Chapter 1

They say the soul finds peace in the hunting grounds after death.

Mine never made it.

Instead, my shattered wolf soul remained bound to the Snow Hawk Pack—the place where our love once bloomed and died. I lingered, restless and broken, just as his Alpha curse foretold.

“A lone wolf forever. Never to know peace.”

Three years have passed. And now, Alpha Caelen has returned.

He is no longer the wild, impassioned young Alpha I once knew. The fire in his eyes has been tempered, sharpened into steel. He’s no longer just a pack leader. He is the Alpha King—ruler of ten mighty packs and bearer of an aura that makes the earth itself bow.

But I... I’m still trapped in the moment our bond was severed. My translucent soul bears the bloodstains of that day, my form flickering in the moonlight like the ghost I’ve become.

And then I saw him.

And beside him, a small boy. No more than three years old. His scent was unmistakable—pure Alpha blood.

I froze.

If fate hadn’t cursed me with Moon Sickness... If I hadn’t destroyed the pup we had longed for... Our child would’ve been the same age.

Pain surged through me like a tidal wave, raw and relentless.

He was moving on. Thriving. But I—I was still bleeding from the wounds of our broken bond.

I remember the moment I severed it like it happened yesterday.

Caelen had roared, wild and desperate, his crimson eyes begging me to stay.

“Anna—don’t do this. If we don’t cut the bond, I’ll do anything. Just don’t leave me.”

My heart was tearing apart, my wolf soul already cracking. But I made myself cold.

“Anything?” I asked, voice like ice. “Then swear—swear on your Alpha honor to abandon your pack’s legacy. Become a rogue. For me.”

He almost did. Gods, he nearly fell to his knees and raised his hand to swear.

But I couldn’t let him.

Instead, I turned my back. Walked into the Pack doctor’s clinic. And ended the life we’d created.

After that, under the protection of Lake Shadow Pack, I vanished from his world.

And he cursed me before I left: a command from an Alpha's soul, binding and eternal. A lone wolf forever. Never find peace.

I knew I’d destroyed more than just our love—I had humiliated him as an Alpha. Shattered his pride. Torn away the one connection that could never be replaced.

But I had no choice.

The Moon Sickness was killing me... and it would’ve taken him too. Our bond made him vulnerable. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to set him free—to give him a future, a kingdom. Even if it meant damning myself.

The day he led the expedition to claim new lands; I tried to watch him one last time.

But my wolf soul couldn’t hold on. The curse, the sickness... it pulled me under. My soul fractured and dissolved before I could say goodbye.

When I finally regained a sliver of consciousness, I found myself trapped here—in the ruins of the life we built. Caught between this world and the next. Neither dead nor living. Bound by grief, regret... and love I could never let go.

Three long years passed.

And now, he’s back.

And for the first time, the invisible chains around my soul feel looser. Lighter. Like his presence is stirring something... maybe even giving me permission to finally move on.

I’ve imagined this moment a thousand times—his return. I never once pictured a child at his side.

I watched them from afar as he led the little boy to the Moon Spring, the sacred place we once made promises beneath the stars. And when I looked into his eyes—eyes I once knew so well—I saw something I’d never seen before.

Gentleness.

He’d found a new Luna. He was happy now.

And in that moment, the last flicker of my soul exhaled. He was okay. That was all I ever wanted.

Maybe now... I could finally let go.

I traced his face with aching eyes, drinking him in one last time. He was harder now—more chiseled, more regal—but still the male I had loved with everything I had.

“Alpha Caelen,” I whispered, the name catching in my throat like a prayer.

He didn’t belong to me anymore.

I stepped back into the shadows, ready to dissolve beneath the moonlight once and for all—when Beta George approached.

“Alpha King,” he said, bowing respectfully, “The elders of Snow Hawk Pack wish to host a feast tomorrow. They’re inviting the entire territory to honor your return.”

Caelen’s voice was low, rough. “Will Anna... will she be there?”

My heart was clenched. The air around me stilled.

Beta George hesitated. “You mean... the former Luna?”

Caelen turned sharply, as if shaking himself. “Forget it. We’ll attend.”

George nodded and said nothing more.

But I heard it.

He asked me.

He still thought of me.

My soul flickered. The ache in my chest returned.

But Caelen... I can’t meet you again.

I’m not flesh and bone. I’m just a whisper now. A remnant of what we used to be. My soul is broken beyond repair.

And I am already dead.