Chapter 1

The nights in the Scottish Highlands always came early.

I sat perched on my dormitory windowsill, clutching Damien's fifth letter. The paper still carried traces of his scent—that familiar blend of cedar and leather that once brought me comfort, but now made me want to vomit.

"She has a golden wolf form, Ainsley, I've never seen such pure bloodlines..."

I reread the sentence, my silver eyes gleaming dangerously in the moonlight. Seraphina. Her again. This was the third time he'd mentioned her name in this letter, while I—his fated mate—had received nothing but a cold greeting at the beginning.

'Fucking fantastic.'

"She says she's homeless, how could I not help her?"

I let out a bitter laugh, crumpling the letter into a ball. Alpha protective instincts? Or something else entirely?

My roommate Emma emerged from the bathroom, wet red hair clinging to her shoulders. "Another letter from Damien?" She glanced at the paper ball in my hand. "You look like you want to kill someone."

"Maybe I actually will." I jumped down from the windowsill, bare feet hitting the cold stone floor.

Emma paused in toweling her hair. "Ainsley, you're joking, right?"

I didn't answer. As the Alpha daughter of the Silver Moon pack, my jokes were rarely just jokes.

On the night of the full moon, the entire academy buzzed with restless energy.

I made my way alone to the training grounds behind the mountain—the place where wolves from various packs practiced their shifting. Tonight, I was the only one here. Perfect.

I needed to confirm something.

Taking a deep breath, I began to summon my inner wolf. The Silver Moon bloodline flowed through my veins, that familiar surge of power rising within me. My body started to change, bones restructuring, muscles stretching...

But something went wrong.

Halfway through the shift, I felt a sharp pain, as if something was interfering with the process. My silver fur began to flicker unstably, my wolf form appearing weak and diminished.

'Shit.'

I forced the transformation to completion, but my silver wolf form was noticeably smaller than usual. This wasn't normal. Very abnormal.

'The mate bond is warning me. My Alpha is falling for someone else.'

I should have realized sooner. The psychic connection between destined mates was two-way—when one betrayed, the other felt physical feedback. I thought I was just being oversensitive, but now it seemed...

Damien was actually betraying me.

I shifted back to human form, falling to my knees on the grass, silver hair cascading over my shoulders. The moon hung high in the sky, coldly observing my humiliation.

"Ainsley?" Emma's voice came from behind me. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Are you okay?"

I stood up, brushing grass off my knees. "I'm fine."

"No, you're not." She approached me, green eyes filled with concern. "Something's wrong. Your scent... it's chaotic."

I was silent for several seconds. Emma was the daughter of an Irish wolf pack, and the only friend I trusted here. But some things couldn't be shared, even with friends.

"Just homesick," I lied.

Emma clearly didn't believe me, but she didn't press. That's why I liked her—she knew when to shut up.

The next day at lunch, the entire dining hall buzzed with the scents and conversations of various wolf packs. I sat in the corner with my tray, trying to focus on eating, but the surrounding chatter made concentration impossible.

"...the Shadow pack prince is infatuated with some mixed-blood of unknown origin..."

My fork froze midair.

"...looks like the Silver Moon princess is about to be abandoned..."

My silver eyes flashed dangerously, and the temperature in the entire dining hall seemed to drop several degrees.

"...how dare a half-breed touch a purebred Alpha? Doesn't know her place..."

The speakers were several German pack students sitting three tables away, apparently thinking I couldn't hear them. But they underestimated Silver Moon hearing.

I slowly set down my fork and stood up.

The chatter in the dining hall gradually ceased as everyone felt the Alpha pressure radiating from me. This was the Silver Moon bloodline gift—even in human form, we could release an aura that made other wolves cower in fear.

I walked toward the German pack students' table, each step deliberate and heavy. Their faces turned pale, one even beginning to tremble.

"What were you just saying?" My voice was quiet, but everyone could hear it.

"I... we weren't..." the young German wolf stammered.

"Say it again." I placed both hands on their table, silver eyes boring into theirs. "Let everyone hear."

No one dared speak. The entire dining hall fell into deathly silence.

I straightened up, scanning the surrounding wolves. "Seems everyone's very interested in my private affairs."

Then I grabbed my bag and headed for the dining hall exit. At the doorway, I stopped without turning back and said, "It's time to go home."

Back in the dormitory, I began packing.

Emma sat on her bed watching me, wanting to speak but hesitating. "Are you really leaving?"

"Yeah." I roughly stuffed clothes into my suitcase. "No point staying any longer."

"But your studies..."

"I've learned everything I need to learn." I pulled out Damien's photograph from the drawer—taken last Christmas, him with his arm around my waist, both of us smiling.

How ironic it looked now.

I tore the photo in half, then into quarters, until it was completely unrecognizable. The pieces fluttered to the floor like my shattered heart.

'If he chooses betrayal, then let him see how terrifying a true Silver Moon Alpha can be.'

"Ainsley..." Emma said softly, "maybe things aren't as bad as you think."

I stopped and looked at her. "Emma, do you know what a mate bond means?"

She nodded.

"Then you should know how it feels when your Alpha starts developing feelings for another woman." I pointed to my chest. "Here. Every day feels like being cut with a knife."

Emma's eyes moistened. "I'm so sorry."

"No need to apologize." I closed my suitcase. "It's not your fault."

After emailing my advisor for leave, I booked a flight back to Seattle for that evening. Eighteen months of advanced study were ending prematurely, but I had no regrets.

While waiting at the airport gate, my phone buzzed. A text from Damien.

"Sorry I've been so busy lately, Seraphina needs my care."

I stared at the message for a long time. No inquiry about my wellbeing, no concern for my feelings—only care for that woman.

I deleted the message, then deleted Damien's contact information entirely.

Silver eyes flashing coldly, I whispered to the phone screen, "Damien Nightshade, you'll pay for your choices."

The boarding announcement sounded. I grabbed my luggage and walked toward the gate. The Scottish chapter was over—time to return to Seattle, to my pack, to my family.

I would show everyone that the Alpha daughter of the Silver Moon pack was not a woman to be casually discarded.

As the plane took off, I gazed through the window at the receding Scottish Highlands. The moon still hung high in the sky, as if illuminating my journey home.

Wait for me, Damien.