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!

I stepped aside from the doorway. “Alpha, please, come in and take a seat. I’ll get you some water.”

Eric nodded and walked into the cabin.

I poured him a cup of water, placed it in his hands, and sat down on the wooden stool across from him. For a moment, I didn’t know what to say, and the atmosphere grew quiet.

The silence held until Eric spoke, his voice low. “Were Kellen and Selah just here—causing problems?”

I nodded. Then I told him everything, holding nothing back.

I began with Selah luring me to the forest and the rogue she’d sent to attack me. I told him how Kellen had abandoned me there to leave with her, the outrageous demands he'd made afterward, and how Selah had shown up at my door today to lay down her absurd rules. Every detail. Nothing left out.

Given that Eric was Kellen’s uncle, I assumed he’d try to defend him.

I was wrong. After hearing me out, he brought his fist down hard on the table.

His face darkened, frighteningly so. “Unbelievable! Kellen is absolutely despicable! As your mate, he abandoned you at the moment of life and death! He blindly trusts some scheming woman and dares to make such outrageous demands—he’s not fit to be your mate! And Selah! She deliberately sent a rogue to attack a pack member, and then had the audacity to come here and humiliate you in your own home!”

His words, every single one of them, struck a chord deep within me.

Ever since my parents died in battle, I’d been utterly alone in the Silver Moon Pack.

Everyone thought I was lucky to have caught the attention of Kellen, a Beta. No one cared how much I’d suffered. No one ever stood by me or spoke a single word in my defense.

And Eric surprised me. He took my side without hesitation, defended me fiercely, and his anger burned not against me, but for me.

All the pain I’d held inside for so long finally broke free. Tears streamed down my face.

The moment Eric saw me cry, he panicked and scrambled to apologize. “Please don’t cry—I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to upset you. This is all my fault.”

“No,” I said, wiping my tears away and shaking my head. “It’s just... finally, someone is on my side. All these years, no one has ever defended me like this.”

Eric looked up at me, his eyes filled with sincerity and a flicker of nervousness. “So will you be my mate? I want to marry you—to spend my life with you.”

I was completely stunned. I stared at him blankly, certain I must have misheard. “Alpha, what... what did you say?”

“I want to marry you,” Eric repeated himself, his voice even firmer this time, eyes fixed on me without wavering. “Celia, I like you. From the very first moment I saw you, I knew my mate could only be you. Later, when you got together with Kellen, I could only hide these feelings in my heart. I never imagined Kellen would treat you like this. I never knew you’d suffered so much.”

He hesitated briefly, as if weighing his words. “Celia, I know this is sudden, but I’m serious. As Alpha, I have the power to keep you safe—to ensure no one ever dares mistreat you again.”

I looked into Eric’s eyes. They held nothing back—just pure, unwavering earnestness.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I nodded gently. “Okay. Let’s hold the ceremony in three days.”

It might have been rash to accept Eric’s proposal, but I never regretted it, not for one moment.

Three days later, I arrived at the place where the Silver Moon Pack holds its bonding ceremonies, ready to officially become Eric’s mate.

Eric hadn’t arrived yet. As I waited, a strong hand suddenly grabbed my arm.

A furious voice cut through. “Celia! What are you doing here?”

I turned to see Kellen.

“If you came to apologize to Selah—to own up to hitting her yesterday—this is the wrong moment!” Kellen’s fingers dug into my arm like iron. “And if you’re here to make trouble, to interfere with our ceremony, don’t you dare!”

Selah immediately slipped into her usual fragile act, her eyes reddening as she tugged at Kellen’s arm. Her voice was weak and pitiful. “Kellen, don’t be angry. Celia probably just can’t accept it. After all, you two were about to become mates.”

She paused, then lowered her head with a guilty expression. “I’ve always felt that bonding with you isn’t really right. I feel like a third wheel between you two. If it would make Celia truly happy, I could let her have you...”

Her act turned my stomach. It seemed her skills as an actress sharpened with each passing day.

And sure enough, Kellen was touched by her words. He took her hand in his, his voice firm. “That’s nonsense. I promised you we’d hold this bonding ceremony, and I won’t let anyone ruin it!”

Sick of their sickening display, I tore my arm from Kellen’s grip. “You two are here for your bonding ceremony, huh? When did you ever tell me about it? How was I supposed to know you’d be here today?”

My retort caught Kellen completely off guard. “Then why are you at the registration office?”

A smile curved at the corner of my lips. “This is where the Silver Moon Pack holds its bonding ceremonies. You’re here for one. So am I. What other reason could there be?”

Kellen’s pupils contracted sharply. “What are you talking about, Celia? Everyone in the Silver Moon Pack knows you’re my mate! Who else would perform a bonding ceremony with you besides me?”

Selah’s face also shifted. “Kellen, don’t listen to her! She’s just here to cause trouble! She’s completely alone in this pack—no one to turn to. Who would want her besides you? She’s just trying to get your attention and ruin our ceremony!”

They were so self-assured in their assumptions. I found it utterly ridiculous.

I lifted my gaze, looking past them. My eyes softened. “My future husband... he’s here.”