Chapter 1

I am a pureblood she-wolf blessed by the Moon Goddess, destined to become the supreme Luna Queen.

Pack law dictates that all wolves of age must throw their Silver Moon Chain at the Moonlit Mating Ceremony to claim their lifelong mate.

My childhood sweetheart, Alpha Kieran, had rejected my chain for three consecutive years.

This was the fourth.

Last night, he swore to me that he would catch it this time. He promised we would finally form our mate bond.

But when I joyfully tossed the Silver Moon Chain down toward him, he violently slapped it away.

Instead, he pulled a fragile Omega she-wolf to his side.

Kieran looked up at me, his eyes brimming with impatience.

"Selena, Lilia has an unstable heat cycle and needs my Alpha scent to stabilize. I'm taking responsibility for her. Stop suffocating me."

Tears pricked my eyes, but I held my ground, delivering one last ultimatum.

"Kieran, if you walk away with her today, we are truly over."

"Suit yourself!" he scoffed. "Go bond with some filthy street rogue for all I care. I won't lose sleep over it."

He turned his back on me, shielding the Omega as they walked away.

Watching them leave, the last ember of hope in my heart turned to ash.

I turned around and walked to the farthest, darkest corner of the square.

I stopped in front of a rogue wolf. He was covered in terrifying scars and dressed in absolute rags.

"I, Selena, offer you my soul bond today."

~~~~~

The clamor of the square vanished into dead silence.

Gasps echoed through the crowd. The other wolves stared at me like I had lost my mind.

"Is she insane? That's a mute rogue. He's lower than an Omega!"

Kieran stopped at the edge of the square. He glanced back over his shoulder, a mocking sneer twisting his lips.

"If this is some cheap stunt to make me jealous, Selena, you're only embarrassing yourself."

"Like I said, bond with a literal dog. I still wouldn't care."

I tuned Kieran out completely, my eyes locking onto the tall, ragged man in front of me.

He leaned against the cold stone pillar of the altar. His torn cloak did nothing to hide the brutal, crisscrossing claw marks on his chest.

While everyone else looked at him like he was garbage, he slowly raised his head.

His eyes were a deep, abyssal green. There was no submission in those slit pupils. None of the cowering fear you'd expect from a low-rank rogue.

I pushed the Silver Moon Chain in my palm an inch closer to him.

The rogue stared at me for a long moment.

Then, he reached out with a large, calloused hand and caught the chain.

The moment our fingertips brushed in midair—

Buzz—!

Blinding light erupted from the silver metal. It melted into an ancient wolf totem, searing itself directly into both of our wrists.

An Absolute Soul Bond. Forged in front of everyone.

The second the contract snapped into place, my soul violently shuddered.

Through the tether of our new bond, a terrifying, supreme Alpha aura slammed into my senses.

Just the tiny fraction of power leaking through the bond was enough to make my bones tremble.

This was absolutely not the strength of a low-rank wolf.

A hurricane of shock ripped through my mind, but I forced my face to remain perfectly blank. I calmly withdrew my hand.

Kieran snorted, clearly thinking I was just putting up a brave front to save face. He turned and left the square with Lilia, never looking back.

Three years later.

I walked through the bustling market of a border town, wrapped in a thick, coarse cloak.

Beneath the heavy fabric, my belly was slightly rounded. I was carrying a little wolf cub.

For the past three years, I had lived in hiding with the rogue, Luca.

He had no territory, no pack, and no wealth. But with those scarred hands, he had given me a fierce devotion and a sense of safety I had never known.

I reached the Old Healer's shop at the end of the street.

"Healer, I need two vials of the pregnancy-stabilizing potion."

The wrinkled old woman handed me the glass vials.

Before I could thank her, a violent commotion erupted at the entrance of the market.

"Get out of the way! Move, you low-rank trash!"

Accompanied by brutal shouts, a squad of elite guards in half-shifted forms shoved their way through the crowd, baring their fangs and claws to force a path down the narrow street.

I instinctively shielded my belly and backed into the shadows of the alley.

A massive, demonic horned deer stepped into the market. The man riding it wore the dark-gold cloak of an Alpha, radiating a crushing, oppressive scent.

Beside him, two low-rank wolves carried a sedan chair. The wind blew the sheer curtains aside, revealing Lilia's delicate face.

My grip tightened around the potion vials until my knuckles turned white. My eyes went ice-cold.

It was Kieran.

Over the past three years, he had successfully usurped the Alpha position, taking over the entire pack. He had become more arrogant and tyrannical than ever.

I lowered my head, preparing to slip away into the crowd, but Kieran's procession abruptly halted right in front of the Healer's shop.

His gaze cut through the throng of people and locked flawlessly onto me.