The Mating Ceremony was the next day.

It should have been the most glorious moment of the Alliance’s strongest Luna’s life.

But I stood at the sacred altar alone, a complete joke.

The space beside me was empty.

Damon didn't show.

The whispers below buzzed like flies in my ears.

“See? I told you Damon was just toying with her.”

“Why would the Alpha of the Dark Moon Pack ever actually mate a she-wolf with a weak spirit?”

“So pathetic. Abandoned before she’s even bonded.”

But I kept my back ramrod straight.

I knew where Damon was.

Having lived this day once before, I knew what was coming. The largest Rogue invasion in history was about to break out on the border.

Last time, Sarah’s drama delayed Damon. Three villages were slaughtered.

This time, thanks to my hint, he’d left early.

“Oh, Elena. Where’s your Alpha?”

A sickeningly sweet voice cut through the awkward silence.

The doors swung open. Sarah walked in, arm-in-arm with Liam.

She wore a red dress with a neckline that plunged scandalously low, her hair swept to one side.

A crude, red bite mark marred her pale neck. The proof of a fresh mating.

All eyes snapped to her.

“Gods, Liam must have been rough last night.”

“Looks like the Alder Pack Alpha is really in love with Sarah.”

Sarah basked in the attention, then walked up to me and sighed with fake sympathy.

“Elena, darling, I told you Damon was all growl and no bite. He abandoned you at your own Mating Ceremony. If I were you, I’d be digging a hole to crawl into and die.”

But I heard the wild laughter in her head:

[Hahahaha! Looks like Damon couldn't make it! Maybe his curse acted up early. Elena, you’ll be torn to shreds by him tonight!]

She was counting on Damon going feral.

“Worry about yourself, Sarah,” I said coldly.

Liam stroked Sarah’s back gently, smiling at me. “Elena, don’t mind Sarah. She’s just blunt. If you’re feeling lonely, Sarah and I wouldn’t mind sharing a drink with you.”

Such a considerate mate.

If only I couldn’t hear his thoughts:

[Damon is a no-show? Good. I’ve heard the whispers about his curse. Once I’ve built my power, I can seize his territory... and his mate.]

Disgusting.

Sarah clearly thought I wasn't humiliated enough.

She suddenly stood on her toes, wrapped her arms around Liam's neck, and gave him a wet, passionate kiss in front of hundreds of guests.

“Liam, you’re so good to me,” Sarah purred, shooting me a defiant look. “Not like some Alphas, who don't even leave their mates a shadow.”

My wolf spirit let out a low, furious growl inside me.

Enough.

I was done tolerating this.

I turned to face the altar and the crowd below.

“Quiet.”

My voice, though quiet, cut through the noise and silenced the hall.

“My Alpha did not abandon me.”

My gaze swept over the hall, finally landing on Sarah’s gloating face.

“You all stand here, sipping your champagne and laughing at my expense. Meanwhile, my Alpha is leading the Dark Moon warriors against a three-thousand-strong Rogue invasion on the northern border.”

A wave of shocked gasps swept through the crowd.

No one knew the border was in trouble.

“He missed this ceremony so you could all stand here and run your mouths,” I said with a cold smirk. “He is out there spilling blood to protect every single one of you. Unlike some rutting mutt, good for nothing but sinking his teeth into the nearest female’s neck.”

Dead silence.

Then, looks of awe replaced the mockery.

“Oh, my gods, he’s protecting us…”

“Alpha Damon is a true leader!”

The tide had turned.

Sarah’s smile froze on her face. That red love bite now looked cheap and vulgar.

“You…” Sarah’s face flushed with anger, trying to retort.

But I didn’t give her the chance.

“Continue the ceremony,” I ordered, my gaze firm. “The pact stands. My bond with Damon will hold.”

I had won.

For now, at least. I had protected Damon’s honor and secured my own position.

The banquet continued.

I held my wine glass, watching them from across the room.

