2

"Have you lost your mind?"

Norah slammed her coffee cup on the table, dark liquid splashing over the edge and soaking into the tablecloth.

"The marking ceremony is tomorrow, and you're saying you want to cancel?"

Norah was my closest friend.

She knew every detail of how Caine and I had gone from getting to know each other to falling in love.

She knew how much we loved each other.

"Eileen, are you sure you've thought this through? I don't want you doing something you'll regret."

"I've thought it through."

My voice was steady.

"Moon Goddess above, what happened? Does Caine know?

"Please tell me he already knows. Eileen, you're not running a fever, are you?"

Norah pressed her hand to my forehead.

"No, I need to get ahold of Caine. He needs to talk some sense into you! This is about both of you!"

"He's busy completing a marking ceremony with someone else."

Norah's hand froze.

Her mouth opened, then closed, and finally she stammered out her question.

"Eileen... what... what did you just say?"

"Caine completed a marking ceremony.

"Yesterday. With Leora. His first love."

Norah went silent.

After a long pause, she spoke, her voice rough.

"You're telling me that... yesterday, while you were spraining your ankle setting up the ceremony venue, Caine was holding a marking ceremony with another woman?"

I nodded.

Norah swore under her breath, then dragged me straight to the Moon Temple.

After the ceremony was officially canceled, I went home and started packing. I was going back to my own pack.

My phone lit up. It was Caine.

He'd sent me a photo of the northern lights.

"The summit's finally over. I'm exhausted."

"You've always wanted to see the northern lights, haven't you? Beautiful, right? I'll bring you next time."

I didn't reply. I just stared at the photo, at the slender silhouette of a woman in the background.

Her arms were spread wide, as if trying to embrace the aurora.

My eyes locked on the moonstone bracelet on her wrist.

It gave off a soft, luminous glow under the northern lights.

I'd seen that bracelet before, on Caine's mother's wrist.

She had taken my hand at the time.

With a warm smile, she told me it was meant to be passed down to Caine's future mate.

She'd wanted to put it on me, but Caine had stopped her.

He said the style was too old-fashioned for me.

It had never been about the bracelet not suiting me.

It was me who didn't suit the bracelet.

I texted Caine back.

"Who is she?"

Caine replied almost instantly.

"Oh, just a stranger. She was standing at the best photo spot and wouldn't move, so I had no choice but to include her in the shot."

I responded with a brief acknowledgment, then set my phone down and went back to folding my clothes one by one, tucking them into my suitcase.

By the time I was nearly finished packing, my phone lit up again.

This time Caine was requesting a video call.

I ignored it.

I didn't answer until the third time my phone rang.

Caine saw my suitcase and frowned slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"Packing."

He seemed like he wanted to ask more, but I changed the subject first.

"How's the summit going."

"Fine. I'll be back at the pack first thing tomorrow morning. Won't miss our marking ceremony.

"Eileen, I miss you."

I responded with a flat hm.

Caine paused, then asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm just tired."

"You've been working so hard."

His expression softened, his blue eyes brimming with concern.

"I'll make it up to you when I get back.

"Oh, I brought you something."

Caine held up a beautifully wrapped box.

"A friend of mine just had a marking ceremony on the Ice Plains and gave out party favors. I made sure to bring yours back. For good luck."

"A friend?" I asked.

"Yeah, a friend."

His tone was perfectly natural.

If I hadn't already known the truth, I might have believed him.

"Caine."

Looking at that face on the screen, so familiar and yet so foreign, I couldn't help but ask.

"Do you truly want to go through with our marking ceremony?"

Caine blinked, then smiled.

"Of course, silly! Moon Goddess knows how much I love you."

My heart sank, slowly, one piece at a time.

I nodded.

"All right."