Chapter One
Seraphina
Uneasy anticipation twisted in my gut as I lingered at the edge of the Silver Moon Pack’s gathering before Alpha Tyler’s mansion. I sought a quiet spot, away from the flickering torches and the pack’s notice. Nestled beneath the towering peaks of the Nuvuja Mountains, Nahachoh, our pack’s town, glimmered like a jewel in the night.
Familiar figures—males donned in sharply tailored suits and females adorned in flowing dresses—congregated. My heart thudded against my ribcage as if threatening to burst through the delicate fabric of my midnight-blue gown.
Every summer, I reluctantly attended pack events. I’d give anything for this to just be one of the pack’s seasonal celebrations, but tonight was different.
In the center of the lawn, a dais had been erected, where the commanding figure of Alpha Tyler stood. It was the figure beside him, Linda, the daughter of Elder Darius, that froze my blood. Her silver gown shimmered as if the stars had been called down to sheath her curves.
Elder Darius’s voice now sliced through the night, and my gaze shot to where he stood before the pair. “We are gathered here this night to celebrate the sacred union of Tyler and Linda as mates.”
Dread ricocheted through me, raw and visceral, snuffing out the flickering hope I’d managed to cling to over the day. “No,” I whispered, shaking my head, my wolf bristling within.
“ She’s still here then.” A discontented murmur slithered from nearby.
I froze, the prickling eyes of the pack deepening my feeling of being an outsider with each passing second. Without looking, I recognized Jackie’s voice, a middle-aged packmate. Heat prickled over my cheeks as I thought of the son she’d lost in the invasion my parents had permitted. Shame heated my skin.
“Should’ve stayed at university,” someone else remarked. My gaze fluttered to the back row of packmates, previously focused on the dais, now sneering at me. Beneath their contempt, I felt like a blemish marring the night’s beauty.
My thoughts swirled like a blizzard, leaving me disoriented and lost, each taunt cutting deeper into my heart. The murmurs of the Silver Moons around me added to the jagged pain ricocheting through me as I contemplated that Tyler was really doing this—he was committing himself to Linda. The air I inhaled felt frigid as my breathing shallowed. The place I’d always called home now felt hostile.
Uninvited memories jolted to life, tugging cruelly at my heart. My nineteenth birthday, only three weeks ago, came crashing back. I remembered my intoxicating heat cycle and the dizzying certainty that Tyler was my fated mate. The kiss I had initiated had drawn our bodies together, but instead of bringing us closer, making love had driven a wedge between us.
Afterward, Tyler’s regret had extinguished the passion we’d shared. Guilt had etched his features as he’d said, “Seffy, I can’t be with you. You’re the child of traitors. As alpha, I cannot honor this bond. ”
Each word had cut deep, echoing the cruel whispers that had haunted me in the pack. Humiliation constricted my chest, a lump lodging in my throat. At the time, frustration and heartbreak had waged war. Despite the deep connection Tyler and I shared, my parents’ crime overshadowed it. Over the last few weeks, I’d managed to convince myself that, in time, Tyler would come around. Yet, if anything, he’d been doing his utmost to distance himself from me these last few weeks. My chest clenched as I remembered how he’d asked me to call him Anatch —Uncle—since we’d been intimate. The word felt jarring, a deliberate attempt to redefine our bond as if a single title could erase the depth of what we had shared.
Then, this morning, in a daze, I’d listened to Tyler recounting his intention to stand beside Linda tonight in this ceremony. Now, as the ceremony continued, a fog of doom descended over my mind, suffocating the last wisp of hope. I wondered how long he and Linda had been planning this ceremony. The thought that he’d withheld this information pierced my heart like ice.
A thunderous cacophony of blessings erupted around me, drowning out my turmoil. In a time-honored tradition, the pack shouted out their blessings before the couple made their vows.
“May Igaluk smile on you!” packmates shouted, voices rising like a symphony. Others shouted blessings in the ancient language of the goddess, their merry tones feeling like dark magic as they cut into my heart like curses. “ Lianait ! Akuluk !”
Jolted from my daze, I faltered forward. My mate bond strained in protest, and my wolf howled in desperation. Tyler was really taking another mate, disregarding our connection. Despite my hurt, I couldn’t stand silent.
Woken by my packmates, a cry escaped my lips. “Tyler!” Raw and imploring, my heart thumped in my chest, begging him to look at me. But he just stood there, oblivious, eyes locked onto Linda. Her radiant smile seemed to hold him fast, as if he were already bound to her.
I opened my mouth to shout again, but nothing emerged. My throat tightened, and tears threatened. The only thing my cry succeeded in drawing was further hostility from the pack.
