Chapter 1

My fated mate, Alpha Rylan, slammed on the brakes. His face was a thundercloud. "Get out." We were on a desolate mountain road, miles from anywhere.

I stared at him in disbelief. "Rylan, are you insane? We're thirty kilometers from our Black Stone territory, and—"

"And this is a rival pack's turf?" He cocked a mocking eyebrow. "Then you'd better start running. If you find some trouble, try flashing one of those sweet little smiles. See who bothers to save you."

The doors unlocked. He sped off, leaving me in a cloud of dust.

"You were talking to that beta for too long at the meeting! Rylan's wolf is burning with jealousy, he's going crazy!" Echo's voice echoed in my head, her usual frantic, placating tone.

"He loves you! Echo insisted. That's why he's losing control! He's shifting right now, tearing through the forest to burn off this jealousy. He just doesn't know how to show it!"

The cold mountain wind bit through my thin formal dress. I hugged myself, a lump forming in my throat.

Seven years. This was the ninety-ninth time he'd abandoned me for no reason.

My second wolf, Echo, awakened the day Rylan and I confirmed our mate bond seven years ago.

Her only purpose, it seemed, was to tell me what Rylan was really thinking.

Just like now, as she whispered endlessly in my mind.

"He didn't mean it, Aveline. I can see his pain right now, he regrets leaving you here all alone!"

When I didn't respond, she pleaded.

"Aveline, come on! Let's shift and go after him. Just act cute, give him a kiss! If we apologize, he'll dote on you!"

But I couldn't hear her anymore.

I closed my eyes, my mind flashing back to that night seven years ago.

I'd just had my coming-of-age ceremony. It was the Moon Goddess Festival at the academy, the first time I laid eyes on the young Alpha.

His wolf was so powerful. His eyes, so deep.

The moment he looked at me, my own wolf screamed mate, trying to claw its way out.

But all he gave me was a cold shoulder.

Everyone said it: a plain omega with a minor healing talent was no match for an Alpha of Rylan's powerful bloodline.

I tried everything—giving him gifts, getting close to him during the pack hunt, showing him my affection—but he remained unmoved.

My heart shattered. I thought my wolf had made a mistake.

The day I decided to give up, Echo appeared.

"He's thinking about you," she'd said. "His wolf is calling your name. The first time he saw you, his wolf went wild, desperate to pull you into him. He's just enjoying the chase, that's why he's playing it cool!"

"That time you almost fell during the hunt? He was so scared he almost shifted to cushion your fall. And those gifts? He keeps every single one in his room, like treasures! He even rejected the marriage alliance the Elders wanted for him!"

Hope, which I thought was dead, flared back to life.

Especially when I went near his quarters and really did hear a beta from his pack trying to convince him to accept the alliance.

He had refused, declaring he already had a fated mate.

After that, my pursuit became relentless.

He brought me back to his pack and publicly announced our bonding ceremony.

His fangs pierced my neck and he claimed me.

It was the happiest moment of my life.

But soon after, as my healing gift grew and I became a pack healer, he grew distant again.

When I was attacked by a rogue wolf, I was in agony, but he just said, "Toughen up," and walked away.

"He's suppressing his feelings! He hates seeing you heal other werewolves." Echo always explained. "Alphas can't show weakness. His wolf is burning for you, it's breaking his heart to see you in pain!"

And I chose to believe her. Again and again.

The sound of an engine broke the silence. For a heart-stopping moment, I thought it was Rylan coming back.

But it wasn't his familiar black sedan. It was a patrol truck from the Blood Moon pack.

The headlights pinned me in their glare.

"Stop right there!" a rough voice barked. "Identify yourself!"

I raised my hands to show I was no threat. "I'm Aveline Blackwood, Luna of the Black Stone pack. I—"

A beefy Beta climbed out. "The Black Stone Luna?" he sneered. "Alone in our territory at night? That sounds like a spy to me." With a roar, he lunged.

I stumbled back instinctively, my heel slipped, and I fell into the deep ditch by the side of the road.

My head hit a sharp rock. Warmth trickled down from my temple.

Seeing me sprawled and helpless, the beta loomed over me. He drew a silver dagger and plunged it into my gut.

