I was kidding myself, thinking that Balthar would one day loved me back because he was my fated mate.

I was done with the lies I made for myself.

"I’m doing us a favor, Alpha. You wanted me to be gone from your life, right? Now I want the same. I’m leaving," I said before proceeding to leave.

Balthar never said it, not to my face, at the very least. Yet, anyone with good eyes and sound mind would’ve been able to see that he never wanted our mate bonds, let alone our marriage.

Only now, I had the courage to admit that whatever we had was the dictation of our customs. He had tried his utmost for our mate bond to eventually break.

That was the reason why he never acknowledged me nor my wolf. It was also the reason my body growing weaker the longer I stayed in this cruel marriage. The pack healers and doctors alike and mentioned that my connection with my wolf had deteriorated to a worrying state.

It made me wonder if my family heirloom, the Lunar Crystalis could even healed my condition.

As I reached outside, to the open area I waved at the horse carriage that were often stationed nearby the gate of the pack house, signalling that I wanted a ride.

Suddenly, A strong hand caught me by the shoulder and spun me around.

“Are you trying to get my attention now?” He asked, disdain lingered in his vocie. “Think you no longer can use your son for an excuse, so now you’re making bold moves yourself?”

His words were a blow to my heart.

Balto had fallen ill around spring last year. It started with symptoms of him vomiting his food, losing his appetite, and eventually the veins on his body went visible on his paling skin and it turned darker blue and slowly into the sade of black by the day.

Initially, I tried to contact Balthar. Desperately linking our minds asking him to at least come and see Balto’s condition for himself. Instead, he was adamant on thinking that I was using Balto to gain his sympathy.

Knowing that I couldn’t rely on him, I used the pack’s connection as far as my title as the Luna could reach. I called all the best healers in and around Night Howl Pack to figure out my son’s condition. I went back and forth to find the modern doctors too but I got no answer.

None understood what had happened and how to treat his condition.

That illness was one that finally claimed Balto’s life.

“Believe whatever you wanted to believe, Balthar,” I called his name, ditching his title and that seemed to had caught him off guard.

By then, I saw saw Nayra finally catching up to us from the pack house, I slapped his hand away off my shoulder.

But, before I could anticipate his next move, Balthar continued his false accusations.

“Your new tactic works, Elmyra. Congrats Now drop the attitude and get inside,” he said, grabbing one of my suitcase and was about to take it inside.

“No!” I yanked the suitcase as hard as I could. A wolfish snarl escaped my throat and Balthar let go of my suitcase.

I backed away with my breath raging, my eyes locked into Balthar’s widened one.

Suddenly, Nayra came between us and pulled Balthar into her side. “Elmyra, is this because Balthar couldn’t come to Balto’s birthday, is it? I get that you are upset, but is it worth for you to go this far?”

A scoff escaped my lips.

Nayra turned to Balthar. “Alpha, I knew you should’ve cancelled our trip for the glowing apple festival….”

"There’s no need for that. There’s still birthday celebration next year. But the ancient apple tree in Dawnwynd Pack only glow every 75 years. We had to wait if we missed the one yesterday."

I wanted to rip that smug tug on her lips!

Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Maybe because deep down, Nayra was still my younger sister. Before I did things I regret, I decided to ignore her and walked closer to the road.

“Elmyra!” Balthar called.

I ignored him and continued my steps. He caught up to me and blocked my path. “Stop acting like this! I can clear my schedule next month and hold a party for his birthday. You don’t need to get this upset!”

Tears fell down my cheeks and that seemed to startle Balthar for a bit. Balto was gone already and he talked about next month for him?!

"Get out of my way!" I went past him.

As I walk, I heard Nayra’s footsteps catching up before apologetically talked to Balthar, "This is my fault, Alpha. I should’ve insisted you to go home despite knowing Balto was just acting sick. I should’ve let go of my ego and let the child to have his moment with you."

I stopped in my track.

That witch… Balto was coughing his lungs out, and she said he was just acting sick?

I let go of my suitcase, turned and hurled up to slap away that smugness glint on her face.

“Ah!”

Balthar instantly turned into rage. He grabbed me by the hand and pushed me away, causing me to fall on my butt.

As he shielded Nayra behind his back, he raised his tone. “What the hell are you doing Elmyra?!”

I could feel my heart was beating faster. My gaze fixed on my trembling palm. I just slapped my sister, and when I looked up to look at her offended and slightly tearful eyes, I felt a sense of relief.

She deserved this!

Standing up, cleaning any dirt on my clothes, I looked up both at Nayra and Balthar. Needless to say he was furious, I could smell the warning scent coming out of him.

I used to be cautious around him, but now. What do I have to fear? Balto… everything had been taken away from me

"You’re uncontrollable, Elmyra! Don’t you realize you’re hurting your sister?" Balthar shouted.

I let his words fell on deaf ears. My own rage still building up inside of me and I couldn’t tear away my glare at Nayra.

"You watch your words, Nayra,” I warned Nayra. “You had no freaking rights to slander my son like that. Our blood ties be damned!"

Nayra held Balthar closer to her, I could sense fear coming out of her voice. "A-alpha Balthar, let’s just drop this matter. If my sister couldn’t admit his son is faking his illness, then let it be. Don’t fight because of me."

“Balto was really ill!” I screamed at the top of my lungs then shifted my gaze to Balthar.

Holding back my tears from overflowing, I asked him with restrained voice. "Balthar, do you really, really, think that Balto wasn’t sick? Didn’t you see how pale he had became in the past few months?"

Balthar’s silence was enough for an answer.

