My fated mate, Robin Blackwood, the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack, announced his intentions a month before our bonding ceremony.

He was to perform a blood-oath ritual with Stella Vance of the Laurel Pack to sire a child—an arrangement to repay a debt and secure an alliance.

I refused.

But he raised the subject daily, his Alpha authority a constant pressure meant to bend me to his will.

Two weeks before we were to be bonded, a list of ritual artifacts from an anonymous source appeared at my door.

I discovered the blood-oath ceremony for Stella had been secretly in the works for weeks.

My permission had never been a factor. It was then I realized just how fragile our sacred mate bond truly was.

I canceled our bonding ceremony and purged every token he had ever given me of my essence.

On the day of our originally scheduled ceremony, I left for advanced studies at the Rune Heart in Laran.

I joined an ancient healing sanctuary, severing all ties with him.

The bond witnessed by the Moon Goddess was shattered. There was nothing left between us.

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1

A month before our bonding ceremony, my mate-to-be, Robin Blackwood, declared he would perform a blood-oath ritual with his childhood friend, Stella Vance.

I refused to consent, but he brought it up every day, stubbornly trying to convince me, wielding his Alpha authority like a command I was bound to obey.

Two weeks before the ceremony, I received a scroll from an anonymous messenger. Inside was a list of ritual artifacts for a blood-oath ceremony, sent from the Laurel Pack.

The list clearly noted that initial preparations had been completed five weeks and three days ago.

Only then did the chilling truth settle in. Robin had never intended to seek my consent.

He had already made his decision. He was simply informing me, his mate-to-be in name only.

I sat by the window, staring out at the guards patrolling the pack territory as a chill that had nothing to do with the night air settled deep in my bones.

The next day, I canceled our reservation at the Altar of the Moon Goddess. I tore up our bonding invitations and threw everything he had ever given me into a purifying flame—including the bonding rings engraved with our names and his handwritten vows.

On the day of our would-be bonding ceremony, I was nowhere to be found. Instead, I boarded a griffin bound for Laran. I joined the Rune Heart sanctuary and began my new life as a Rune Healer.

And just like that, I cut off all contact with Robin.

"I've explained this to you countless times! Stella's pack is on the verge of collapse. Their bloodline curse is in its final stages. The healer said she has a year at most," Robin Blackwood said, his voice maddeningly calm.

"Her last wish is to have a powerful heir to carry on her family's line. I owe her my life. Besides, this isn't just about repaying a debt. It will secure the alliance between our packs."

Robin stood before me, defending his decision as he always did, but every word he uttered was a silver-dipped dagger twisting in my heart.

Five years ago, a bloody battle had erupted between the Black Moon Pack and a rival in Chargo Gorge. Robin claimed Stella Vance had taken a fatal silver arrow for him, making her his savior.

Still, I couldn't grasp it. If I was the sacrifice required to repay this debt, then what in the Goddess's name was our bond?

Robin pressed on. "It's just a blood-oath ceremony. There are no feelings involved. It's just for a child."

He paused, his expression unreadable. "You love me, don't you? If you love me, you should understand my position and give me your blessing."

I shot to my feet, my voice trembling with fury. "We are supposed to be bonded next month, Robin, and you're planning to father a child with another woman behind my back! What does that make me?"

Robin fell silent. As he lowered his gaze, I caught a flicker of hesitation in his eyes. Maybe it was guilt. Or maybe it was just the same authoritative weight he used to command his warriors.

A second later, his composure returned, his voice low but firm. "Elara, this is bigger than just Stella and me. This arrangement involves both our packs.

"After extensive negotiations, the Black Moon and Laurel packs have an agreement. As long as Stella and I have a child, the decade-long feud between our packs will end. I cannot overturn a decision made by the entire pack."

I stared at him, and for the first time, I didn't recognize the man before me.

Robin and I had grown up together. I had been there from our days scavenging on the streets of Silveridge to my role as his pack's healer. I thought our love was pure, separate from pack politics. I thought we belonged to each other.

The truth was, when it mattered, he had never chosen my side.

He had only ever seen me as a suitable mate—nothing more. I was well-mannered, understanding, powerful enough, and I never caused him trouble. I was fit to be the Luna of the Black Moon Pack.

But I wasn't the girl from his childhood.

She was. The girl who, at five years old, would sneak away with him to play by the Moonlit River.

The daughter of his pack's greatest rival.

The girl from an enemy pack he had kept tucked away in his heart, even as their people waged war.

Did he love me?

Maybe.

But when it came to a choice between me and his pack, his power, his loyalty—or Stella—I would always be the one on the sacrificial altar.

Robin was about to say more, but the chime of a communication crystal cut him off. He answered, and the totem of the Laurel Pack glowed in his palm. His voice instantly softened as he strode toward the balcony.

I couldn't hear the words from the other side, but I could see the gentle smile that spread across his face. A smile I hadn't seen directed at me in a long, long time.

I knew it was Stella on the other end of the call.

