Ever since I was little, I knew my future mate would be one of two Alpha candidates: Mitchell or Jax.

Even with all their Alpha pride, I never once doubted that set future.

The pack elders always said it was natural for Alpha candidates to focus on getting stronger and controlling the pack. My mother, Lyra, even told me that every brutal fight they got into was so the winner could give me, their Luna, the ultimate honor.

That is, until I and Elara – this Omega stray they'd taken in – got ambushed and captured by our old enemies, the Nightshade pack.

Mitchell and Jax only had enough of the life-saving Moonpetal herb for one of us.

And they both chose to give it to Elara.

To save myself in that fire, I forced a shift. The power surge was too much. The heat twisted my cheekbone, and just like that, I was disfigured. After they dragged me out – like an afterthought – I watched those two future Alphas crying over Elara, who didn't have a scratch on her.

"Thank the Moon Goddess, Elara, you're alive."

"Once we sort out who's the new Alpha of Blackwood, whoever it is will give you the most honored spot right under the Luna, Elara. Don't you worry. We'll give you the best of everything our pack has, make sure you never suffer again."

"Elara, you're the real Luna in our hearts."

When I came to, I cut off that ridiculous mate bond for good.

Empty promises and a trampled destiny? I was done with it.

But after I left, they stayed by my cave every day, begging me to come back.

"Sera? Sera, you're awake? How are you feeling? The healer said... when you forced your Luna power to shift, it backfired. Your face... I'm afraid it's… it's ruined. But don't you worry, even if it takes everything we have, I'll beg the Head Elder to fix it for you!"

Tears in her eyes, Mom – Lyra – squeezed my hand tight.

I tried to give her a reassuring smile, but the movement seared through the burns on my face. A pained whimper caught in my throat.

Mom Lyra panicked, quickly pressing me down, stopping me from moving.

"I gave them the pack's sacred ward! How could those Nightshade scumbags still hurt you so easily? And why is Elara perfectly fine? What exactly happened during that ambush?"

Flames flickered before my eyes, but every word Mitchell and Jax had said burned hotter in my soul.

After a long silence, I gave up on telling her the disgusting truth.

"Mom, please don't ask anymore. It's... it's all in the past."

Mom Lyra wiped her tears, her voice choked.

"You're right. We won't talk about it. Not ever again. Mitchell and Jax have already taken a team to wipe out the rest of those Nightshades. Don't worry, this kind of shame won't happen again. Now, about your face... Your mating ceremony with the future Alpha has to happen soon. We can't let other packs, the ones always watching us, think Blackwood is falling apart."

I knew what she was really worried about: that with my face like this, both Alpha candidates would ditch me completely.

After all, what Alpha would choose "damaged goods" for his Luna, someone who might mess with the purity of the bloodline?

But now, I didn't want either of them.

Even if I wasn't disfigured, I knew I’d never measure up to sweet, pitiful Elara in their eyes.

Now, I had nowhere to run, and I sure as hell wasn't going to walk back into whatever trap they had set for me.

"Mom, I don't want to be Luna anymore."

"Why? Haven't you always looked forward to being Blackwood's Luna? The Moon Goddess herself showed us through the stars that you'd be with the future Alpha. And this time, they both risked their lives, rushing into the fire to save you first. Are you worried this injury will affect your bond?"

"Don't worry. After Mitchell and Jax brought you back, they both swore on their honor as future Alphas, in front of all the elders, that this wouldn't change their choice. Whoever wins will still choose you as his Luna."

I shook my head. The faint tug of the bond deep inside me felt like it was barely there, almost gone.

"Dad's been gone for years, but haven't you held the Mooncrest pack together all by yourself, earning the respect and awe of everyone in Blackwood?"

"You used to say you hoped I'd go to the neutral Havenwood Sanctuary, to learn the ancient moon magic and come back to restore the Mooncrest pack's honor. Does that promise still stand? Mom, I, Seraphina Mooncrest, am not going to be less than any strong male wolf. Please, say yes?"

Mom was silent for a long time. Finally, with a heavy heart, she nodded, agreeing to let me go to Havenwood.

Before I left, I begged her not to tell Mitchell and Jax my decision just yet.

This was something I wanted to end myself.

No sooner had Mom left my cave than the entrance was slammed open from the outside.

Mitchell stood there, disgust written all over his face. The powerful aura of an Alpha candidate washed over me.

"Seraphina, what more do you want? Jax and I have already promised that whoever becomes Alpha will choose you as Luna. Why can't you just leave Elara alone?"

"If you hadn't recklessly sprung that Nightshade trap, Elara wouldn't have been in danger in the first place! You look like hell now, and it's your own damn fault!"

Before I could say anything, Jax Stone slammed the leather pouch of healing herbs down hard beside me.

"Alright, Mitchell, why waste your breath on her? Even if she did plan the whole ambush, she'd never admit it." Jax's voice dripped with contempt.

"Sera, I'm warning you one last time. Don't you dare try to hurt Elara in any way. Or else, I won't mind giving you an early taste of a future Alpha's fury!"

Hearing that, the disgust in Mitchell's eyes deepened.

"The ceremony is set for the next full moon. Figure out a way to cover that face of yours. Don't embarrass the Blackwood pack!"

It was like they were granting me some huge favor, their Alpha-candidate orders leaving no room for argument.

Bitterness and a wolf's mournful cry welled up in my chest, each breath a tearing pain.

After dropping their cold commands, Mitchell and Jax shifted into two wolf forms and bolted from my cave, heading straight for the den where Elara was recovering.

Mitchell's roar drifted back: "The patient in the lower cave – take good care of her! If anything happens to Elara, your entire patrol team will go join the Nightshade ghosts!"

Jax added immediately, his voice icy, "What Mitchell said goes for me too. Screw up, and you'll pay."

It was obvious who that "special patient" was.

I stared numbly at the cave ceiling, a nightmare reel of memories playing in my head.

Before Elara Thorne showed up, the bond between the three of us was the stuff of Blackwood pack legend.

From playing together under the moon as pups to hunting and fending off enemies as adults, we were inseparable.

Every time I got picked on because I hadn't mastered my Luna powers, they were the two who stood in front of me, shielding me with their Alpha-candidate presence and their claws.

On stormy nights, they'd bring me the plumpest salmon.

After a hunt, they'd wordlessly push the best part of the kill to me.

On the full moon of my coming-of-age ceremony, they worked together, using glow moss and moonflowers to create a dreamlike clearing for me.

Those scenes were so vivid, but now everything was different.

Elara was "rescued" by Mitchell and Jax – together – from the Nightshades' clutches two months ago, during a raid on their remaining forces.

When I first saw her, Mitchell and Jax had me behind them, their eyes full of suspicion and caution as they looked at Elara.

Mitchell had ordered, "Sera, stay away from this Omega of unknown origin. Don't want you getting into trouble."

And Jax had snarled at a cowering Elara, "Remember, Sera is the Luna you must obey! Show any disrespect, and I'll snap your neck!"

But later, I became the "trouble" they needed to be wary of.

Their words changed too. Those wolf eyes that once only reflected me started to look more and more at Elara.

"Elara's had a rough life. It’s just a decorative belt, Sera. As future Luna, let her have it. Consider it Blackwood’s pity," Mitchell had said.

"Elara's coming-of-age is next full moon too, Sera. Let's do her celebration first. Yours, we'll do it after Mitchell and I figure out who's Alpha," Jax had said.

"Elara likes your snow-wolf fur cloak, Sera. You hardly wear it anyway. Give it to her, let her look a bit more presentable." This time, it was both of them, in unison.

I had only questioned Elara, according to pack rules, for taking rare herbs from the pack's reserves without permission.

She just knelt before me, looked at Mitchell and Jax, and started slapping herself, crying.

Mitchell and Jax didn't even ask what happened. The fury of both Alpha candidates hit me at once.

"It's just a few herbs, Sera! Can't you tolerate one orphan girl?!" Mitchell's wolf eyes flashed with disappointment.

"What Alpha would dare entrust the pack to a cruel Luna like you?!" Jax's words were like ice picks to my heart.

All my explanations died in my throat. My wolf's pride wouldn't let me show weakness.

Mitchell bent down, comforting Elara with a gentleness I'd never seen, and scooped her into his arms. Jax followed close behind, shot me a wary glare, and left without a backward glance.

From that day on, the bond between us was truly broken.

The future Alphas who once swore to protect me ended up being the ones to push me into the abyss.

The next morning, an apprentice from the artisan making my Luna gown brought a message.

"Future Luna, Miss Sera, Alpha candidates Mitchell and Jax have jointly ordered that the ceremonial gown prepared for you be taken away… they said… it’s for Miss Elara to try on for size…"

Before I could even process it, Elara pushed open my cave door, her expression deliberately woeful.

"Sera, are you okay?" she began, her voice timid.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know those Nightshades would actually do it. We all thought they were just bluffing about setting the fire… And I never expected Mitchell and Jax to choose to save me first…"

I lay on the stone bed, unable to move, every breath sending jolts of pain through my face.

But she looked like she was the one who'd suffered some terrible injustice, sobbing her heart out.

Her knees hit the stone floor hard as she kept begging:

"Sera, please forgive me, don't kick me out. Elara only has Alpha Mitchell and Alpha Jax to rely on in this world…"

The next second, two figures burst in. Jax quickly pulled Elara up and shielded her behind him, both pairs of wolf eyes glaring at me angrily.

