Chapter 1I walked back into Frostmoon Pack after seven years.
My "brother"—Alpha Sebastian—just... stares at me.
Dinner starts. My adoptive dad pats my shoulder, all fake warmth.
"Cynthia, we HAD to send you away. Don't hold it against me, okay?"
Sure, Dad. Sure.
Then he drops it:
"Perfect timing, though! Sebastian's forming his mate bond next week."
Translation: Don't get any ideas.
So I smile. Raise my glass.
"Congrats, brother. Hope you'll be happy."
But Sebastian's staring.
At my LEFT HAND.
Mom gasps. "Cynthia... where did you get that ring?!"
Oh. OH. Now they notice.
I look at them. All of them. Their shocked faces. Their judgment.
And I laugh.
"Oh, that? Yeah."
"I formed my mate bond seven years ago."
---
Theodore frowned slightly.
"You were barely an adult seven years ago. Form a mate bond? That's absurd."
"We raised you, after all. How could you not tell us about something so important?"
Seven years ago, they had said I was leaving the Pack temporarily to train at the border.
In truth, I was driven out for harboring inappropriate feelings for my own brother.
That was why I told no one in Frostmoon Pack about my mate bond.
But Theodore and Stephanie had raised me for fifteen years. I couldn't bring myself to hate them.
I looked at Theodore calmly.
"That's why I brought my mate back this time to meet you."
Sensing the tension, Stephanie quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Thanksgiving is about family. It's enough that Cynthia came back."
"Where is your mate?"
I glanced at the time and replied gently, "He had something urgent to deal with. He'll be here in about two hours."
Amid the clinking of glasses, I could feel Sebastian's eyes following me the whole time.
When I continued to ignore him, he finally lost patience.
"Mom, Dad, my suit is ready. Faye went to pick it up for me. I'll go meet her."
Then he tapped lightly on the table in front of me and looked down at me, his gaze complicated.
"You haven't met my fiancée yet. Why don't you come with me?"
I wanted to refuse.
But under Theodore and Stephanie's scrutinizing stares, I forced myself to agree.
I knew they were still worried I hadn't let go of my feelings for Sebastian.
On the way to the garage, Sebastian broke the silence first.
"These years… have you been well?"
Without looking at him, I answered casually, "I've been fine."
He paused, as if he wanted to say more, but in the end, he simply quickened his steps to catch up.
When we reached the car, Sebastian habitually opened the front passenger door for me.
I ignored it and got into the back seat instead.
His brows knit together.
"Do you have to be so distant?"
I turned my head away.
"Isn't your fiancée waiting? Let's go."
He sighed and got into the driver's seat.
"You should call her Luna."
I stared out at the passing streets and said nothing more.
The drive was silent. Soon, we arrived at the bridal shop.
The moment the car stopped, the passenger door was pulled open.
"Alpha, why did you come to pick me up?"
A woman in a beige coat slipped into the front seat and wrapped the cashmere scarf from her neck around Sebastian's neck.
"It's freezing. I'd be heartbroken if you caught a cold."
"Thanks for picking me up, darling."
Sebastian brushed his cheek lightly against the scarf, his voice softening without him realizing it.
"Silly girl. I just couldn't wait to see you."
They lingered in their sweetness for a while before the woman finally seemed to notice me in the back seat.
Sebastian immediately introduced us.
"This is Cynthia, my sister."
"Cynthia, this is your future sister-in-law, Faye Morgan."
I nodded politely.
"Luna, nice to meet you."
Faye didn't respond. She simply looked me up and down.
"So you're the sister who used to have a crush on Alpha?"
I froze for a split second at her unfriendly tone.
"No, I—"
Her eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Relax. I'm just joking."
"Unless you still have… those filthy thoughts about your brother?"
Embarrassed, I shook my head.
I raised my left hand, showing the ring on my finger.
"Luna, you misunderstand."
"I've been in a mate bond for a long time."
Chapter 2
The drive back suddenly felt unbearably long.
Leaning against the window, I drifted into memories of the past.
More than twenty years ago, my parents were buried forever beneath the snow-covered mountains while saving Theodore.
After that, Frostmoon Pack took me in.
When I first arrived, I cried every night, screaming for my mom and dad.
It was Sebastian—two years older than me—who stayed by my side day and night, coaxing me, comforting me, helping me crawl out of the darkness of losing my parents.
