Chapter 3:

Lira's POV

The moment Ronan touched me, I felt the mate bond instantly. There was no mistake, I was mated to the Alpha. Panic overwhelmed me. The tenderness in his expression, the way his thumb grazed my skin as if I were something fragile and precious, was more than I could bear. If I stayed another second, I would never be able to leave.

An Alpha mated to an Atoner was a death sentence for his leadership.When Ronan leaned closer, I snapped out of the shock and ran. I sprinted out of the pack house and far into the woods before stopping, panting and shaken. Guilt filled my chest as I thought about Ronan. The Alpha deserved a better mate, not an Atoner destined to die. I never believed that I would find a mate. After all, who would be unfortunate enough to be bound to someone whose life was meant to end on a sacrificial altar?

I ran until my legs felt heavy and my breath came in ragged, sobbing hitches. Finally, I collapsed against the trunk of an ancient oak, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my chest.

"Why?" I screamed silently at the moon, which was beginning to peek through the canopy. "Why would it be the Alpha of all people." I wasn't scared of Ronan himself. I was scared of the bond and what it meant . Because when the pack’s curse grew stronger and imbalance spread through the wolves, Atoners were sacrificed to restore peace. It had been the law for decades.

And I knew that one day, I would be chosen.

Ronan was a good leader. He was strong, fair, and the pack finally had a chance to thrive under him. He deserved a Luna who could stand beside him for decades. He deserved a woman who could give him heirs and strengthen the Silver-Grip bloodline.

I leaned her head against the rough bark, hot tears finally spilling over. Every instinct told me to go back, to crawl into his arms and let him protect me. But I knew the truth.

"I’m sorry, Ronan," I whispered into the darkness. "I’m so sorry", I whispered again as various thoughts run in my head.

Later, while heading home, a beautiful and well-dressed girl approached me. I slowed my pace, my hand instinctively going to the silver mark on my neck.

The girl didn't speak at first. She just looked me up and down with disdain taking in my wretched and dirty appearance that couldn't hide my beauty. She then spoke reeling with jealousy.

“I hear you’re the Alpha’s mate,” she said coldly.

“The way you ran today? Keep doing that. Because if I see you near him again, I’ll kill you.”

The girl was beautiful. She was dressed in a gown of deep emerald silk that hugged a figure many would kill for. Her hair was a waterfall of perfect blonde waves, and her skin looked like it had never known a day of hard labor. I recognized her instantly. This was Elena, the daughter of Elder Dominic, and the woman the pack had whispered was the frontrunner to be Ronan’s future Luna.

I swallowed hard, my throat feeling like it was full of glass. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Elena took a step forward, her heels clicking against the stones. Elena was taller than me, and she used every inch of that height to look down on me "Don't lie to me, Atoner. I can smell him on you. That disgusting bond that should never have existed."

She reached out, her manicured nails digging into my chin as she forced my head up. I flinched, but she didn't let go.

"Look at you " she said in a tone. "You are like a luck charm. You are a girl who was born to die on a stone table so that the rest of us can be safe. Do you really think Alpha Ronan wants you? He is an Alpha so he does what comes naturally. What he felt today was not love Lira. It was just his body reacting strangely not some useless mate bond that you thought it was.

I tried to move but she would not let me go. Her grip was very tight. "If you keep running like you did today that is a good thing " Elena told me,her face very close to me. "Just keep running until you cannot run anymore. Because if I see you near Alpha Ronan again if you are even in the room as him I will make sure that you die sooner than the Elders said you would.. It will not be a quick death", She said.

Elena pushed me away. I stumbled backwards almost falling down.

"He is the future of our pack " Elena said, fixing her dress like it was dirty from touching me. "You are just something that needs to be taken care of. You are, like a debt that we have to pay. Remember who you are, Lira. You are an Atoner so you need to know your place. Alpha Ronan is important. You are not."

I tried to pull away, but her grip was like a vice. “The way you ran today? Keep doing that,” Elena warned, her face inches from my face. “Run, if you so much as breathe the same air as Alpha Ronan. I will kill you myself.

Without another word, Elena turned and vanished into the darkness toward the village, leaving me alone in the cold. The weight of her words felt heavier than the curse itself.

I wished it was just the Alpha's body reacting strangely but I knew it wasn't. I felt the bond. No matter how I badly wanted to believe what Elena said . I knew it wasn't true. I felt the bond.

And as I looked up at the moon, I realized that the hunt for my life had officially begun as I struggle to decide whether to continue working at the pack house or not. Not knowing what would unfold the next day........