Chapter 1

Caine Black and I were in love for seven years.

From our first meeting at the Imperial Academy to being officially recognized by both packs as promised mates, I thought we would be together forever.

That certainty lasted until the day before our marking ceremony, when I canceled it.

The priest stared at me in shock.

"Eileen, the marking ceremony is in twelve hours. Are you sure you don't want to wait for Caine to come back?"

I gently unclasped the pendant from my neck, the one that symbolized the Luna's status, and shook my head.

"No.

"He's under the northern lights on the Ice Plains right now, completing a marking ceremony with his first love."

1

Caine had a secret diary that he always kept locked in his desk drawer.

In seven years of being together, I had never once looked at it.

Not until the day he told me the Ice Plains had called an emergency Alpha summit.

Caine rushed off in a hurry, but forgot to lock the diary away.

I respected his privacy and hadn't planned to read it.

But while I was tidying his desk, the diary slipped off and fell to the floor, and a pale pink note fluttered out.

A line of elegant handwriting ran across it.

"Caine, do you still remember our promise? I'm waiting for you on the Ice Plains."

The name signed at the bottom was Leora.

She was Caine's first love.

I held that note and stood there for a long time, then opened Caine's diary.

The most recent entry was dated three days ago.

"Leora and I made a promise when we were eighteen, that one day, no matter what, we would hold a marking ceremony of our own under the northern lights on the Ice Plains."

"All these years, I thought she'd forgotten. I didn't expect she still remembered..."

"Leora has never asked me for anything before. This is the one thing she's asking of me, and I have to do it."

"As for Eileen, I won't let her find out."

"When I come back, I'll act like nothing happened. I'll take care of Eileen. I'll love her."

I stared at those lines, a creeping chill spreading from my fingertips.

After a long moment, I managed a bitter smile.

What was I supposed to do now, Caine?

I already knew.

I pulled out the chair and sat down, then kept flipping backward through the diary.

It turned out that during our entire seven years together, Caine had never lost contact with Leora.

He had even set her up with a villa on the far south end of the pack territory.

We lived on the far north end.

He'd gone to great lengths to keep Leora and me from ever crossing paths.

Caine had written the following in his diary.

"Leora made me vegetable soup today. It still tastes the same as before. Really takes me back."

"Passed a flower shop on my way home and saw the tulips Leora loves. Bought her a bouquet."

I turned the pages in silence, and then my hand stopped.

"Leora suddenly felt sick to her stomach today. I panicked and called in a healer, only to find out she'd just eaten too much."

"Leora's still the same as always, a little glutton. She actually made herself sick from overeating."

My fingertip traced over the date.

That was the same day he'd written so fondly about Leora and her little appetite.

Meanwhile, my father had been burning with fever from an old wound that had gotten infected.

I'd begged Caine in tears to fetch a healer.

And Caine had said he had something more important to deal with, then rushed out the door.

I read every single page, every single line.

Every detail radiated how much he cared.

And every word drove itself into the sorest place in my heart.

What I could accept the least was the most recent month of entries.

Caine had meticulously documented every detail of the marking ceremony he was planning with Leora.

He had considered every aspect of the ceremony, beginning with its format.

The style of the gown came next.

Then there were the flowers.

For each detail, he had worked through several different versions.

He wrote that the ceremony was the only thing he could give Leora. He couldn't give her anything else.

So he had to do it right and give Leora the most unforgettable ceremony possible.

I still remembered asking Caine where he wanted to hold our ceremony. He'd said he didn't care.

When I asked what kind of gown he liked, he'd said he didn't care.

He had barely glanced at the invitations for both packs before giving me his answer.

"Eileen, I trust you. Whatever you decide is fine."

He'd even pulled me into his arms, his voice gentle and apologetic.

"I've been so busy lately. I'm sorry you've had to handle everything."

I'd thought he really was just too busy.

I'd thought he genuinely didn't care about the details and only wanted the ceremony completed.

That was what I'd believed until today, when I saw his diary.

Because Leora couldn't decide on a gown style, he'd hand-sketched twenty different designs for her.

So it wasn't that he didn't care.

It was just that the person he cared about wasn't me.

2

"Have you lost your mind?"

Norah slammed her coffee cup on the table, dark liquid splashing over the edge and soaking into the tablecloth.

"The marking ceremony is tomorrow, and you're saying you want to cancel?"

Norah was my closest friend.

She knew every detail of how Caine and I had gone from getting to know each other to falling in love.

She knew how much we loved each other.

"Eileen, are you sure you've thought this through? I don't want you doing something you'll regret."

"I've thought it through."

My voice was steady.

"Moon Goddess above, what happened? Does Caine know?

"Please tell me he already knows. Eileen, you're not running a fever, are you?"

Norah pressed her hand to my forehead.

"No, I need to get ahold of Caine. He needs to talk some sense into you! This is about both of you!"

