The leaders of the Blood Moon Pack argued endlessly over Lyra's "marriage," powerful pheromones clashing violently in the air, thick with tension.

But I remained deathly silent.

I sat rigidly on the cold stone bench, like a soulless puppet, watching Damien lose control and challenge his parents and the entire council of elders.

I just felt like a huge stone was crushing my chest, making it almost impossible to breathe.

The pain in my stomach, intensified by the violent emotional turmoil, became even harder to bear.

I quietly got up, hoping to slip away from this suffocating place while they were arguing and no one was paying attention.

But the old Alpha, furious, slammed his palm on the stone table in front of him.

"Damien! What nonsense are you spouting! What do you mean you'll never have children with your destined mate! Do you want our Blood Moon Pack to die out?!"

With his roar, the incredibly heavy stone table, along with all the food-laden stone plates, sharp bone knives, and heavy wine cups on it, were sent flying by his immense power.

Then they came crashing down towards Damien and Lyra!

Damien reacted like lightning! Almost instinctively, he pulled Lyra, who was beside him, tightly into his arms, shielding her completely with his broad back and strong arms, protecting her from any flying debris!

And me...

I was standing less than three steps away from them.

I had just stood up, not even taken my first step.

I watched, horrified, as the burning roasted meat, scalding hot soup, sharp bone knives, and shattered stone plates...

like a sudden disaster, rained down on me.

I had no time to react at all!

The moment Damien unhesitatingly chose to protect Lyra, my body, my soul, had already frozen, unable to move.

"Ah..."

Scalding soup splashed onto my bare arms and neck, instantly raising terrifying red blisters, burning painfully.

Hard stone shards, like sharp blades, hit my shoulder, forehead, and cheek.

Dark red blood immediately seeped from the wounds, quickly staining my clothes.

I grunted and fell heavily onto the hard stone floor.

It felt like every bone in my body was about to break.

Even worse, among the flying food, a few pieces of the Fire-Scale Lizard meat I’d been forced to eat earlier, which was like poison to me, landed on my open wounds!

That scorching fire energy, through my broken skin, directly invaded my body, clashing even more lethally with my already dangerously weak lunar energy.

An unbearable itching, like countless ants gnawing at me, spread through my body, followed by a heart-wrenching.

I forced my heavy eyelids open. In my blurred vision, I only saw Damien still holding Lyra tightly, not even looking back, quickly leaving the chaotic square with her.

His back was still so straight, so... cold and heartless.

The scene before me grew blurrier.

My consciousness, like being pulled by a dark vortex, plunged straight into endless darkness...

I don't know how long passed before I slowly woke up to the sound of low sobs.

Opening my eyes, I found myself in an unfamiliar cave, the air thick with the scent of herbs.

Lyra was slumped by my bedside, her shoulders shaking, seemingly asleep, but tear tracks still wet on her cheeks.

And behind her stood Damien, his expression as cold as ever.

He had taken off his precious snow-wolf king fur cloak and gently draped it over Lyra's shoulders.

Then he slowly raised his hand, as if to stroke Lyra's sleeping face, but just as he was about to touch her skin, his gaze met my empty one.

His movement froze.

A moment later, he nonchalantly pulled his hand back, said nothing, just looked at me deeply, then turned and walked out of the cave, probably to call the pack healer.

After watching him leave, I used all my strength to try and pull my hand, which she’d been using as a pillow and was almost numb, out from under Lyra's arm, but I still accidentally woke her.

She groggily opened her eyes, rubbing them, her voice concerned.

"Selena, are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." I looked at my carefully bandaged wounds and gently shook my head.

My voice was so hoarse it barely sounded like me.

Lyra finally seemed completely relieved, handing me a bone cup filled with spring water.

"That's good. Last night really scared me! You were not only burned by those flying stones and hot soup, but you also had such a severe lunar energy backlash! I really regret not stopping you from eating that Fire-Scale Lizard meat! And you, really, knowing your body is allergic to that fire energy, you should have just told Damien to get you something else. Why did you have to be so stubborn and force yourself to eat it?"

She grumbled softly, subtly watching my reaction.

Damien, along with an elderly pack healer, walked in just then.

Hearing Lyra say I was "allergic to Fire-Scale Lizard energy," Damien's steps faltered noticeably, his expression complex.

I shook my head gently. "I wasn't being stubborn. It's just, the full moon gathering has too many rules, the elders and leaders were all watching, I didn't want to spoil everyone's mood because of my personal issues, and I especially didn't want to... embarrass the Alpha, so I... ate that meat."

