I was getting mated.

But the Alpha I had loved for eight years had no idea.

Lately, Adrian had been consumed by his new attendant, Julian.

She had arrived at the Moonfang Pack six months earlier, claiming to be the last surviving daughter of a fallen southern pack. No one could prove her lineage, yet Adrian accepted her into the pack without a single question.

From the day she arrived, they seemed inseparable.

They trained together at dawn, rode through the forest together, and shared quiet conversations beneath the ancient moon oaks long after the rest of the pack had retired.

Their laughter drifted through the Alpha Hall day after day, as though neither of them remembered I existed.

For Julian's birthday, Adrian ordered the pack's finest confectioner to prepare an enormous hazelnut honey cake.

He had once memorized every herb, flower, and food that could make me ill.

Now he had forgotten that even the scent of hazelnuts could leave my wolf struggling to breathe.

The entire Great Hall had been decorated with silver ribbons, moonflowers, and enchanted lanterns.

Pack warriors, elders, and servants gathered to celebrate.

Julian dipped her finger into the sweet frosting and playfully smeared it across Adrian's face.

Instead of pulling away, he laughed.

With a grin, he scooped up another handful and gently brushed it across the tip of her nose.

The hall erupted with laughter.

They looked like two carefree young wolves sharing a festival beneath the full moon.

No one noticed me standing quietly at the edge of the celebration.

No one remembered that I was Adrian's fated mate.

……

No one noticed when the scent of hazelnuts reached me.

My throat closed at once.

My wolf recoiled in agony as my chest tightened, stealing every breath. I staggered backward and crashed into a wooden chair, sending it clattering across the stone floor. My lungs burned, desperate for air, but each breath became weaker than the last. Instinctive fear gripped me as darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

Before anyone realized what had happened, I collapsed.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying inside the pack healer's chamber.

Bundles of dried herbs hung from the rafters, and the air carried the bitter scent of healing potions. A dull ache lingered in my chest where the healer had forced my breathing to return.

That was the moment I finally accepted the mating alliance my family had proposed years ago.

My mother wasted no time.

The moment I returned to my chambers in the eastern tower and shut the door, my communication crystal began glowing without pause.

One message after another appeared across its enchanted surface.

Ceremony preparations.

Guest arrangements.

Offerings for the Moon Goddess.

Everything had already been planned.

I read through them until my gaze settled on the final message.

"Deep down, I always knew Adrian would never make you his Luna."

"If he truly intended to complete the Moon Bond before the Moon Goddess, he would never have kept you waiting for eight years."

"It is not too late, Seraphina. Everything is ready."

"The mating ceremony will take place in three days."

"Pack your belongings whenever you are ready. There is no need to hurry."

I stared at the glowing words for a long time.

The truth was impossible to deny.

While I had stubbornly believed Adrian's promises, everyone else had already seen the ending.

Everyone except me.

After a quiet sigh, I activated the crystal and recorded my reply.

"Mother, decide everything as you see fit. I trust your judgment. Keep the ceremony simple."

I never noticed Adrian approaching.

The door to my chamber had been left slightly open, and he had clearly heard enough.

His voice broke the silence.

"A mating ceremony? What mating ceremony?"

My body went rigid.

I instinctively hid the crystal behind my back, but Adrian had already stepped toward me.

Just as he reached out, the communication crystal hanging from his belt suddenly began to glow.

A frightened woman's voice echoed from it.

"Adrian! Someone is stalking me through the forest! I've changed trails twice, but they're still following me!"

It was Julian.

The change in Adrian was immediate.

His expression hardened, and worry filled his eyes without the slightest hesitation.

"Julian, go to the Moon Shrine and stay within the sacred barrier. Don't leave. I'm coming."

Without another word, he snatched up his cloak and hurried out of the chamber.

The wooden door slammed shut behind him.

I remained where I was, my expression calm.

Only the dull ache spreading through my chest reminded me that my heart had not yet learned how to let him go.

Just as Aunt Rosalia stepped out of her cottage to greet me, she stopped in her tracks.

Her sharp eyes moved from me to the two figures standing nearby.

She clearly wanted to ask questions, but I spoke before she had the chance.

"Mother asked me to bring these supplies," I said. "Please sort them soon. Some of the herbs will lose their potency if they're left too long."

I never looked at Adrian.

Over the past few weeks, he had shown me exactly where his heart belonged.

To my surprise, he was the one who broke the silence.

"Seraphina, don't misunderstand. Julian's old cabin was too close to the Rogue Lands. It wasn't safe for a lone she-wolf, so I arranged another place for her. I didn't realize it was this close to your aunt's home."