The world spun and blurred.

"Hang on," Echo's voice grew faint. "He'll come for you. He has to..."

Then, darkness.

I woke up to a blinding white light.

I blinked, trying to adjust.

"You're awake."

My heart leaped at the familiar voice.

Rylan was sitting in the chair by my bed, his eyes bloodshot, his jaw covered in stubble.

He looked like he hadn't slept in days, exhaustion radiating off him.

This was the first time he had willingly touched me in three months.

Seeing him like this, a tiny seed of hope began to sprout in my chest.

"I..." I tried to sit up, but a searing pain shot through my head and abdomen.

"Don't move," he said, his voice hoarse as he gently pressed my shoulder. "The silver wound in your stomach hasn't fully healed."

His hand was warm, carrying the scent I craved.

Just then, a sickeningly sweet voice came from the doorway.

"Rylan, you need to rest."

Morrigan walked in, carrying a crystal tray. On it was a bowl of soup shimmering with a soft glow.

"The Moon-Spring Elixir is ready," she said gently to Rylan, but her eyes shot a triumphant look at me.

I stared at the bowl of shimmering liquid. Moon-Spring Elixir. I knew what it was—a rare potion brewed to heal a wolf's very soul.

I watched Morrigan hand the bowl to Rylan, knowing he must have prepared it for me.

But Rylan took the bowl and, instead of giving it to me, sneered, "Since Aveline is awake, she probably doesn't need this. After all, she's strong enough to be flirting with males in other packs' territories."

"You drink it," Rylan said, his gaze soft on Morrigan. "You're exhausted."

A triumphant smile spread across Morrigan's face. "If you insist. You're always so good to me, Rylan."

I couldn't breathe. I had to look away.

But the next moment froze me.

Rylan was feeding her. Spoonful by spoonful. He gently blew on each one before bringing it to her lips, as if she were made of glass.

"That was for you!" Echo shrieked in my head. "He stayed up for three days and nights brewing that for you! He's doing this on purpose! He's thinking about you and that beta from the meeting, he's mad with jealousy! He wants to see you get possessive, to see you fight for his attention! He even went to the Blood Moon pack and killed the man who hurt you!"

Before I could process Echo's explanation, a new form of torture began.

Morrigan blushed, murmuring she could finish the rest herself.

But then her hand "slipped."

The rest of the scalding liquid splashed perfectly across the back of my exposed hand.

The skin instantly turned red, blisters bubbling up.

The pain was so intense I almost passed out.

I bit my lip hard to keep from crying out.

"Oh my goddess! I'm so sorry, so sorry!" Morrigan feigned panic. "I really didn't mean to!"

Rylan shot up, but just as he was about to rush to my bed, he stopped and pivoted toward Morrigan.

He gently took her wrist, his voice dripping with a tenderness I hadn't heard in years. "Are you okay? Did you get burned?"

That gentleness... it had been so long.

"I-I'm fine, but Aveline..." Morrigan bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. "It's all my fault."

Rylan finally glanced at me, at my red and blistering hand. His brow furrowed for a split second.

But he didn't come closer. Instead, his voice was cold.

"Pathetic," he snapped, his voice cold. "A little pain and you fall apart. You're the Luna. Act like it."

I froze.

"He's hiding his concern!" Echo explained frantically. "He doesn't want to show Morrigan he cares about you too much! His heart is breaking for you, so he's lashing out to hide it!"

"Rylan, don't blame Aveline," Morrigan interjected smoothly, linking her arm with his. "Let's go treat my hand. I know a great ointment."

They stopped at the door, and Rylan looked back at me.

His expression was unreadable, as if he was waiting for me to say something.

"Tell him to stay! Tell him to get away from Morrigan and he'll come running back. This is what he wants!" Echo screamed.

But I just watched in silence as they disappeared down the hall.

Because as I stared at my burned, ignored hand, I finally understood something.

Real love shouldn't need an interpreter.

My hand trembled as I reached for the phone on the nightstand and dialed a number.

"Hello, Council of Elders."

"This is Aveline Blackwood, Luna of the Black Stone pack," my voice was surprisingly steady. "I'm filing a request to initiate the severing ceremony with Alpha Rylan."