Chapter 1

1.

My mating ceremony with Aiden Blackwood, the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, has been cancelled seven times.

Seven times.

The first time, Chloe, the human girl under his guardianship, claimed the full moon gave her anxiety. So she didn't show up.

Normally, a human girl’s absence shouldn't affect a sacred pack ceremony at all.

But Chloe was different.

Her father, Marcus, was the pack’s former Beta. Eighteen years ago, he died saving Aiden’s parents.

Before he took his last breath, Marcus swore a Blood Oath with the Council of Elders using his final drop of wolf blood.

The oath was simple but binding: Until Chloe reached adulthood, the pack had to grant her every reasonable request.

If refused, the Blood Oath would backlash, and the entire pack would be cursed.

This oath became a shackle that trapped us all.

A mating ceremony requires the witness of all core members. Even though Chloe was human, the Blood Oath categorized her as a core member.

The Elders tried to find loopholes, but ancient magic accepts no compromises. Without one core member, the ceremony couldn't be completed magically.

The second time, Chloe said she felt physically ill, claiming it was a side effect of the oath. The Elders didn't dare take the risk, so the ceremony was cancelled again.

After the third failure, I looked into Aiden’s eyes, my voice deadly calm.

"Aiden, this is the last time. If it doesn't happen today, we are done. For good."

He grabbed my hand. His amber eyes burned with that possessive fire unique to Alphas.

"Don't be silly, Clara. There won't be another failure."

He squeezed my hand tighter.

"The Blood Oath expires on her twenty-first birthday. That’s just three months away. We will hold a grand ceremony then. You are my fated mate, Clara."

I looked at the certainty in his eyes.

Inside me, my wolf paced anxiously.

She could feel the sincere love through the mate bond, but she also sensed something unsettling.

Aiden’s obsession with his promise to a dead man often outweighed his commitment to me.

I compromised again and again.

In return, Chloe pulled the same stunts over and over.

Every time, she danced precisely on the edge of the Blood Oath. Her requests were "reasonable" on paper, but ridiculous in reality.

And Aiden, bound by the oath and his guilt, compromised every single time.

Until the seventh time.

Chloe claimed she had to attend a piano competition that meant the world to her.

Her twenty-first birthday was only two weeks away.

I took the initiative and announced the cancellation myself.

Just like the previous six times, Aiden filled the air with promises about "next time."

What he didn't know was that this time, I wouldn't be waiting.

...

I went through the motions, sending off every pack member who had come to witness the ceremony, just like I had six times before.

Aiden walked over in his black combat boots, his voice dripping with self-righteous apology.

"Clara, Chloe said this competition is to honor her parents. The oath is about to expire. After that, she’ll have no excuse to stop us. Our ceremony will happen."

I just nodded. I didn't say a word.

Over these seven times, Chloe’s excuses ranged from a bad mood to her pet cat’s birthday. Every single one exploited the gray area of "reasonable requests."

The Elders were helpless. Aiden didn't dare risk the pack getting cursed.

But the wolf inside me was exhausted.

She craved the completion of the bond, that sense of total belonging. Instead, she was pushed away time and time again.

I stood up. "I'm going to walk my parents out."

At the gate of the settlement, my mom gripped my hand, her eyes red. "Clara, this wedding..."

"It's off," I said.

My tone was calm, even carrying a hint of relief.

"You guys go home first. I’m going to the Sacred Grounds to reject the mate bond with Aiden. I’ll pack my things and come home."

Three years ago, right after Aiden successfully proposed, he took me to the Sacred Grounds to complete the preliminary mate mark.

He said this mark was an Alpha’s highest promise to his mate, far more sacred than a human diamond ring.

He said it would bind our life force, power, and future together.

"But the mark isn't fully activated yet," he had added back then. "Our souls will only truly merge after the ceremony is complete."

So, since I was leaving, I had to cut it cleanly while the connection was still incomplete.