His eyes drifted toward the wooden crates.

"What are all these?"

I motioned for the pack warriors to carry the supplies inside.

"My mother prepared them," I replied calmly. "We may not return for a long time, so she sent more than usual."

The instant the words left my mouth, I watched the tension leave Adrian's shoulders.

He had misunderstood.

He thought I was only leaving for a while.

The relief in his expression stung far more than I expected.

"The northern hunting lodge isn't far from here," he said. "If you need anything, send word."

He spoke as though nothing had changed between us.

As though we were still close enough for him to care.

What he didn't know was that I wasn't planning to return.

I was leaving his life for good.

And I had no intention of telling him.

Aunt Rosalia finally broke the silence.

She slowly turned the silver mate band around her finger before speaking.

"Adrian, you've known Seraphina for years. Are you really willing to let your bond end like this? It would be a pity to throw everything away over a misunderstanding."

Before Adrian could answer, I shook my head.

"There is no misunderstanding, Aunt."

"Adrian has never ignored one if he truly cared."

"If he still hasn't explained himself, then there is nothing left to explain."

Julian shifted uneasily beside him.

The small movement immediately drew Adrian's attention.

"You don't look well," he said softly.

Concern filled his voice without hesitation.

He turned toward the warriors carrying the crates.

"Leave those for now. We'll take Julian upstairs first."

Watching him fuss over her, I quietly stepped aside.

Adrian hesitated for only a heartbeat.

His eyes lingered on me, almost as though he expected me to stop him.

When I remained silent, he followed Julian into the cottage.

As the door closed behind them, an old memory surfaced.

Years ago, when Adrian first brought me back to Moonfang Pack, he had looked at me with those same gentle eyes.

He had carried every one of my belongings himself.

Holding my hand, he had proudly introduced me to everyone as the future Luna of Moonfang.

Now that tenderness belonged to someone else.

Aunt Rosalia sighed.

"Are you truly all right, Seraphina?"

I smiled faintly.

"What other choice do I have?"

"If that is where his loyalty lies, then I have no reason to hold him back."

After the supplies had been moved inside, I decided to leave before I embarrassed myself any further.

While I waited outside for the carriage, Adrian and Julian remained inside the cottage.

For reasons I refused to admit, it bothered me.

Out of respect for everything we had once shared, I activated my communication crystal.

"When are you coming back?"

The reply arrived almost immediately.

Not written words.

A voice recording.

I touched the crystal.

Julian's gentle voice flowed into the air.

"Seraphina, Adrian is helping repair the rune lamps in my cottage. No one has lived here for months, so everything needs fixing. You should return first. There's no need to wait for us."

I stared at the crystal before quietly dimming its light.

For the first time, I pitied someone.

Myself.

I climbed into the carriage.

Another message arrived.

"Please don't misunderstand. Adrian is only helping because he feels sorry for me. It's difficult for a she-wolf to survive alone in unfamiliar territory."

I looked at the glowing words.

Her meaning was obvious.

She wanted me to know that Adrian always came whenever she called.

A moment later, Adrian contacted me through the crystal.

I answered.

His voice carried unmistakable displeasure.

"Seraphina, why were you so cold to Julian today?"

"She is under my protection. It is my duty to keep her safe."

"She'll only stay there until I find somewhere better for her."

"Is it so wrong for me to help her?"

A quiet laugh escaped me.

"Since when have you cared this much about those under your command?"

"During the Midwinter Moon Feast, you left halfway through because you claimed you weren't feeling well."

"I believed you."

"But today, you have endless time and patience for her."

Silence followed.

Then soft sobbing reached my ears through the crystal.

Julian.

Even her tears sounded fragile enough to invite sympathy.

"Adrian... perhaps I should leave," she whispered.

"I don't want Seraphina to misunderstand because of me."

His reply came without hesitation.

"No one is leaving, Julian."

"None of this is your fault."

The gentleness in his voice pierced my heart.

He had not spoken to me that way in years.

I closed my eyes, forcing every trace of emotion back into the darkness.

"Very well, Adrian."

"You are right."

"I shouldn't have asked."

After a brief pause, I spoke one final sentence.

"I've already left. There's no need to come looking for me."

Then I severed the crystal's connection before he could answer.

My indifference caught Adrian off guard.

Whatever he had planned to say never left his lips.

I ended the crystal's connection and leaned back against the carriage seat, watching the dark forest drift past beneath the moonlight as we traveled toward Silvercrest Pack.

The moment I stepped through the gates of my family's stronghold, an unexpected weight settled over my heart.

