According to the rules of the Obsidian Wolf Pack, if an Alpha invited an unbonded member of the opposite sex to the Blood Moon Banquet, it was equivalent to publicly releasing a courtship signal. So when my lover, Kenton Moran, reached out to Zessia Dixon, all the mocking eyes in the crowd turned to me. They expected me to react as I always had before—to barge in and cause a scene. But this time, I simply stood there, watching Kenton and Zessia dance passionately, and my chest ached slightly. Just an hour ago, the Moon Priestess had examined the dark poison marks spreading through my wolf veins and pronounced my fate. "Norya, the Eclipse has begun to invade your heart. You can live until the next full moon at most." For once, I didn't feel like fighting anymore. … "I knew it! Mr. Moran would choose Zessia!" "They're perfect for each other. Zessia is from Highborn Lycan, after all." "Unlike some people, who think being the fated mate gives them the right to cling to Alpha every waking moment." The werewolves around me sneered loudly, their taunts unrestrained. Perhaps it was because when I knew I was about to die, many things that I used to think were of importance suddenly didn't seem so important anymore. Seeing Kenton and Zessia together hurt less than I expected. The pain in my chest, I told myself, was just the poison's doing. As the bonfire dance neared its end, Zessia reached up to brush her hair away from her face. It was in that fleeting moment that I saw it—something around her neck. It was a white wolf fang pendant. My gaze froze instantly. That was the blood oath pendant I gave to Kenton. Seven years ago, when Kenton was on the brink of death, I had sealed my own blood into that pendant and placed it around his neck. He had worn it ever since, never once taking it off. Yet now, it hung around Zessia's neck. I stared at it for a moment, then set down my cup and walked toward the heart of the bonfire. Zessia noticed me, and her steps faltered. Her hand, which had been resting on Kenton's shoulder, instinctively tightened. Kenton sensed her unease and followed her gaze, locking eyes with me across the flames. As the final drumbeat fell, Zessia steadied herself just as I came to a stop in front of them. She was the first to speak. "Norya, don't misunderstand. Kenton only invited me for a dance. If you're upset..." "I want my pendant back, now." I cut her off mid-sentence. Zessia froze. Kenton also frowned. "What?" Zessia was stunned. I raised my hand, pointing to the wolf fang hanging from Zessia's neck. "The blood-oath pendant. It's mine." Zessia's expression changed, and she touched the wolf fang before looking at Kenton, as if she didn't know what to do. Kenton stepped in front of her, blocking her from my view entirely. "Norya, haven't you had enough? All I did was dance with Zessia, and now you're demanding to take back something you gave me seven years ago?" So, in his eyes, my actions were nothing more than petty jealousy. Ignoring him, I extended my hand toward Zessia once more. "Give me the pendant." Kenton's face darkened. He grabbed my wrist, forcing my hand down. "Enough!" I yanked my hand free and repeated my demand to Zessia. "Give the pendant back to me, and I'll go." Kenton looked down at his hand that had been flung away and only looked up again after a few minutes. "Want the pendant?" He seemed to be angered by my attitude. He turned around, picked up a bottle of wine from the long table next to him, and slammed it down in front of me. The liquid inside sloshed violently, releasing a sharp, bitter scent that filled the air. It was a wine brewed with aconite, a deadly, wolf-crippling poison. During the Blood Moon Banquet, rogue werewolves often wandered close to the territory, drawn by the festivities. Patrol warriors kept this potent alcohol on hand, using its high concentration of aconite to suppress the werewolves' ability to shift temporarily. Kenton leaned against the table, his lips curling into a cold smirk. "You want the pendant? Fine. Drink this, and I'll make sure she gives it back." Gasps rippled through the crowd. Even Zessia looked startled, grabbing at Kenton's sleeve. "Don't do this! The aconite is too strong—if she drinks it, who knows what might happen?" Kenton ignored her, his gaze fixed firmly on me, his expression cruel. "This is her choice." Perhaps standing here today and being humiliated by him was my own choice. Without hesitation, I stepped forward and grabbed the wine. Kenton's arms, which had been crossed over his chest, fell abruptly to