Two days later was the pack's traditional Hunt Under the Moon.

It was the pack's most important annual festival, and by tradition, the Alpha was required to participate personally.

I had no desire to attend, but Slade commanded my presence as the on-site healer.

"Eloise, keep up," he called from ahead, his voice cheerful and unbothered.

I hoisted my heavy emergency kit and stumbled along at the back of the party. At the very front, Slade and Rosalind stood side-by-side.

Rosalind had changed into a tight-fitting leather hunting suit that perfectly outlined her curves.

She would occasionally lean in to whisper in Slade's ear, and he would listen with a look of deep, tender focus.

The hunting party moved deeper into the dense forest.

The sacrificial stag, normally raised in captivity, was released.

But something was wrong with this stag.

Its eyes were blood-red, foam dripped from its mouth, and the muscles under its skin twitched uncontrollably.

Someone had tampered with it. It had been injected with a stimulant, or something worse.

"The stag has been drugged!" I yelled. "Stay back! It's rabid!"

But no one paid any mind to the warning of a breathless human.

The next second, the stag let out a roar unlike any herbivore and charged madly toward the most crowded area.

Right where Slade and Rosalind were standing.

It all happened too fast.

The stag's speed was terrifying. Rosalind stood frozen, paralyzed by the sudden, mad onslaught.

I was standing less than ten feet behind her. "Watch out!" I yelled instinctively, starting to lunge forward to pull her away.

A black shadow moved faster than I could. Alpha speed.

Slade threw himself in front of Rosalind. To guarantee her absolute safety, to create more distance, he shoved sideways with all his strength.

He didn't hit the stag. He hit me.

Before I could react, the impact sent me flying. My body slammed hard against the trunk of an ancient oak tree.

A burst of excruciating pain exploded through me. I heard the crack of my own left arm dislocating, and my medical kit crashed against my leg, shattering the glass vials inside.

I collapsed into the mud, a cold sweat instantly drenching my back.

But I ignored the pain, my eyes fixed on the scene before me.

Slade had already snapped the crazed stag's neck with one hand. It fell to the ground, limp.

He held Rosalind tightly in his embrace, his large hand cradling the back of her head, pressing her face into his chest to shield her from the bloody sight.

"It's okay," his voice was a low rumble. "I'm here."

"Slade, I was so scared," Rosalind's voice was choked with sobs, her hands clutching his shirt.

"As long as I'm here, no one can hurt you."

He gently inspected her arms, even though they weren't touched by a single speck of dust.

And me, I was just fifteen feet away, clutching my dislocated arm, my lips white with pain.

Slade turned, his gaze sweeping over the scene, confirming the threat was eliminated.

His eyes fell on me, lingering for a few seconds. He didn't look worried.

"You're tough, Eloise," he offered a lopsided grin, devoid of real concern. "Walk it off, yeah?"

When I managed a nod, he looked away.

"Burn the stag's carcass. We're returning to the manor." He lifted Rosalind into his arms and strode away.

I returned alone to the empty medical center.

The fluorescent lights of the lab were stark and blindingly white.

I sat on the edge of the operating table and used scissors to cut away the sleeve, now stuck to my skin with dried blood.

My left arm had already swollen to twice its normal size.

Without anesthetic, my hands trembled too much to hold a syringe steady.

"You can do this, Eloise," I told my reflection. "Compared to the hole in your heart, this pain is nothing."

I bit down on a towel, gripped my dislocated arm with my right hand, and took a deep breath. Then I shoved it back into place.

The agony of the bone resetting made my vision flash black. I bit down so hard I tasted the metallic tang of blood.

I leaned against the wall, panting and drenched in sweat, when my phone pinged. Lucas had forwarded the Alpha's "Pack-Wide Announcement" audio file.

Slade's voice rang out. "For the glory and future of the pack, and in light of the peace and prosperity brought by Rosalind Thorne..."

His voice paused.

"I will officially hold my bonding ceremony with Rosalind Thorne on the next full moon. She will be my Luna."

My hand, which was wrapping a bandage, froze mid-air. The bone I had just set screamed as if it had shattered all over again.