Lyra sighed, taking my hand that lay outside the fur blanket, and said sympathetically, "Sigh, I know you don't like those stuffy occasions either. Let me tell you some good news. Damien has already agreed, and he's talked to the council of elders. From now on, except for the grandest annual Moon Goddess festival, we don't have to attend those tedious full moon gatherings anymore! You won't have to tiptoe around those rules, and... I won't be pestered by those elders to find a mate anymore!"

Remembering the chaotic scene before I passed out, and now hearing this "good news," I just felt a wave of sadness.

To stop Lyra from being forced into mate selection, Damien could fight the entire council of elders, even change pack traditions that had lasted for centuries.

It proved he loved Lyra enough to defy anything for her.

I knew, with him desperately trying to shield Lyra like this, sooner or later, he would publicly announce his forbidden love for her.

It would surely cause a huge sensation in the Blood Moon Pack, even the entire Northern wolf clans.

I didn't want to be involved anymore.

I just wanted to leave soon.

Seeing me silent, Lyra seemed about to say more, but the communication crystal on her waist suddenly flashed urgently.

It was the old Alpha.

Lyra's expression froze.

She instinctively let go of my hand and looked at Damien for help.

Damien frowned, took the flashing crystal from Lyra, said nothing, just gestured to Lyra, and then hurried out.

Lyra saw Damien's grave expression and knew something serious had happened.

She didn't dare delay and quickly followed him out.

The room fell into a suffocating silence again.

Only the elderly pack healer remained, carefully examining my wounds and my internal energy.

"It seems the external injuries are no longer a major concern. But your lunar energy, due to the previous forced exertion and the impact of the fire energy, is very weak. To be safe, you should go to the depths of the sacred spring for a thorough purification and recuperation," the healer said after finishing the examination.

I took the token from the healer, allowing me to enter the core area of the sacred spring for treatment, and walked alone towards the deepest of the pack's territory.

The core area of the sacred spring was usually only accessible to the Alpha, Luna, and heroes who had made great contributions to the pack.

The teleportation arrays to the core area were all on the summit of the sacred mountain. I didn't want to attract attention there, nor did I want to encounter Damien and Lyra again, so I planned to take a little-known path.

But just as I reached the entrance to the stone steps, I heard familiar voices faintly.

"Lyra! You listen to me! I don't care what those old fools will think or how they'll react when they find out we love each other! And I don't care what the Moon Goddess's damn decree is! I just want to keep you by my side! With my life, with everything I have, I want to keep you under my wing forever! I never want to be separated from you! As long as I can be with you, even if... even if I have to give up the Alpha position of the Blood Moon Pack and become an enemy of the entire wolf race, I'm willing!"

It was Damien!

"But Damien, have you thought about Selena? She's... she's still your mate in name! And she grew up with me, like a sister. I... I can't let her suffer so much hurt and injustice because of us!" Lyra's voice was thick with tears, sounding incredibly kind.

Damien let out a pained growl, roughly grabbing Lyra's wrist and slamming her against the coarse rock wall. His bloodshot eyes were filled with desperation, like a wounded beast.

"If you care so much about whether she'll get hurt! Then you shouldn't have let me accept that ridiculous fated bond in the first place! You shouldn't have just watched me tie that innocent woman to an Alpha who doesn't even love her! You knew I didn't like her at all! My wolf, my heart, my body, from beginning to end, has only ever craved you, Lyra!"

He screamed out years of repressed pain and torment, no longer the cold, composed Alpha, but like a madman about to be consumed by despair!

He threw all caution to the wind, lowered his head, and almost savagely, kissed Lyra's lips!

Lyra seemed startled by his sudden madness, but after struggling for only a moment, her body went limp. She closed her eyes, her arms slowly wrapping around Damien's neck, uncontrollably sinking into the moment.

In the air, their pheromones crazily intertwined, clashed, and merged, emitting a heart-stoppingly sweet scent.

Just as Lyra was about to suffocate from the kiss, she let out a tearful moan.

"Damien..."

She leaned weakly against Damien's chest, panting.

Just as she was about to say something more, her gaze inadvertently swept past the bottom of the stone steps and landed on me, standing at the entrance, looking as if I’d been struck by lightning.

The color drained from her face instantly.

"Selena...?!"

####CHAPTER-NAME:

I just stood there, watching them.

Watching the lingering madness and possessiveness in Damien’s bloodshot eyes.

Watching the panic and guilt Lyra couldn't hide on her paper-white face.

I had a million questions I wanted to scream, but when they reached my lips, not a single word came out.