Logan, a wolf about my age—one of the young wolves who had bullied me most ruthlessly as a teenager—noticed me. His wide features sharpened as he recognized me. “You’ve got some nerve showing up,” he snarled. “You should’ve been banished.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks as other Silver Moons glowered at me, their judgment seeping into me like venom. The familiar pinpricks of disgrace flushed over my hot skin. Once again, I was reminded of my parents’ betrayal, destined to plague me.
“Child of traitors,” Tyler’s words echoed, a haunting reminder of the shadows that tainted me, reinforcing the reason Tyler had refused me as his mate. As I stood there, pain squeezing my heart, the realization cut deep: Tyler didn’t feel our mate bond as I did. If he did, he wouldn’t be able to endure this pain and take another woman as his mate.
Panic threatened to claw me apart. I had withstood years of longing. One memory surged back to me with blinding clarity, and I closed my eyes.
Seventeen years old, I sat cross-legged on a camping mat, the chill of the evening air nipping at my cheeks. It felt like a mere whisper compared to the torment I'd endured back in Nahachoh. The laughter of Logan and his friends echoed in my mind, a cruel bell tolling my isolation. “I can’t wait to escape to Silver Moon University,” I muttered, more to myself than anyone else.
Beside me, Tyler leaned closer, his eyes sparkling with warmth and sincerity. “They’re just jealous of you.”
I tried to huff out a laugh, but it came out more like a breath of frustration. “Hardly.” My shoulders slumped as I imagined the moment I could leave this place behind—the packmates who looked at me and only saw the daughter of traitors.
Tyler picked up a stick, poking at the fire, sending sparks twirling up into the night sky like fireflies. “They are, Seffy. You’re brave and strong. I think they’re intimidated by you.”
His words sent a flutter through my chest, a mix of embarrassment and surprise. I turned my gaze to the ground, attempting to mask my reaction with a skeptical expression.
“You are, Seffy. You’re as strong as the Great Wolf up there,” he said, pointing to the constellation he’d mapped out for me time and again. “As fierce as the Hunter,” he continued, tracing another starry figure with his finger. “And you have a heart as big and loyal as the twins who are always together,” he added thoughtfully, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, yet his blue eyes remained serious and sincere.
Caught off guard, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. The weight of his gaze pierced through my defenses as if he could see straight into my very soul, into all my insecurities that had been festering since my parents’ betrayal. In that moment, I realized I had begun to wear that burden heavily, believing there was something disloyal within me due to the pack’s suspicion.
Yet, as he spoke, something inside me began to ease. I had spent so long insisting I didn’t care about the cruel remarks from Logan and his trolls, but Tyler’s voice—warm and inviting like the campfire beside us—sparked a flicker of light along my skin. It unraveled the weight of my grief, allowing feelings of isolation to dissolve in the cool night air.
For several moments, we sat in companionable silence. The only sound was the crackling of the fire and the gentle whispers of the wind through the trees. Underneath that vast expanse of night, beneath a blanket of stars shimmering like diamonds, I felt a warmth blossoming in my chest—a feeling of something deeper than friendship.
In that sacred space, away from the taunts of the pack, my heart expanded with a sense of belonging I had never felt before. Leaning my head against Tyler’s shoulder, I closed my eyes, letting the world fade away.
The deep truth of our connection had been quietly burgeoning within me for some time, forming a stark contrast against the fleeting romances I had entertained at Silver Moon University. I remembered the tender touches and sweet words from those boyfriends and how, each time they leaned in, I closed my eyes, desperately searching for the spark of magic I felt so effortlessly with Tyler. Yet, despite their warmth, I always came up empty—no caress, no kiss could ever ignite the fire that burned so brightly, not just in this moment but in a hundred other tiny, perfect moments woven through our time together.
But now, faced with the reality of his impending vows to Linda, I opened my eyes, realizing that my feelings for Tyler had long been there. Even with our mate bond igniting three weeks ago, it was painfully clear he didn’t feel what I did. Beyond the reckless passion we’d shared, he hadn’t acknowledged the bond I had felt beating in my chest. As he prepared to say his vows to another, the crushing truth engulfed me. He likely never would.
Logan’s friend Valerie snickered beside him. “She’ll be banished soon. Linda will put things right. She won’t have a traitor around when pups come.”
Her cruel comment fueled thoughts of the future. With the right herbs and spells, one could glimpse what was to come. But Valerie’s words, paired with the sight of Tyler and Linda standing together, conjured the future with painful clarity. It was true. Tyler’s choice to join with another foretold that soon enough, he’d have a real family of his own, severing any threads that connected us. I could already picture him in their shared house, laughter filling it as they sat close, their intimate moments a stark reminder of what I would never have. Over the last four years, my and Tyler’s lives had become so intertwined that I felt torn apart, and the thought of seeing them together in a way I longed for was unbearable. Hopelessness resonated within me. There would be no place for me here. Aside from Tyler, no one in the pack truly accepted me, and now, even he no longer wanted me.