his sides. His expression shifted to one of shock. "Norya…" Before he could say more, I tilted my head back and took the first gulp. The burning liquid seared my throat, and the potent aconite worked its way into my bloodstream instantly. A sharp, unbearable pain seized my chest, and my hand trembled against the bottle. Kenton's face turned ashen. He reached out to snatch the bottle from me, but I dodged his grasp and took another swig. "That's enough," he tried to stop me. It was already too late. The aconite had flooded my system, setting my body ablaze from the inside. My vision blurred, and a metallic tang rose in my throat. Kenton looked at me and couldn't help but roar. "Norya, is a meaningless pendant really worth all this?" I looked at him, and suddenly, his question seemed laughable. Seven years ago, he had been so injured that he couldn't even maintain his wolf form. I had cut my hand open and painstakingly sealed my blood into that pendant, then stayed awake for nights, terrified he wouldn't survive until morning. When he finally woke, he clutched the pendant and promised he would treasure it forever. And now, he was asking me if it was worth it. I lowered my gaze, refusing to answer. Instead, I snatched the bottle from his grasp and drained the last of its contents. "It's very important to me," I said. I finished the drink in one gulp and slammed the empty wine bottle back onto the table. "Now, can I have my pendant back?" Kenton's face twisted into an unreadable expression, but he said nothing. Zessia, however, was visibly flustered. She quickly unclasped the pendant and held it out to me. "Norya, I never meant to take what's yours. If it means this much to you, here." The wolf fang pressed against my hand, carrying traces of her scent. I rubbed it gently with my thumb before curling my fingers around it. Kenton stood by the fire, his earlier impatience replaced by something harder to decipher. He stared at me, unmoving. "Seven years ago, you said you'd only take that pendant back if you stopped loving me." I froze for a moment. So he remembered. But what did it matter? "Yes, and that's why I'm taking it back now," I answered. Kenton's expression stiffened, his features frozen in place. I didn't look at him again. Turning away, I walked out of the Blood Moon Banquet. Once I was far enough from the crowd, I clung to a tree for support, blood surging up my throat and spilling onto the snow, staining it a dark crimson. My legs trembled, and I slowly slid down the tree trunk, unable to hold myself upright. But my hand never loosened its grip on the wolf fang pendant. The Moon Priestess's words echoed in my ears once more. The Eclipse had reached my heart. I only had until the next full moon. By my count, it wasn't far away.

I went to the Moon Sanctum alone. The sanctum was built on the snowy mountains at the northernmost edge of the Obsidian Territory. On most days, aside from priests and werewolves awaiting the Moon Goddess's blessing, few people ever came here. By the time I arrived, it was already close to midnight. The young priest guarding the entrance froze when he saw my pale face, forgetting even to greet me as he scrambled to call for the elder priestess, Juliet Shaw. "What happened to you?" Juliet had barely approached when she caught the scent of aconite wine on me. Her expression darkened instantly as she dragged me into the sanctum. "I just told you an hour ago not to provoke your wolf energy any further, and you immediately went off to drink aconite wine? Are you trying to get yourself killed faster?" She forced me to sit beside the Moonstone. Too weak to explain, I simply rolled up my sleeve slightly. The black poison marks that had previously been confined to my wrist had now crept further up my arm, spreading like dark veins under the skin. Juliet's scolding stopped abruptly when she saw it. Her face tightened as she sliced open the tip of my finger, letting the blood drip into the Moon Spring water. The moment the black blood touched the spring water, a fine layer of dark threads floated to the surface, writhing slowly under the silver moonlight like living creatures. Juliet stared at the threads for a long time before pressing her hand against the back of my neck, channeling the Moon Goddess' Power to probe my wolf energy bit by bit. The pain made my shoulders tense, and I instinctively clutched the wolf fang pendant at my neck. She suddenly stopped her movements. "Take off the pendant. Let me have a look." I didn't understand why she wanted to look at it, but I