Chapter 1

Adrian Blackwood, the Alpha, and I, Isabel Sterling, were fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess.

But he claimed the one he truly loved was a wolfless girl, Sylvia Hart, a half-blood who couldn't even shift.

For her sake, he forced me to stay in the snow for three days, making me end our mating bond.

I begged the Moon Goddess to set me free.

To my shock, she actually answered me.

She asked, "Are you willing to pay any price for a chance to choose again?"

I said yes.

Later, Adrian knelt before me, his eyes rimmed with red, begging me to return.

But by then, I was already the fated mate of another territory's Alpha.

He lowered his head, pressing his forehead to mine, and whispered, "Isabel, you are my fated mate. No one will ever take you away from me."

*****

My name was Isabel Sterling, Luna of Nightridge.

I was also the person the Alpha, Adrian Blackwood, despised more than anyone else.

The whole pack knew it.

I first met Adrian at the Mating Ball three years ago.

The Moon Goddess's light descended, shining down on both of us.

The pack erupted in shock.

He was the Alpha of Nightridge, the strongest young leader, and every she-wolf's dream.

As for me, although I was born into nobility, my fighting skills were nothing special, and I wasn't exactly the dominant type. I was only another face in the crowd.

But the Goddess chose me.

I remembered him walking up to me that day, his eyes sweeping over me with icy indifference, an unreadable curve to his lips.

"Isabel?" Adrian said, his voice low, like he was chewing on something bitter. "From now on, you're my Luna."

There was no joy, no tenderness, only a cold, businesslike announcement.

But I couldn't help it. My heart pounded.

Because he was Adrian, the Alpha every young she-wolf dreamed about.

I figured that if I was good enough and did everything right, he would eventually let me in.

But I was such a fool.

During our first year of marriage, Adrian never touched me.

He always claimed he was too busy running the pack to bother with romance. And I believed him.

I helped Axel Graves, the Beta, manage the pack's business, learning what it meant to be Luna.

Every day, I'd be up before dawn, patrolling the borders, memorizing the names and needs of every half-blood wolf in the pack.

I settled disputes in the pack and made sure everyone got a fair shot at the hunting runs.

Adrian never got involved in any of it, but I knew he noticed.

One day, Axel said to me, "Luna, the Alpha has been in a good mood lately."

That was the first time I felt like all my efforts meant something.

Even if he never praised me. Even though he spent every night in a different room.

I kept telling myself, 'There's plenty of time. Someday, he'll see me.'

However, in our second year together, I spotted a tooth pendant hanging from his neck.

It was a werewolf's courtship token, crafted from the tooth of the first animal one had ever hunted.

Giving someone that charm meant one was ready to lay down one's life for them.

I stood behind him, staring at the tooth charm for a long time. My fingers clenched and unclenched, but in the end, I didn't ask.

That night, I went alone to the edge of the territory, stood before the Moon Goddess's altar, and prayed for guidance.

But she didn't give me an answer.

All I could hear was Adrian's laughter echoing faintly from somewhere far away.

The laughter drifted out from a wooden cabin. I couldn't help but walk over. Through the window, I saw him sitting at the bedside, his head bowed as he spoke softly to someone.

It was a frail woman, bundled up in a thick blanket. Her face was as pale as paper, as if she could be blown away by the wind at any moment.

She laughed and said, "Adrian, stop teasing me, or my wound will split open."

He pressed her hand gently, his voice full of concern. "If it splits, I'll take care of it for you again."

I'd never seen that look in his eyes before.

He was gentle, like moonlight shimmering on a lake, holding her as if she were the most precious thing in the world.

In that moment, I finally understood that he wasn't busy. He didn't want anything to do with me.

That woman's name was Sylvia Hart, a half-blood who could not shift.

In our world, if someone couldn't shift by sixteen, they would be seen as defective, even inferior to half-bloods.

Sylvia was too weak to survive the shifting, so she'd never be anything but human for the rest of her life.

But that didn't stop Adrian from spoiling her rotten.

He set aside a whole section of the territory only for her, making sure no one could bother her.

Every night, he would bring her food himself, watching over her while she took medicine. On cold winter nights, he'd keep her fireplace stocked with wood all night long.

The whole pack buzzed with gossip about it.

But nobody dared say anything in front of Adrian. Once, a noble wolf called Sylvia "a half-breed who could not even shift" in front of everyone, and Adrian left him bedridden for half a month.

That was the first time I saw him furious.

His golden eyes looked like they were about to catch fire. The aura he gave off was so overwhelming that no one dared to meet his gaze.

He towered over the fallen noble wolf and said in an icy, commanding voice, "Anyone who dares insult Sylvia again will end up just like this."

I stood in the crowd, watching him, and couldn't help thinking, 'Would you ever defend your Luna like that if someone insulted me?'

But honestly, I knew the answer.

I started visiting Sylvia.

Not for any other reason. I only wanted to see what was so great about her.