Ember's POV
Ember opened her eyes to a single word echoing in her mind.
— "Mate…"
A sharp, unfamiliar yet powerful scent filled her senses.
Kane?
No… impossible.
— "Wait," she growled at Lyra.
— "This isn't Kane's scent."
— "And he's no longer my mate."
The truth cut deep.
— "He's cursed," Ember whispered.
— "He chose a human. He rejected our bond."
Lyra snarled.
— "Ember, listen to me."
Her voice trembled with something new.
— "This is a second mate. A gift from the Moon Goddess."
Ember's chest tightened.
When Kane rejected their bond, Lyra had shattered the most.
Now this joy…
— "A second chance," Lyra urged.
— "The Goddess still favors us."
— "Calm down, Lyra," Ember murmured.
She was naked, wounded, surrounded by a foreign pack.
A cloth covered her body.
She slowly scanned her surroundings.
And then—
She saw him.
Tall. Broad-shouldered. Half-naked.
Jet-black hair.
Ocean-blue eyes.
His scent burned through her senses.
This is him.
My mate.
Lyra howled in delight.
Then a woman rushed forward, grief etched across her face, and clung to him.
Lyra snarled viciously.
— "Who is she?!"
— "Who dares touch our mate?!"
Ember stayed silent.
Her gaze drifted farther.
And that's when she saw her.
Tall.
Muscular in a way that was powerful, never crude.
Long brown hair, slightly wavy.
And her eyes…
Deep, warm brown.
Soul-burning.
But it wasn't just beauty.
There was an aura—
commanding, regal.
I am here.
She looked so undeniably noble that Ember—who had always known herself to be beautiful—felt small for a fleeting moment.
This woman…
She was born to be a Luna.
She recognized her.
The one who had struck her down—
And saved her life.
Lyra growled again.
— "She is not your ally, Ember."
— "She is a rival."
A wolf bound to two mates existed only in legends.
The human form might choose…
But the true bond belonged to the wolves.
Suddenly, Ember froze.
The Luna was walking toward her.
Did she feel it?
Her heart thundered.