The year he loved me most, Tobias Scott nearly died forcing Alpha Emberly to accept our mate bond.

Later, it was also him who took Jaylani Porter as his chosen mate, announcing they would complete their mark ceremony on the same day as ours.

The night before the ceremony, Tobias came to me with that same commanding alpha tone that always made my wolf cower.

"Jaylani’s had a hard life," he said, his alpha aura pressing down on me. "Taking her as a chosen mate is already a compromise. I’ll mark her first tomorrow. Be understanding, Alexandria. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be."

What he didn’t know was that I had already submitted the rejection papers.

Tomorrow, I would leave the Blue Moon Pack.

Whether he marked Jaylani first or last no longer mattered to me.

==============================

When I went to the packhouse to finalize the rejection, Alpha Emberly sat across from me, her piercing gaze softened with something resembling pity.

"Alexandria," she began, her voice steady but laced with concern, "are you certain about this?"

I nodded, my resolve unwavering.

"Do you understand what this means?" she pressed. "Once you reject the bond with the future Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, even if the fault isn’t yours, finding another high-ranking mate will be nearly impossible. The packs will see you as a liability."

I met her gaze, my own eyes sharp and unyielding. "I’m aware, Alpha."

She sighed, a rare crack in her usually unshakable composure, and gestured for me to sign the rejection papers. As the ink dried, she called for Gamma Kallie to escort me out.

Kallie led me through the packhouse, taking a detour past the training grounds. Near the edge, I noticed two shallow indentations in the dirt, worn and out of place amidst the pristine landscape. I paused, my curiosity piqued.

Kallie noticed my hesitation and her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

"I remember when the future Alpha knelt there," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "It was three years ago, begging the Alpha to accept you as his mate. She refused, and he knelt for three days and nights, refusing food or water. He almost died."

I stood frozen, the weight of her words settling heavily on my chest.

"Back then," Kallie continued, her voice breaking, "he truly believed you were his destiny."

I couldn’t respond. The memory of that Tobias—the one who would have done anything for me—felt like a ghost haunting the edges of my mind. But that Tobias was gone, replaced by the man who now stood ready to mark another.

Kallie cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "Come on," she said gently. "Let’s get you out of here before he changes his mind."

I followed her, my steps heavy but determined. The past was just that—the past. And the future was mine to shape.

I was an orphaned rogue, my parents long gone, their once-prominent pack now a distant memory.

And Tobias Scott was the future Alpha of the Blue Moon Pack, born into nobility, his aura commanding and his status untouchable.

In the werewolf world, rogues like me were seen as outcasts, unworthy of standing beside an Alpha, let alone becoming his Luna.

But when I was seven, during a pack run, I saved Tobias from a rogue attack.

That moment changed everything.

From then on, Tobias was relentless in his pursuit of me.

At seven, he was a bright-eyed boy with a mischievous grin.

As an adult, he became a charismatic, dominant force, his Alpha aura impossible to ignore.

To say I didn’t feel anything for him would be a lie.

But feelings were one thing; becoming his mate was another.

Tobias knew my hesitation, my fear of not being enough, of not belonging.

He promised me, with unwavering determination, that I would be his Luna, his one and only mate.

The Luna of the pack, Emberly Crawford, opposed it from the start.

But Tobias refused to back down, even going as far as to threaten his own life to make her relent.

I remember that night vividly.

Tobias lay in his room, his face pale, his lips cracked, his usual commanding presence reduced to a fragile shell.

Yet, even in his weakened state, he managed to smile as he leaned against me, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Alexandria," he said, his voice hoarse but filled with conviction.

"The Luna has agreed.

"You’ll be my mate, my Luna.

"No one else."

His eyes, usually so sharp and intense, were soft, filled with a warmth that made my heart ache.

The moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silver glow over the room, but it paled in comparison to the brilliance of his smile.

That night, the world felt infinite, and I believed, for a moment, that everything would be alright.

But I didn’t know then that the stars we saw that night would never shine so brightly again.