Sarah was nestled in Liam’s arms, giggling and flirting.

But I caught a small detail.

The hand Liam had wrapped around her waist was squeezing. Hard. So hard his knuckles were white.

He was digging into the softest part of her side.

Sarah’s face twisted in pain for a split second before she forced another smile.

I heard her thoughts, a mix of pain and self-delusion:

[That hurts… but he just loves me so much. All Alphas are this possessive. He’s just punishing me for embarrassing him.]

Fool.

That wasn’t love.

My eyes shifted to Liam’s face.

He was still smiling, his gaze so gentle it could melt steel.

But the voice I heard in his head was colder than hell itself:

[Take it, you stupid bitch. You think this hurts? This is just foreplay. Tonight, I’ll teach you what real pain is when I feast on my prey.]

As I dripped the sacred blood of my oath into my wine glass, I felt dozens of gazes shift.

Especially Elder Vivian, who sat at the head table.

She was the Alliance’s most impartial judge.

In my last life, she never gave me the time of day.

To her, I was just the Luna of a worthless, weak pack.

But now, she slowly walked over to me.

“I thought Damon had chosen a fragile mate.”

Vivian’s gaze swept over me, sharp and assessing. The disdain in her voice was gone, replaced by something else. Respect.

“But it seems your presence is strong enough to be the Luna of the most powerful pack in the Alliance.”

She even gave a slight nod, a sign of true respect in Alliance etiquette.

The guests around us immediately changed their tune, raising their glasses to me in salute.

I smiled and nodded back, but my mind was cold and clear.

This was just the beginning.

Vivian’s approval wasn't enough to survive. I needed to make my enemies tear each other apart.

Just then, a sickly sweet scent drifted near.

Sarah approached, holding two glasses of wine.

Her makeup was fixed, her mask of sisterly affection back in place.

“Elena, I was out of line earlier.” Sarah’s eyes were red-rimmed as she held up a glass. “I apologize. This drink is to you and Damon… may you have a lifetime of happiness.”

She deliberately offered me the glass in her left hand.

The wine was a deep scarlet, looking perfectly normal.

But my wolf spirit suddenly went on high alert. A prickling sense of danger shot up my spine.

Then, her vicious thought drilled into my ear:

[Drink it, bitch. This wine is laced with concentrated liquid silver. One sip will sear your vocal cords and wither your wolf spirit to ash. Let’s see if that old hag Vivian still respects you when you’re a mute, broken thing!]

Liquid silver.

The most violent poison to a werewolf.

She didn’t just want to ruin my ceremony; she wanted to destroy me completely.

I looked at Sarah’s expectant eyes and let a cold smile touch my lips.

I drank too much bitter wine in my last life.

This time, it was her turn.

I reached out, pretending to take the glass.

Just as my fingers brushed the glass, I “accidentally” hooked the hem of her dress with my foot. In the same fluid motion, I stepped back.

“Ah!”

Sarah shrieked, lost her balance, and pitched forward.

The poisoned wine didn't touch me. It flew in a perfect, damning arc through the air, drenching the sacred altar behind me.

SPLAASH!

The crimson liquid splashed across the pure white statue of the Moon Goddess. The glass shattered, sending shards flying everywhere.

The entire hall fell silent.

More silent than when Damon was a no-show.

That was the altar.

The sacred ground for worshiping the Moon Goddess, for praying for the packs’ prosperity.

To spill an offering and defile the statue during a Mating Ceremony was the highest form of blasphemy. A terrible omen.

“Insolent fool!”

A roar broke the silence.

Elder Vivian was trembling with rage, her Alpha-class presence slamming down on the room.

“The Luna of the Alder Pack! How dare you cause a scene at the Dark Moon Pack’s sacred altar!”

Sarah lay in a pathetic heap on the floor, her dress stained with wine and littered with glass.

