Chapter 1

My fiancé, Caleb Blackwood, the future Alpha of the Silverback Pack, vanished the night before our mating ceremony.

For three years, I waited for him while the pack whispered behind my back.

Then, the High Council issued a mandate for a political marriage with the Northern Wilds.

I had spent months sewing my ceremonial dress, only to find out Caleb had been traveling the world with his sickly cousin, Seraphina.

Driven by a desperate need for closure, I tracked them to a sacred grove in the distant frostlands.

There I saw him, dressed in his mating silks, bowing before an ancient altar with Seraphina to fulfill her wish of being his bride.

When Seraphina turned and saw me, Caleb's eyes remained cold.

He ordered his guards to throw me out into the blizzard, claiming my presence might trigger her heart condition.

I was left alone in the freezing waste, my horse gone and my hope dying.

Just as death was closing in, a wolf from the rival Northern Wilds found me.

Now, back in the city, Caleb has returned with a Lunar Pearl from the Abyss, demanding we honor our old engagement.

But it's too late. I'm already destined to be the Luna of the Northern Prince.

1.

On the night of my eighteenth birthday, the night I was supposed to shift and find my mate, Caleb Blackwood finally reappeared after three years.

"Elara, this Lunar Pearl is a treasure from the deep Abyss. It's your birthday gift," he said.

"Consider it an apology for the time I've been away."

In front of everyone, he leaned in and placed the glowing pearl around my neck, his voice as smooth as it had been years ago.

The girls in the ballroom exchanged uneasy glances.

Unlike years ago, when everyone envied our bond, many now looked at him with frowned brows and whispered doubts.

My best friend, Maya, couldn't help but speak up. "And in what capacity are you giving Elara a gift, Mr. Blackwood?"

I looked at his face, feeling a strange sense of vertigo.

He had been gone for three years, leaving me to face a reputation in tatters, and now he thought a pearl could wipe the slate clean.

Three years ago, on the eve of our mating, Caleb left his bride-to-be in the city to take his weak cousin across the continent just to see her smile.

They flew together while I became the laughingstock of the entire supernatural community.

"Caleb, what do you think you're doing standing here after all this time?" I asked, my voice flat.

He spoke casually, ignoring the murmurs of the crowd. "We are still engaged, Elara. I'm here as your future mate."

He picked up a piece of seared salmon and placed it on my plate with a practiced ease.

"The fifteenth of this month is an auspicious day for the moon. Let's set that as our mating date, shall we?"

I looked down at his hand.

There was a deep, faded scar on his wrist.

It was from three years ago, when Seraphina had threatened to end her life over our wedding and bit him in a fit of hysterical tears.

He had let her draw blood without even flinching.

Yet, when I had excitedly shown him the dress I'd sewn for our ceremony, he had backhanded me across the face.

"Elara, she almost died today! How can you be so cruel as to flaunt that dress in front of her?"

His eyes had been filled with nothing but pure disgust.

That night, he held Seraphina and comforted her until dawn.

I was kicked out of the Blackwood estate and nearly snatched by rogue wolves on the dark streets.

While I screamed for help, Caleb was singing the lullabies I'd taught him to soothe Seraphina's nightmares.

If my brother hadn't found me in time, I wouldn't have made it to this birthday.

I pushed his hand away.

"I've never liked salmon. It's too oily for me."

The person who loved salmon was Seraphina, who grew up by the coast.

Caleb's hand froze in mid-air.

He put his cutlery down, looking almost relieved. "It's fine. Once you move into my pack house, I'll make sure to remember your preferences."

I reached up and unclasped the Lunar Pearl he had just given me.

"No need. You don't have to remember anything."

A flash of disbelief crossed his eyes, but he quickly replaced it with a knowing, arrogant smirk.

"Elara, don't be petty. Our union was decided since we were pups. If I don't take you, who else will?"

Before I could respond, a frantic servant rushed into the room and whispered something in his ear.

The moment Caleb heard the name "Seraphina," his expression shifted instantly.

He turned and bolted toward the exit, ignoring the prying eyes of the guests.

"Elara, we'll discuss the wedding details later!" he called back over his shoulder.

He didn't look back once.

He didn't see that my eyes were calm, devoid of the heartbreak and hysteria that used to consume me.