At the Pack's annual gala, beneath the glow of a blood moon, my Beta mate, Jasper Thorne, arrived with Camille Sterling—his childhood friend.

When she claimed to have no suitable gown, he gave her my Marked Shawl. I had handwoven it myself from priceless moonlight thread—a treasure meant only for our bonding ceremony.

"Camille wanted to experience what it's like to be a mate," he said, his tone dismissive. "It's just a glamour rune. It'll wear off."

I watched, my expression placid, as Jasper applied the very rune I had designed to conceal the mate's mark on his arm.

She looped her arm through Jasper's, her voice sickly sweet. "You're the best, Jasper. Can I borrow this shawl for a little longer? The moonlight thread is just too stunning to take off."

One of our friends couldn't stand it anymore and interjected, "Scarlett spent a whole year weaving that shawl, Jasper. And you're just letting someone else wear it? Have you even considered how she feels?"

He patiently helped Camille adjust the shawl before replying, his voice casual, "I'm just letting her wear it for one night. Scarlett won't mind. I'll make it up to her."

He was right about one thing. I would be fine. Because I had already begun to erase myself from his world.

But before I left, I had one last promise to keep to the Alpha: a journey to the Silent Canyon to find the lost Moon Well.

From that night on, our paths were destined to diverge forever.

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1

I wasn't the least bit surprised to see Camille Sterling at the gala. In the three years I had been with Jasper Thorne, she had been a constant shadow, intruding on every moment that should have belonged only to us.

Three years of discontent and arguments had slowly eroded into a quiet, resigned acceptance.

Jasper always told me, "Camille is like a sister to me. I promised her parents I would take care of her, so it's almost instinctual for me. Don't overthink it. She'll have her own mate one day, and you are my fated mate."

Just then, Camille glided toward me, draped in the Marked Shawl I knew better than my own skin. A smug smirk played on her lips. "Scarlett, Jasper said you specially invited me to the gala. Thank you so much!"

She ran a hand over the moonlight thread on her shoulder, her eyes glinting with undisguised provocation. "And thank you for the shawl. I absolutely love it."

I stared at the shawl, its familiarity a blinding ache. No matter how I fought for composure, a storm of fury was gathering inside me.

It was handwoven from moonlight thread and imbued with the magic of my Lunar Alchemy—something unique in the entire pack.

It was the sacred centerpiece of my bonding ceremony attire, and here was Camille, flaunting it like a common trinket.

I stared at Jasper, my eyes wide with disbelief. He lowered his head, avoiding my gaze, and explained, "Camille's gown was accidentally damaged, and there wasn't enough time… Besides, she's an important member of the Sterling Clan. For the Pack's dignity, she has to be dressed presentably."

Camille linked her arm with his, affecting an innocent expression. "I've always heard from Jasper how generous and considerate you are. You wouldn't get angry over something so small, would you?"

I met his gaze, searching for a flicker of guilt. He knew what that shawl meant to me—to us. He knew how I’d dreamed of wearing it at our bonding ceremony.

But his gaze was placid, as if giving my shawl to Camille was the most ordinary thing in the world.

I lowered my head, taking a deep breath. The last flicker of hope in my heart finally died. "It's fine. It's just a shawl. You can keep it if you want."

Camille clearly wanted to needle me further, but my easy agreement left her momentarily speechless. Jasper, too, glanced over, his expression surprised.

I averted my gaze, swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, and forced a smile. "Since Camille is here, you should take her to greet the Pack elders."

He studied me for a long moment before nodding. "Alright. I'll find you when the Moon Goddess's Blessing begins. We have to drink the moonlit wine together for the blessing. Wait for me."

I nodded and obediently retreated to a corner of the terrace. Camille pulled Jasper toward the center of the crowd. Before leaving, she even shot me a triumphant glance.

I opened the pack's internal social network, The Howl, and saw the latest post she had just published. She was wearing my Marked Shawl, arm-in-arm with my mate, in a series of intimate photos.

