill his twisted sense of "duty."

Now, I was done. I was done waiting for the man who only ever needed "ten minutes" but never came back.

The banquet hall was buzzing. Pack elders were still raising their glasses, celebrating me. The joy in their eyes was so blinding it made me want to run.

The exact moment Julian completely disappeared from view, my phone lit up.

It was a text from my mentor at the Werewolf Healer Association: "Harper, the Lead Healer position at the Northern Headquarters is only open for tonight. Have you made your decision?"

I stared at the screen. My eyes burned.

Everyone said I was a lucky Luna. After so many hurdles, I was finally tying the knot with the young Alpha who ruled the vast Southern territories. Once he marked me, I would become his radiant equal.

Some blessing.

Even as a top-tier healer, I had rejected the Association’s recruitment countless times just to stay by Julian’s side. For seven years, I stayed in his pack. I healed his warriors and took on the deadliest medical missions at the rogue borders.

For seven years, I hadn’t lived a single day for myself.

My mentor had offered me this Northern position three times. I rejected it every single time just to stay with Julian, like a total fool.

But now, after being abandoned for the 99th time, I realized the Moon Goddess’s blessing was entirely useless.

My fated bond and all my sacrifices would never, ever outweigh the moment Chloe cried out in pain.

This time, I was choosing myself.

With trembling fingers, I typed my reply: "I accept."

The second I hit send, a wave of unprecedented relief washed over me.

"Luna, you look pale," a pack elder walked over, his eyes full of concern. "When is the Alpha returning?"

I choked down the hollow sting in my chest and forced a smile. "A pack emergency. Julian had to handle it."

"Tonight? During your mating ceremony?" The elder frowned. "What conflict could possibly be more important than his Luna's ceremony?"

What was more important than me? Always Chloe Mercer.

Her damaged wolf, her panic attacks, her fragile health—there were always a million reasons why Julian had to drop me instantly and run to her.

"It’s severe," I said, keeping my voice level. "You don't have to wait for him."

Just then, my mother rushed over and grabbed my hands. When her fingers brushed against my empty ring finger, all the color drained from her face.

"Harper, where is your mating band?"

I looked down at my hand. Yesterday, Julian had personally slipped on the Luna’s token—a moonstone ring passed down for centuries.

But right before he rushed out to Chloe, he pulled it off my finger without a second thought.

Why? Because Chloe's nurse claimed she needed the moonstone’s energy to stabilize her inner wolf. Julian had given me this cold, blaming stare. It was as if me not volunteering the ring meant I was letting her die.

"He needed it for an emergency." I choked down the bitter lie. "He’ll give it back soon."

My mother looked at me, her voice trembling. "Will he come back tonight?"

I slowly shook my head.

I knew Julian’s "ten minutes" never had an end.

He hadn't chosen me the past 98 times. Tonight wouldn't be any different.

After seeing my parents off, I sat alone in the empty banquet hall. I was surrounded by dirty glasses and the fizz of leftover champagne.

My phone buzzed. A short text from Julian: "No. She’s getting worse. I have to stay by her side tonight."

I stared at the screen with a bitter smile. A million similar nights flooded my mind.

When I was honored as Lead Healer at the High Council, Julian missed it because Chloe’s inner wolf was acting up. The empty VIP seat in the front row made my eyes ache.

Even on the night he proposed, the moment the ring slid onto my finger, he rushed off. Chloe had a panic attack. I sat alone on that beautifully decorated terrace, watching the stars until dawn.

In the past, whenever Julian ditched me, I would blow up his phone. I would scream my anger and hurt through our mind-link.

But I always just got lectured: "Harper, can't you just be kind? She's dying. Why are you being so petty with a sick patient?"

In seven years, Julian only chose me once.

It was our first anniversary. I dragged him to an island getaway and secretly cut off all communication. I thought I could finally have him all to myself for just two days.

But because Chloe couldn't reach him, her wolf had a breakdown. She swallowed wolfsbane in despair to kill herself.

When Julian found out, his eyes were bloodshot. His gaze was so cold and disgusted, it was like looking at a monster.

"How could you be so vicious?" His voice was like a blade of ice. "I only treat her like a little sister. You’re jealous over a human life? If she dies, we're done!"

Since then, I woke up to reality.

He never cheated on me physically. But in his twisted logic, Chloe was the absolute victim, and I was the "understanding mate" he never had to worry about.

Tonight, I didn't cry. I didn't throw a fit. I just calmly typed back:

"The mating banquet is over. We are done."

I hit send, turned off my phone, and walked back to the penthouse we had shared for seven years.

Julian didn't reply all night.

The next morning, I went to the pack’s central clinic to hand over my files. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I saw a scene that froze me in my tracks.

Julian was sitting on a stone bench in the garden. He was draping his own jacket over a shivering Chloe, holding her wrist to channel his Alpha energy into her. Bathed in the morning light, anyone who didn’t know better would think they were fated mates.

If it were the old me, my wolf would have lost her mind. Jealousy would have eaten me alive.

But this time, I just gave them a quiet glance, turned around, and walked away.

No tears. No anger. Not even a hint of heartbreak. It was like watching two strangers.

My inner wolf was dead silent. She would never howl for this Alpha again.

"Harper."

Julian’s voice came from behind.

I didn't stop, but he jogged up and grabbed my wrist tight. His hand was warm, but that warmth couldn't reach my heart anymore.

"I was wrong for not coming home last night. But what's the point of sending a petty text like that?" Julian sounded exhausted and arrogant. Throwing the blame on me was second nature to him. "Are you still mad about me leaving yesterday?"

I turned to look at him. I used to be absolutely obsessed with this face. I would have given up everything for it. But now? He just looked like a stranger.

"I'm not mad." My voice was so calm it even surprised me.

Julian breathed a sigh of relief.

He reached out to pet my head, like he was soothing a bratty child. "Chloe almost died yesterday. You know her wolf is broken. You’re my future Luna. Can't you show her some mercy?"