Desperation seeped into my bones as I turned away from the pack. I hugged my arms around myself and retreated further from the celebration of love and unity. With my breaking heart, I ventured down the mountain. The familiar woods thickly framed the path with the scent of pine and moss.
As I trudged through the lonely forest, I couldn’t shake the imagination of Tyler kissing Linda, her face aglow with happiness. My heart ached, and I looked up at Igaluk’s full face, imagining her light shining down on the couple. The pain was almost too much to bear. Gazing up at the Moon goddess, a sense of grim determination settled over me. It was fitting that she’d witness the destruction I was about to unleash. After all, she’d been the one who’d given me this bond in the first place.
I trekked deeper into the woods through the whispering evergreens. The thick crisp snow met my open shoes and soon soaked my long dress. But as a shifter, I didn’t feel the cold much. Instead, the cold grounded me against the turmoil threatening to pull me under. I listened to the satisfying crunch. For a moment, the feeling of being exposed and vulnerable eased, and the quiet of the forest enveloped me tightly. Its cold was a balm for the hot shame lingering on my cheeks.
But with each step, the weight of my decision pressed upon me. I reached a clearing and kneeled in the snow-kissed earth. The cold grounded me as I rummaged through my clutch bag. Thankfully, I made it a habit to carry crystals wherever I went and had the reserves of extra energy I’d need for this ritual. I extracted the crystals—each stone vibrating with the magic of the Silver Moon lands around us. As I placed the crystals around me in a circle, I felt their potency amplified by Igaluk’s waxing moon above. Her moonbeams caressed their depths, and each glimmered with possibility and power.
Closing my eyes, I called to mind the sacred markings of the Moon goddess I’d need. I picked up my ulu —my ceremonial knife. I used it to inscribe each rune into the fresh snow, tracing the ancient marks that my mother had taught me.
The rune for amaruq —the wolf—came first, its essence igniting a growl from my wolf within me. Next was ilak —mate. I felt my wolf’s ears draw back, a whine escaping from her as if she suspected my intent, but I gritted my teeth, forcing myself on. I marked the rune for qiviut —thread. I swiftly followed it with the sharp, final one of pilak —cutting through. Each stroke reverberated with purpose, a manifestation of my intentions in the circle I now stood in the center of.
The runes began to glow softly in the moonlight, fueled by the power in the crystals. Closing my eyes, I envisioned the invisible thread that tied me to Tyler, its ever-present warmth a reminder of the bond we forged. I trembled, nuzzling into the fleece-lined shrug I wore, but the shivers racking my body had nothing to do with the frigid air or wet ground beneath me.
The Moon goddess’s ancient language filled my mind like a melody.
“ Amaruq pilak qiviut ilak,” I chanted, allowing the resonance of my words to cascade through me. A harsher chill swept through the air and goosebumps prickled over my skin as I wondered whether it was a warning or a reassurance from the goddess.
“ Amaruq pilak qiviut ilak,” I chanted harder, forging ahead.
A lump rose in my throat, my wolf going berserk, snarling and leaping within me, begging to be let out as if I were in danger. Yet, I ignored her, breathing strength and intention into my words as the wind tore at me, lifting the snow into swirling eddies.
Determination solidified within me. I had thought Tyler saw me for who I truly was beyond the sins of my parents. It was painfully clear he didn’t. The hollowness of that realization devastated me, tearing apart the fragile hope I had clung to. I would no longer remain tethered to someone who couldn’t see the person I had fought so hard to become. I envisioned a future where Tyler faded into the depths of my past, reduced to a mere echo of what could have been.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I chanted fervently. A tremor rippled through the earth. A flash of color cleaved through the darkness, even behind my tightly closed eyes. I felt the bond break with an almighty crack—like a glacier falling apart and plunging into the ocean.
Pain burned through my chest as if fire and ice raged within me, and I cried out, dropping to the ground and clutching my heart. My wolf writhed in agony, curled up and scared within the corners of my mind. Yet, bit by bit, I breathed through the torment, a flicker of relief moving through me as I felt the new space in my chest.
Tentatively, I reached out for the mate bond. It was gone.
I staggered to my feet, my heart racing with relief.
The Moon cast her glow on the circle of runes and crystals, and I saw they were now dull and lifeless, all the power drained from them. I instinctively knew that tools used to sever such a bond would never again be able to channel magic.
Casting off my shoes and clothes, I felt a surge of determination. I was eager to leave this place behind. It was a world where nobody wanted me and where I no longer belonged. I shifted, the transformation igniting a rush of freedom through me. My wolf’s muscles rippled with relief as I let her plunge down the cold mountainside, her silvery fur flashing beneath the Moon as she ran. My anguish evaporated into the night as I dashed into the woods, my heart a wild thing racing toward a new beginning. I was unsure where I would go, but I was filled with resolve. It was time to leave the past behind.