Chapter 2

Nearly an hour passed after my father’s messenger left.

The silver Moon Fire still burned, but its flames had begun to shrink around the edges. Once the final flame disappeared, no Alpha could complete a mating ritual at this altar for another year.

A temple attendant hurried inside with an update from the Reed Pack doctor.

Ivy’s condition had stabilized. She had already shifted back into her human form, and the doctor no longer believed she was in immediate danger.

Everyone in the temple breathed a sigh of relief.

They whispered that Damon would return at any moment.

I watched the doors and gave him one final chance to do the right thing.

But Damon never came through them.

Instead, his Beta entered the temple.

He walked up to the altar. He did not look apologetic. He cleared his throat to address me.

"Alpha Damon is not returning yet," the Beta announced loudly.

The crowd gasped. The Beta looked at me, his chin held high, mimicking his Alpha's arrogance.

"The Alpha says you are to keep the guests here. Keep the Moon Fire burning," the Beta commanded. "He will come back to finish the ceremony once Ivy falls asleep. It might take hours. You just need to wait and keep everyone quiet."

My inner wolf let out a bitter laugh.

He was not stuck in an emergency. He actively chose to stay with her.

He expected me to stand at the altar for hours. He expected me to be mocked by hundreds of guests like an obedient pet while he played the hero.

"Is there anything else?" I asked coldly.

The Beta pulled a handwritten note from his pocket.

"Ivy's wolf is still anxious," the Beta said. "The Alpha demands you hand over the Luna moonstone necklace. He wants to use your token to calm her down."

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

That necklace was my sacred Luna token. Damon was supposed to place it around my neck tonight. Now, he was demanding I give it to another woman. He wanted me to strip away my own dignity to comfort her.

"Alpha Damon’s final message to you is this," the Beta added. "'Tell Serena to behave. Tell her not to be impulsive. She knows who she belongs to.'"

I looked at the beautiful silver necklace resting in its velvet box.

I did not hand it to the Beta.

I picked it up. I turned around.

And I threw it straight into the roaring Moon Fire.

The crowd screamed in shock. The sacred silver moonstone cracked. It shattered in the intense, magical flames.

I turned back to the pale Beta.

"Go back and tell your Alpha," I said. My voice rang clear across the silent temple. "He can take all the time he wants. But he never needs to come back."

Before the Beta could speak, the temple doors swung open again.

A foreign warrior stepped inside. It was Cassian’s Beta.

In his hands, he held a magnificent black and silver cloak. It was the sacred cloak of the Wolfe Pack Luna.

He walked right past Damon's stunned Beta. He dropped to one knee before me.

"Alpha Cassian sent me with a message," he said loudly and respectfully. "His promise never expired. He is already on his way."

Right on cue, a deep, terrifying war horn echoed outside the temple.

It came from the west. A chorus of powerful, low wolf howls ripped through the night sky.

Every single guest in the temple froze.

The High Priestess slowly turned to me. Her eyes were wide with shock.

"The Alpha of the Wolfe Pack has arrived," she whispered.