"He's busy completing a marking ceremony with someone else."

Norah's hand froze.

Her mouth opened, then closed, and finally she stammered out her question.

"Eileen... what... what did you just say?"

"Caine completed a marking ceremony.

"Yesterday. With Leora. His first love."

Norah went silent.

After a long pause, she spoke, her voice rough.

"You're telling me that... yesterday, while you were spraining your ankle setting up the ceremony venue, Caine was holding a marking ceremony with another woman?"

I nodded.

Norah swore under her breath, then dragged me straight to the Moon Temple.

After the ceremony was officially canceled, I went home and started packing. I was going back to my own pack.

My phone lit up. It was Caine.

He'd sent me a photo of the northern lights.

"The summit's finally over. I'm exhausted."

"You've always wanted to see the northern lights, haven't you? Beautiful, right? I'll bring you next time."

I didn't reply. I just stared at the photo, at the slender silhouette of a woman in the background.

Her arms were spread wide, as if trying to embrace the aurora.

My eyes locked on the moonstone bracelet on her wrist.

It gave off a soft, luminous glow under the northern lights.

I'd seen that bracelet before, on Caine's mother's wrist.

She had taken my hand at the time.

With a warm smile, she told me it was meant to be passed down to Caine's future mate.

She'd wanted to put it on me, but Caine had stopped her.

He said the style was too old-fashioned for me.

It had never been about the bracelet not suiting me.

It was me who didn't suit the bracelet.

I texted Caine back.

"Who is she?"

Caine replied almost instantly.

"Oh, just a stranger. She was standing at the best photo spot and wouldn't move, so I had no choice but to include her in the shot."

I responded with a brief acknowledgment, then set my phone down and went back to folding my clothes one by one, tucking them into my suitcase.

By the time I was nearly finished packing, my phone lit up again.

This time Caine was requesting a video call.

I ignored it.

I didn't answer until the third time my phone rang.

Caine saw my suitcase and frowned slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"Packing."

He seemed like he wanted to ask more, but I changed the subject first.

"How's the summit going."

"Fine. I'll be back at the pack first thing tomorrow morning. Won't miss our marking ceremony.

"Eileen, I miss you."

I responded with a flat hm.

Caine paused, then asked cautiously, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"No, I'm just tired."

"You've been working so hard."

His expression softened, his blue eyes brimming with concern.

"I'll make it up to you when I get back.

"Oh, I brought you something."

Caine held up a beautifully wrapped box.

"A friend of mine just had a marking ceremony on the Ice Plains and gave out party favors. I made sure to bring yours back. For good luck."

"A friend?" I asked.

"Yeah, a friend."

His tone was perfectly natural.

If I hadn't already known the truth, I might have believed him.

"Caine."

Looking at that face on the screen, so familiar and yet so foreign, I couldn't help but ask.

"Do you truly want to go through with our marking ceremony?"

Caine blinked, then smiled.

"Of course, silly! Moon Goddess knows how much I love you."

My heart sank, slowly, one piece at a time.

I nodded.

"All right."

3

Early the next morning, I gathered a few things to bring to the ceremony venue.

A way to close the chapter on my seven years.

I had just reached the entrance to the main hall when I heard Maeve's voice inside.

"You two! How could you keep something this big from me?

"If Eileen finds out, she'll lose her mind!"

I stopped in my tracks and heard Maeve continue.

"But I always knew you couldn't let Leora go.

"When I tried to give the bracelet to Eileen last time and you stopped me, I knew you still wanted to save it for Leora."

"Mother!"

Then came Caine's stern voice.

"Enough. Don't give Eileen the wrong idea."

I had always known that Maeve wasn't entirely happy with me.

The first time we met, she'd greeted me with a smile.

Said that Caine finding a mate like me was a blessing for Black Rock Pack.

But I'd overheard her sighing about it behind closed doors.

She'd told her friends exactly what she thought.

"It's a shame. Eileen is too headstrong, too independent. She's not right for Caine's Luna."

After that, I started holding myself back. I put Caine first in everything, never letting him feel caught between me and Maeve.

Everyone in the pack praised Maeve for having such a wonderful daughter-in-law.

But I could feel that Maeve still kept me at arm's length.

Later, Maeve fell ill unexpectedly while Caine was out on a hunt and away from the pack.

I ran myself ragged managing the household, sat by Maeve's bed night after night, and brought in the best healers for her.

When Maeve recovered, she finally held my hand and spoke.

"You've worked so hard, child."

For a while, I thought she had finally accepted me.

But when I went to change her bandages, I overheard her say something else.

"The last one was better."

The last one was Leora.

I pushed the door open and the voices inside cut off immediately.

Three people stood in the hall.

Leora stood in the center, her arm linked through Caine's.

"You must be Eileen, Caine's mate?"

Leora's eyes flickered with a hint of challenge when she saw me. She let go of Caine's arm and extended her hand toward me.

