The Luna Ceremony That Broke Our Bond

The mating ceremony had just ended, and Giovanna couldn’t wait to flood her social media with pictures of her and Amos from the celebration. The images portrayed them as an ideal couple, radiating love and dominance, as befitting an Alpha and his chosen Luna. Comments below were filled with congratulations and best wishes from pack members and allies, praising the union as a boon for the Silver Moon Pack.

By the time Elsie returned to her den, darkness had fallen. She gazed at the remnants of the celebration—white banners adorned with the pack’s crescent moon emblem, and balloons that still hung in the air, their cheerful colors mocking her. The sting in her eyes was unbearable. Just then, the door creaked open behind her.

She didn’t need to turn around to know it was Amos. He brought with him the scent of whiskey and exhaustion, his imposing frame filling the room. His Alpha aura was heavy, almost suffocating, as he wrapped her in an embrace from behind. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his warm breath tickling her ear.

"I’m sorry for putting you through this," he murmured, his voice low and gruff.

His breath was a mix of alcohol and another woman’s perfume—Giovanna’s scent, floral and cloying. It almost made Elsie gag. She pulled away from his arms and turned to face him. Tears rolled down her cheeks despite her best efforts to hold them back.

Seeing this, Amos reached out to wipe away her tears, his touch firm yet tinged with pity. She turned her head to avoid his hand. "Stop pretending to care," she said, her voice trembling.

For a moment, the air between them seemed to freeze. Her abrupt rejection erased the guilt on Amos’s face, replacing it with irritation and a hint of disdain. His Alpha tone cut through the silence, sharp and commanding.

"Can’t you be rational? I should be with Giovanna today. She was worried you might do something drastic and asked me to be with you instead."

"So I should thank her? Thank her for taking you and then gracing me with your presence?" Elsie shouted, her body trembling with anger. Amos’s face flushed with alternating shades of red and white. Finally, he gritted his teeth, his Alpha aura flaring in frustration.

"It was just a marking ceremony. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"

"The pup? Is the pup pretend too?"

At the mention of the pup, Amos faltered, but quickly regained his composure, his dark eyes narrowing as he stared at her defiantly.

"That was because I was drugged by an enemy. She helped me out," he said, as if it were the most natural thing.

Elsie couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. This wasn’t the first time he had been drugged. She remembered once when he was in the same situation, he had chosen to injure himself with a small knife rather than touch the female who had been sent to him. But now, everything had changed. He seemed oblivious to his wrongdoings, standing more self-righteously than ever.

"I’ve hurt your sister. Besides, the healer said her condition can’t handle any stress, so I had to agree to mark her."

But it was Elsie who was sick. When she found out about her illness, she kept quiet to avoid worrying them. She never planned to mark Amos, afraid of burdening him. But he was insistent, pleading earnestly to make her his mate. He had held her, saying his greatest wish was to be with her. She loved him too much at the time. She thought she could be selfish just once.

But on the day of the marking ceremony, she regretted it. She planned to tell him the truth, but... she was no longer the one standing beside him.

"Elsie, your sister is already going through so much. Can’t you just let her have this? Please, don’t make a scene."

He softened his tone, but it wasn’t for her—it was to protect her sister. Elsie looked at him and suddenly found him unfamiliar. Before he could come closer to hold her, she pushed him away with all her strength.

Wiping her tears, she enunciated, "We are breaking the mate bond."

He looked at her in disbelief, then let out a mocking laugh. "Breaking the bond with me? Are you still just angry?"

He casually sat on the sofa and lit a cigarette, the smoke curling around him like a shroud. But Elsie couldn’t stand the smell. She had allergic rhinitis, and the smoke made her feel miserable. He knew this.

It wasn’t until he saw her tearing up from the coughing that he finally put out the cigarette, his dark eyes locking on hers with a mix of irritation and something deeper—something she couldn’t quite place.