Chapter 1

On the eve of our mating ceremony, Dante sold me to the blind, mad tomb keeper on the back mountain for a single coin.

The pack elder furrowed his brow. "Young Alpha, if you want to make that rogue Omega your Luna, you can simply break the engagement with Maeve. Maeve once risked her life to heal you. Throwing her to that cruel monster is going too far."

Dante replied dismissively.

"It's just a small lesson. Who told her to be so stubborn, refusing to step down and accept the title of concubine? Besides, it's her cold attitude that triggered Chloe's panic attacks."

"Lucian is an absolute lunatic. Give it three hours, and her mind will break. When that happens, she'll naturally be crying on her knees, begging me to take her back."

The elder sighed heavily. "Aren't you afraid she'd rather marry Lucian than bow her head to you?"

Dante scoffed.

"Impossible. She loves me to the bone. Even if she goes to hell, she'd save herself for me. Tomorrow, I'll play her savior one more time. Once she's suffered enough, she'll be completely devoted to me."

I didn't cry or make a scene. I simply clutched that coin tightly and walked away without looking back.

The next day, when Dante frantically smashed open the cemetery gates, the rumored blind monster had me wrapped in his arms. And clearly branded on my neck was the fresh mating mark he had just bitten into my skin.

The high and mighty Young Alpha stood there, eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling as he demanded to know how I could be so heartless.

 ......

It was the grandest banquet of the year for the Frostmoon Pack, and the eve of my mating ceremony with our Young Alpha, Dante.

Pine wood burned in the great hall, the warm firelight illuminating the faces of every pack member, yet it failed to warm the corner where I stood.

Dante was holding the hand of a petite, fragile-looking woman.

That was Chloe, a rogue Omega who had wandered into our territory half a year ago. Ever since her arrival, Dante had acted as if possessed, lavishing absolute devotion upon her.

At this moment, she was nestled against Dante's chest, her eyes slightly red.

"Pack members," Dante's voice, laced with an Alpha's innate authority, echoed through the hall. "Tonight, I have a vital announcement to make. Chloe is carrying my flesh and blood; she bears the future heir of our pack. Therefore, at tomorrow's mating ceremony, my Luna can only be her."

The hall plunged into dead silence. Every pair of eyes instantly darted toward me, sharp as daggers.

"Maeve," Dante looked at me, tossing a coin onto the floor. "For a single coin, I've sold you to Lucian. Since you refuse to stay here and enjoy the comfortable life of a concubine, then go be a mate to that mad, blind freak!"

A suppressed gasp rippled through the crowd.

Lucian. The monster chained in the back mountain cemetery. Rumor had it that he was once a formidable warrior, but after a mutation drove him feral, his eyes were gouged out. Anyone who got close to him would be torn to shreds. Giving a woman to him was no different from handing her a death sentence.

Chloe covered her mouth, gasping with feigned horror. "Dante, that's too cruel. Maeve will die! Please, take it back!"

Three years ago, the old Alpha died in battle, plunging the pack into chaos.

It was me who worked day and night to pacify the warriors for Dante. Even when he was critically injured and on the brink of death—when everyone else had given up on him—I risked my own life, using my blood to heal him, dragging him through his darkest hour.

Back then, he held me in his arms, eyes red, and swore he would make me the happiest Luna in the world.

I used to think that even if Dante and I didn't have an earth-shattering romance, we at least had a profound bond born of shared hardships.

Now, his position as the Young Alpha was secure.

And his repayment for my loyalty was to publicly sell me off to a bloodthirsty lunatic for the cheapest price imaginable—all for a rogue Omega.

The surrounding pack members watched me like a clown, eagerly waiting for my mental defenses to completely collapse. In their eyes, an orphaned female who had lost her Alpha's protection had no choice but to fall on her knees and beg for mercy.

I clenched my trembling hands, forcing myself to calmly meet Dante's gaze.

"Then let's break the engagement. I'm out. From this day forward, we have nothing to do with each other."

At those words, the surrounding pack members drew a sharp breath. In werewolf society, for a female to initiate a broken engagement was a massive provocation to an Alpha.

Dante froze. He stared at me, a flash of irritation crossing his eyes.

After his brief shock, he let out a scoff. Walking slowly toward me, he stared down with an arrogant, all-knowing look.

"Break the engagement? Maeve, who do you think you're negotiating with? Do you actually believe playing hard to get will make me beg you to stay? An orphan who's lost her protection—where exactly could you go if you leave?"

"That won't be the Young Alpha's concern," I said, taking a step back.

My withdrawal and coldness seemed to completely infuriate him.

"Good. Very good," Dante laughed out of extreme anger.

He spun around abruptly to face the pack, his voice raising sharply. "Since you're so desperate to leave, I'll grant your wish! But a deal made by me, Dante, will never be taken back. If you want to go, your only option is to marry that monster in the back mountain!"

A glimmer of triumphant arrogance flashed in Dante's eyes. The pack members let out contemptuous snickers; everyone assumed I would ultimately submit.

But I didn't. I simply reached out and picked up the coin from the floor.

Straightening my back, I looked Dante dead in the eyes: "Fine. I accept this deal."

The smirk on Dante's lips instantly froze. He stared at me in disbelief. "What did you just say?"

"I said, I accept the deal. One coin to buy out everything we had," I repeated calmly.

"Maeve! Are you out of your mind?!" Dante practically lunged at me, grabbing my wrist in a vice grip, his eyes filled with shock and fury. "Do you have any idea what kind of monster Lucian is?! Are you really going to throw your life away just to spite me?!"

"Spite you?"

I looked at him as if he were a complete, irrelevant stranger, then forcefully yanked my hand out of his grip.

"Dante, you were the one who used this exact coin to officially sell off the last shred of whatever we had."