My heart broke once more knowing that he had doubts of Balto’s honesty. My son had a genuine soul. He still had the typical child behavior of wanting attention, but he’d never fake his own illness for that.

Balto was suffering, for more than a year. If only I got a part of Balthar’s influence as an alpha, I would’ve brought Balto abroad if needed. We I exhausted most sources around Night Howl Pack but not yet contacting healers from abroad.

If it weren’t from Balthar’s restriction, I was certain we could’ve created a better treatment for Balto’s condition.

If Balthar had bothered to truly sit down, and truly see what had happened to Balto. How my son’s condition significantly deteroriate within the span of months, Balthar wouldn’t even believe the lies Nayra was feeding him.

Yet, in reality, he did none of those. He didn’t care.

“Right, of course you didn’t notice. You’re too busy with your ‘tight schedule’ to care.” I said between sobbed as I wiped the tears off my face.

I recalled how Balto had insisted that I just stay by his side. He didn’t want to see any more healers or doctors. His voice, frail and trembling, echoed in my mind as he confessed that he might not have much time left. But he also said he was happiest when I was with him, far more than when anyone else was trying to treat him.

At the time, I refused to accept it. I couldn't bear the thought of losing him. But deep down, I knew—his condition wasn’t improving. The remedies I could find were limited, and hope was slipping away faster than I could grasp.

That’s when I made a decision. I left Balto, promising him I wouldn’t be gone long.

I traveled far, seeking out Balthar, who had ignored my mind link more than once. I went straight to his office, fell to my knees, and begged. I swore that if he granted me permission to reach out to doctors abroad, it would be the last favor I’d ever ask of him.

I still remember the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. It was as if he had been waiting for me to say those words for far too long. His reaction stung, but I pushed the feeling aside—my focus was entirely on saving Balto.

Unfortunately, I was too late. The best healers from abroad could only come the fastest by next week and Balto had died before any of them could treat him.

As my mind returned to reality, I saw Balthar glanced around, a hint of suspicion in his gaze.

“Where is that boy? I don’t sense him anywhere,” he asked, his voice sharp. And then the accusation, “Are you hiding him from me?”

I was stunned, disappointment washing over me.

Why now? Why only after Balto’s death did Balthar care enough to ask?

From the very beginning, I was drawn to Balthar, even before my wolf awakened and the whole mating bond became a part of my life.

What started as innocent puppy love grew into something deeper. I found myself constantly pursuing his attention, doing everything I could to make him notice me, hoping that one day he’d look at me the way I looked at him.

But perhaps I tried too hard. Somewhere along the way, he began to resent me for it.

After his coming-of-age ceremony, when he learned that I was his true mate—not Nayra—he only grew colder. Everything I had done to get closer to him, all the gifts, surprises, and efforts to win his heart, he turned around and did for her.

Even though I knew my love was hopelessly one sided, I still stayed by his side. I came to ask myself why I didn’t walk away. Wouldn’t it have been easier to let Balthar go and let Nayra have him?

Was it because of what my parents had said?

They warned me that rejecting a mate bond was a rebellion against the Moon Goddess herself, and it would brought a huge shame on our family. My father always said that no matter how hard we fought it, we werewolves would eventually return to our fated mates. The bond was inevitable.

And so, I continued to love Balthar, even as our families arranged our marriage. That led him to temporarily stop pursuing Nayra, though it didn’t change his feelings. Regardless the chaos of that time, my sister chose to leave, moving to another pack to study. It was there that she found her fated mate.

Balthar’s resentment toward me only deepened after that. He made every effort to avoid any involvement in our mating ceremony, openly declaring in front of both families that a forced marriage didn’t deserve any celebration.

In the end, neither of us could fight the power our families held over us, and the marriage went through.

Years later, Nayra unexpectedly returned from the neighboring pack. Along with her completed studies, she brought news that her fated mate had died in a tragic accident.

Despite finding her whole situation rather odd, I didn’t dwell on it much since my parents didn't really fuss about it too. What I knew was that Nayra would linger around Balthar, and my fated mate would devote his attention for my sister.

Then it struck me.

I understood why Balthar resented me, but why did he treat Balto with such coldness? What had my son done to deserve being treated as if he didn’t even exist?

"Alpha Balthar, I feel nauseous again," my sister suddenly said, leaning into him for support.

My eyes narrowed as I watched them. Their interaction sickened me.

Balthar used to be so handsome, his muscular and masculine features almost mesmerizing. But now? All I could feel was disgust.

Nayra seized the moment and escalated it even further. With her eyes glistening with unshed tears, she pressed closer to him, prompting Balthar to cradle her in his protective embrace.

"My cheek hurt too. Can you check if it’s swollen?" she asked, her voice fragile and pleading.

The scene felt painfully familiar, like a déjà vu.

I'd seen Nayra pull this act many times when we were younger—be it with our parents, the council elders, or our teachers. Always playing the victim, always seeking attention.

She’d always harbored a silent grudge against me. I couldn't pinpoint when it began, but after the Lunaria comet shower, the day sacred to our Dawnwynd Pack, her animosity grew bolder.

That day marked a tradition—the passing of the Lunar Crystalis from the previous holder to someone they deemed worthy. And I was chosen.

The stone was said to strengthen the bond between a wolf and its spirit, granting the wielder an unbreakable connection. But despite possessing it, I had never summoned its power. I had been too afraid.

Now, with Balto gone, I had nothing left to cling to. Even though I knew my bond with my wolf was weak, I lost the will to even try to repair it.

"Apologize to your sister, Elmyra," Balthar demanded, his glare cold and piercing.

I lifted my chin defiantly, meeting his gaze. "No way!"