Just as Mom said, Alpha Harrison was an extraordinary man.

The second night after I joined the pack, he came to see me—a man as serene and composed as the moonlit sky, his voice as gentle as a breeze.

But there was something in his gaze that I couldn’t decipher.

He stayed with me late into the night, sipping tea cup after cup, until he finally sighed deeply. “Since you’re now part of the pack, you’ll want for nothing. I don’t need you to serve me in any way, so… unless it’s necessary, don’t seek me out.”

I couldn’t read the shadows in his eyes, but I knew one thing—he was the most striking man I’d ever seen. His eyes carried the weight of clouds and moonlight, and if he ever smiled, it would surely be breathtaking.

Sadly, for a long time after that, I never saw those eyes again.

I moved into the kind of home Dad had always dreamed of—a place where I lacked for nothing, with attendants to care for my every need. But I couldn’t share Dad’s joy.

I could see it plainly—the pack didn’t like me.

The older pack members who tended the grounds looked down on me, and the younger ones always rolled their eyes when I passed.

One of them, a Delta named Blakely, would pinch me whenever no one was looking.

“It’s your fault,” she’d hiss. “Our Alpha’s reputation was spotless until you came along. He’s such a good man—how could he have saved someone as ungrateful as you? If he’d known your family would latch onto him like parasites, he should’ve just let you drown!”

It wasn’t until a couple of weeks later that I finally understood the truth.

Hope Foster, a Delta from another pack, had been saved by a rival pack’s Beta after nearly drowning—and because her honor had been compromised, she’d been taken in as a chosen mate. Dad, desperate for wealth, had pushed me into the river, hoping for the same outcome.

He hadn’t been kind to me out of love—he’d seen me as a means to an end.

Blakely said Alpha Harrison was too good a man to have been trapped by my family’s greed. Anyone else would’ve chased us off with a roar.

I let her pinch me, too ashamed to protest.

After all, it was true—I’d tainted a man as radiant as the moon.

I was, as always, someone unworthy of love.

I didn’t expect Alpha Harrison to visit me again.

Everyone hated me—why wouldn’t he?

But when he did return, I trembled as I knelt before him, imitating the others in the pack. I held out my hands, ready to face my punishment, and stammered, “I’m sorry for ruining your reputation. You don’t have to listen to my dad. My family has enough money to live on. Just… kill me, Alpha.”

For a long moment, he just stared at me.

Then, to my shock, he burst into laughter, clutching his sides until tears streamed down his face.

“You’re quite the character,” he said, still chuckling. “Why would I kill you? My claws are meant for rogues and enemies, not my own pack.”

He crouched down to meet my eyes, his voice softening. “You’re here now, so make this your home. I can see you’re nothing like your family—you’re honest and kind. The Harrison Pack can provide for you. You’ve escaped a den of wolves, so stay here and live in peace.”

His eyes truly did hold the moon—not the distant one in the sky, but one that was warm and radiant, unique to him alone.

That night, I learned what it meant to have a true home—and what it meant to feel a bond that could last a lifetime.

Alpha Harrison was always busy, and he rarely came to see me.

I remembered his words and didn’t dare seek him out.

The next time I heard about him, it was from one of the pack members—he was preparing for his mark ceremony.

Blakely strutted in front of me, smug as a peacock. “You’d better start packing. Once our future Luna arrives, she’ll sell you off in a heartbeat. Who do you think you are, daring to step foot in the Harrison Pack? If it weren’t for our Alpha’s kindness, you’d already be six feet under.”

I just sat there, nibbling on a slice of berry tart.

I understood.

He was the finest Alpha in the world, and I… I was nothing.

So if they sold me, or even killed me, it didn’t matter.

I’d already lived a life of luxury in the Harrison Pack—I had no regrets.

But as the pack waited and waited, the new Luna never arrived. Instead, what came was a decree from the Lycan King himself.

The Harrison Pack was to be disbanded.

The Harrison Pack was gone, my second home, shattered.

That night, I was shoved out through a narrow gap in the wall, the urgency in the hands pushing me unmistakable.

It was Ruthie, the pack’s healer, who dragged me out.

We’d barely exchanged more than a few words before, but she was the only one in the pack who’d sneak me food late at night, her stern face hiding a kindness I’d come to rely on.

She pulled me along, my steps unsteady, but I kept turning back, my voice trembling. “Ruthie, what about Gamma? Did he make it out?”

She yanked me into an alley, weaving through the shadows until we reached a small, hidden house.

Her eyes were red, her face etched with lines of grief and anger. “He’s gone,” she said, her voice low and choked. “The pack’s gone. Everything’s gone.”

The next day, the streets buzzed with whispers—Gamma Sebastian Harrison had betrayed the pack, they said. The higher-ups avoided the topic like it was poison.

I turned to Ruthie, my voice shaking. “Why are they lying? Gamma would never betray us. He was the one who protected us, who fought for us. Why are they spreading these lies?”

