Chapter 2

Victoria was the first she-wolf Damian chose during our first Unclaimed Moon. That month lasted only twenty-seven days.

Back then, she had only been an ordinary she-wolf who accidentally wandered into our twisted game. The truth hurt her badly, so Damian later brought her into Moonridge Pack as compensation.

Years had changed her. The nameless she-wolf from before had become elegant, charming, and far too good at reading people.

I lifted the whiskey in front of me. "I didn't bet on anything."

A drunk pack member passed by, muttering, "Long live freedom," before winking at me. "Our future Luna must be praying the Alpha doesn't get stolen away, so he'll crawl back to her again."

Victoria waved him off and turned back to me. "He's playing, so you should play too. Why tie yourself to one wolf?"

"There are plenty of wolves in the northern territories."

I stirred the ice in my glass and leaned closer to her. "If you want to win big, bet with me. You won't regret it."

Victoria turned sharply, surprise flashing in her eyes. Before she could ask anything, screams and whistles erupted from the dance floor.

A spotlight fell on Damian.

He was dancing tango with a pale, slender she-wolf in his arms. Even from where I sat, I could feel the raw chemistry between them.

"Five minutes in, and Damian already picked someone," someone laughed. "Looks like Aurora is in danger again."

"Wait. Doesn't she look familiar?"

She did.

Scarlett.

She was last year's thirty-day lover.

Scarlett was wildfire, everything I was not. She wore a short leather skirt and moved with reckless energy, the kind of thrill I could never give him.

To me, a month meant thirty ordinary nights. Damian and I went to art shows, wine tastings, and quiet dinners.

To Scarlett, a month meant color and danger. She took Damian diving, skydiving, and chasing every reckless thrill she could find.

In the end, she pushed him into something truly insane.

She ran an underground racing club and persuaded Damian to cross into Blackwater territory for an illegal midnight race. Blackwater was enemy land, and no Alpha heir of Moonridge Pack should have been there for sport.

When I heard the news, I stayed awake all night. Damian refused every call I made.

I dropped my work, chased after him, and used my family's influence among the northern packs to block both ends of the overpass.

In the cold night wind, I forced his roaring Aston Martin to stop.

"You have no racing experience. You can't do this."

Damian leaned back in the driver's seat, playing with the car key. "Aurora, you've gone too far. This is my free month."

Then he glanced at Scarlett beside him. "Besides, Scarlett will keep me safe."

Scarlett sat in the passenger seat, chewing gum as she gave me a mocking look. "So this is Damian's boring little babysitter."

The words stuck in my throat. I looked at Damian, but he avoided my eyes.

In the end, I stepped aside and let them pass. Scarlett's pleased laugh cut through the engine noise as they drove away.

I thought it was finally over. I thought I was free.

Ten minutes later, Damian caught up with me.

"Aurora, I'll listen to you. I won't race."

That night, Scarlett went to watch the race alone and got into an accident.

The moment Damian heard the news, his face changed. He gave me one cold look before rushing to the Healing Lodge.

He personally pushed Scarlett's stretcher in. Her leg was broken, twisted at a terrible angle.

She grabbed my hand and sobbed, "Aurora, I don't blame you, but you and Damian were already apart. Please stop clinging to him."

Every stare in the room landed on me.

After all those years by Damian's side, I had become the outsider.

During Scarlett's recovery, Damian cleared out the best private Healing Lodge in Moonridge territory for her. He ignored pack affairs and his own health, staying by her bed day and night.

For three full months, he broke the rules of Unclaimed Moon completely. He never came back.

During that time, pressure from the allied packs and his betrayal pushed me past my limit. I collapsed from severe internal bleeding and woke in a ward surrounded by the cold beeping of machines.

Damian did not even call.

Later, I heard what he had said.

"When did she learn to fake illness? Besides, she has all of you taking care of her. Scarlett only has me."

The entire northern pack circle was waiting to see me replaced.

Even I believed it.

But just when everyone was ready to laugh, Damian opened the door of my residence again.

He and Scarlett had suddenly ended things. Even when Scarlett threatened her own life, he still chose to come back to me.

Late that night, he held me in his arms and whispered against my ear, "Aurora, I only owed her a debt."

"You are the only Luna of Moonridge Pack. That will never change."

I saw the faint red mark on his collarbone, and my stomach turned.

Moonlight spilled outside like silver.

I said quietly, "Then let's complete the bonding ceremony now."

The tenderness on Damian's face froze. He let go of me, turned toward the bar, and poured himself a glass of whiskey.

The ice struck the glass with a sharp, cold sound.