Chapter 1

Kane and I had been together for two years when we decided to hold our marking ceremony. The night before, he came over in person to confirm the final arrangements. Before he left, he placed the future Luna's silver crest in my palm and kissed my forehead.

"Don't be late tomorrow."

He kept hold of my hand, a smile in his eyes. "I'll be waiting for you at the altar."

Leah was Kane's childhood friend and also the daughter of my mother's younger sister. After her parents died, she stayed close to both our families. The next morning, though, I woke to an eerie silence in the villa Blackridge had prepared for me. The ceremonial attendants were gone. The car that was supposed to take me to the altar was gone. Even my mother, who had promised the night before to help me with my dress, had disappeared.

I called her.

She answered quickly, laughter filling the background. "Selena, why are you still at the villa? We're already at the Moon Goddess altar."

There was only an hour left before the ceremony. I didn't have time to ask questions. I grabbed the silver crest and the ceremony documents and hurried out. When I arrived, only two workers were still setting up the altar. Standing in the wind, I called Kane. Leah answered instead.

"Selena, you actually made it?"

She was laughing so hard her voice shook. A second later, the call switched to video. Kane was sitting beside a fireplace. Leah wore his black coat, Rowan was handing her a cup of hot wine, and my parents were there too. Beyond the windows behind them there was no trace of the altar's year-round snow, only the warm sunlight of Riverbend Valley.

Leah lifted the phone higher. "I told you she'd go all the way there. Rowan bet you'd call to check first. I win."

Rowan laughed. "She's always been like this. Everything has to be by the rules."

My mother joined in. "Stop teasing her. You know she'll take it seriously again."

I looked at Kane. "You knew?"

"I knew."

He didn't look away. Leah had twisted her ankle during training the day before and suddenly decided she wanted to soak in the hot springs at Riverbend Valley. So they changed the day's plans. And while they were at it, they decided to play a joke on me.

Even my father saw nothing wrong with it. "The ceremony can wait a few days. You're already there, so just think of it as an outing."

Kane had been smiling too, but the moment he saw how pale my face was from the wind and snow, his brows pulled together.

"Where's your cloak?"

I didn't answer.

He was already turning to one of Blackridge's guards. "Go to the altar and get her. Don't let her come down the mountain alone."

Only after he had arranged that did he look back at me.

"Selena, we're postponing the ceremony today."

My wolf instantly grew restless.

I tightened my grip on the silver crest. "Why?"

Kane was quiet for a few seconds. "I just wanted to know whether you'd still choose me if the Moon Goddess hadn't already chosen us for each other."

Leah laughed beside him. "The great Alpha of Blackridge is jealous of the Moon Goddess now?"

My mother laughed too, as if making me cross the snow alone to an empty altar was nothing more than a harmless bit of fun.

"So you lied to get me here just to test me?"

The smile left Kane's face.

"I was never going to mark anyone else." He looked straight at me, each word deliberate. "Selena, you are the only mate I've ever wanted."

"I just wanted to know whether you're standing beside me because the Moon Goddess chose me for you, or because you want me too."

I didn't answer. The night before, this man had held my hand and promised he would be waiting at the altar. Today, he was sitting somewhere else with my family, waiting to see whether the thought of losing him would finally make me panic. He loved me. I had never doubted that. Maybe that was exactly why he was more certain than anyone that I would never be able to leave him.

I looked down at the silver crest in my hand.

"Kane, are you sure there won't be a ceremony today?"

He still seemed to think I was only angry. "It's just a few days' delay."

I nodded. "Fine."

The other end of the call went quiet. I hung up and immediately called Avery, Blackridge's chief elder.

"Cancel the marking ceremony."

This time, I didn't mean postpone it.