Chapter 7

Suddenly, everything clicked.

The heat in my veins boiled over, and I couldn't hold it back anymore. I felt like I was on fire, inside and out.

I rushed straight toward Adrian, my voice raw and desperate. "Vivian lied to you. She drugged me with some cursed potion. I am your fated mate."

My shout echoed across the whole square, and my body moved on its own. My bloodline awakening and the fated bond made me lose all control. I lunged forward, grabbed his hand, and crashed into his arms.

He froze for a split second, then his arms snapped around my waist, holding me tight.

He lowered his head and pressed against my neck, breathing hard. The scent of amber, pine resin, and dewmist poured off him, hot and dizzying.

At the same time, an unfamiliar fragrance rose from me. It felt like moonlight spilling over snow, a cold silver chill wrapped around icy meltwater.

Adrian's pupils shrank sharply and then turned into vertical slits, wolf eyes burning gold and mesmerizing. His fingers clamped down on my arm with shocking strength.

But the crowd had no clue what was really happening. All they saw was a nobody without any awakening throwing herself at the Alpha.

Vivian rushed over, shoved me aside, and wedged herself between Adrian and me, wrapping her arms around his neck. As she pushed me away, her nails grazed the back of his neck, so lightly that it seemed like an accident.

Then she turned to face everyone, stood up straight, and pressed her palms together. "By the Moon Goddess. Someone actually dared to defile your sacred guidance. Someone dared to question the mate you chose."

Her voice quivered with reverence, like a believer whose faith had been violated.

A strong scent burst from Vivian, sweet and cloying, like tuberose crushed and soaked in honey. It was so thick it turned bitter.

People around turned their heads and held their breath. Someone murmured in shock, "That is the bond of fated mates."

Adrian's eyes shifted. The instant Vivian's scent washed over him, his golden slit pupils shrank back to deep amber.

He went silent.

I was shoved to the ground, my knees crashing onto the stone, my hands clutching my chest as pain shot through me.

The wolf inside me was going wild, howling for me to get up, to tear Vivian Thorn apart, and to reclaim what was rightfully mine.

Through the pain, I lifted my head and looked at him. "Adrian, I am your fated mate. I am your Luna. Vivian lied to you. Don't you believe me?"

He didn't say a word.

I pressed and added, "You made me a promise. Did you forget? You said you would make me your mate today. Have you really forgotten everything?"

I clutched the Moonbond Cord at my throat, my fingers digging into the rough fibers as I looked up at him. I could barely see through the blur in my eyes, and they burned so badly that it felt like molten tears.

The fated bond inside me was ripping apart, like someone hacking at my bones with a dull blade. My wolf screamed so wildly that my ears rang from the noise.

Adrian stayed silent.

Vivian lunged forward, her hand raised, ready to slap me across the face.

I caught her wrist mid-swing, refusing to fall this time. The awakening in my blood had made me stronger. I was no longer the Omega everyone could walk all over.

Gritting my teeth against the pain, I slapped her as hard as I could, the sharp crack echoing through the night.

Vivian Thorn's head snapped to the side, her cheek flushing red instantly.

Adrian yanked Vivian behind him to shield her, while his other hand shot out toward me. He grabbed the Moonbond Cord around my neck and yanked hard. The sound of Lunaris Reed fibers tearing echoed in my ear.

My stomach twisted so hard that I bent over and gagged. A surge of agony rose from deep in my bones, like someone splitting me right down the middle.