Chapter 1My father led the Thornveil Pack through the Wars and earned the Moonborne Sigil from the Elders themselves.
After he died, I had one job—get his legacy home safe.
I was also supposed to meet my arranged mate, Kyran Grimstone, and figure out how to end this bond our parents set up decades ago.
But the second I stepped into the neutral zone terminal, some woman in designer heels slammed straight into me.
The reinforced case burst open.
The Moonborne Sigil—Dad's most sacred relic—shattered across the floor.
Before I could process what happened, she rounded on me.
"Jesus Christ, are you fucking blind? You made me drop my bracelet!"
I stared at her.
"You were running like a maniac. You just destroyed my father's belongings. How are you flipping this on me?"
She laughed.
"Dead guy's junk? That shit's worthless. But this bracelet? A hundred grand. And you just messed with the future Luna of the Grimstone Pack!"
I went still.
Luna of the Grimstone?
I pulled out my phone and dialed Kyran's father.
"Alpha Roderic. I wasn't aware the Grimstone Pack was planning on having two Lunas!"
---
The bond arrangement between our packs was made over twenty years ago.
Honestly?
I never planned on going through with it.
Especially not now, with Dad barely cold.
But Mom wouldn't let it go.
"Roderic Grimstone's always kept his word," she'd say. "And Kyran's done well for himself. You should formalize the bond soon."
We hadn't seen each other in over a decade.
I came back to end this thing cleanly.
Give us both an out.
But the moment Alpha Roderic answered my call, he went off.
"Who the hell is this? I don't know your business!"
He hung up before I could say another word.
Right.
New phone number.
Hadn't told anyone yet.
The woman was loving every second of this.
"Oh wow, big talk for nothing! Thought you had connections?" She laughed in my face. "Just pay up already."
"That bracelet's custom work from the Northern Territories. Over two million. Even if we sold you, backwoods wolf, you couldn't cover it."
She pointed at the ground by her feet, smirking.
"Tell you what. Get on your knees, bare your throat, and maybe I'll knock off a few thousand."
A crowd had formed.
Humans and wolves, all watching.
"Two million? Who does this chick think she is?"
"She's the one who broke the other woman's stuff. Now she wants payment? That's insane."
"Shh. Didn't you hear? She said she's the future Grimstone Luna. You know what that means around here..."
Delphine's smirk got wider.
"Grimstone Pack runs this whole city. Even human law enforcement knows better than to cross us."
She looked me up and down.
Took in my worn combat boots, my plain jacket.
Probably thought I was nobody.
I looked at the shattered pieces of Dad's sigil on the ground.
My chest ached.
My wolf snarled.
"I think you've got vision problems and brain damage," I said flatly.
"Security cameras caught the whole thing. You slammed into me. And you're already acting like you're Luna? Not even close."
"You want me to bare my throat? Not happening."
Delphine lunged.
Slapped me hard across the face.
"You fucking bitch! How dare you!"
"That bracelet was a gift from Kyran yesterday. I've still got the receipt. Two point three million. You're paying full price."
Something snapped.
I slapped her back.
Hard enough that she stumbled.
"Fuck you. I'm not paying for shit."
"Call whoever you want. I don't care. I don't believe Grimstone runs everything."
I'd been up north for years, training with the border packs.
Barely kept up with regional politics.
But even I knew Grimstone Pack had power.
Kyran wasn't that scrawny kid who used to trail after me during alliance meetings anymore.
Now he was the Alpha heir with serious reach.
I came back to honor Dad's last wish.
Get his things home.
I didn't want drama.
But here we were.
Thornveil Pack keeps a low profile.
We don't start fights.
But we sure as hell don't back down from them either.
And I'd been training as a warrior since my first shift.
Delphine hit the ground and stayed there, stunned.
Then someone in the crowd shouted.
"Kyran's here!"
Chapter 2
It was definitely Kyran Grimstone.
But he was nothing like the scrawny kid I remembered.
Broad shoulders, sharp jawline, expensive suit that fit like it was made for him.
Hair slicked back perfectly.
If it weren't for the dozen enforcers trailing behind him, I would've thought he was doing a photoshoot.
But when his eyes swept over me, there was nothing.
No recognition.
No warmth.
Like I was just another face in the crowd.
I was about to say something when his gaze landed on Delphine.
His expression shifted.
Just barely.
A slight softening around the edges.
"Delphine. What are you doing on the ground?"
Delphine's whole demeanor changed the second she saw him.
Gone was the arrogance.
Now she was all wounded innocence.
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"Kyran, thank God you're here."
"This woman—she was dragging some beat-up case around, charging through the terminal like she owned the place, and knocked me down."
"Look at my bracelet. I only wore it for one day, and now she's destroyed it. Look at this scratch. And she won't even take responsibility."
She shot me a death glare.
Kyran's gaze finally settled on me properly.
"You're Hadrian's daughter. Nyssa."
His tone was flat.
Completely cold.