The pack was unusually quiet.

Moonstones glowed softly along the winding paths, while the cool night breeze carried the scent of pine and approaching rain.

The silence felt almost alive, as though the land itself sensed the end of something long overdue.

A pulse of light from my communication crystal pulled me from my thoughts.

The pack's shared crystal network was overflowing with new messages.

Curiosity won.

The first thing I saw was a crystal image Julian had shared.

In it, Adrian knelt inside her small cabin, his sleeves rolled to his elbows as he repaired a damaged runestone lamp.

Sweat dampened his tunic, outlining the broad shoulders and powerful arms I had once believed belonged only to me.

My stomach tightened.

Beneath the image, Julian had written,

"Who else has an Alpha this considerate? I'd gladly serve Moonfang Pack for the rest of my life."

The replies appeared one after another.

"I've never seen Alpha Adrian do this for anyone."

"So this is what happens when the Alpha personally looks after someone."

"Julian, everyone already knows you'll become Moonfang's next Luna."

My fingers tightened around the crystal.

She was weaving herself into every corner of Adrian's life.

The cruelest part was that I recognized exactly what she was doing.

Years ago, Adrian had treated me the same way.

Crystal images of harvest festivals.

Walks beneath the moonlit forest.

Quiet evenings beside the sacred fire.

Every shared memory had convinced me our future was unshakable.

I had believed nothing could come between us.

Now I had become little more than a fading memory.

Julian stood exactly where I once had.

I dimmed the crystal and silenced every notification.

For the first time, leaving felt like the right decision.

Even so, my heart still ached.

Taking a slow breath, I entered the chambers that had been mine for nearly eight years.

Every corner carried traces of the life we had built together.

The carved furniture.

The woven blankets.

The keepsakes gathered from countless festivals.

Then my eyes settled on a thick leather album resting on the table.

It belonged to both of us.

Adrian had insisted we preserve every important memory.

Each page held an enchanted image from the years we had shared.

He had once promised to give me nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine memories before asking the Moon Goddess to witness our mating ceremony.

He wanted me to choose him willingly.

Not because our families had arranged it.

But because he had earned my heart.

The album was almost full.

Only one blank page remained.

Now every promise inside felt empty.

Meaningless.

The future those memories once represented had already been given to someone else.

The sorrow inside me slowly hardened into determination.

Without hesitation, I picked up the album and carried it into the center of the courtyard.

A ceremonial fire basin stood beneath the open sky.

I knelt before it and summoned a small flame.

The fire gradually grew stronger.

I placed the album into the blaze.

The leather blackened.

The enchanted pages curled inward.

One memory after another vanished beneath the flames.

Smoke rose toward the moon, carrying away eight years of love, promises, and foolish hope.

Only moments later, I felt Adrian's presence.

I recognized him before I turned around.

His scent.

His footsteps.

The familiar aura that had once brought me peace.

Now it meant nothing.

He stopped at the edge of the courtyard.

His eyes fixed on the burning album.

For the first time in years, I saw panic spread across his face.

"Seraphina! What are you doing?"

His voice echoed through the silent night.

I didn't move.

His authority no longer meant anything to me.

Adrian rushed toward the fire, reaching into the flames to pull the album free.

The heat scorched his hands.

Even so, he refused to stop until the fire was finally extinguished.

What remained of the album was nothing more than blackened fragments.

He turned toward me.

Anger blazed in his eyes.

"Have you lost your senses?"

"Do you know what you've done?"

"Eight years of memories are gone."

"Why, Seraphina?"

I met his gaze without fear.

For the first time, I had no desire to retreat.

"Because memories are worthless once the promises behind them have been broken."

My voice remained calm.

"You promised me nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine reasons to choose you."

"But before that promise was fulfilled, everything that belonged to us was already being given to someone else."

His jaw tightened.

His fingers curled into a fist before slowly relaxing again.

"You've misunderstood."

"Julian..."

"Julian," I interrupted quietly, "has only taken what you allowed her to take."

His expression froze.

"You think I haven't noticed?"

"The crystal images."

"The whispers throughout the pack."

"The way she never leaves your side."

"You permitted all of it."

Something shifted in his eyes.

Guilt.

Hesitation.

Regret.

He stepped toward me, his voice gentler than before.

"Seraphina, it isn't what you believe."

"She's a member of the pack."

"As Alpha, I have responsibilities."

"No."

I raised my hand and stopped him.

"Don't insult either of us by pretending this is only duty."

Silence settled between us.

I looked directly into his eyes.

"You already made your choice, Adrian."

A faint smile crossed my lips.

"Now I've made mine."