Chapter 1

When Alpha Xander returned from his exile in the Feral Lands, the Great Elder announced our wedding to the entire pack.

I was heading to his chambers with a bottle of his favorite vintage to celebrate.

But I stopped cold when I heard the woman he brought back from the woods ask a terrifying question.

"How do you plan on taking the Lunar Bone from the Princess?"

Xander's voice was dripping with a tenderness he had never shown me.

"Don't worry, Seraphina. On our wedding night, I'll extract it and use it to heal your internal wounds."

The woman looked at him with watery, devoted eyes.

"Why must you marry a woman you don't love for my sake? I saved your life because I wanted to, not to see you punished by the King."

Hearing those words, I felt like I had been plunged into a frozen lake.

I had loved him for a thousand years, thinking he had finally opened his heart to me.

It was all a lie.

He was wrong about one thing, though. I was the one who had saved his life in the Feral Lands.

But I didn't even want to clear the air anymore. None of it mattered.

1

The woman, Seraphina Moore, was a stray Xander had brought back to the pack.

She looked fragile and delicate, the kind of woman who triggered a man's instinct to protect.

Xander leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead.

"Meeting a girl as selfless as you is the greatest blessing of my life," he whispered.

Seraphina leaned into his chest, her voice trembling.

"Knowing you is enough for me. Taking that bone might kill Princess Lyra. My life isn't worth your risk."

Xander's eyes filled with an agonizing level of pity.

"I'll use the ancient elixirs to keep her alive. You don't need to worry. I need you to live so we can be together forever."

The love in his eyes spilled over, and they began to kiss with a desperate, forgotten passion.

I stood behind the silk screen, watching the man I loved worship another woman.

The bottle in my hand felt like a heavy reminder of my own stupidity.

After the kiss, Xander lifted her into his arms.

"Come. I'll take you to the Sacred Moon Pool to soak and heal."

Seraphina looked shocked. "But isn't that Lyra's private territory? What if she..."

Xander's expression turned cold and sharp.

"Why should I fear her? I am the Alpha of this pack. There is nowhere I cannot go. Besides, once she marries me, everything she owns belongs to me. And therefore, to you."

My heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant, invisible hand.

The pain was so sharp that I turned and ran, coughing up a mouthful of blood as I cleared the hall.

The man I had chased for a millennium only wanted me for my marrow.

A slow, hot anger began to replace the sorrow in my chest.

If he didn't want my love, then he wouldn't get another drop of it.

I smashed the bottle of wine on the stone floor and marched straight to the Great Elder's palace.

"Father, I'm requesting to lead the vanguard to the Southern Ridge to suppress the Rogue uprising."

My father saw the shadows under my eyes and hesitated. "Lyra, what happened? Did you and Xander have a fight?"

"If you leave now, the wedding..."

I cut him off, my voice steady. "The Rogues are slaughtering our people. The borders are in chaos."

"I should be at the front lines, not worrying about a ceremony while my people bleed."

He sighed, his eyes full of concern. "It's dangerous. If you're only doing this because of that girl Xander brought back..."

"It's not. Please, Father, trust my resolve."

After I insisted several times, he finally gave a reluctant nod.

The next day, I was in the Armory selecting a silver blade when Xander stormed in.

He looked furious. "You're being reckless! Seraphina saved me. I'm just being kind to her."

"Are you really this jealous? You're willing to go to war and cancel our wedding prep without my permission?"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh. "Why do I need your permission? This is a matter of state, not a kitchen squabble."

"Actually, Xander, there's something I should tell you now."

"When I return from the front, our engagement is over."

He froze, his eyes widening in pure disbelief. "Over? Why?"

"There's no point in staying together if there is no love," I said simply.

He opened his mouth to argue, but then he saw Seraphina approaching, leaning weakly on a maid.

Xander immediately rushed to her side, throwing a cold glare over his shoulder.

"We'll discuss this later. Stop being so petty."

He swept her into his arms and vanished from my sight.