Somewhere along the way, I developed a vague affection for this brother who wasn't related to me by blood.
When I reached adolescence, I mistook that affection for romantic love.
From then on, I clung to Sebastian even more, wishing the whole world knew I liked him.
Sebastian never tried to reject me. Instead, he would tease me with a smile.
"Cynthia, if you stick to your brother every day, are you ever going to form your mate bond?"
And I would always look at him seriously and reply, "I won't marry anyone but you in this lifetime!"
At that, Sebastian's eyes would curve warmly, and he'd hook his finger with mine.
"It's a deal."
That childish promise still seemed to echo in my ears.
But everything had changed.
When we arrived at the Pack House, I got out of the car and walked straight inside.
Stephanie hurried over, her tone tentative.
"Cynthia, have you met Faye?"
I nodded.
"Luna has great poise. She and Alpha make a perfect match."
After carefully studying my reaction, Stephanie seemed to relax. She spoke earnestly.
"Cynthia, even though you're not our biological daughter, we've always treated you as our own."
"Some things…"
I gently patted her shoulder.
"What's in the past should stay in the past."
She let out a long breath and took my hand, leading me into the living room.
"Look at me, always bringing up old matters."
"It's rare for you to come back. We prepared a gift for you."
Stephanie opened a velvet box. Inside lay a bracelet—understated, yet unmistakably luxurious.
I didn't refuse. I accepted it graciously.
Even after seven years of distance, I knew Stephanie truly regarded me as her daughter.
She lifted the bracelet and moved to fasten it around my wrist.
I rolled up my sleeve.
"Stephanie?"
Faye strode in, her expression dark.
"That bracelet was bought by Alpha for thirty million. And you're just giving it to her?"
Her cold gaze landed on me.
"My mate bought that. I don't want an outsider wearing it."
Stephanie looked caught in the middle.
I gently patted her shoulder again, set the bracelet down, and turned to Faye with a faint smile.
"Since Alpha bought it, then I won't take it."
Faye stared at me, eyes shadowed, and let out a disdainful snort.
"At least you know what you shouldn't have."
"A woman who was driven out of Frostmoon Pack has no right to wear something like that."
Chapter 3
The moment Faye finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the room.
The one thing no one dared mention tonight had been torn open, raw and bloody.
Yet her words didn't shake me at all.
Seven years had passed. Some wounds no longer bled.
Seeing how calm I remained, Faye was about to continue when Theodore cut her off.
"We're family. Don't let a bracelet ruin the evening."
With Theodore speaking, Faye could only glare at me before falling silent.
Theodore scanned the room and continued, "Since everyone's here, let's prepare and head to the altar."
Every Thanksgiving, Frostmoon Pack paid tribute to their ancestors at the sacred altar. It was a tradition the Pack valued deeply.
I was about to follow them out when Faye spoke again.
"Theodore, didn't Cynthia say she formed her mate bond?"
"Shouldn't we wait for her mate?"
Theodore considered this and looked at me seriously.
"Honoring the ancestors is important. In the first year of marriage, a couple should return together."
"How much longer until he arrives?"
I glanced at my phone with a sigh.
"He hasn't replied yet. We should go ahead. I don't want to delay everyone."
"Why are you in such a hurry for us to leave?" Faye asked casually, though her tone was anything but innocent.
"Could it be that your so-called mate doesn't even exist?"
I explained patiently, "His flight might be delayed."
"Luna, please don't misunderstand. I just don't want everyone waiting too long—"
She cut me off, turning to Sebastian, her voice softening, though her words carried an undeniable possessiveness.
"Alpha, it won't hurt to wait for your brother-in-law, will it?"
Sebastian looked at me, his gaze complicated.
"It's his first time visiting. We should wait."
A flicker of something passed through his eyes.
"And… I'd like to see what kind of man my brother-in-law is."
The others exchanged subtle looks.
I opened my mouth to speak, but Faye interrupted again.
"What, little sister? Still trying to come up with excuses? You look awfully nervous."
"You didn't invent this mate bond just to fool us, did you?"
I frowned slightly.
"Why would I do that?"
Faye let out a soft laugh. Her gentle voice dredged up memories I'd rather forget.
"Who knows? Maybe you're still not over your brother."
"After all, back then you even tried to drug him to force yourself on him. The whole Pack knew about it…"
"Didn't that scandal get you driven out of Frostmoon Pack?"
