جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

At the top of the steps, the two of them were posing in front of the Moon Temple for a vow photo.Kalen crouched down a little on purpose to match Sylvia's height."This one's cute! Post it on Insta!"Sylvia bounced on her feet. "Caption it: I married the noblest man in the pack.""I want to see if that block of wood Gareth can keep pretending he doesn't care!""Easy. Don't push it too far." Kalen said the words, but there was no real warning in his voice.It was always like this.As long as Sylvia was around, I was always the one who didn't belong.I used to fight. I used to make a scene. I used to grab his collar and demand to know who the Luna title was really for.All I ever got was an annoyed frown."Don't be so petty.""Sylvia isn't making a fuss. Why do you have to?"This time, I gave him what he wanted.I didn't care anymore. I was letting go.I turned around quietly and headed for the forest path at the bottom of the steps.Then my phone buzzed at my hip.[Bond dissolved. This

By the time Kalen came running, I was on my knees on the stone floor, fingers clawing through petals and gravel, eyes red.Sylvia was slumped in a pile of flowers, her forearm scratched up by the thorns on the flower stems, thin lines of blood running down.Her eyes were wet, doing that thing where she looked like she was bravely holding back tears."It's okay, Kalen. I just slipped. It wasn't Ella's fault..."Kalen scooped her up in his arms. The worry on his face was practically spilling over.He turned to me. His expression was ice. "Ella, are you done?""Do you have any idea what today is?""This is Sylvia's ceremony site, and you just trashed it!"I sat on the freezing stone floor, scrambling around like a crazy person.No matter where I looked, I couldn't find the broken pieces of the moonsoul stone.Tears fell before I could stop them, hitting the stone and spreading into small wet marks."Kalen! You know what that was! That's the only thing I have left from my parents!"His fac

Ronan, Alpha of the Shadow pack, rarely showed his face at public gatherings.Now he stood in the doorway like a wolf king stepping out of deep night.The crowd surged toward him."Alpha Ronan! How did you build Shadow pack into the second strongest in the North in just ten years?""Our tribe would like to open a trade route with Shadow. When might you have time to discuss?""Alpha Ronan, you've ruled alone for years. Have you found a mate?""I heard the Gold Wolf clan leader's daughter sent you a bonding proposal and you turned her down. Is that true?"Ronan didn't answer a single one.From the moment he walked through the door, his eyes were locked on me, pinned to the chair on that stage. His face was dark enough to freeze the air.The witch had stopped talking long ago. The entire hall was dead quiet.Sylvia saw the man walking straight for the stage and tugged at Kalen's sleeve, delighted. "Kalen! Did you invite Alpha Ronan?""You're amazing. We only sent that trade proposal last

"Ella." The former Alpha's tired voice came through."I've heard about everything that happened in the pack."His voice was heavy with guilt. "I didn't raise Kalen right. I let you suffer like this.""Back then, you could have gone anywhere, found something better. But you stayed in Silver Moon.""All these years, the trade routes, the border security, the hunting yields, all of it was held together by you. I don't have the face to look at you."I forced a smile. "It's not your fault."The old Alpha sighed. Then his voice turned firm."I've already stepped back from pack affairs. Whatever you want to do, do it. Don't worry about anyone's feelings.""Kalen. That foolish wolf. Whatever punishment he has coming, he gets every last bit of it."After the call, I stared at the screen for a long time.I thought the old Alpha would try to protect Kalen. Instead, he'd been on my side from the very start.The old man who found a stray wandering the mountains and brought her home. He never change

While Kalen's world was falling apart, I was with Ronan, trying on my white gown for the Moon Blessing ceremony.I stood in front of the water mirror, staring at the woman in moonlight white, and went a little blank.This was my first time wearing a real ceremony dress.I touched the moon ornament in my hair. The cool metal against my fingertips was the only thing that made me believe the woman in the mirror was really me."Beautiful." Ronan's voice came from behind me.I turned. He'd changed into his formal suit. Deep silver-grey. It matched my white perfectly.He stood there looking at me, smiling without holding anything back."I've been waiting for this day for a long time."He walked over and straightened the edge of my veil, easy and natural."Do you remember, six years ago, the boy who got cornered by rogues in the deep forest?"I blinked. The memory rose up slowly from somewhere buried.It was a spring evening. I was coming back from a border patrol, cutting through the forest,