still handed it to her anyway. Juliet held the wolf fang to her nose, then scraped off a bit of the whitish powder from its edge with her fingernail. Her expression grew complicated as she examined it. "Who has had this thing on all these years?" "Kenton," I said. She closed her eyes, as though too exasperated to find the right words. Finally, she tossed the pendant back into my hand. "No wonder you're still alive." Her gaze lingered on the pendant in my hand as she spoke gravely. "This wolf fang must have been soaked in the Moonbloom for years. The Eclipse poison inside you has been festering for seven years. A regular werewolf would barely survive a year with this parasite. You've lasted this long because you've stayed close to this pendant all these years." I lowered my gaze to the pendant. For the past seven years, I had indeed been surrounded by its scent almost daily. But in the last six months, as Kenton and Zessia grew closer, I had seen him less and less. It was right around that time that my poisoning episodes started becoming more frequent. "Tonight, you drank aconite wine, fully awakening the Eclipse poison," Juliet said, hanging the pendant back around my neck and pressing her fingers against the wolf fang. Her tone was unusually stern. "Never take it off again. Even if it only holds the poison back for a day, that's one more day you have." I touched the wolf fang but said nothing. As I left the sanctum, the blood moon had already sunk behind the snowy mountains. I didn't return to the Obsidian Territory. Instead, I headed straight back to the Silver Moon wolf pack. According to the original arrangement, in a month's time, I was supposed to complete the final blood oath ceremony here. Silver Moon had been preparing for this alliance for over half a year, even finalizing the list of gifts I would bring with me. But as soon as I stepped into Silver Moon's territory, I sensed something was amiss. My father sat on the Alpha's seat, my mother beside him, and several Silver Moon elders were present as well. The atmosphere was heavy. Closest to them sat a young woman I had never met before. She bore a striking resemblance to my mother. My father spoke first. "Norya, come here." I removed my cloak and walked to the center of the hall. "Why call me back so late? What's happened?" My father studied me for a moment, then gestured toward the woman. "Her name is Vera Davis. Nineteen years ago, your mother gave birth to a child who was taken during the return journey from the Moon Sanctum. We searched for a long time but found nothing. Just a few days ago, we finally found her." I understood, but it still felt absurd. "So she's your daughter. Then what about me?" The elders kept their heads down, but Vera was looking straight at me. My father paused before answering in a lower voice. "You're not our biological daughter." I stood in silence, unable to respond immediately. I had already guessed the answer when I asked the question. But when I actually heard it, there was a moment when my mind went completely blank. My father continued, "After Vera disappeared, your mother couldn't bear the grief. That's why we brought you back." So that was it. I had always thought I was the only daughter of Silver Moon's Alpha. But from the very beginning, I was merely someone they had taken in to fill the void. Just then, one of the elders coughed lightly. "Now that Norya knows the truth, it's time to discuss the marriage alliance. The marriage between Silver Moon and Obsidian was meant to bind the two clans through bloodlines. The future Luna must have an unbroken Silver Moon Alpha lineage. Now that Vera has returned, the blood oath ceremony between Norya and Kenton cannot proceed." The moon mark on my chest, a symbol of my fated mate, burned faintly at the mention of Kenton's name. My face was pale, and I clenched my fists. "So you want to replace me and let Vera marry Kenton?" My father's tone grew heavier. "This isn't about you. The blood oath concerns the interests of both clans. Vera is the more suitable candidate." I took a deep breath and nodded. "Fine. Anything else?" My father froze, momentarily unable to respond. In the end, it was an elder who spoke up. "By the next full moon, you'll need to hand over the inheritance emblem, medicine warehouse, and the cub care responsibilities to Vera. And since you don't have Silver Moon blood, it's inappropriate for you to remain here as the Alpha's daughter. Before the next full moon, we hope you'll complete the handover and leave the Silver Moon wolf pack."