I looked at myself in the mirror. My face was pale, my lip was bleeding, and my left arm was in a sling.

But I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

I took out my phone and looked at the countdown app on the screen.

Five days left.

After that pack-wide announcement, I locked myself in the medical center for three whole days.

Aside from changing my own dressings, I spent my time organizing the documents I needed to take with me.

My left arm still ached, but I had learned to pack with one hand.

Bang.

The door was thrown open. A cloying scent of roses flooded the room, followed by the distinct, cold aura of an Alpha.

Slade walked in, with Rosalind clinging tightly to his arm.

She wore a pure white, high-end cashmere coat, and the black diamond ring on her finger glittered with a greedy light that nearly blinded me.

"Eloise," Slade frowned, his eyes landing on my sling with a hint of annoyance. "What happened to you? Did you fall down the stairs or something? You really are clumsy, always getting yourself hurt."

"Thanks to your Alpha," I said, my voice hoarse as I leaned against the bed. "The pack won't have to pay for my funeral expenses just yet."

Slade's brow furrowed, he clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Don't be morbid, it spoils your pretty face."

Rosalind let go of Slade and walked to my bedside.

"Oh, don't say that," she feigned concern, but her eyes were cold. "Humans are just so fragile. They break at the slightest touch. It really is a burden to have such weak creatures in a pack of warriors."

She always found a way to emphasize my human status, and always with such perfect, cutting timing.

"However," her gaze suddenly locked onto my collarbone, where a small moonstone charm glowed with a soft blue light.

He had given it to me ten years ago, not long after I first came to the pack. I was having nightmares every night after losing my mother and being thrown into a completely new world.

To soothe my nightmares, he had fastened it around my neck himself. "Wear this, Eloise," he'd said. "It carries my scent. No nightmare will dare come near you."

It was the first gift he ever gave me. A secret vow between us.

In ten years, I had never taken it off.

"Slade, this is so... cheap. This is the future Alpha's domain. Why is there a chipped stone reeking of low-level witchcraft here? Its energy feels like it will interfere with mine as the Luna."

Slade's body tensed for a moment, but he said nothing.

I instinctively raised a hand, my fingers closing around the warm stone. "This is my personal property."

"Eloise," Slade sighed, stepping forward, "Why are you so attached to that junk? I can buy you diamonds, pearls, whatever you want."

"Come on, let me see it," he murmured, reaching out.

That large, warm hand, which had caressed my cheek countless times, was now reaching for my neck.

He grabbed the moonstone and yanked.

A sharp pain shot through my neck as the leather cord bit into my flesh, leaving an instant red line.

The necklace broke.

"Slade!" I cried out, ignoring the pain, reaching for it.

But he stepped back, holding the stone up to the light and chuckling.

"It really is just a pebble. You're so sentimental, sweetheart."

Rosalind wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Destroy it, darling. It has a scent on it I don't like."

Slade looked at the stone in his hand. Then, right in front of me, his fingers closed.

I thought I heard the stone shatter.

An Alpha's strength could pulverize it in an instant.

When he opened his hand again, all that was left was a pile of shimmering white powder.

He let the white powder sift through his fingers, scattering onto the floor to mix with the dust.

"There," he smiled, dusting off his hands as if he had just done me a favor. "Now I can buy you something much nicer. A fair trade, don't you think?"

Just like our past, it could never be put back together.

Rosalind smiled with satisfaction. She walked over and stood on her toes to kiss his jaw.

"That's more like it. That's my Alpha."

Slade emotionlessly dusted the powder from his hands, his brow furrowed as he glanced at my empty, blood-streaked neck.

But he turned his head to speak to Rosalind. "Are you happy now, Rosalind?"

"Now, everything at my side belongs to you."

Watching them leave, I knelt and stared at the dust on the floor.

Two days left.

"Since you want such a clean break," I murmured, drawing a cross through the number, "then I'll grant your wish."

The next morning, I was awakened by a message from Lucas.

"Go to the greenhouse," he commanded, his tone brusque. "Bring the 'Moonlight Flower.' The Alpha is waiting for you."

I stared at the screen, my fingertips ice-cold.

