Chapter 1.

Mira was shaking.

It was the Mating Ceremony. The biggest night of every wolf’s life, and it was finally her turn to be mated.

Like her, all the unmated wolves in the country above twenty years old were here. Including her beloved Adrien.

Her heart fluttered at the mere mention of his name.

What thrilled Mira the most was that she had a part to play in the glorious ceremony this year.

She had been chosen to sing the Mating Call.

The song was traditional, only to be sung by someone with a gifted voice to help awaken mate bonds in the crowd. Sort of like a siren’s song.

Usually, it went to someone from a noble family, someone with status.

Mira wasn’t either of those things. She was just… Mira. Raised by an aunt and uncle who barely tolerated her, after her father died in service of the late Alpha king. For that, she was given a scholarship into the Redmoon school of Elite, where she met and fell in love with her boyfriend and best friend of almost ten years.

Adrien Thorne, beta of Redmoon pack.

She touched her chest, feeling her heartbeat race beneath the silky blue dress she had been gifted tonight.

Her eyes scanned the crowd as the master of ceremonies introduced her.

She finally found him. The one person she’d been searching for all night.

Adrien.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. His hair was pulled back into a low bun, jaw sharp enough to cut. He wore a sleek black tuxedo she didn’t recognize, but it didn’t matter. It was the way he looked at her that made her breath catch in her throat.

He smiled.

That easy, familiar smile she’d known since they were kids. It always assured her that he was on her side.

“He’s going to choose me,”

“When I sing, he’ll feel it. He’ll know I’m his mate. And we’ll finally be together.”

She stepped onto the stage and lifted the mic.

The courtyard went still.

Then she started her song.

The words weren’t in English. They were old lyrics passed down through bloodlines and pack tradition, but her voice gave them life.

Mira could feel the magic dance through her like a wind before a storm.

In front of her, the young wolves began to look around, holding their breath and reaching for each other.

She smiled.

It was working. All around her, bonds were awakening.

It was time. Time to look at Adrien and be claimed by him. Once again, her eyes drifted to the place her darling sat in.

Their gazes were locked, but there was no pool. Adrien so much as blink, and her wolf did not react to his presence.

Mira’s heart dropped to her stomach.

What was happening?

And then he moved, instead of walking toward the stage, he turned, crossed the floor, and stopped in front of someone else.

Lucilla Storm.

Her blonde hair curled perfectly around her shoulders. Her red dress hugged her like it was sewn onto her body.

Mira watched while she tried her best to keep singing. She had a responsibility to fulfill, but she could not wait to get off the stage.

Lucilla tilted her neck, and Adrien leaned in.

Mira’s heart stopped at that very moment.

Adrien bit into Lucille’s neck. Marked her. Right there, in front of everyone.

The room erupted into cheers, but Mira couldn’t move.

She just stood there, still holding the mic as she choked out the last two lines of the song. Once she was done, she dropped the mic and walked off the stage like a ghost.

It was hard. So hard to ignore the whispers, the stares. Everyone in this room knew of her relationship with Adrien, and many hated for it.

Who was she? How dare her catch the attention of the beta?

Her throat felt raw, and chest was empty.

She made it to the garden behind the palace before the tears came.

How could he do this? How could he smile at her like that, look at her like that, then claim Lucilla like she was nothing while she was standing there.

She freaking stood there.

“Mira.”

She turned around.

Adrien was walking toward her with hands in his pockets. He was walking towards her casually, like they were about to have a conversation about the weather, like he hadn’t just humiliated her in front of five hundred people.

“What is this?” she asked, voice shaking. “What is the meaning of this, Adrien? Did you lie to me?”

He sighed. “I didn’t lie. And it’s lord Adrien to you now. Or your highness. Whichever you prefer, really.”

She blinked in disbelief. Was he…was he really serious?

“Why did you make me sing the mating song, Adrien? You knew, didn’t you?” She hated to admit it. Even as she searched his face for any signs that he didn’t, she knew he did.

“I needed you to sing it.”

A fresh blade dug into her chest. Mira lowered herself by pressing her palm to her knees. It was impossible to stand straight with the pain she was feeling.

“What?”

Adrien crossed his arms.

“Your voice, Mira it’s rare. It almost sounds like you have a connection to old magic. That’s why I recommended you. It’s why they picked you even if you’re not a noble. They must have heard it too. The ceremony would only be effective if the goddess is pleased by the voice, and we couldn’t afford to make a mistake and wait for the next four years.”

He was right. If the song hadn’t worked, everyone would have had to remain without their mates for another four years. It was the season of the red moon which appeared every four years, and it was Foxgate city’s turn to experience it tonight.

