Chapter 1

When Elder Lucius Hale rushed in, I was still staring numbly at Ayana's body.

The last time I had seen her was ten years ago.

Back then, I was preparing to enter the altar. Eight-year-old Ayana had followed me all the way to the steps, sobbing so hard she could barely speak. "I won't sneak snacks anymore. I'll train hard. Please don't leave me!"

I turned away. I couldn't bring myself to look at her.

After our parents died protecting the pack, my sister and I only had each other left.

But I was the only wolf in Silver Moon blessed by the Moon Goddess. Only I could sacrifice my wolf in exchange for her protection. If I spent ten years praying at the altar, Silver Moon would be blessed with a century of prosperity.

It was my duty. I could not refuse.

So I entrusted my only sister to Soren, the Alpha's heir at the time.

We had grown up together, and I trusted him more than anyone.

I thought I just had to endure ten years before I could see Ayana again. Never once did I imagine that when I finally did, she would be lying before me as a mangled corpse.

Three days earlier, Ayana had contacted me through our mind-link.

She wanted to treat Soren's old injury, but she couldn't get the proportions right in the medicine formula I'd left her.

I patiently walked her through it until she finally brewed the medicine correctly.

She laughed and said she would take it to Soren. That same night, our mind-link was suddenly cut off.

At first, I assumed Ayana had brewed another strange potion and accidentally disrupted our link while testing it. But now I knew better. Someone in Silver Moon must have deliberately severed our connection so I wouldn't sense Ayana's death.

"Lucius, after everything I've sacrificed for Silver Moon, is this how the pack repays me?"

I had learned that Lilith, Soren's new mate, had miscarried. She accused Ayana of using a witch's curse against her.

No matter how desperately Ayana tried to explain, Soren refused to believe a word she said.

Just to keep Lilith happy, he had thrown Ayana into the Thorn Prison, where she was subjected to every torture known to the pack.

Soren...

I repeated his name silently.

When Soren escorted me to the altar, he held my hands and promised to protect Ayana.

In the end, he was the one who sent her to her death.

"Lucius, is this what you meant when you told me Ayana was fine?"

I gently wrapped Ayana's body in a sheepskin blanket and lifted her from the ground. Then I walked toward the altar's exit.

"Melissa, where are you going?" Lucius shot to his feet and grabbed my sleeve in panic.

"You only have two weeks left! Then we'll receive the Moon Goddess's blessing! If you leave now, she'll punish our pack!"

Without looking back, I ripped my arm from Lucius's grip. "My parents gave their lives for Silver Moon. Now my sister is dead because of this pack, too. What right do you have to ask me to sacrifice anything else for it? I won't let Ayana die for nothing. I'll make every last one of them pay with their lives!"