Chapter 2

One month ago.

That was exactly when I had been injured and burning with fever, and he had disappeared completely.

My breathing faltered. My mind went blank. My fingers trembled so violently that I could barely hold the communicator.

So he had already been with Seraphine. He was not asking for my consent. He was informing me.

In his vision of the future, I had never been included.

The communicator vibrated again, pulling me back.

It was Eryndor Valerius, my teacher from the Obsidian Pack, the Holy Healer.

"Freya, I heard your Marking Ceremony is approaching. But I want to try one last time. Are you certain you don’t want to come to Obsidian?

"You are the most gifted Healer of this generation. The Healing Order has kept the Chief Healer position for you.

"Even if you become Luna after forming your Mate Bond, the influence of Obsidian’s Healing Sanctum cannot be ignored. If you dedicate yourself to research, your future won’t be inferior to that of a Luna."

He sighed softly. "I’m not asking you to give up being Luna. Only to shift your focus. Your talent shouldn’t be confined to standing beside an Alpha."

Three months ago, he had already extended this invitation. Obsidian’s Healing Sanctum was the sacred place every Healer dreamed of.

However, Raelor had just taken the Alpha position. Internal and external threats surrounded him. All I wanted then was to remain at his side and help stabilize Silvermoon.

So I refused.

I believed that long separation would weaken the Mate Bond we were about to form.

Now, Raelor was already the father of another she-wolf’s pup.

Since he had never valued our future Mate Bond, this ceremony had no reason to exist.

I took a slow breath and suppressed the tightness in my throat. "Master, I’ve changed my mind. I’m willing to join. From now on, I’ll devote myself fully to new healing research."

I did not mention that I would not become Luna. I didn’t want him to feel responsible for my personal matters.

His voice brightened with unmistakable joy. "Really? That’s wonderful! The Order welcomes you at any time. When will you depart? A week after the ceremony? You can settle your affairs first."

My eyes fell to the calendar. The full moon date was circled. It was supposed to be the end of happiness.

Now it was the countdown to my departure.

"No. I will leave on the day of the Marking Ceremony."

On that day, I will sever every connection between Raelor and me.

I will never return.

That night, Raelor did not come back.

The pack forum already displayed a letter of gratitude from Seraphine. It described in detail how Alpha Raelor accompanied her to pray before the statue of the Moon Goddess.

Photos were attached.

Raelor supported Seraphine as she knelt before the Moon Goddess, his expression reverent. Mirella Raven, Seraphine’s mother, held his hand, smiling warmly.

In one image, his hand rested protectively over her barely visible abdomen. His gaze was gentle. They looked like a family.

I thought of the five years Raelor and I had been together. He had accompanied me home to the outer territory only once, even though he used to visit often when we were young, and my parents treated him like their own son. My home was only twenty minutes from the core territory.

After rising in rank, he never once returned. He said he couldn’t stand the mixed scents there because it reminded him of the humiliation of his past.

The day we confirmed our relationship, he was only a Gamma.

On that single visit home, he maintained the restraint of someone climbing upward. He was polite and distant, unlike the humility and warmth he had towards Seraphine’s family, even though her parents were merely Omegas.

I closed my eyes and swallowed the ache rising in my chest.

He was capable of giving warmth. He simply never intended to give it to me.