“So I was a tool?” she snapped. “A warm-up act for you and Lucilla?”

He gave her a look.

“Lucilla and I had a feeling something ago. We’re true mates. The bond hit us hard. But we couldn’t risk a weak awakening tonight, not with all the packs here. You singing? It helped. You should be proud.”

“Proud?” She considered grabbing him by his collar, but she knew she would be shot down immediately.

He was royalty now.

“You used me, Adrien.”

He rolled his eyes. “Stop being dramatic. You and I were… fun. A thing. You knew we weren’t meant to last.”

“No,” she whispered. “You said you loved me.”

“Because I did, alright?” His voice was flat now, colder than she’d ever heard it.

“You’re a sweet girl, Mira, but you’re not in my league. You never were. You are a charity case of the palace. You are everything you are today because the royal family took pity on you. You sang today because I recommended you. You should be thanking me.”

Molten rage coursed through her veins until she couldn’t hold it anymore.

She slapped him.

Adrien didn’t flinch. Just smiled, slow and cruel. “You’ll regret that.”

Just as she thought, two palace guards stepped out of the shadows.

“Miss Mira Lockwood, you must make your way out of the palace,” one said. “You’ve been dismissed from service. You need to leave.”

“What?” She looked between them, panic rising. “You can’t be serious…”

“You heard them, Mira,” Adrien cut in.

“You are not a member of this family, nor are you a staff here. You do not have any business here. The mating ceremony is over. Leave.”

Tears rushed down her face as she was dragged out of the palace by the guards. She never took her eyes off Adrien, not even when he disappeared from her view.

The gates slammed behind her.

It was cold. She was still in heels. Her dress was ripped from pushing through the bushes as she stumbled into the trees, blinded by tears and rage. The world spun around her.

Then she heard the low and hungry growl from somewhere above her.

With her heart in her hands, she turned, and something slammed into her from the side immediately.

It was sharp as claws, and she knew what it was. With the red moon also came moon madness for wolves who have gone at least ten seasons without finding their mates. It made them miserable, and led to madness along the line.

Burning pain across her ribs as she crashed into the dirt.

She screamed, fought, and kicked with l her hands slippery from her own blood. She thought she might die. She could never be as strong as it.

But she was saved just in time by headlights and a blaring horn.

The beast panicked, looked up, and vanished into the trees as a car pulled up beside her.

Mira stumbled to her feet, shaking like a leaf.

The cab driver rolled down the window. “By the goddess, are you okay? It’s the night of the red moon, you shouldn’t be walking outside alone.”

She knew that. It had not been her intention to walk alone.

“Can you take me to Edgehill?”

He hesitated. “That’s like a two-hour drive.”

She dug into the hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out everything she had: three twenties and a five dollar note.

“It’s all I have. Please.”

He looked at her torn dress, the blood, the tear-streaked face.

“Get in.”

She collapsed into the backseat, holding her ribs as the trees disappeared behind her.

Her aunt, Diane, was the one who opened the door when she got home. The woman stared at her like she’d dragged in a dead body.

“What the hell happened to you?”

Mira wobbled inside. “There was an attack. I…Adrien…he…”

“Don’t start with your drama,” Diane snapped. “You embarrassed yourself at that ceremony, didn’t you? We heard what happened.”

Uncle Maverick appeared in the hallway, scowling.

“You get dumped and come crawling back like a damn stray?”

Mira stared at them, stunned. “I almost died.”

Not that they cared.

“And you probably lost our benefits.”,” Diane added, arms crossed. The palace was also responsible for healthcare benefits for the families of fallen heroes, just like her father.

Aunt Diane and her husband, Maverick, enjoyed these benefits as her guardians. She was certain it was the only reason they tolerated her.

“Do you think we’re running a charity here, girl? The clothes on your back, the roof over your head, do you think they’re for free?”

“My ribs are…” Mira winced, “I think I need a hospital.”

“You’ll cover that up and pull yourself together by tomorrow,”

Maverick snapped.

“Lord Harthorne still wants a young wife. You’ll marry him, and you’ll fix this mess you made.”

Mira’s eyes flew open as she held on to her wounded side.

Lord Harthorne? Like Harthorne Bale? The perverted coal merchant who already had five wives?

“He’s sixty-five! And disgusting!”

“Two million dollars, Mira,” Diane hissed. “That’s the price of your cousin’s surgery. She has always treated you like a sister, and you will do this for her.”

Mira looked between them, watching their angry, bitter faces.

She didn’t say another word.

That night, she grabbed her phone, her backpack, and whatever other thing that belonged to her.

She took a taxi with some money she had, and headed to the train station.

She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she knew she’d never come back.