Chapter 1

After the death of our pup, Matt Dunn, I tried my best to make myself as busy as possible, because every time I stopped moving, I would think about that young pup that would never return to my side again.

One day, while I was patrolling the border with the patrol team, I was ambushed by a rogue who had lost control.

Although I was finally able to break free of him, several deep gashes had been left across my back and shoulders, the wounds cutting to the bone. I almost lost my wolf as well.

As one of the pack healers helped bandage my wounds, he asked, "Luna Irina, Alpha Sebastian is here as well. Should I inform him of your injuries?"

It was only then I learned that Stella Granger had been receiving treatment here all the while.

Shaking my head, I refused the healer's offer.

However, at that moment, Sebastian Dunn, my mate and also Alpha to the Silverwolf pack, suddenly appeared, his burly figure blocking the doorway. It was clear that he had only just come from wherever Stella was receiving treatment, for a faint hint of the jasmine perfume she favored still clung to him.

Upon noticing the thick bandages wrapped around my shoulders, he immediately frowned. "How did you get so badly injured? Why didn't you contact me?"

I lowered my gaze and answered vaguely, "It's nothing serious."

In truth, the rogue's sharp claws had almost ripped my wolf to shreds. If he had slashed me just a little bit more to the right, there was a high possibility that my wolf would've fallen into an eternal slumber.

Regardless, I didn't bother explaining this to Sebastian.

He was momentarily silent before he moved to sit down beside my sickbed.

"Irina, are you still upset about what happened to Matt?" Ignoring how I stiffened, he continued in a gentler tone, "He's already dead, but we're still young, so we can always just have new pups in the future."

His words slammed into me like a physical blow, and it felt like someone was tearing open my chest with razor-sharp claws.

A memory rose in my mind, of that tiny little body excitedly throwing himself into my arms after his first transformation, all while he called me "Mommy" in that sweet, childish voice of his…

Yet, here was Sebastian, casually telling me that we could always just have more pups, his tone so indifferent. It was as though our dead pup was nothing more than something to be replaced.

Grief crashed over me, dragging me under and making me unable to even say a word.

However, Sebastian assumed that my silence meant that I was heeding his words, so he continued to persuade me, "Irina, it's been so long since that incident. Stella didn't mean for that to happen, and she did rush into the wolfsbane field to rescue him at the time, almost losing her own wolf in the process.

"I've already punished her as well by confining her to the manor all this while, so can we please stop pursuing this matter?"

The words wrapped around me like poison ivy, threatening to choke me to death.

On the day of the incident, I had clearly heard Matt's voice through my mind link with him.

At the time, he had already been poisoned by the wolfsbane, so his voice had been weak and broken. Nonetheless, I could detect the tears in his voice as he told me, "Mommy… It was Ms. Stella who told me… that Daddy was waiting for me at the restricted area… She said that I was the bravest little pup…"

Those were the last words our pup said to me.

After everything was over, I completely lost my mind and rushed to confront Stella about it. However, she fell to her knees with a thud, her entire body trembling and her eyes reddening as she began to cry.

"I'm sorry! I really didn't mean to do it! I was just joking with him! I honestly didn't know that he would actually enter the restricted area…"

Before I could say anything, Sebastian was already standing protectively in front of her, his brow furrowed as he stared at me.

"Irina, Matt was already poisoned by the wolfsbane then, so he clearly wasn't in his right mind. You can't just assume that it was Stella who set him up based on the words of a barely lucid pup.

"Besides, Stella did charge right in to rescue him. If she truly had malicious intentions, why would she risk her own life?"

Upon hearing those words at the time, all the fight had suddenly left me.

Back in the present, my silence had Sebastian knitting his brow in dissatisfaction, but just as he opened his mouth to speak further, a pale-faced Stella arrived at my room.

"Sebby, the healer said that my test results are out…"

Sebastian instantly got to his feet and moved over to steady her, the movement almost instinctual. "I'll go take a look. Irina, you should get some rest for now. I'll be back really soon."

With that, he hastily departed with Stella, not even bothering to spare me one last glance.

I sat quietly on the bed instead of chasing after him and demanding that he return immediately, as I would have in the past.

A moment later, I called the head priestess of the Moon Goddess Temple. She informed me that my application to join the Temple had been approved.

"Ms. Irina Sharpe, once you join the Temple, your mate bond with Alpha Sebastian Dunn will automatically be broken, and once you've confirmed your choice, there's no turning back or changing your mind. Are you sure you wish to proceed?"

I responded firmly, "I'm sure."

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line before she said, "Your application has been officially confirmed and shall take effect immediately. Please come to the Temple three days from now. During this period, your mate bond will slowly fade away."