Chapter 3

I would never forget that night from seven years ago.

Liam lay on the bed, his face pale as a sheet. An enemy pack had placed a curse on him that was eating away at his life force. Unfortunately, none of our pack's healers were able to cure him.

"At this rate, he'll only be able to hold on for three more days," Marcus told me.

I gripped Liam's icy-cold hand in mine as I sensed how weak his breathing was.

He was the second son of our pack's Alpha and had been born with a frail constitution. Hence, he had never really awakened a werewolf's true power.

Never once had I ever looked down on him for not having the right to inherit the position of Alpha, and we even joined as fated mates under the Moon Goddess' blessing.

He protected and respected me, so I had thought that our love would last forever.

However, during a ritual, he fell for an enemy pack's trap and became cursed, which was a death sentence for him.

"Is there any way to save him?" I asked.

Marcus hesitated for a very long time before finally uttering the taboo words, "Bloodline sacrifice."

He explained, "Only werewolves who have the primordial bloodline running through their veins can perform this ritual. However, the price the sacrificer has to pay is the loss of all their powers, maybe even their life."

Without a second's thought, I nodded. "I'll do it."

"Gianna, please think this through carefully. Once you perform the Bloodline Sacrifice Ritual, your family's bloodline will disappear forever. Plus…"

He paused briefly before continuing, "You can only perform the ritual after you've broken your mate bond. Otherwise, your feelings and emotions might affect the transfer of power."

I had to break my mate bond? That meant I had to sever all ties between me and Liam with my own hands.

That night, I made the most difficult decision of my life.

I had to make Liam willingly leave me. That way, he wouldn't feel burdened by guilt over my sacrifice.

The next day, when Liam was somewhat more aware, I sat down by his bed and said the words that would cause my heart to still ache to this very day.

"Liam, I don't think we're compatible."

Liam opened his eyes to look at me, the confusion in them evident.

"You're too weak." I had to force myself to sound cold and distant. "What I need is a true Alpha, someone able to protect me and give me status, not a piece of trash who can't even protect himself like you."

"Gianna…" His voice was reedy and faint. "What are you saying?"

"I want to break our mate bond."

Standing up, I turned my back on him as I added, "I've already found a more suitable mate."

From behind me, I heard the loud crash of something shattering. I knew it was the mate pendant that Liam loved.

"Are you for real?" he asked in a trembling voice.

I didn't even look back as I replied, "Of course. Tomorrow, I'll meet with the elders and request that our bond be broken."

That night, Liam's heartbroken howling resonated throughout the entire infirmary.

As for me, I was leaning against the wall in the corridor, tears sliding down my cheeks as I wept silently.

The next morning, the bond-breaking ritual happened as planned. The moment the bond between us broke, I felt an agony like no other ripping through my heart, as though it were being torn to shreds.

Nonetheless, that very night, I secretly performed the Bloodline Sacrifice Ritual under the glow of the full moon.

An elderly shaman used a silver dagger to slice open my chest. Following that, the power of my primordial bloodline gathered into a stream of light that slipped right into an unconscious Liam's body.

"From today on, your family's bloodline shall be no more," the shaman intoned gravely. "As for him—he shall obtain power unlike any before."

I could feel my life force slowly draining away, even as color gradually returned to Liam's complexion.

It was worth it. All of this had been worth it.

After the ritual, I made the shaman promise to keep this a secret forever. Liam couldn't know the truth. He had to believe it was his own willpower that allowed him to overcome the curse.

Three days later, Liam miraculously recovered and even awakened a powerful Alpha bloodline. Everyone said that the Moon Goddess had blessed him.

I, on the other hand, was exiled from the core of the pack due to my "betrayal". From then on, I lived a life scorned by the other pack members.

Time flew by, and after seven years, the last remnants of my bloodline's power was nearly completely depleted. Liam, however, had become the Alpha.

…

Back in the present, I sat in my dim house, staring at the message I had received from the elders, "As per Alpha Liam's orders, all moonstones given to the traitor, Gianna Moonwhisper, are to be reclaimed. This shall be the last act of mercy toward the traitor."

I let out a bitter laugh. Now, he had even cut off my last source of medicinal herbs.

Since I needed those herbs, I had no choice but to send a message to my best friend, Chloe Bloomhart, begging that she find me a short-term job.

In the evening, there was a knock on my door.

Chloe's eyes were filled with sympathy as she said, "I found you a job as a temporary attendant. The pay's not bad."

Taking the contract from her, I saw that the job location was the pack hall.

"Thanks, Chloe."

"Don't mention it."

Chloe took my hand and urged, "Gianna, you have to hold on, okay? Just tell me if you need anything."

Three days later, I put on the leather attire and half-face mask of an attendant and arrived at the pack hall.

Unexpectedly, I ran into Liam there once more.

He sat on a platform that elevated him from the rest of the room, looking like a king. Beside him, Jessica was dressed in ornate ceremonial attire.

In stark contrast, I was but an insignificant attendant lost among the crowd.