Chapter 1

Tonight was the Blood Moon Festival, the night Kyle and I were supposed to seal our mate contract and get married.Werewolves spent their whole lives waiting for their fated mate, but Kyle had waited thirty years, yet his fated mate had never appeared.As the strongest female warrior of the pack, I had fought at his side for five years, pacifying the borders and expanding our territory.Although there was no soul bond between us, we were still perfectly matched in battle. So, we decided to stop waiting for that vague, elusive one and instead chose to join forces.Tonight, as long as I put on that thorned ruby crown, I would become Luna.The torches around the altar crackled in the night wind, stretching every werewolf's shadow into something twisted and ferocious.I stood at the center of the altar in an elaborate black velvet gown with my back straight.Kyle carried the heavy crown in both his hands and climbed up the steps, slow and deliberate.Just before his fingers touched

Chapter 2

So, that was what the so-called fated mate?Even if the other person was a useless weakling, she could still make a clear-headed leader lose his mind and go mad for her.In all honesty, I truly had feelings for Kyle. Otherwise, I would never have thrown away everything in my own pack without a second thought just so I could help him.But in that moment, as I looked at his guarded stance, I suddenly felt that the five years I had spent by his side were a total joke.There was no anger or hysteria as I simply walked forward.Kyle immediately pulled Mia tighter into his arms. "What are you trying to do? If you dare to even lift a finger at her..."I looked at him coldly, my voice carrying across the entire altar. "Since you have chosen this weak human, our contract is null and void from this moment onward."Kyle went still, and his tense shoulders loosened as a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes. It seemed he had never expected that I, who had always been strong and stubborn, wo

Chapter 3

"What do you mean?" Kyle asked, not understanding what I meant as he watched me warily.My gaze dropped to the crown in Mia's hands, and I let out a cold laugh. "I just... hope you don't regret this later.""I'm warning you, don't try any tricks!" Kyle pulled Mia behind him protectively, every nerve on alert, and Mia looked deeply moved.I had no interest in admiring their lovestruck eye contact. Instead, I glanced at the tactical watch on my wrist. "It's almost time.""What?" Kyle blinked, not understanding what was going on.A deafening rumble suddenly came from outside the villa as an entire group slammed through the villa gate. Two ranks of werewolf warriors in dark red battle armor, fully armed, walked in one after another.The leader, a giant of a man nearly two meters tall, walked straight toward me."How dare you?! Who are you?!" Before Kyle could release his Alpha's aura, the giant werewolf fell to one knee in front of me, his right fist clenched as he slammed it into h

Chapter 4

"From this moment on, the entire North will seal off every trade route connected to Alpha Kyle and withdraw all covert support for the Shadow Pack."The helicopter vanished into the clouds, leaving wreckage on the ground and Kyle still standing there in a daze."Game over."Kyle stood in the wind. Mia had already fainted from sheer terror in his arms, yet he seemed unable to feel her weight at all as he stared blankly up at the sky."Selene is... the Alpha Female of the Northern Bloodwolves?" he muttered to himself. "How is that possible?!"-By the time he returned to the villa, it was already deep into the night.After settling Mia down, Kyle sat alone in the study.That uneasy feeling that pounded in his chest did not fade with time. It only grew stronger.He tried to calm himself.Whoever Selene was, she was gone. That was that.He was the strongest Alpha of the Shadow Pack. Without that woman, he could still rule this territory.Yet when he tried to shift into his wolf

Chapter 5

It was a familiar voice to me, edged with madness and hollow bravado.I raised my hand slightly, signaling the guards to let him through.The great doors slammed open, and a blast of icy wind swept in together with the swirling snow.A man in ragged clothes and a scruffy beard staggered inside.It was Kyle.In just seven days, he looked as if he had aged a decade.The strong body he once had was a little hunched now, and the muscles he used to be so proud of had gone soft.His eyes were cloudy and sunken, and it was obvious he had suffered on the road, dodging enemies and fighting the cold.He had not brought Mia.The spy I had planted at his side had told me long ago about what happened. That pampered woman had run the very night the Shadow Pack's defenses were breached by the hyenas.Kyle rushed into the hall and spotted me on the throne at a glance.His eyes lit up immediately, grasping at straws."Selene!" He shouted, ignoring the nobles' looks of disgust as he scramble

Chapter 6

"The heir of the Northern Bloodwolf Pack seals the power of their bloodline after coming of age and goes out into the world for the trial," A Beta said in a calm voice as he stood by my side. "They must live through a betrayal that cuts to the bone, then sever that bond with their own hands, and awaken the ruthlessness and brutality that were passed down in our bloodline."I watched Kyle's face grow paler with every word, and I continued, my tone as calm as if I were telling someone else's story. "Only by killing the part of themselves that is weak, sentimental, and hungry for love can they become the Wolf King that every member of the pack truly accepts."I let my powerful aura roll out, and the pressure crashed through the hall. Every werewolf was forced to their knees, and no one doubted my strength anymore, respect filling every eye.Only when some of them started to shake under the strain did I pull my power back.I met Kyle's shocked, unwilling eyes and spoke slowly. "For fiv