One of them was a close-up of the mate's mark on his arm, covered by a Frost Rose Rune.

The comment section instantly flooded with replies.

"Camille, is this your mate? That shawl looks absolutely stunning on you!"

"OMG. Is that Beta Jasper Thorne from the Crimson Moon Pack? You two look so perfect together!"

Camille neither confirmed nor denied it, instead replying vaguely, "I'm so lucky to have him!"

In the midst of the lively gala, I stood alone in the shadows. The endless, subtle glances from the other guests made me feel like an exhibit on display, and my skin began to crawl.

Despite it all, I forced myself to stay. A small, foolish part of me had to see if he would keep his promise—if he would come back for me and the moonlit wine.

I waited until the blood moon climbed high into the sky. Soft moonlight poured down, blanketing the entire gala in a calm yet powerful force.

The Moon Goddess's blessing descended like a tide, warm and gentle, soothing every wolf present. Mates seized the moment, holding each other close to receive the goddess's grace.

I craned my neck, desperately scanning the crowd. I found him at last, Camille's hand clamped firmly on his arm as he listened patiently to her family's elders.

As the silver light fell, Camille held his hand, her smile brighter than the moon itself.

I heard one of my friends shout, "Jasper, it's the moment of the Moon Goddess's blessing! Aren't you going to find Scarlett and receive the blessing with her?"

Jasper didn't bother to reply to my friend. I just saw him shake his head and heard him say dismissively to someone beside him, "It's fine. Scarlett is generous; she won't get angry over something like this."

I didn't hear anything after that. I turned and left, knowing he wouldn't be coming back for me. The altar was only a few feet from where he stood, yet he wouldn't let go of Camille to cross that small distance to me.

Back in my alchemy lab, I picked up the original design sketch for his mate's mark tattoo. An entire month of painstaking work. Yet to him, it was just a symbol he could cover to appease Camille.

I should have given up on him long ago. Three years. Why did I keep hoping he would change?

I returned to our home in a daze. The house was cold and empty. Even the household servants had taken leave to attend the gala. Every young wolf in the Crimson Moon Pack was celebrating under the blood moon.

And here I was, all alone, as if cut off from all the warmth and excitement.

When my parents sacrificed themselves in a battle to defend the Pack, Jasper had been by my side, supporting me with all his heart. His eyes were full of sincerity as he told me, "Scarlett, from now on, I am your family. You will never be alone again."

Later, we fell in love and became fated mates. And then Camille wedged herself between us.

Jasper seemed utterly incapable of saying "no" to her. Instead, he would always say to me, "She's still young. Just let her have her way."

Compromise after compromise led me to a painful realization. It was time for me to leave. Maybe I was meant to walk this path alone.

Just as I made up my mind, a sharp ping echoed in my head. It was Jasper, reaching out through our mind-link. I ignored the first ping, but the connection nudged insistently at my consciousness. With a sigh, I let him in.

"Scarlett, where are you? I can't find you at the gala!" His voice, clear despite the distant clamor of the party, resonated directly in my mind.

Before I could speak, I heard Camille's coquettish voice on the other end of the link. "Come on, Jasper! You promised to accompany me to meet the next elder!"

He responded to her without hesitation. Then, almost as an afterthought, he said to me, "Come to the ceremony altar. We still have time to complete the final blessing."

The mind-link fell silent. I calmly sent him a text. "Don't bother. I've gone home. You two have fun."

The final blessing. Right. He had no idea the bonding ceremony in two days wasn't happening either. I started to pack.

Having lived here for three years, everything in the house seemed to carry my scent. The cute wolf pup paintings on the living room wall were a gift from the pups at the orphanage.

His boots sat next to mine on the shoe rack. Two wolf-head-carved mugs rested on the bar. Even the sofa held our favorite oversized pillows, one for each of us.

Now that I had decided to leave, I couldn't take any of these things with me. A sharp pain lanced through my chest. How could I bear to throw any of it away?