Lyra, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, violently pushed Damien away – who was still lost in the moment – and rushed towards me, forcing a smile uglier than tears.

"Selena! You... why are you up? Are you feeling better? You didn't even call me when you got up... I... Damien and I were just discussing... discussing how badly you were hurt, and what precious herbs and prey we should get to help you recover your strength and feel better... and then... then a nasty bug flew into my hair, and Damien... Damien was helping me get it out..."

She babbled incoherently, desperately winking at Damien behind her, trying to get him to back her up and confirm her "story."

Damien, however, just pursed his lips, his face cold, saying nothing, only watching me with those deep, unreadable eyes.

Seeing Lyra on the verge of tears, Damien finally, as if doing her a huge favor, managed to squeeze out a reply: "Yes."

I knew Lyra wasn't frantically making up this terrible lie because she actually cared about my feelings, and definitely not because she wanted to protect our so-called "sisterly bond."

She was just scared.

Scared I'd expose their dirty affair.

Scared she'd lose her "innocent and kind" perfect image in the Blood Moon Pack.

Scared she'd lose Damien's unconditional love and protection.

After finding out I'd been betrayed by my most trusted bestie and my destined mate, I did hate Lyra.

That hatred, like a venomous snake, gnawed at my heart day and night, making me miserable.

I didn't know how to face Lyra, with whom I once shared everything.

But now that I’d decided to completely sever this mistaken bond, none of it mattered anymore.

I didn't care.

So, even though I knew they were teaming up, putting on a ridiculously flawed show for me, I couldn't be bothered to call them out.

It would only make me look even more pathetic.

I suppressed the complicated mix of sadness, anger, disappointment, and disgust in my heart and managed a stiff smile.

"Oh, I see."

My voice was so calm, it even surprised me.

Lyra didn't know what I was thinking. She just assumed I hadn't clearly seen their passionate kiss earlier, that I actually believed her flimsy excuse.

She let out a sigh of relief, quickly stepped forward, and affectionately linked her arm through mine, cooing at me in that familiar way I once knew so well.

"Selena, what were you going out to do? Are you going to the sacred spring to heal? Want me to come with you? I actually have some things I wanted to talk to you about."

I took out the token the pack healer had given me from my pocket, my voice flat. "The healer told me to go to the depths of the sacred spring for a deep purification and recovery."

Lyra immediately and enthusiastically offered to go with me, then pulled me away from that disgusting place in a hurry.

Damien stood rooted to the spot the whole time, just watching our retreating backs with those dark, unreadable eyes.

The purification ritual in the core area of the sacred spring was longer and more painful than I’d imagined.

But every jolt and cleansing wash of lunar energy felt like it was stripping away the ugly marks deep within my soul.

It hurt, a lot, but it was also... clarifying.

The results came out quickly. The healer said the residual fire energy in my body had been completely cleared, but my lunar energy, due to the previous overexertion, had damaged its foundation and needed long-term rest and nourishment from rare herbs to slowly recover.

He suggested I stay in a healing cave by the sacred spring for at least another month.

I had no choice but to accept.

Lyra, true to her word, came to visit me almost every day.

And whenever Lyra appeared, Damien would also coincidentally show up nearby, due to various "pack affairs" or "territory patrols."

The two of them kept staging these "chance encounters."

But I knew in my heart, Damien never truly wanted to accompany me, his mate in name only.

The freshest prey and sweetest berries he "happened" to bring each time would, after I "accidentally" refused them, be "reluctantly" passed on to Lyra.

The potent healing herbs he traded from other packs, after Lyra "unintentionally" mentioned she needed them too, would be "fairly" divided, with Lyra getting a large share.

When the three of us "accidentally" gathered to chat, Damien's gaze would always uncontrollably linger on Lyra's smiling face.

He'd instinctively smooth Lyra's wind-tousled hair, naturally pass her the sweetest spring water from his own cup, and his lips would curve up when Lyra laughed happily...

I saw everything he did, and I remembered it.

Occasionally, a familiar, subtle ache would still prick my chest.

But that was all.

I never showed these emotions, never foolishly argued or begged like before.

Because I knew I was truly, finally, moving on from this mistaken relationship.

The invisible connection between us, born from the fated bond deep in my soul, was fading.

One day, it would break completely.

And I would completely let go.

The day I was discharged, the day I decided to leave the Blood Moon Pack for good, Damien actually came himself.

He even, uncharacteristically, suggested taking me on a "mate's hunt and patrol" as compensation for the grievances I'd suffered.

This was the first time since he became Alpha that he’d actively invited me like this.

I paused, a little confused about what he was up to.