She looked up in a panic, her face ghostly white. “No… it wasn’t me! Elena pushed me! It was her—”

“Silence!” Vivian barked. “I saw it with my own two eyes! Elena didn’t even touch you! Your own guilty feet made you stumble!”

The guests pointed and whispered, their faces filled with disgust.

“What bad luck.”

“To desecrate the Goddess at a Mating Ceremony… the Alder Pack is doomed.”

Sarah trembled, looking desperately toward Liam in the crowd.

Liam’s expression was thunderous.

But he had to act.

He strode to Sarah’s side, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over her shoulders with impeccable tenderness.

“I apologize, Elder Vivian. Sarah is not used to drinking. I will repent to the Goddess on her behalf.”

Liam helped the trembling Sarah to her feet, his face a mask of apology and concern. “Sarah, are you hurt? Does it hurt?”

Such a perfect, devoted Alpha.

If only I couldn’t hear the violent, cold voice in his head:

[Useless thing. Pissed off that old bat Vivian. You’ve shamed me before the entire Alliance Council.]

Liam’s hand gently stroked Sarah’s back, as if calming a frightened kitten.

But I saw Sarah’s body go rigid.

A physiological reaction of pure terror.

Liam looked up at me, a standard smile on his face. “My apologies for ruining the mood, Elena. I’ll take Sarah to have her wounds tended to.”

I watched the two-faced couple, raised my empty glass, and made a gesture for them to leave.

“Go on, Liam. I do hope Sarah’s wounds… heal properly.”

Liam walked away, his arm around Sarah.

As they passed me, I caught the last flicker of a thought from Sarah’s mind.

The voice was chillingly calm, and it made my skin crawl:

[Elena, you bitch.... Your time is up. Damon's curse is surfacing. And I'm going to love watching you get shredded.]

Three in the morning.

The rain was a downpour. The manor gates were slammed open with brutal force.

Damon was back.

He was soaked to the bone, his black shirt torn to shreds by claws, clinging to his body and outlining muscles coiled with explosive power.

The thick stench of blood and rain flooded the living room.

The blood of hundreds of Rogues.

He stood in the doorway, chest heaving, his scarlet eyes glowing unnervingly in the dark.

He looked like a beast fresh from a kill, still on the ragged edge of a rampage.

The servants trembled in fear, none daring to approach.

This was when his “Blood Moon Curse” was at its most volatile.

The slightest trigger could make him lose control completely.

But I couldn’t back down.

I took a deep breath and walked toward that source of danger, carrying a bundle of healing herbs.

“Get out.”

Damon snarled, his voice raw and broken.

He didn’t look at me. His nails dug deep into the doorframe, leaving behind a set of horrifying scratches.

He was fighting it.

Trying not to rip the fragile woman in front of him to pieces.

“I’m your mate, Damon.”

I walked right up to him, forcing myself to ignore the suffocating pressure, and gently pressed a towel to his still-bleeding shoulder.

“I’m here to treat your wounds.”

Damon’s head snapped up.

Those crimson eyes locked onto me, as if he wanted to devour me whole.

But I couldn’t hear his thoughts.

There was only an unsettling silence.

Just as I thought he was about to snap my neck, the red light in his eyes flickered strangely, then slowly dimmed.

There it was again.

As long as I wasn't afraid of him, as long as I got close, the storm inside him would calm.

Damon didn’t speak, just let me lead him to the sofa.

I cleaned the deep, gruesome gash on his back with an alcohol swab.

The wound was raw, edged with black decay. A wisp of smoke—Rogue poison—curled from the flesh.

A normal wolf would have passed out from the pain, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Why?”

After a long silence, his deep voice rumbled from above me.

“What?” I didn’t stop my work.

“Why help me? You reminded me about the rogue crisis, and you defended me at the ceremony.” Damon turned his head, his deep black eyes studying me with a playful glint. “I heard about it at the front line. You spun my absence into a ‘hero’s quest.’ You even got that old crone Vivian on your side.”

He leaned in, his Alpha scent pressing down on me, overwhelming.