The Moonlight Flower. It blooms once every ten years, for a single night.

Its nectar makes the marking process feel like a dream, completely painless.

This one, I had been nurturing since I was eighteen, even using my own blood to feed it.

I had fantasized countless times about the day I would finally become Slade's mate. I would pick it myself, and he would mark me gently.

Now, the flower was in bloom. But I would never have a use for it.

When I pushed open the glass door of the greenhouse, Slade was standing in the center of the flowerbeds. Rosalind sat in a nearby wicker chair, toying with a common rose.

"Did you bring it?" Slade turned. His gaze passed over me, landing on the potted plant I held in my arms.

"This is an asset of the medical center," I said, clutching the pot tighter. "It hasn't fully bloomed yet."

"Tsk, tsk. Lying isn't a good look on you, Eloise," Slade walked over, looking down at me with amused eyes. "Tonight is the full moon. I can smell its sweetness from here."

He stopped in front of me, looking down at the flower.

"Rosalind is... delicate. She is afraid of pain."

"I want you to offer this flower. We will use it during our marking."

I looked up at him in disbelief.

He knew. He knew exactly what this flower meant to me.

During those stolen nights in this very greenhouse, he had kissed my fingers and whispered, "When this blooms, you will be my mate."

And now he was giving it away so easily.

It was like he was asking me to carve out my own heart and serve it on a platter.

"Slade?" Rosalind walked over, glancing at the stunning flower. "Is this that magical herb? It looks a bit... plain."

Rosalind reached out, her finger flicking disdainfully at a silver petal.

"Darling, I know it's for the pain. But I think it's too monotonous on its own. Why don't we crush it together with the 'Blood Thistle' we're using?"

My pupils contracted violently.

"Blood Thistle is a highly toxic catalyst," I cut her off. "Mixing them would completely neutralize the Moonlight Flower's properties. It would be worthless."

"But it's the symbol of the Thorne Pack," Rosalind blinked innocently.

"Mixing the two flowers symbolizes the merging of our two pack bloodlines. That's what's most important, isn't it? As for the pain... you're the best healer. You can always find another way, right?"

Her intention was obvious. She wanted to destroy it.

Slade was silent for two seconds, then he looked at me. "Do as she says. Come on, Eloise, don't be stingy."

"Are you insane? I've nurtured this flower for ten years..."

"Honey," Slade interrupted, "Why are you throwing a tantrum over a plant? I am the Alpha. Everything here is mine to use, including you, and including your little flower. Now be a good girl and put it down."

In that moment, I heard the last string inside me snap.

I once believed I would be his. Now, I knew he was dreaming if he thought I still would be.

"Since you want to see the two packs merge so badly..." I forced a smile, but I didn't hand the flower to Rosalind.

Instead, I walked to the large copper brazier in the center of the room, the one used for burning dead branches, its coals glowing red hot.

"No!" Slade seemed to realize what I was about to do and lunged forward.

But he was too slow.

I grabbed the Moonlight Flower by its stem and ripped it out, roots and all.

Without a shred of hesitation, I threw the blooming flower directly into the roaring fire.

The delicate petals were instantly consumed by the flames.

"What are you doing?!" Rosalind shrieked.

Slade whipped his head around to glare at me, his face twisted into a look of disbelief, as if his favorite toy had just bitten him.

"You dare to defy me? Eloise, are you trying to punish me? That's cute, but foolish."

I dusted the remaining dirt from my hands and glanced at the empty pot.

My heart was completely empty, too.

"If you were going to treat it like trash, I'd rather do it myself. At least it died a clean death."

I turned and walked away, the sound of the pot smashing to pieces behind me followed by Slade's annoyed sigh.

Back in my room, the gilded invitation for the ceremony sat on the table.

A cordial invitation to the Marking Ceremony of Alpha Slade and Luna Rosalind.

I took out my lighter and lit a corner of the invitation.

I watched it curl and blacken, until their names had vanished completely into ash.

The countdown on my phone screen hit zero.

I dialed the encrypted number.

"Professor, it's me."

I looked out at the dark night, the last speck of ash falling from my fingertips.

"It's time. We move tonight."