I turned, my eyes landing on the list of ritual artifacts on the table. The initial preparations had been completed over a month ago.

On the day that list was finalized, Robin hadn't come home. He’d told me he was patrolling the border, dealing with intruders. Looking back, I realized he had been with her, making arrangements for a ceremony that was supposed to save her bloodline.

It proved my permission was never part of the plan. They were just waiting for the right moment to inform me because they had never intended to ask in the first place.

All this time, I had been eagerly anticipating my bonding ceremony. I had yearned to take Robin’s hand and stand with him on the Altar of the Moon Goddess. Now, all that excitement, all that joy, had vanished without a trace.

It was all gone. Wiped clean.

Just then, the hum of a communication crystal pulled me from my thoughts. The voice belonged to Maya Chen, a senior of mine from the Rune Heart.

"Elara, I know you're about to be bonded, but I have to ask one last time. Are you sure you don't want to reconsider joining the sanctuary?" Maya pleaded.

"You're the most talented student Professor Alistair Finch has ever taught. He's always wanted you on his core research team. He even agreed to let you take two weeks off every two months to accommodate your bonding, so you could still spend time with your mate."

Alistair Finch, my former mentor, had started a research project at the Rune Heart in Laran. Six months ago, he had reached out, inviting me to join his rune research team.

Joining meant being isolated from the outside world for long stretches, anywhere from a month to over a year.

Back then, I couldn't bear the thought of being away from Robin for so long, so I'd declined. But now… now Robin was already the future father of another woman's child.

Since he hadn't considered me or our future before making his choice, there was no reason for this ceremony to happen.

"I've made my decision, Maya. I'll join the sanctuary. And I don't need any breaks. I can commit to the project's schedule completely," I said, my voice steady.

"That's fantastic! Professor Finch will be thrilled!" Maya exclaimed, surprised. "When are you thinking of coming? How about a week after your bonding? You could still have your honeymoon."

"There's no need for that. I'll fly over on the day of the ceremony," I replied softly.

My gaze fell to the calendar on the desk. I had circled the tenth of next month in silver ink. It was meant to be a joyful countdown, a way to organize my final preparations.

Now, it was a countdown to my escape. In fifteen days, the connection between Robin and me would be severed. Forever.

Robin didn't return to our quarters that night, and I didn't bother reaching out through the mind-link. I already knew where he was, thanks to the pack's internal news network.

After our argument, Robin and Stella had gone to the Laurel Pack to update her people on the blood-oath ceremony. I saw a photo of Stella's elders gripping Robin's hand, their faces full of affection. He wore that same gentle smile, his other hand resting reassuringly on Stella's shoulder.

In the five years we'd been together, Robin had visited my family exactly once—and only after we'd decided to bond.

Even though our families lived less than half an hour apart, he'd never once suggested a visit. He claimed being around the older generation made him uncomfortable.

During that single visit, he had been merely polite to my family, a stark contrast to the warmth he radiated in the photos with Stella's kin.

I squeezed my eyes shut, a bitter taste rising in my throat, and closed the news feed.

The next day, I started contacting our friends to tell them the bonding ceremony was canceled.

Robin had always claimed to dislike such events, calling them meaningless formalities. He'd only reluctantly agreed to a small ceremony at my insistence, with just our closest pack members and friends.

Everyone knew how much I loved Robin. My friends were stunned by the news.

"You've loved him for so long. Why would you suddenly sever the mate bond?"

An indescribable ache bloomed in my chest. It wasn't easy to sever a twenty-year bond. But I now saw our relationship was never built on equal ground. I was always running to keep up with him, and he never once slowed down for me.

At first, I didn't mind. I told myself if I could just wait for him to agree to our bonding, then I could wait for him to truly fall in love with me afterward.

I was willing to wait for him to open his heart.

But everything changed six months ago when Stella, his supposed savior, appeared.

I finally realized Robin wasn't cold to everyone. For Stella, he was all gentle smiles and grand gestures. I had never been his exception.

What I couldn't bear, however, was the deception. Pretending to seek my approval while secretly planning a life-altering ritual with another woman.

That was the moment I finally understood.

There was no future for Robin and me.

I didn't tell my friends the truth. I simply said I was leaving for another sanctuary to pursue rune research and would contact them later.

After apologizing for cutting things short, I chatted with them late into the night before heading home.

When I returned, Robin had just arrived as well. Catching the scent of another pack on me, he frowned and took a step back. His Alpha presence washed over me, heavy and impatient. "Stay away from me. Don't bring the stench of another pack into this house."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. He was probably just worried a foreign pack's scent would upset Stella. After all, she would soon be carrying his heir.

Without a word, I went straight to the purification chamber to cleanse the scent from my skin. When I emerged, Robin was fiddling with a communication crystal, a faint smile on his lips.

I glanced at him and started toward the bedroom, but he called my name.

"I need to talk to you," Robin said.

I froze. He’d used those exact words two weeks ago, the first time he told me about the blood-oath ceremony with Stella—and we had been fighting ever since.

The ritual was already prepared. What more was there to talk about?