Chapter 1

As I watched the silver nightingale swallow my message and disappear into the sky, I hid the box inside the secret compartment in our room.

I was certain no one would return tonight, but the front door suddenly swung open the next second. It was Troy Hudson, my mate. A faint trace of alcohol clung to him, and in his arms sat a bouquet of white roses still wet with dew—my favorite.

"Why didn't you turn on the lights?" he asked with a soft laugh.

He reached into his coat and pulled out a small box. When he opened it, the gentle glow of a moonstone spilled out, illuminating the utter tenderness in his eyes.

"Happy sixth anniversary, my Luna," he murmured. "The main stone is carved from moonstone mined from the Northlight Sacred Mines. There's only one like it in the world. Do you like it?"

I smiled dryly, trying to look touched like I always did, but I couldn't. I lowered my head and let my hair hide my face.

"Thanks… Put it on me?"

Troy leaned over to fasten the necklace around my neck, but I caught a glimpse of a red lipstick mark on the inside of his collar. It stung like a blinding light.

I remembered I had sworn not to bond with anyone, ever. My mother was a witch who hid away and lived with my Beta father. When I was little, they were the perfect couple everyone envied.

However, when Dad grew tired of loyalty and turned to chase another she-wolf's scent, their existing mate bond didn't let them go.

Mom was only over 30 at that time, beautiful and proud, yet the backlash of the betrayal tore her apart. She would curl up, shaking, sobbing, and screaming every night, all because her mate was in the arms of another werewolf.

She collapsed to her knees, digging her nails into her own chest, as if the physical pain could drown out the agony ripping her apart from the inside.

In the end, she killed Dad with her curse, and the blacklash took her life, too. Right before she died, she used the last of her magic to seal away my wolf.

"Forgive me, my darling. Everyone says a mate bond is the Moon Goddess' greatest blessing, but no one says that it's also her cruelest curse."

From that day on, I became the sole werewolf in the pack without a wolf. I watched others bond, mark, kiss, and pledge eternity to each other, but there was nothing but cold indifference in my eyes.

I didn't believe in destiny or love… until I met Troy.

It was the night of the pack's Hunt Festival when the moon hung full and bright. Troy was the newly appointed Alpha. He was young, proud, and devastatingly handsome.

The moment his gaze landed on me, a flash of gold detonated in his eyes. The wolf tattoo on his chest began to flow, and he even let out a low, uncontrollable growl.

"My wolf… He's reacting to you," he had said with a mix of shock and burning hunger, like he had just found his fated mate.

I was stunned. I didn't have a wolf, so I wasn't supposed to trigger anyone's wolf. Yet, somehow, his wolf trembled for me.

Since then, Troy began pursuing me with insane determination. He showed up every day. He hunted with me, brought me flowers, and even challenged another Alpha just because he looked at me too long.

Everyone said he had lost his mind, but he didn't care. During a vampire ambush, he threw himself in front of me and took a blow meant to kill me.

"Estelle… You're the only one my wolf wants," he muttered, his body drenched in blood and his lips shaking.

Yet, through it all, he still tried to smile at me. That was when I finally fell for him.

He prepared the grandest mating ceremony our pack had seen in a century. A silver Luna shawl was draped over my shoulders, and oath-fire blazed against the night sky.

However, the ceremony was cut short by a witch's prophecy. "Six years from now, your Alpha will betray you!"

Back then, I laughed it off. I believed love was a matter of choice, not fate. Now, on the very day I discovered I was carrying his pup, I found that box at our doorstop, proving his infidelity.

Troy's worried voice pulled me back from the memories. "What's wrong, babe? You look pale."

I looked into his eyes, so full of warmth and devotion, but the air around me still felt suffocating. I forced a smile.

"I'm fine," I answered. "Just remembered I haven't fed the silver nightingale yet. It must be starving by now."

Before he could answer, I slipped past him and climbed to the rooftop terrace. The night wind brushed against my face.

Just then, the silver nightingale returned. It perched in its golden cage, speaking in a human voice. "Dear Estelle, I thought you were still lost in Alpha Troy's tender care. What made you decide to inherit your mother's witch legacy?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "He betrayed me."

The silver nightingale's eyes dimmed, and it fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "I've sent word back to the Witch Association. In three days, someone will come for you."

It added, "When the time comes, magic will erase every trace of you from this world. Do you consent?"

"Fine by me," I murmured. "It's not like I have anyone or anything left worth holding on to."

Since the death of my parents, Troy became my only family.

As soon as my words rang into the night, a familiar voice echoed from the staircase. "Who did you say betrayed you, my dear?"