“So, what’s your game, little wolf? Playing hard to get?”

His fingers toyed with a lock of my hair, his tone mocking. “Elena. We’ve known each other for less than 24 hours. You have no reason to protect me like this.”

I looked up and met his gaze.

This man was too suspicious, too smart.

Only a transaction would make him lower his guard.

“I need a protector. You need a buffer.”

I spoke calmly, applying the last piece of gauze. “I can be your face. I’ll manage the pack, handle the Alliance's tedious politics, and free you up to do what you do best: break things. We both get what we want.”

Damon raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by my honesty.

He purred, his breath hot against my ear. "And the price? My power? My fortune? Or... my bed?"

I took a step back, creating distance.

“Separate rooms.”

Damon froze.

“We’ll be mates in name only,” I said, pointing to the guest room upstairs. “I won’t interfere in your private life, and you give me the highest Luna authority. Those are my terms.”

The air hung still for a few seconds.

Then, Damon laughed.

“Deal.”

He leaned back against the sofa, the bloodlust in his eyes completely gone, replaced by the lazy, dangerous air of an aristocrat.

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

Step one: complete.

I turned to pack up the first-aid kit, my mind already racing to the next step:

[Fifty million. That’s all I need. Then I’m buying a one-way ticket straight to the human world. Who wants to spend their life with this ticking time bomb? Once I’ve milked this mad dog for every last cent, I’m out.]

Just as I turned to head upstairs.

“Fifty million?”

His voice was a low chuckle.

My blood ran cold. I froze, my hand hovering on the brass doorknob.

I glanced back. He had his back to me, playing with the blood-stained dagger.

“What?” I forced myself to sound calm.

“Nothing,” he waved a dismissive hand.“Just thinking a performance this good deserves a bonus. Consider it a signing fee.”

My heart pounded. I risked a look at him, terrified he was in my head.

But he looked completely calm, unfazed.

Okay, just a coincidence, I told myself.

I shook my head to clear it and retreated to my room.

I didn't see him, down on the sofa.

Damon opened his eyes.

His dark gaze glinted with the thrill of a predator who’s just found a fascinating new toy.

He smirked, mouthing the words silently to the empty room. “Try to run, little wolf. You’ll only succeed over my dead body.”

——

The next morning, the sun was annoyingly bright.

The moment Damon and I arrived at the Alliance estate, we ran into that nauseating “perfect couple.”

Sarah and Liam were obviously waiting for us.

Sarah was wearing a white turtleneck sweater.

The summer heat was oppressive, easily 90 degrees, yet she was bundled in a thick turtleneck.

She was hiding something.

I could even smell the faint, sick scent of expensive ointment mixed with rotting flesh. It seemed Liam’s “lesson” last night had been thorough.

“Well, well, if it isn’t our future Alliance leader and his Luna,” Sarah sneered, clinging to Liam’s arm. Her face was pale, but her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Sleep well, Alpha Damon? I heard you two kept to separate rooms. Such a shame, leaving your new mate all alone on your first night as a bonded pair.”

News traveled fast. They still had spies in the pack.

Liam wore his usual gentle smile, but he had dark circles under his eyes.

“Damon, you must be exhausted from your ‘expedition’ last night,” Liam said with false sincerity, reaching out to pat Damon’s shoulder. “But as a man, you still need to enjoy your mate. Look at Sarah… she was worn out last night…”

The implication was obvious.

But I heard the frantic jealousy in his mind:

[Damn him. How did he slaughter hundreds of Rogues and return without a scratch? Why hasn't the curse taken him? Why is he still breathing? I spent all night taking it out on Sarah, and it still wasn't enough! I want to see him dead!]

Damon stopped.

He didn’t even glance at Liam’s outstretched hand.

He just tilted his head, giving them a lazy, dismissive look.

“Is this the respect the Alder Pack shows? Failing to bow before the High Alpha of this Alliance?”