chapter 1

serena's pov

I had always heard the old belief that every wolf carries a white moonlight inside his heart—the she-wolf he loves most, yet can never truly possess. For years, I thought Adrian Blackwood was different. We had loved each other when we were young, and what we shared had always felt deeper than anything else.

But the world seemed to be nothing more than a stage built for white moonlights, and Adrian was no exception. I had been beside him since I was eighteen—ten years, more than two thousand nights together, countless moments of closeness, and memories I had once believed belonged only to us. Yet somehow, none of those years could compete with one brief glimpse of another she-wolf from his youth.

It was almost absurd. I had spent ten years trying to understand one wolf's heart, and even after all that time, I still couldn't reach the deepest part of it. What kind of love could survive for so many years, hidden away inside him, without ever fading?

My thoughts wandered, and the wolf above me seemed to notice. His patience disappeared, and his movements became more forceful—a wordless reminder that I should pay attention to him instead. Adrian had always been intense when we were together, and one particularly forceful movement sent the black brocade box resting on the nightstand tumbling toward the edge. He reacted quickly and caught it before it could fall onto me. It was the first time he had ever noticed the box, and curiosity immediately surfaced in his expression.

"What is this?"

I took it from him without showing any emotion and tossed it to the side, then slipped my arms around his neck and kissed his throat. "You're still getting distracted at a time like this?" I teased. "Are you already tired of me?"

He couldn't resist the teasing, and whatever curiosity had caught his attention disappeared. As he became absorbed in me again, I turned my face toward the forgotten black brocade box, moisture blurring my eyes. Adrian, you would never know what I've kept inside that box.

…

A month earlier, Blackwood Business had successfully gone public, and Adrian's closest friends had arranged a small celebration banquet for him. I dressed carefully that night because I had made up my mind: I was going to ask Adrian to form a sacred bond with me.

Traditionally, the wolf should have been the one to ask, but I loved Adrian enough to put aside my pride as a she-wolf and make the first move myself. No one knew that I had been waiting ten years for that moment.

Adrian was ambitious, and I had wanted to support him in every way I could. I even abandoned the major I originally preferred and switched to finance, despite never liking it, because I believed it would help him. After graduation, I rejected offers from prestigious universities in other packs and joined Blackwood business instead. I wanted to build something with him, so I started at the very bottom as a clerk and worked my way upward until I became his chief secretary. Only I knew what that journey had cost me.

During the early, intoxicating years of our relationship, there were countless occasions when I wanted to ask him directly, "Will you bind yourself to me forever?" But every time, I swallowed the question. My mother had always taught me that neither love nor gifts should be demanded from someone; what a person gives willingly is affection, but what you have to beg for is charity.

Besides, Adrian had never been the sort of wolf who openly expressed what he felt. For all those years, I had also remained the only she-wolf beside him—there had never been another. So I believed our future together was simply inevitable, like the ending our story had been moving toward all along.

To reach that ending, I had thrown myself into Blackwood business with everything I had. I had fought for the company through countless projects, taking risks no matter how large or small. Eventually, I lost track of how many drinks I had forced myself to swallow or how many times I had ended up needing treatment from a healer. There was even one occasion when alcohol poisoning nearly took my life after I lost our pup, leaving me dangerously close to dying on the operating table.

My best friend, Maya Bennett, had asked me afterward, "You've already looked death in the face. Do you regret any of this? Putting yourself through all that for one wolf—is it really worth it?"

"It's worth it," my answer had come without hesitation.

Maya eventually gave me a nickname: Warrior for Love. "I hope you win," she told me.

At the time, I had answered with absolute confidence, "Adrian won't let me lose."

That conviction stayed with me until the day Blackwood business finally went public. No one knew that while Adrian stood in Grendora Park and rang the bell to celebrate the company's listing, I had locked myself inside my room and cried until I could barely breathe. Afterward, I wiped my face, pulled myself together, and began preparing the surprise proposal I had planned.

Adrian had simply been too busy. The successful listing had left him with one project after another, along with endless congratulations from relatives, friends, and business partners—there was hardly a moment when he could stop and think about our relationship. So I decided I would take the initiative. If he was carrying too much, I would help him carry it.

Even though I had tried to prepare myself emotionally, when the moment finally arrived, my nerves nearly got—

"Honestly, her father has risen quickly in the packs these past few years," a voice spoke from inside the private room. "If you bound yourself to her, it would benefit both you and Blackwood business. They're a perfect match—a talented wolf, a beautiful she-wolf, and equal status. And she's your white moonlight. You get love and a stronger career at the same time."

The one speaking was Damon Cross, Adrian's childhood friend. He was always saying that he and Adrian had grown up together and shared everything, which meant people tended to take his words seriously.

Adrian… had a white moonlight? A sudden pain pierced my chest.

"What about Serena?" someone asked with curiosity. "She's been beside you for years. Even if she hasn't done anything extraordinary, she's shared all the difficult times with you."

Damon dismissed the concern with a shrug. "Give her some money and let her go. If Adrian really likes her that much, he can always keep her after he binds himself to Elena."

That was how the wolves around Adrian seemed to live—one red flag kept safely at home while colorful flags flew everywhere else.

Outside the door, my fingers had tightened so hard they had gone numb. I needed to hear Adrian answer. I wanted him to immediately deny what Damon had said, to tell them he loved me, and that I was the she-wolf he intended to bind himself to for the rest of his life.

But after the silence stretched on, the only response I heard was Adrian's casual voice. "Since when did all of you become such gossips?"

He didn't deny it. He didn't correct Damon. The silence that followed felt like agreement.

"Exactly. It's supposed to be a good day, so let's talk about something more interesting," Damon said, rising from the sofa to deliberately shift the mood. "I'm getting sleepy."

He was infamous for being a player, changing she-wolves almost as easily as he changed clothes. He was always coming up with some new game, and this time he suggested a confession round. "Everyone has to share the most thrilling thing they've ever done."

Someone immediately offered, "Having sex in a car."

"That's supposed to be thrilling?" Damon snorted.

"On a moving train," the wolf continued, and the room erupted with cheers.

Damon turned toward Adrian, who looked almost bored beside him. "What about you, Adrian? What's the most thrilling thing you've ever done?"

Adrian considered it for several seconds before answering. "Became the third for love."

The room erupted. This was Adrian Blackwood—the heir to one of the most powerful noble families in the Jendris pack, born with advantages most wolves could only dream about. He could have chosen any she-wolf he wanted; a wolf like him would only become the third for love if his feelings were genuine.

Damon reacted louder than everyone else, his voice carrying clearly through the door to reach me. "It was Elena, wasn't it? I knew you still loved her! You loved Elena back then, but she loved Jack Stone, so you became the third for love. Adrian, you're a true warrior for love!"

The laughter and teasing from inside struck me like cold water thrown over my entire body, making my stomach twist violently as I slowly lowered myself to the floor.

But Damon wasn't finished. "Adrian, tell us the truth. On October tenth, did you meet Elena?"

Adrian sounded surprised. "How did you know?"

"She posted that day about reunion being the most romantic thing in the world, so I figured it had to be you. Did anything happen that night? Dry wood meeting a fierce flame—did the two of you start something again?"