But beyond these shared memories, my personal belongings were surprisingly few. A medium-sized suitcase was enough to hold all my alchemy materials and everything that truly belonged to me.

By the time I dragged my suitcase downstairs, the sky was already bright. Somehow, an entire night had passed.

I looked at all the things that were once my life, a dull ache spreading through my chest as tears welled in my eyes. The decision to let go didn't stop the pain.

Just then, my phone vibrated again. It was a message from Camille, attached with a photo.

The photo was of an elegant, masculine hand—Jasper's hand—holding a defensive amulet in the Pack's treasury.

Her message carried her usual smug tone. "Jasper picked out many expensive artifacts for me, and this amulet is just one of them. He said this offensive artifact is a little something extra for you, to make up for the shawl. Don't be mad, okay?"

For three years, Camille had constantly lorded Jasper's favor over me, making sure I knew that every kindness he showed me was merely a scrap she didn't want.

I no longer felt anger, nor the impulse to question him. This time, I quietly blocked her. If I no longer needed him, why should I care about her provocations?

After everything was settled, I went to the Alpha's residence. The elderly Alpha Marcus leaned on a staff carved with ancient runes, his eyes gentle and benevolent.

"Scarlett, the legacy mission to find the Moon Well will take a long time. You will leave the pack and travel to the Silent Canyon. Can you truly bear to leave everything here behind?"

A flicker of sadness crossed his face. "You must understand, the Silent Canyon lies at the edge of the continent. The conditions are harsh, and you'll be cut off from all contact. You may never return."

My chest ached, but my resolve didn't waver. "Yes, Alpha, I understand."

The Alpha paused, then sighed softly. "Very well. Since you've made your decision, I will arrange a patrol team to escort you. They will take you to the border of the canyon. From there, the rest of the journey is up to you."

"The patrol leaves tomorrow… You should say a proper goodbye to Jasper."

Tomorrow? That was the exact day of our bonding ceremony.

Since I had decided to leave, I thought I should say a proper farewell. I returned home and quietly waited for Jasper to come back. The sun set, and then the sky grew dark.

It wasn't until midnight that he finally returned, his steps hurried, a chill clinging to him. I went to greet him, ready to speak, but my gaze froze on the Marked Shawl in his hands.

The once-immaculate moonlight thread was splattered with black mud, its edges and tassels frayed and torn.

Jasper shifted, trying to hide the shawl behind his back. "Camille didn't mean to... It was too long for her, and she tripped in the mud. She even cut her hand."

He paused, looking exhausted, but his gaze remained wary. "I know tomorrow is the ceremony. I promise to get you a more valuable gift before then. Please… don't be mad at me."

I knew he was worried I would argue with him. All I could do in that moment was lower my head and say softly, "It's okay. I'll just use something else."

Jasper was stunned. "You… you're not angry?"

He let out a long sigh of relief. "Don't worry, Scarlett. I'll find you a better ceremony gift. Tomorrow, at the ceremony, I promise you'll be the most dazzling one there."

With that, he rushed out the door, unwilling to stay a moment longer. "I'm going to find a new gift now! See you at the altar tomorrow!"

He didn't even give me a chance to say goodbye.

It didn't matter anymore. I grabbed my suitcase and left without a backward glance.

The next day, Jasper arrived at the altar with a new ceremony gift, only to find Camille there.

"Why are you here?" he asked, barely noticing the hint of irritation that had crept into his voice.

Camille pouted, feigning innocence. "Well, you know I ruined Scarlett's shawl. I came to apologize to her."

She slowly circled the altar, her words dripping with false concern. "Why isn't she here yet? She must still be angry, waiting for you to coax her. I would never be absent on such an important day."

Before Jasper could reply, Alpha Marcus's firm, powerful voice echoed through the pack-wide mind-link.

"Our Pack's Lunar Alchemist, Scarlett Vance, will embark on a journey to the Silent Canyon to pursue the legacy of our ancestors. Let us all bless her and her courage!"