Ruthie shook her head, her lips bitten raw. “The higher powers, Tatum. They see strength as a threat. Gamma was too powerful, too respected. His aura was too dominant. They couldn’t let him survive.”

I didn’t understand, but the weight of her words pressed heavily on my chest.

I asked her, “Will Gamma come back?”

Ruthie didn’t answer, but the voices on the street did. They said Gamma was dead—killed by a rival pack just outside the territory, his body left in pieces.

I refused to believe it.

I’d seen Gamma fight, his claws razor-sharp, his wolf form towering and commanding. He was the strongest among us.

I couldn’t believe he’d betray the pack, and I couldn’t believe he was dead.

So, every day, I waited near the ruins of the pack house, my face covered with a scarf, watching.

This was his territory. His scent was still here. He’d come back.

Ruthie scolded me, calling me stubborn, naive, and foolish. But by the end of her rant, her voice would crack, and she’d be on the verge of tears.

“He’s gone, Tatum,” she said, her voice breaking. “We’ll never find him again.”

So, when I finally returned, dragging a battered and bruised Gamma Sebastian Harrison with me, she stood there, her mouth hanging open, unable to speak for a long, stunned moment.

I waited at the entrance of the Harrison Pack’s territory for three months before I finally caught a glimpse of him.

At first, he wore a hooded jacket, his clothes tattered, worse than mine, and there was a prominent scar running across his right eye. But I recognized him instantly. His scent, though faint, carried the unmistakable trace of rosemary and pine—the same scent I had memorized from our brief encounters in the past.

The night I left the pack’s main house, Healer Ruthie had repeatedly warned me that we were no longer connected to the Harrison Pack. I was never Sebastian’s true mate, and I knew nothing about him. We were just in town looking for relatives, she said.

I understood the gravity of the situation, so I didn’t call out to him. Instead, I followed him quietly until we reached a narrow alley. He suddenly turned around, his claws extending, and froze when he saw it was me.

I blinked at him and smiled. “I knew you weren’t dead.”

Ruthie seemed unable to believe it. Her eyes reddened as she looked him up and down, over and over, before finally kneeling and bowing deeply.

“Alpha Sebastian,” she said, her voice trembling. “You’ve suffered so much.”

His eyes darkened, and he helped her up. “Ruthie, don’t call me that anymore. From now on, I’m just Sebastian Harrison.”

Sebastian Harrison. It took me a year to learn his name, and just as I’d imagined, it suited him perfectly.

That evening, I sat on the steps, gazing at the moon. The sky was hazy, and the moon was barely visible.

“What are you looking at?” Sebastian sat down beside me.

I turned to meet his gaze, and suddenly, the moon seemed clearer. I smiled. “The moon.”

Sebastian pursed his lips, leaning back on his hands. “How did you recognize me today?”

“Your scent,” I said confidently. “It’s unique—rosemary and pine. I could never forget it.”

He was easy to recognize. His eyes held the reflection of the moon and the clouds, and I knew I’d never forget them.

Sebastian paused, raising a hand to cover his eyes. “With this face, I’m sure I could scare children into silence. It’s surprising you could still pick me out.”

He was mocking himself, that scar running across his right eye. I gathered my courage and leaned closer, my fingers brushing the scar. “Does it hurt?”

He looked away, his voice low. “Isn’t it ugly? Aren’t you afraid you’ll have nightmares?”

“It’s not ugly,” I said firmly.

It really wasn’t. He had always been handsome, and now the scar only added to his presence.

I hesitated for a moment, then rolled up my sleeve and showed him my arm. “You don’t need to feel bad about scars. I have them too.”

Before I came to the Harrison Pack, my father, Ahmad, loved to hit me. When he drank too much, when he lost money at the pack’s gambling den, even when my mother, Scarlet, tried to defend me, he would beat me. Using his claws wasn’t uncommon, and my body was covered in scars.

Sebastian’s expression darkened as he stared at the marks on my arm. His face turned so grim it seemed to blend into the shadows.

I quickly pulled my sleeve back down, feeling a little embarrassed. “Don’t worry, these scars aren’t scary…”

I felt awkward.

He was silent for a long time before finally letting out a low chuckle. He leaned closer to me. “You’re the first person in my life who’s told me not to be afraid.”

He untied the pendant from around his neck and pressed it into my hand. “Don’t go back to that place. From now on, you don’t have to be afraid either.”

His warm breath brushed against my skin, and I smiled, realizing what he meant.

Ruthie saw us from the doorway and immediately pulled me aside that night, determined to give me a lesson. She handed me a book with illustrations of figures, her face calm but her voice serious.

“Learn this well,” she said, tapping my head. “Sebastian is the last of his bloodline in the Harrison Pack. Given the current circumstances, you need to work hard and ensure his lineage continues. We can’t let the Harrison name die out.”

I opened the book, and Ruthie began explaining each page. My face burned when I realized what it was about.

So, being a chosen mate meant doing *this*?