"So nice to meet you. You've done a wonderful job with the ceremony venue!

"I heard you set it all up yourself? I just had my own ceremony too, but my mate handled everything. He wouldn't let me lift a finger. So overbearing."

Maeve recovered quickly. She took my hand with a smile and made introductions.

"This is Leora, Caine's childhood friend. Very accomplished.

"Leora hasn't been back to the pack in a long time. She came all the way back just for Caine's marking ceremony.

"Leora, this is Eileen."

Maeve said Leora hadn't been back in a long time.

She was still lying to me.

Maeve even gave Leora a playful scolding.

"This girl, sneaking off and having a ceremony of her own without even inviting me.

"We're family now. Why would you keep it from me?"

"Mother!"

Caine raised his voice. He walked over to me and took my hand.

"Eileen is our family."

I watched the color drain from Leora's face.

Only then did Maeve try to smooth things over.

"I misspoke. I just adore Leora so much, I think of her like my own daughter.

"I'm sure Eileen wouldn't take offense over something so small."

I didn't make a scene. There was no point.

"It's fine."

I smiled and kept my voice even.

"Go ahead and get ready.

"The ceremony doesn't start for a few more hours, and I still have some finishing touches to do on the venue."

I slipped my hand out of Caine's, smiling so warmly my eyes crinkled.

"Come by when it's time. I have a surprise for everyone."

4

Caine told Maeve and Leora to go ahead.

He looked at me, something apologetic in his expression.

"I'm sorry, Eileen. Maeve didn't mean it.

"She just hasn't seen Leora in so long, she got carried away calling her family."

I didn't argue with him.

There was no point.

I changed the subject.

"The friend who had the ceremony on the Ice Plains, that was Leora?"

Caine was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

I asked again, "And the party favor, she told you to bring it to me?"

"Yes. She said it was for good luck."

I laughed.

"Good luck from your first love's ceremony?"

Caine froze.

"I didn't think about it that way..."

He hadn't thought about it.

In seven years together, I'd heard that line countless times.

He forgot our anniversary. "Things have been crazy in the pack. I didn't think about it."

I was sick and everything tasted bitter, so I asked him to bring me something sweet on his way home. He brought back something spicy. "I just remembered you wanted soup. I didn't think about it."

Even the gown for the marking ceremony, I'd asked him to handle the order, and he'd gotten the size wrong.

"I figured you were still the same as back in school. I didn't think about it."

Caine studied my expression, then pulled a box from his coat.

He opened it to reveal a pair of rings.

The band of the woman's ring was set with a rare, pure-white moonstone.

He took my hand, his voice going soft.

"The bracelet Maeve wanted to give you, the style was too dated. It wasn't good enough for you.

"So I had these rings custom-made to give you on our ceremony day.

"Eileen, do you like them?"

I looked at the rings. They were beautiful.

But they'd come too late.

I gently pulled my hand free and met Caine's eyes, my tone serious.

"Caine, if you want to back out of our marking ceremony, there's still time."

Caine tensed immediately.

"Eileen, don't say that!

"We've been together for seven years. We're meant to be mates!

"If you don't like the rings, I'll throw them away! But I don't like what you just said. Take it back."

Seeing how upset he was, a rare thing, I sighed.

Some things, once they've happened, can never be taken back.

"Fine. Go get ready."

Caine stared at me for a long time, then pulled me into his arms.

"Eileen, I swear before the Moon Goddess, you are the only one I love.

"I swear I'll always be good to you."

I nodded but didn't say a word.

The moment the door closed behind him, I stood alone in the empty hall and let the silence settle.

Then I walked to the altar, took a few things from my pocket, and arranged them one by one.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. From Caine.

"Eileen, just thinking about officially becoming your mate makes my heart race."

"Only two hours left. Eileen, are you excited?"

I looked around the ceremony hall I had set up, and didn't reply.

A second later, a message from Norah popped up.

"Those two shameless scumbags! You need to see this right now!"

She'd sent a link. I tapped it, and it opened to a social media influencer's post.

The first thing I saw was a photo.

Beneath a shimmering aurora, Leora stood in a white gown while Caine knelt on one knee.

The scene was romantic and dreamlike.

The caption read: A Southern Mate Journeys North for a Promise Under the Northern Lights.

The blogger had also attached a video.

In the clip, a voice off-camera asked Caine why he'd traveled all the way from the south to the northern Ice Plains.

Caine answered, "Because it's a promise we made when we were eighteen."

I watched the entire video carefully, then saved the footage to a memory crystal.

Then I replied to Caine.

"Very excited."

Finally, I surveyed what I'd left on the altar.

There was a memory crystal.

There was a stone engraved with Caine's name and mine.

And there was a diary.

I turned and walked away without looking back.

Goodbye, my seven years.

Two hours later, Caine arrived at the hall with Leora and the rest of the pack.

The moment the doors swung open, everyone froze.