I met his stare and answered calmly.
"That's me."
The shattered fragments of Dad's sigil were scattered behind me.
But this man—the guy who was supposedly my arranged mate—only had eyes for Delphine's jewelry.
"Custom pack work from the Northern Territories. Only a dozen made. That scratch is too deep. There's no fixing it. It's worthless now."
"Delphine wasn't lying. Two point three million. So how exactly are you planning to pay for this?"
His eyes were ice.
Like he was just stating facts.
As a childhood friend, as someone who used to follow me around at alliance meetings, he didn't even ask if I was okay.
Didn't ask what had broken in my case.
All he cared about was Delphine's bracelet and how I was going to pay up.
He didn't even bother finding out what actually happened.
Just automatically assumed I was in the wrong.
A wave of cold rage wiped out the last bit of my patience.
Not because of the bracelet or the insane price tag.
But because of his attitude right now.
Completely ignoring Dad's legacy.
Looking down on me like I was nothing.
I let out a bitter laugh.
"Let me make something clear. Your girlfriend was running through the terminal in heels. She slammed into my case. And what's inside—my father's belongings—got destroyed."
He cut me off before I could finish.
"Look, Nyssa, I get it. Whatever was in that case, I'll pay for it."
"Hell, I'll triple it. Consider it personal compensation."
When I didn't say anything, he thought I'd agreed and kept going.
"As for this whole bond arrangement between us—that was just our parents' idea years ago. Don't take it seriously."
He moved closer.
His voice dripping with contempt.
"Look at yourself right now. You're just some border pack warrior, barely scraping by."
"Forget a two-million-dollar bracelet. You'd probably have to save for months just to afford the outfit Delphine's wearing."
"You really think someone like you is worthy of being bonded to the Grimstone heir?"
Chapter 3
The crowd around us absolutely exploded.
"Holy shit, he's rejecting the bond? Right here? She was actually his arranged mate?"
"Oh my God, this is insane. Like some real-life pack drama. Is it because she's too low-ranking?"
"Has to be. Look at the difference. Even his girlfriend's wearing two-million-dollar jewelry. Poor girl."
Delphine stood behind Kyran.
Eyes full of smugness and satisfaction.
The Thornveil and Grimstone packs had been allies for generations.
Just in different circles.
Dad had led warriors through the Council Wars.
He'd earned the Moonborne Sigil.
Our pack wasn't beneath Grimstone at all.
Otherwise, the Elders wouldn't have awarded him that priceless relic.
I came back to honor Dad's last wish and escort his things home.
I was planning to end the bond arrangement anyway.
But Kyran right now seemed to despise me.
Like he was terrified I'd cling to him or something.
Fine then.
I didn't need to save his ass anymore.
I let out a cold laugh and slowly raised my head.
"You're totally right. A measly two-million-dollar bracelet really isn't shit. I'll pay."
Kyran raised an eyebrow.
Delphine's expression froze.
The crowd around us looked stunned.
Like they thought I'd completely snapped.
I ignored everyone's reactions and looked past Kyran to Delphine.
"Well now. Let's talk about what your girlfriend destroyed. How exactly are you gonna pay for that?"
Kyran snorted and looked down at the plain black case by my feet.
"These broken pieces of junk?"
"Nyssa, I know this whole rejection thing is hitting you hard, but be realistic. Don't make a scene here. Don't try to pull some scam."
"Even if your case was full of treasures, I can afford to pay for it. Name your price, take the money, and get the hell out of here. Stop embarrassing yourself."
I laughed softly.
"Pay? I'm afraid you can't afford it."
Kyran looked like he'd heard the world's funniest joke.
"What?"
Even his enforcers and Delphine started snickering.
The crowd around us shook their heads.
Thinking I was some woman who'd been driven crazy by the public rejection and had completely lost it.
"She's totally lost it."
"Grimstone Pack controls half the territory. Worth billions. And she's saying he can't afford it?"
"Poor girl. Getting rejected in public, can't afford the expensive jewelry—she's had a complete breakdown. Look at that beat-up case. What valuable stuff could be in there? Maybe a few thousand in pack heirlooms at most? That's nothing to Grimstone."
Kyran looked completely disgusted.
"Nyssa, do you have any idea what Grimstone Pack is worth? Do you know how much just one of our properties is worth?"
"Forget your broken fragments. Even if you had ten cases full of it, I could still—"
Before he could finish, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number.
It was a number with no name saved.
Just marked with a special code.
A few seconds later, the call connected.
A steady, weathered male voice answered.
"Who is this?"
With no expression on my face, I clearly stated the unique code engraved on the base of the sigil.
The mark that confirmed its status.
"Elder Cassian. Moonborne Sigil has been destroyed."
The other end of the line went dead silent.
After a full three seconds, that steady voice suddenly shot up.
Filled with shock and disbelief.
"What! What did you say? The Moonborne Sigil is destroyed? That's impossible! Where are you!"