But he didn't give me a chance to refuse, directly pulling me onto his magnificent black war wolf mount.

First, he took me to the Moon-shadow Forest, the most beautiful of the Blood Moon Pack's territory, also richest in prey.

There, he showcased his incredible hunting skills as an Alpha.

His agile form moved through the trees, every strike precise and deadly.

Then, he piled the most precious prey in front of me and said in a tone that left no room for argument, "These are all yours."

Next, he took me to the pack's treasury, which was filled with glittering gems, rare ores, and weapons and ornaments made from precious materials.

He casually selected a dozen items that, in his eyes, symbolized the Luna's status and glory, laying them out before me one by one, like a generous king displaying his wealth and favor towards me.

"This necklace, strung with South Sea moonlight pearls, has a gentle luster that complements your fair skin."

"These armbands, crafted from thousand-year-old blood jade, are said to have the miraculous effect of concentrating lunar energy, which will help you recover your strength."

"This cloak, sewn from ice silk and fire fox fur, is light and warm, capable of warding off the northern cold."

...

For the past three years, although we were mates in name, Damien had never truly taken me on a date.

The few times we attended pack events together were mostly at the elders' insistence, and even then, he'd reluctantly bring me along.

No matter how much affection and care I showed him, no matter how much I did for him, he ignored it all, let alone patiently picking out gifts for me and giving detailed comments like he was doing now.

So I felt very uncomfortable, almost like the Damien before me was a stranger, making me feel... a chill down my spine.

A young, clueless she-wolf guarding the treasury, seeing Damien so attentively choosing gifts for me, looked at me with envy. She couldn't help but whisper, "Future Luna, the Alpha not only personally accompanies you hunting and chooses the most precious gifts for you, but he also so carefully considers your preferences and needs. To have such a powerful and doting Alpha as your mate, you must feel incredibly happy and proud!"

I watched Damien take out a black obsidian token from his pouch, signaling the she-wolf to pack up all those gifts and send them to my hut.

Throughout the whole process, he didn't even ask me once if I liked any of it.

Happy? Proud?

If I didn't know the person he truly loved was Lyra; if I hadn't experienced the humiliation at that full moon gathering and the desperation of being on the brink of death; if I hadn't witnessed his passionate kiss with Lyra on the sacred spring path...

Maybe, I really would have been like this young she-wolf, moved to tears by his sudden favor.

But now, seeing these exquisite, expensive, yet cold gifts, my heart was just numb.

I knew better than anyone that Damien's sudden, uncharacteristic actions weren't because he'd fallen in love with me.

He just couldn't give me real love and respect, so he was trying to use these things to make up for what he owed me, to silence the gossip from the elders and pack members, to soothe his own conscience.

What he could give me, I didn't need.

And what I once wanted, he couldn't give, and never would.

This fated bond, mistakenly forged by the Moon Goddess, was an absurd mistake from the very beginning.

####CHAPTER-NAME:

After that pointless gift-giving trip, it was already dusk.

Damien glanced at the sky and coolly asked if I wanted to eat anything.

I had no appetite for any of his "offerings," so he decided on his own to find a clearing by a stream, light a bonfire, and prepare a simple "mate's" dinner.

He then added, seemingly casually, "Lyra just told me through a wind-whisper stone that she happens to be nearby collecting night-glow grass, so I asked her to join us."

The northern forests were so vast, yet we just happened to run into her here.

Whether it was a coincidence or if he just couldn't wait to be with Lyra, I didn't know, and I didn't want to bother finding out anymore.

I just said, "Mm," and went to sit on a large rock by the stream, closing my eyes to rest, not wanting to look at his hypocritical face any longer.

About fifteen minutes later, Damien arrived with Lyra.

Lyra, still acting all innocent and worldly, chirped happily as soon as she saw me, linking her arm through mine affectionately, as if there had never been any bad blood between us. "Selena," she blinked her pure, innocent eyes, "I let Damien take you out to cheer you up. Was he good to you today? Did he get you any prey or crystals you liked?"

Only then did I realize that Damien's strange behavior today had all been approved by Lyra.

The few, precious warm moments I'd had in the past three years were actually Lyra's handouts to me.

How ridiculous!

I lowered my head, unwilling to respond.

This so-called mate's dinner, I ate it like I was chewing wax, mechanically putting the half-cooked roasted meat into my mouth.

Although Lyra was constantly chatting with Damien about interesting pack gossip, sometimes giggling at Damien's "wit," sometimes playfully complaining that Damien had been neglecting her lately due to "busy pack affairs," she kept glancing at me, sharply noticing my extremely low spirits.

