Just as Kellen and I were about to have our bonding ceremony, his brother died in an accident.

Kellen inherited the position of Beta of the Silver Moon Pack, along with the responsibility of caring for his late brother’s mate, Selah.

She wanted to know how much I mattered to Kellen—so she sent a rogue after us.

When I was gravely wounded by the rogue’s silver dagger and clinging to life, Kellen turned to protect Selah—who only had a scratch.

“Selah’s fragile—this has terrified her. Just hold on a little longer, Celia!”

I didn’t even have the strength to beg for help.

I could only watch as he carried Selah in his arms and walked away, leaving me alone in the forest to die.

The next time we met, he said, “If word gets out that you sent a rogue after Selah and hurt her, the Alpha will banish you from the pack. To calm her down, I have no choice but to hold a bonding ceremony with her! Once she bears the Beta heir, I’ll make it up to you.”

I shook my head gently.

No need to make it up to me.

I was about to have a new mate anyway...

When I woke up, I found myself in the infirmary.

The wound on my shoulder blade sent sharp, searing jolts of pain through my nerves with the slightest movement.

Relief washed over the healer’s face the moment he saw my eyes open.

“You are finally awake. You’ve been out for three days! That silver dagger went deep—nearly pierced right through your shoulder blade. If you’d arrived any later, we wouldn’t have been able to save you.”

For a moment, I was in a daze.

But at his words, the memories before I passed out came crashing back.

It was Selah who’d asked me to meet her in the forest.

She had been mated to Kellen’s brother. After he died, she moved into Kellen’s house and never left.

The rogue had been lying in wait in the forest, lunging at me with a silver dagger the moment I arrived. I threw my arm up instinctively to block it, and a searing, tearing pain ripped through my shoulder. Warm blood gushed down my back.

The scent of blood only made the rogue more vicious. Crouching low, he prepared to attack again.

That was when Selah made her move. She stepped back, tripped—on purpose—and hit the ground. Clutching her arm, she let out a piercing shriek. “Help! Someone help me!”

The screams did their job. Within seconds, a figure burst through the trees. Kellen.

I thought he’d rush toward me to protect me, without a second thought.

I was his mate, after all. Lying there on the ground, soaked in my own blood, fighting for my life.

But he didn’t.

When Selah saw him arrive, she twisted the story. “Kellen, Celia lured the rogue here! He got me with silver dagger—my arm—it hurts so much!”

As she spoke, she displayed the faint scratch on her arm, playing up her fragility as if she were at death’s door.

Kellen drove the rogue back, sending him fleeing into the woods.

I lay there on the cold, muddy ground, enduring the excruciating pain as I reached out a hand toward him. “Kellen... help me...”

Blood was still streaming from my shoulder. My vision was starting to blur.

But Kellen barely glanced my way before his gaze locked onto Selah, his eyes brimming with concern.

His jaw tightened. Then he tossed a cold remark my direction. “Just hold on a little longer, Celia! Selah’s fragile—this has terrified her. I’m getting her to safety first!”

With that, he turned to Selah, carefully helping her to her feet.

I lay there, the silver dagger’s wound still pouring blood—and he couldn't be bothered to glance in my direction.

Selah, nestled against him, glanced back at me. Her eyes gleamed with triumph and mockery.

They hurried away together, leaving me alone on that freezing, muddy ground.

...

That was the last thing I remembered before losing consciousness.

“Ke... the one who saved me. Where is he?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

The healer’s expression shifted a bit before replying, “He... he dropped you off, paid the medical fee, and said he had things to do. Mentioned he’d come by to see you when he had time.”

I stayed in the infirmary for three days. By the time I could manage to get out of bed and complete my discharge, my body was still weak.

As I approached my house, a figure suddenly darted out and grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip.

It was none othen than Kellen.

He looked haggard, dark circles shadowing his eyes as if he hadn’t slept well in days.

Before I could speak, he launched into a tirade. “Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

I stared at him coldly, prying his fingers off my arm.

“Enough with the performance, Kellen. All this pretending to care—doesn’t it wear you out?”

His expression faltered. Realizing I was angry, he scrambled for excuses.

“I know you’re upset because I helped Selah first. But she’s my brother’s mate. She was wounded by silver dagger—I couldn’t just abandon her! Besides, your injury wasn’t that serious. You could’ve held on a bit longer—it wouldn’t have killed you.”

His words snapped something in me.

“Not that serious? That silver dagger nearly killed me! I was bleeding out in the forest, unconscious, and you just walked away with Selah in your arms! So my life means nothing to you, huh?”

Kellen’s eyes darted nervously. “Selah said... she said you were just scratched, nothing major...”

His words faltered as he heard how weak they were. Then, voice hardening, he added defensively, “So what if I helped her first? You’re my mate. You’re supposed to understand, to support me. Why are you being so petty? You weren’t even hurt that badly, and instead of coming home, you hid from me, intentionally making me worry!”

He hesitated, then pressed forward. “And Selah—she’s been a wreck these past few days. Can’t eat or sleep. She feels terrible about what happened. If I hadn’t stopped her, she would’ve come to apologize herself.”

I rolled my eyes internally. Selah’s guilt was the last thing I believed in. I knew her game all too well.

I opened my mouth to retort, but the words died in my throat. Something he’d said... it struck me. “Wait—what do you mean, I hid from you? You weren’t the one who saved me and took me to the infirmary?”

“I... I rushed Selah to the hospital, and when I came back to find you, you were already gone,” Kellen stammered, trying to defend himself. “I thought you’d run back on your own. I looked for you for days...”

“Looked for me for days?” I let out a cold laugh. “I was lying in the infirmary for three days. If you’d actually looked for me, you would have at least stepped foot inside the infirmary, wouldn’t you? Kellen, if you’re going to make up a story, at least put some thought into it.”

Kellen fell silent for a moment. “I did this to teach you a lesson for sending the rogue after Selah.”

He continued, his voice hardening, “If word of this gets out, the Alpha will banish you from the pack. To calm Selah down, I have no choice but to hold a bonding ceremony with her first.”

Kellen’s words hit me like a bucket of ice water, drenching me from head to toe and freezing the very blood in my veins.

This man, who just days ago had sworn before me to protect me for the rest of my life, was now making that woman—the one who nearly got me killed—his mate.

“What about me?” I gritted my teeth, forcing the words out.

Kellen frowned. “Once Selah gives birth to the Beta heir, I’ll make it up to you. There’s no point in feeling upset or wounded. And don’t you dare make a scene. This is simply the price of your own wrongdoing.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. It was a laugh that caught in my throat, so hollow and aching it almost made me cry.

His so-called love and that promise to protect me forever? Every word—bullshit!

Just then, a weak voice came from the side.

Selah approached, her expression a mask of false concern—yet her eyes betrayed a glimmer of triumph.

“Don’t blame him, Celia. Kellen had no other option,” she said.

She reached out, trying to take my hand. The chill of her fingertips made my skin crawl.

I yanked my hand away violently. She stumbled back, her eyes instantly welling up with tears. “I know this is hard for you. Don’t worry, I just want a child. Once the baby is born, I’ll leave the Silver Moon Pack.”

“You’re so frail. How could you survive leaving the pack?” Kellen interjected immediately. “You and the child will stay in the Silver Moon Pack. I’ll take good care of you both!”

“Kellen...” Selah gazed at him with tender affection.

I watched Selah coldly, making no effort to hide the disgust in my eyes. “Drop the act, Selah. I see right through you. You sent that rogue after me. You faked that fall—pretended to be hurt. And you made Kellen abandon me there. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?”

Selah immediately shrank behind Kellen, sobbing pitifully. “Kellen, look at her! How can she hurl such baseless accusations at me? I came here because I was worried about her—and this is what I get in return...”

Kellen’s voice cut through sharply, silencing me. “Celia, that’s enough! Selah is being kind, and you accuse her like this? I think you’ve lost your mind! I’m telling you, this is settled! I’m holding the bonding ceremony with Selah. You can either stay here and behave yourself, or get the hell out of the Silver Moon Pack and never come back!”

As I stared at them—those two, so brazen in their shamelessness—all that remained was a hollow, crushing disappointment.

“Kellen,” I said, looking him straight in the eye. “We’re done. You want to hold a ceremony with Selah? Go ahead. It has nothing to do with me anymore. The moment you abandoned me in that forest, everything between us was finished. Completely.”

Back at my lonely little cabin, I stepped inside, turned, and secured the lock. Then I just stood there, back pressed against the door.

No tears came. No frantic sobs. Only stillness—and the quiet weight of release.

Over the next few days, I didn’t see Kellen again. I assumed he was busy preparing for the bonding ceremony with Selah and had no time to bother me.

That silence held—until the afternoon of the third day, when a sudden knock shattered the cabin’s peace.

Frowning, I went to answer the door. Standing outside was Selah.

The woman before me now wore a look of pure smugness. The pitiful, fragile act? Nowhere to be seen.

Seeing me, she didn’t even wait for an invitation. Without a word, she brushed past and marched right inside.

She looked around, her eyes filled with disdain. “Tsk, this cabin is so shabby. Only someone like you could stand living here.”

I closed the door coldly and blocked her path. “Selah, you’re not welcome in my home. Get out!”

“Get out?” Selah snorted, crossing her arms and looking down at me with superiority. “Celia, listen. In three days, I’m going to be Kellen’s mate. In the entire Silver Moon Pack, aside from the Alpha and the Elders, everyone will have to show me respect. This place you live in? I can come and go as I please.”

Pausing for a moment, she continued, “I’m here today to lay down some rules for you. After all, you’ll still be staying by Kellen’s side. There are certain things you need to understand.”

I swallowed my rising fury and said, as calmly as I could, “I’ll repeat myself once more. Kellen and I are done. I won’t be staying with him.”

“Don’t be so stubborn.” Selah didn’t believe me for a second, her tone dripping with undisguised mockery. “You have no parents, no one to rely on in the Silver Moon Pack. Besides Kellen, who would ever want you? Where do you think you can run off to? I’m setting the rules. You’ll listen, whether you like it or not.”

Not bothering to wait for my answer, she declared in a condescending voice, “First: from now on, at any pack gathering, if I’m standing, you will stand behind me and serve me. You’re not worthy to sit by me. Second: even if Kellen wants to be intimate with you, you’ll have to wait until after I’ve given birth to the Beta heir. Until then, don’t even think about it. Third—and most importantly—if you ever have pups, they will address me as ‘Mother.’”

Each word cut deeper—more outrageous, more humiliating.

I had grown up an orphan, but never had I endured such humiliation.

Who the hell did Selah think she was? How dare she come to my home, throw her weight around, and dictate such ridiculous rules!

“Selah, do you really think I’m easy to push around?” My voice was ice-cold.

My gaze startled her for a moment, but then she stiffened her neck and retorted sharply, “So what if I do? What can you possibly do about it? Kellen protects me. The Elders like me. You’re just an orphan. Trying to fight me? You actually think you stand a chance?”

“You’re about to find out.” I sneered.

Her nonsense finally pushed me past my limit. I couldn’t hold back—I raised my hand and delivered a sharp, stinging slap.

The sharp crack of the slap echoed in the cabin. Selah clutched her cheek, utterly stunned, unable to believe I’d actually hit her.

Instead of crying, a strange, knowing smile flickered across her face.

The next second, the door was flung open. Kellen stormed in, his eyes immediately landing on Selah, who was still holding her cheek. His face flushed with anger. “Celia! You hit her?!”

He lunged forward, pulling Selah behind him protectively, and glared at me with venom. “Selah came here out of kindness—to see how you were doing! Not only are you ungrateful, but you actually raise your hand against her?! When did you become so vicious?”

“Vicious?” I looked at him, finding him utterly pathetic. “Kellen, are you blind? She came to my house, swaggering around and laying down rules. She humiliated me first! I hit her, and she deserved it!”

“You’re lying!” Selah sobbed behind him, her shoulders shaking dramatically. “Kellen, I only came to speak with Celia—to ask her to let go of her anger and stay by your side. Yet, she hit me without warning. I’m so hurt...”

Kellen’s voice hardened. “Celia, I’m giving you one last chance. Apologize to Selah, and we’ll forget this. Otherwise, I’ll have the Elders banish you from the Silver Moon Pack!”

Apologize?

Dream on!

“Kellen, Selah—you two really are a perfect match. Hypocritical and disgusting, the both of you. You’re not welcome here. Get out!”

I shoved them out of the cabin.

But not long after, another knock sounded at the door.

I yanked it open and roared, “Haven’t you had enough?! I told you, I’m not marrying Kellen! Even if I stay single for the rest of my life, I’d never marry trash like him! Get lost and stop bothering me!”

The words came out in a furious rush.

The person at my door froze, a flicker of surprise and disappointment crossing his face.

I froze too.

It wasn't Kellen or Selah standing there.

It was a tall man, radiating an overwhelming Alpha presence that commanded attention.

He had deep-set eyes, a high straight nose, and striking features. There was something familiar about him.

A flicker of recognition stirred within me.

It was Eric—Kellen’s uncle and the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack.

Eric stared at me, his voice tinged with a hint of disappointment—though it remained gentle. “I came to check on you. To see if you were feeling any better.”

His face unlocked something within me. Buried memories broke through—the scattered fragments from that day in the forest started to coalesce.

It was him!

It was Eric who happened upon me in those woods—after Kellen left me there to die.

Eric had pulled me back from the jaws of death!