"Seraphina! Can't you even behave when you're injured?! Still trying to cause trouble for Elara?!"

"Sera, apologize to Elara right now! Or don't blame us for temporarily stripping some of your future Luna privileges, according to pack law!" Mitchell's threat was loud and clear, leaving no room for argument.

Before I could speak, Elara tearfully grabbed Mitchell's strong arm, shaking her head desperately. Tears rolled down her face, making her look even more pitiful.

"It's not Sister Sera's fault, I came to apologize myself. If it weren't for me… Sister Sera wouldn't have ended up like this…" she sobbed, her body trembling slightly.

Jax, always direct, was fuming. He pulled Elara into a tight hug, murmuring comforts.

"Alright, Elara, stop defending her! We know what Sera's like. She's just jealous of you!"

"With us backing you up, you don't have to take anything from her! No one in the Blackwood pack will dare bully you again!"

Mitchell snorted, his deep wolf eyes shooting me a vicious glare.

"Who else would force you to kneel if not her? Was there a third living soul in this cave just now?"

"We just had the artisan bring your Luna gown for Elara to try on for size. You sure get news fast!"

My gaze turned icy, a hint of wolfish ferocity in it, as I stared straight at Elara, who was huddled in Jax's arms but secretly peeking at me from the corner of her eye.

That Luna gown… Mom Lyra had started preparing it for me three years ago. It symbolized the status and glory of the future Luna.

Handmade by the pack's most experienced artisan, blessed by the Moon Goddess, it was priceless.

Mom had poured her heart and soul into making me the most dazzling Luna Blackwood had ever seen.

And now, it had fallen into the hands of Elara, this Omega of unknown origin.

Elara seemed stung by my gaze and cried even more despairingly.

"I'm sorry, Sera, I… I just mentioned it casually… I didn't mean it. I'll bring the gown back to you right now…"

With that, she tried to struggle out of Jax's arms again, to kneel before me.

But before her forehead even touched the stone, Jax yanked her up more forcefully, pulling her possessively against his broad chest.

"You don't need to apologize to her, Elara! It's just a stupid gown! Big deal! For the materials of this gown, I, Jax, will pay her back with all my future Alpha savings!" Jax's voice was full of disdain.

Mitchell's face hardened, his eyes filled with anger and warning as he looked at me.

"Elara is just a homeless orphan, Sera. Do you really need to react like this? Where's your generosity?"

"We were the ones who asked the artisan to bring the gown, and we were the ones who asked Elara to try it on. If you want to blame someone, blame us!"

"But I'm warning you, Seraphina, if you dare let this affect the upcoming ceremony, and the new Alpha is left without a mate at his own bonding ritual, let's see where the Mooncrest pack will hide its face!"

After throwing down their warning, Mitchell and Jax left my cave with a still-sobbing Elara, without a single look back.

Leaving me alone on the cold stone bed, silently licking the wounds deep in my soul.

Mitchell, Jax, you don't have to worry this time.

I'll leave on my own.

Because of my facial injuries and the magic backlash, my mating ceremony with the future Alpha was postponed by half a month.

I spent a week recovering in my pack cave before I could barely walk.

During that time, Mitchell and Jax never showed up once.

Elara, however, was often seen in the pack's common areas.

Either playing with young wolves under the moonlight or by the stream, accepting food eagerly offered by other male wolves.

In those images circulating within the pack, you could always see her with either Mitchell or Jax.

Elara's face always glowed with a happy, shy smile. Her smooth, fair complexion was a stark contrast to my hideous scars, a constant, painful reminder.

I fought to keep my composure.

Closing off those images, I pushed open the stone door of my cave.

I just didn't expect to be greeted by almost every member of the Blackwood pack gathered in the square outside.

"So this is the future Luna, Miss Sera, right? Heard good things are coming with the Alpha soon?" a malicious voice called out.

"More than that, I heard Blackwood will soon have two 'mistresses,' and the other one is Miss Elara!" another voice sneered.

"It's not even the ceremony yet, why is Miss Sera still wearing a mask? Is she… shy?"

Wearing the special mask Mom made for me, I looked helplessly at the pack steward.

He hurried over, explaining in a low voice, "It was Alpha Mitchell and Alpha Jax. They said, to celebrate your initial recovery and also to dispel rumors, they gathered all the pack members to… announce the date of your bonding with the future Alpha ahead of time, and also… to elevate Miss Elara's status in the pack."

I turned to flee, but Elara quickly stepped in front of me, her eyes welling with tears.

"Sera, this gathering is especially for you. If you leave, does that mean… you still haven't forgiven me?"

I scowled.

"Cut the act. Move."

I tried to walk around her to get to the stone steps.

But Elara suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked hard.

I fell heavily onto the stone ground, and the mask on my face slipped off completely.

Instantly, gasps echoed all around.