So, when the bonfire started to die down, she insisted on pulling me along to a nearby hot spring to "relax."

"Selena, wasn't Damien's hunting and patrol trip with you today fun? Or were the gifts he picked out not to your liking, so you've been so down?"

She said this in a "wise older sister" tone while helping me undress.

"Don't mind Damien, he's usually so serious, but when he's with us she-wolves, sometimes he's really... really clumsy."

"Let me tell you," she leaned closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a huge secret, "a long, long time ago, I just casually mentioned I wanted to taste the legendary starlight fruit, which only grows in the Moon Goddess's garden. And he actually snuck into the forbidden area, only accessible to past Alphas, risked being torn aby guardian beasts, and brought back a whole basket for me! And guess what? After the elders found out, he was punished by having to soak in the ice lake for three days and nights. At that time, a few she-wolves from other affiliated packs who had crushes on him came to visit, wanting to taste the precious starlight fruit too. He wouldn't give them a single piece, even saying defiantly, 'I risked my life to get these, so naturally, they only belong to Lyra!' That story, our Blood Moon Pack members have been telling it as a joke for years! Don't you think he's been that bossy since he was little?"

She giggled as she spoke, her full chest bouncing, looking alluring in the moonlight.

I quietly watched the undisguised pride and happiness in her eyes.

I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't.

Yeah, only someone who knows they're favored, cherished, would be so bold, right?

An indescribable sourness and sadness welled up in my heart.

I didn't want Lyra to see how I was feeling, so I made an excuse to go into the nearby woods.

But I'd barely left the hot spring area, before I could even calm myself, when I heard horrifying roars from the sky not far away.

Then, thick black smoke, reeking of strong corrosion, spread rapidly from the direction of the stream we’d just left, towards the entire pack territory!

The surrounding trees, upon contact with the black smoke, withered and rotted at a visible speed, turning into disgusting pools of black pus.

The air filled with the pungent smell of sulfur and death.

"It's... it's the 'Shadow Plague'! Run!"

"Oh gods! How did those shadow creatures sealed in the 'Abyss of Despair' suddenly get out!"

Screams and cries for help, filled with terror and despair, came from all directions.

My first thought was Lyra, still at the hot spring, unaware of the danger!

So even though I knew that if I touched that terrifying "Shadow Plague," I'd be corroded like those withered trees, not even bones would be left, I still, without hesitation, ran against the tide of panicking, fleeing pack members, towards the hot spring!

Just as I reached the edge of the hot spring area, I saw Damien tightly shielding a disheveled Lyra in his arms, struggling to fend off the encroaching black smoke, preparing to break through to safety with her.

Lyra, like a frightened little bird, clung tightly to Damien's arm, her anxious voice, broken and intermittent, carried through the thick, suffocating black smoke. "Damien! Selena... Selena is still out in the woods! She... she doesn't know about the 'Shadow Plague' here! You... you go save her first! I... I can find a way to get out myself!"

"Forget about her for now! You leave this contaminated area with me first!"

Damien's voice was still steady, firm, and unyielding.

But Lyra stubbornly tried to push him away, wanting him to save me first.

"I'll be fine! Damien, go save Selena! She... she's your Luna in name, after all! If anything happens to her today because of us... what... what will you do? The council... the council won't let us off either!"

"Lyra! Listen to me!" Damien suddenly roared, cutting her off, holding Lyra even tighter in his arms. "I don't care what happens to her! I just want you to be safe! If she can escape on her own, that's her luck; if she can't... that has nothing to do with us either! In my world, there's only you. Nothing else matters!"

Every word, like a sharp blade, stabbed viciously into my heart.

I bit my lip so hard, the rich taste of blood instantly filled my mouth, the pain almost suffocating me.

Damien, tightly protecting Lyra in his arms, turned and quickly broke away in the opposite direction from me.

At the same time, the other pack members, completely crazed with fear, surged like a tide towards any seemingly safe exit.

I was pushed down in the chaos, falling heavily to the ground. My body was trampled black and blue by the stampeding pack members, my bones feeling like they were about to break.

I trembled violently from the pain, cold sweat drenching my clothes in an instant.

The black smoke from the "Shadow Plague" grew thicker, reaching my feet, starting to corrode my exposed skin.

I couldn't help but let out a pained groan.

Driven by the instinct to survive, I gritted my teeth against the intense pain, got up from the ground, and, leaning on a tree trunk already half-corroded, stumbled step by step towards what I remembered as a relatively safe area.

####CHAPTER-NAME: