Alpha Fabian's first reaction to learning I was his fated mate? Rejection.

But drunk at the bonfire festival, he couldn't fight the pull of fate. He marked me.

Marking a rejected mate came with a price. His power weakened. Forced into a bond with me, he despised me.

For two years, I bled for him. I did 100 impossible things, just hoping for a single glance.

I snuck into forbidden lands for rare herbs.

I negotiated with enemy packs.

I fought on the front lines for him in pack wars, always coming back covered in scars.

But the one he truly loved was my adopted sister, Gloria.

Even my own parents, the pack's Beta, hated me. I was their lost daughter, raised by rogues for fifteen years. But they only had eyes for their perfect, obedient adopted girl.

Then, on my 100th task, I nearly died in the Valley of Shadows.

When I woke up, I had amnesia.

I was done chasing a cold mate and a family's love I'd never have.

And when I finally walked away, Fabian discovered the truth.

It was never me who couldn't live without him.

It was always him.

For two years, I did everything thing for my fated mate, Alpha Fabian. One hundred dangerous tasks, just to make him happy. But he only ever loved my sister, Gloria.

My 100th task for him?

Venturing into the Valley of Shadows to steal a rare herb from a hostile pack.

This time, I almost didn't make it back.

"You stupid girl! You almost died!"

A sharp, female voice pierced my ears.

I slowly opened my eyes. The white ceiling of a tent swam into view.

A splitting pain shot through my head.

My memories were a blur, a fog.

"For a mission? You went into the Valley of Shadows alone for that fool!" a man's angry roar followed.

Valley of Shadows? Mission?

I tried to remember, but all I got were broken pieces.

The backlash from a pack ward lit up the sky, then everything went black.

"I…"

"Enough!" The woman cut me off, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Look at you. What a wreck you've made of yourself, just to get Fabian's attention. I think the Moon Goddess got it wrong with this whole fated mate thing!"

Fabian.

The name made my heart race, but I couldn't picture his face.

"Gloria was worried sick about you all night," she went on, her tone suddenly softening. "She's already so fragile, and you've stressed her into a wreck."

I watched her expression shift.

Disgust when she looked at me. Pure love when she talked about Gloria.

"Who are you? Who's Gloria?" I asked, my voice weak.

The man and woman exchanged a look.

"Oh, so now you have amnesia?" the man sneered. "Convenient."

"She's our adopted daughter," he continued. "A thousand times better than you ever were."

Adopted? Then what about me?

"Am I your real daughter?"

"So what if you are?" my mother snapped. "Are you blaming us now? You were gone for fifteen years. We thought you were dead. Gloria was the one who got us through those painful years. Even now that you're back, a she-wolf raised as a rogue… You're no Beta warrior. And you'll never be fit to be this pack's Luna."

Gone for fifteen years.

So I was their daughter. But clearly, blood meant nothing.

"The healer said you might have some memory loss, but you look fine to me," my father said, standing up. "Now that you're awake, cut the sympathy act. Gloria's coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow. Be there. The Alpha has been planning it for months."

After they left, I lay alone in bed.

A wave of being completely unloved washed over me. It was a chilling reminder: I had to figure out who I really was.

I struggled to sit up and found a small, encrypted communicator and a leather-bound journal tucked inside my clothes.

On the cover, in my own handwriting, were the words: "For Fabian - My 100 Things."

My hand trembled as I cracked open the cover.

"Task #1: Fabian mentioned he likes purple wind-bells. I searched the entire forest to find them. He tossed them on the table without a second glance."

My heart began to pound.

"Task #15: Fabian wanted the Blaze-fire pack's secret combat manual. I snuck into their sacred grounds and stole it. I was almost caught, got my arm sliced by a silver bullet. When he took it, all he said was, 'It's useful enough.'"

Task #20, Task #30, Task #50…

Every page was a testament to my pathetic devotion and his icy cruelty.

"Task #67: I spent three months learning to brew his favorite ancient mead. When I brought it to him, he was talking to Gloria. He didn't even look up. 'Just leave it on the table,' he said."

Tears blurred my vision.

"Task #78: Fabian's power went wild. He was in agony all night. I stayed by his side, feeding him my energy to calm him. When dawn broke, his first words were, 'Where's Gloria? Did I wake her?'"

My hand clenched the journal, my knuckles turning white.

Every word was a knife, cutting into my amnesiac but still-aching heart.

"Task #100: It's Gloria's birthday. Fabian asked me to negotiate with the hostile pack in the Valley of Shadows for a rare herb for her. I know it's dangerous, but if it makes him happy…"

I slammed the journal shut.

My tears blurred the words, but the pain was crystal clear.

I didn't remember doing any of it, but reading the words, I could feel that girl's desperate love.

How stupid she was.

Risking her life just for a moment of kindness from a man who didn't love her.

I wiped my tears. I flipped to a blank page and wrote my final entry.

"Task #101: Leave him. Reclaim myself."

I wiped my eyes, picked up the cold communicator, and pressed the button to call the pack Elder.

"Elder, I'm requesting the Bond-Severing Ritual. I am rejecting my fated mate."

"Are you certain, child?" the Elder's voice came through, thick with shock. "Once the ritual begins, it can never be undone."

"I'm certain," my voice was unnervingly calm.

The line went silent for a moment before the Elder's voice returned, grave. "Child, the ritual requires the Moon Goddess’s Tear. The sacred artifact is locked in the Alpha's safe. Fabian's safe. You must get it before the full moon in three days, or the ritual cannot proceed."

Three days. I only had three days.

The coming-of-age ceremony was tomorrow. The entire pack would be there. It was my best shot at getting the Moon Goddess's Tear.

My mind set, I let instinct guide me back to my rooms.

The place was empty.

No flowers, no warm decorations, not even a single photo.

It was as cold as the entries in my journal.

I lay in bed, planning for tomorrow and searching for information on neutral cities.

Places free from any pack's control. Places where I could start over.

The next morning, my mother's angry voice echoed in my head.

"Hazel! Get to the main hall, now! Gloria's ceremony is starting!"

I put on the only thing in my closet that wasn't battle gear: a plain black dress.

No jewelry. No fine accessories. I didn't even own a decent mirror.

So this was what it was like to be the "real daughter" of a powerful Beta family, the mate of the pack Alpha.

The main hall was ablaze with light, packed with guests.

Everyone wore lavish gowns and formal attire, their faces glowing with joy.

I stood in a corner, an outsider watching a party that had nothing to do with me.

"Look, here comes our little princess!"

Fabian's voice, deep and proud, cut through the noise.

I turned, my eyes landing on a tall, handsome man.

That was Fabian. My mate.

But he wasn't looking at me.

His gaze was fixed on the figure gliding through the crowd behind me.

Gloria. She wore a gown of pure white silk, embroidered with the silver crest of the Moon Goddess.

Her hair was woven into an intricate braid, dotted with pearls and diamonds.

She looked ethereal.

"You look beautiful," Fabian breathed, walking toward her, his eyes filled with a deep, unguarded affection.

I watched them, a familiar pang of pain hitting my chest.

"Let me fix this for you," Fabian said softly, adjusting a jewel on her shoulder. He touched her like she was spun from moonlight, while I was just the shadow at their feet.

The guests murmured in admiration.

"They're a perfect match!"

"The way he looks at her… so tender!"

"The Alpha and his treasure. What a beautiful sight."

I stood there, listening to the praise, feeling like I was in someone else's story.

"Ladies and gentlemen," my father announced, raising his glass from the stage. "Today, we celebrate our Gloria's coming-of-age."

The hall erupted in applause.

"From this day forward," my father continued, "I officially pass my command of the pack's warrior guard to Gloria. She is more qualified than anyone to be the next Head Beta."

What?

I froze.

Head Beta of the pack. That position was meant to be passed down through the bloodline.

"Father, I can't," Gloria said softly, though her eyes shone with pride. "Hazel is your real daughter…"

"Nonsense," my mother interrupted immediately. "You are our real daughter. What does blood matter? You were the one who stood by us all these years!"

The guests around me nodded in agreement.

I watched the scene unfold, and the last shred of hope in my heart died.

Then, Fabian stepped onto the stage. He held a crest carved from moonstone, pulsing with a powerful protective rune.

"The Northern Wardstone!" someone gasped.

It was the pack's highest honor, given only to the bravest, most trusted warrior, symbolizing the power to guard the pack's defensive wards.

"Gloria," Fabian's voice was a low, mesmerizing rumble. "From now on, you will stand with me as a guardian of the Northern Ward. I place my trust in you."

He pinned the stone to her chest himself. It rested against her gown, a perfect match for her pure image.

"Fabian, I can't accept this," Gloria demurred, but her eyes were filled with joy. "This responsibility is too great, and Hazel…"

"You are the new Head Beta. No one is more deserving," Fabian said gently. "This belongs to you."

The hall exploded with cheers and blessings.

I watched them on stage, embracing under the adoration of the crowd, like a prince and princess from a fairytale.

This was it. My only chance.

While every eye was on their perfect princess, I melted into the shadows and slipped away towards the Alpha's house.

Relying on muscle memory, I easily avoided the patrols and slipped into Fabian's study.

Behind a bookshelf, in a hidden compartment, I found a box made of moonstone.

I opened it. A tear-shaped gem, glowing with a soft light, lay on a bed of velvet.

The Moon Goddess's Tear.

I clutched it in my hand, but just as I was about to leave, I heard footsteps and hushed laughter outside the door.

It was Fabian and Gloria. My heart hammered against my ribs. I dove behind the heavy curtains.

"I've waited so long for this," Fabian breathed heavily, pinning Gloria against the wall. "Do you have any idea how jealous I get watching you talk to other men?"

"What about Hazel?" Gloria's voice was unsteady. "She's your fated mate…"

"She's a joke the Moon Goddess played on me," Fabian sneered, his hand stroking her face. "My wolf only howls for you. Always."

I stopped breathing.

"Did she really think all her little sacrifices would make you love her? Pathetic," Gloria said, baiting him. "She almost died in Shadow Creek Valley last night, and you didn't even go see her."

"Why would I?" Fabian's voice was cold, cruel. "Honestly? My life would be simpler if she just died. Then I'd finally be free of her."

The words stabbed into my heart like poison needles.

I gripped the cold Moon Goddess's Tear in my hand, my nails digging into my palm.

Just then, a massive explosion ripped through the northern end of the pack lands, shaking the very ground beneath us.

The piercing shriek of an alarm shattered the night.

"Dammit!" Fabian swore, his face instantly grim. "The northern wards."

His eyes swept the room, sharp as a blade, passing right over the curtain I was hiding behind.

I held my breath, my heart hammering in my chest.

Don't see me, don't…

"The northern wards have been breached!" a guard yelled, bursting in with a pale face.

"What?" Fabian's expression hardened as he bolted out the door, Gloria right behind him.

I let out a shaky breath.

There was no time to think about the knife twisting in my gut.

This was my only chance to escape.

I darted out from behind the curtain and ran.

If I could just get out of the main house, I could take the Moon Goddess's Tear to the Elder.

I was only borrowing it. Once the mate bond was broken, I could leave for good.

But as I sprinted into the courtyard, I slammed straight into a hard chest.

It was Fabian, rushing back in, carrying someone in his arms.

The person was covered in blood. It was Gloria.

The impact sent me stumbling, and the Moon Goddess's Tear flew from my hand.

It clattered across the stone floor, the sound echoing like a gunshot in the sudden silence.

"Healer!" Fabian roared, his eyes filled with panic and murder. "Save her, now!"

"What happened?" my mother cried, rushing over and collapsing when she saw Gloria.

"She was patrolling near the wards and got caught in the blast," Fabian's voice was like ice. "Someone deliberately sabotaged the wards. They're trying to kill us!"

The healer scrambled to treat Gloria while everyone scanned the crowd for the culprit.

But then she weakly opened her eyes, her gaze locking onto me, then shifting in horror to the gem at my feet.

"Sister," she whimpered, her voice a pathetic whisper. "Where were you? I... I thought I felt you near the wards... And... is that... the Moon Goddess's Tear? The heart of our wards?"

In an instant, every eye in the place was on me.

A thousand daggers.

"I…" I tried to explain, but the words wouldn't come.

Fabian's second-in-command stepped forward, picked up the Moon Goddess's Tear, and then produced another object—a black, jagged stone.

"Alpha," he said, his voice grave. "We found this at the breach." He held up a jagged, black demon stone. "It has Luna Hazel's spiritual signature all over it. What's more, the theft of the Moon Goddess's Tear is the direct cause of the ward's failure!"

Dead silence.

Then, an explosion of hisses and curses.

"Oh my gods! It really was her!"

"She stole the artifact and destroyed the wards! Why would she betray the pack?"

"And she's supposed to be our Luna? She's a traitor!"

I stared blankly, my mind a void.

"I didn't do it!" I cried out, my voice raw. "I only took the Tear to sever the bond! I never touched the wards!"

"Still lying!" My mother's hand cracked across my face.

"Enough."

A low voice cut through the noise.

Fabian walked slowly toward me. He gently handed the "injured" Gloria to the healer.

Then, his Alpha aura slammed into me, knocking me back.

His eyes held no anger, no disappointment.

Only pure disgust and contempt.

"Hazel," his voice was dangerously low, colder than a winter grave. "I always knew you were pathetic. I just never realized you were this vile."

He strode forward.

He reached out, not to help me up, but to grab my jaw, forcing my head up to meet his gaze.

"Tell me, what did I ever deny you? Was the title of Luna not enough? Was hurting me not enough? Did you have to drag Gloria and the entire pack into your petty revenge?"

His nails dug into my skin.

I looked at his face, so close to mine.

The face I once loved enough to die for was now twisted with revulsion for me.

Maybe I would never get to leave.

The strain on my failing mate bond sent a sharp pain through my chest.

But nothing hurt more than the contempt from my own fated mate.

A laugh bubbled up out of my chest, raw and broken.

"You're laughing? You dare to laugh?" My smile enraged him, and his grip tightened.

I met his icy gaze, my voice clear and steady. "Of course I'm laughing. Because I've just realized something…"

Then I said, each word a shard of ice,

"Betraying you... is the smartest thing I've ever done."