Chapter 1

As I returned to the territory, Lirik sent word for me to go to the Healing Sanctum immediately.

"Anara has been poisoned by silver," the attendant whispered respectfully. "Only your blood can save her."

I froze. Silver poison — that was one of the cruelest punishments for werewolves.

Suppressing the anger boiling in my chest, I asked, "How did she get poisoned?"

"I heard she was ambushed by enemies...The silver in her body is still spreading."

The attendant hung his head, unable to meet my gaze.

I fell silent. Anara, Lirik’s childhood friend, the woman who always pretended to be gentle in front of me.

She had never hidden her obsession with Lirik. Now, even silver poison had become her bargaining chip.

When I arrived at the Healing Sanctum, chaos reigned outside the ward.

"Luna! The Alpha has been waiting for you, she’s barely holding on." Silas hurried over, he was Lirik’s deputy and his most trusted friend.

Blame was evident in his tone, as if I were the cruel bystander.

I looked up and saw Lirik.

A flicker of hesitation crossed his eyes, but the emotion was quickly suppressed.

"Saga," his voice was cold and rigid, "she’s been poisoned by silver. Only your blood can neutralize the corruption."

I stepped back half a step, my breath catching in my throat.

"My blood? That’s the Marked Blood of the Luna, containing my primal essence. You know what that means."

"Of course I do." He pressed his lips together, the lines between his brows sharper than a blade. "But this is the code of the pack. She is my clanswoman. You can’t let her die."

In that moment, I almost laughed out loud.

The "code" he spoke of was nothing more than another form of command.

"Lirik, what you want isn’t my blood, but my power."

He fell silent. Several warriors behind him stepped forward, their auras interweaving in the air, pressing down on me until I could barely breathe.

"It’s just a blood transfusion," he finally whispered. "You’ll be fine."

I stopped struggling, and a tear slid down my cheek. It wasn’t a tear of fear, but of humiliation.

As the needle pierced my arm, silver light flickered within Anara’s body, and her screams gradually faded into soft gasps.

At the same time, I could feel an invisible force, the lunar primal essence belonging to the Luna, being siphoned away.

The sensation was like having my soul torn apart.

In a daze, I saw another beam of moonlight.

It was the night of my eighteenth birthday.

Moonlight flooded the altar. When Lirik approached, something deep within my soul hummed. At that moment, I knew he was my fated mate, bestowed upon me by the Moon Goddess.

Later, he completed the Marking Ritual under the ancient Lunar Sacred Tree and whispered to me, "You will always be my Luna."

His fangs pierced my skin, and moonlight flowed into my body through the wound.

Back then, I thought this bond would be eternal.

Now, it had become a curse.

When it was all over, my body swayed with dizziness, and the world around me blurred.

I watched as Lirik leaned down to wipe Anara’s forehead, comforting her gently, "You’ll be okay."

He had never looked at me that way.

Three days later, I was discharged from the sanctum.

The sun outside was scorching, and the air was stiflingly hot, as if it were on fire.

I dragged my still-weak body back to my residence. As soon as I pushed open the door, I heard a familiar laugh.

"Saga, why are you so slow? We’ve been home for ages."

I looked up and saw Anara leaning against Lirik.

It was a sweltering summer day, and the air conditioner had been turned off to keep "fragile her" from catching cold.

Lirik sat beside her, fanning her gently with a paper fan.

His expression was tender, and his eyes shone with a soft light.

In that moment, I almost laughed.

It was such a familiar scene.

Only the hand holding the fan was no longer mine.

Silas, seeing me fall silent, called out, "Lirik, we’re all starving! Tell the Luna to prepare dinner already! Your kitchen can’t stay idle!"