Chapter 4

In Kael's eyes, I had never once come before Isabella. Not even when my Silver Scar treatment first started.

My entire body had burned with an unbearable itch, the herbal paste seeping into my skin as if thousands of ants were crawling beneath it.

He had only glanced at me and said, "It's just a little itching. Stop being so dramatic."

Then he walked away. To comfort Isabella because she had a headache.

Every time I disagreed with him, he had the same answer.

"You're going to be Ravencrest Pack's Luna. Then start carrying yourself like one."

Our engagement ring, the one he had promised to place on my finger, became nothing more than an accessory for Isabella.

On my birthday, he left while I was still making my wish because Isabella had called him to accompany her on a late-night patrol.

He forgot our anniversary, then bought tickets to take Isabella to the seaside instead.

One memory after another flooded back. I should have let go long ago.

As I walked away from the boutique, I heard Kael's dismissive voice behind me.

"She's just being dramatic. Don't mind her."

That night, Kael texted me.

Lyra, stop being angry.

You're about to become Luna. Can you be more mature?

I stared at the words for a long time. Fine. I'll be mature.

I'll be mature and make the best decision for myself this life.

...

The day of the ceremony arrived. I put on a wedding gown. Not the one I had picked at the boutique.

Just before I left, my phone rang.

Kael. The moment I answered, his anxious voice came through.

"Isabella forgot her bracelet. I'm taking her home to get it."

"You head to the ceremony first."

I answered calmly. "Okay."

Then Kael asked cautiously, "Are you angry?"

"No."

Something about my calmness unsettled him.

For a brief moment, he felt as though something important was slipping away.

But Isabella was sitting beside him, close to tears. He pushed the feeling aside. "I'll see you soon."

The call ended.

Beside him, Isabella wiped at the corners of her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's all my fault."

"But that bracelet, it means so much to me."

Kael reached over. "It's fine. I'm not blaming you."

Even so, Lyra's unusually calm reaction lingered in the back of his mind.

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. Without noticing, he had almost run a red light.

By the time they reached Snowpeak Mountain, dusk had settled over the forest.

The ceremony was supposed to begin at sunset. Yet the bride never appeared.

Just as whispers began to ripple through the crowd, a faint chill swept across the mountain.

The first snow of the season had arrived.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared beyond the mountains, unease spread through the crowd.

"Where's Luna?"

"Has anyone seen Lyra?"

Kael scanning every face. Lyra wasn't there.His heart skipped a beat.

A terrifying thought crossed his mind.

What if...

Lyra never found out the venue had been changed?

His hands shook as he reached to the phone.

One call. No answer.

Another. Still nothing.

Dozens of calls, and there was no response.

Cold sweat slid down his forehead. His breathing became more and more uneven.

Just when he was beginning to panic, the call finally connected.

His voice came out hurried and strained. "Lyra. Where are you?"

"The Marking Ceremony is about to begin."

I looked across the quiet waters of Moon Bay.

A thin layer of fresh snow covered the ground along the shore, untouched and silent.

The moonlight shimmered across the lake like scattered silver, reflecting off the drifting snowflakes that still fell gently from the sky.

It was beautiful.

"My ceremony..."

I smiled softly, my fingers brushing against the unfamiliar ring on my hand.

"...has already begun."

On the other end of the line, Kael froze, "What are you talking about? Who are you marking with?"