The next morning, I placed the medicine warehouse key and the neatly organized inventory list on a tray and handed them to Vera. She clearly hadn't expected me to act so quickly. "All of this… for me?" She asked. "These things have always belonged to you," I said calmly. Vera lowered her gaze to the emblem. "You're not angry?" I was sorting through the last few medicine accounts when I heard her question. I looked up at her briefly. "These things belong to Silver Moon's heir. Now that you've returned, it's only natural for me to hand them over." Vera watched me cautiously, her voice softening. "My father said that Obsidian hasn't been informed about the change yet. Once my father and Obsidian's Alpha finalize everything, it'll be announced publicly." Vera hesitated for a moment. "Aren't you worried Kenton might misunderstand?" My hands froze. "It's better that he doesn't know for now." As I left Silver Moon's main residence, a distant howl of wolves echoed outside. A group of young warriors sprinted down the snowy slopes, so excited that they couldn't be bothered to fully maintain their human forms—their ears and tails still showing. "The Obsidian's Annual Hunt has begun!" "I heard Mr. Moran is planning to hunt the legendary silver-horned stag!" Someone overheard and immediately cursed under their breath, calling him crazy. The legendary silver-horned stag was one of the fiercest creatures in the northern snowy forests. Adult stags had hard, sharp antlers that could pierce a wolf's belly when they went berserk. Every year during Obsidian's Annual Hunt, young warriors would challenge the silver-horned stag, but few ever succeeded. In the past, hearing this would have sent me rushing off to stop Kenton. But now, whatever Kenton chose to do no longer concerned me. The Obsidian hunting grounds weren't far from Silver Moon's territory, so even though I didn't go, news trickled back by evening. As dusk approached, a bloodied Obsidian warrior passed by Silver Moon's territory on horseback. Someone stopped him to ask, "What about Mr. Moran?" The warrior, panting heavily, exclaimed in frustration, "He's injured! That stag nearly skewered him through the belly!" I was in the courtyard collecting laundry when I overheard this. The Omega helping me paused and turned around. "Norya, aren't you going to check on him? Mr. Moran is injured." "Obsidian has its own priestess," I said. "But before, whenever he got hurt, you'd always go to him," the Omega said again. I didn't respond. Instead, I handed her the clothes in my hands. "Take these outside first. I'll handle the rest myself." The Omega glanced at me several times before leaving with the laundry. Just as I was about to continue tidying up, the door was suddenly kicked open from outside. I turned around and saw Kenton standing in the doorway. He had clearly just returned from the hunting grounds. His black hunting attire was torn, revealing thick, blood-stained bandages wrapped around his waist. "Mr. Moran, the priestess said your wound shouldn't reopen..." A warrior said. "Get out!" Kenton shouted. In the past, I would have rushed over to pull his hand away and inspect his injuries. But now I only glanced at it before turning back to continue packing my clothes. Kenton's breathing grew noticeably heavier. "Norya, I hunted the legendary silver-horned stag today." "Really? Impressive." I gave a perfunctory compliment. Kenton took a deep breath and, after a long silence, gritted his teeth and spoke. "When I went hunting today, why didn't you come?" I looked up at him. His forehead was still bruised, and a shallow scratch ran along the left side of his face—likely from a tree branch. He was indeed in a sorry state. "Didn't you always say I was annoying? Now that I'm staying away, isn't that exactly what you wanted?" I said. Kenton stared at me for a long while before suddenly laughing. "Are you still upset about what happened at the Blood Moon Banquet?" I looked at the blood beginning to seep through the bandages on his waist and felt an overwhelming fatigue. "Think whatever you want. I still have things to pack. Step aside." It was only then that Kenton seemed to notice the unusual state of the room. His gaze shifted past me to the bed. His expression darkened instantly. "Why are you packing? Where are you going?" I didn't answer. The news about Silver Moon's plans to change the marriage partner couldn't be revealed to him yet. Kenton, however, interpreted my silence differently. "You think that ignoring me all of a sudden will make me chase after you, like you used to chase after me?" I stared, stunned, at his face contorted with rage. Even now, he thought I was playing hard to get. Looking at the face I had once loved, I spoke softly. "Kenton, that's not what I think of you. I just don't want to make you the center of my world anymore." Kenton froze instantly. "What did you say?" "You've always wanted me to keep my distance from you. I'm agreeing now. So whatever you do from now on, you needn't concern yourself with me any longer," I said. Kenton's brows furrowed tightly as he stared at me for a long time. Then, finally, he sneered. "Norya, you'd better remember what you said today." With that, he turned sharply, kicking the door open. The warriors waiting outside flinched in surprise. "Mr. Moran?" Without looking back, Kenton commanded, "Bring Zessia here. She's still recovering from her leg injury from training. Have someone prepare the east wing for her. Starting today, she'll stay in the main den to recuperate."