ELIAS VERNAL
The Moon Ceremony was about to begin. Pack members had gathered at the sacred lake.
Tonight's moon was exceptionally bright, its silver glow spilling across the water as if the Moon Goddess herself were laying a path for this ceremony.
Everything was ready. But the crucial "Luna" wasn't at the altar.
Serenity's shadow flashed through my mind, and my mood soured.
I had never imagined Serenity would refuse me. After she hung up on me, it took me a while to recover. I had even entertained petty thoughts of sending all my warriors out to find her current address, then showing up personally to demand an explanation. How dare she refuse me?
But in the end, Fenrir stopped me from doing something that stupid.
"Alpha, the ceremony is about to begin." Herman approached. "If Miss Liv doesn't appear soon, she'll be late."
I nodded and kept my expression neutral while suppressing my irritation at not knowing where Liv had gone.
I really didn't want to blame my savior. But ever since Liv returned, I had noticed my patience with her wearing thin. I couldn't help thinking that if Serenity had agreed to come back for the ceremony, she never would have handled things this badly. She was always so meticulous and gentle. She managed so many things better and more perfectly than I could… But dwelling on that was pointless now.
Moon Goddess above, I still couldn't believe Serenity had refused me.
Liv had only agreed to take on this important responsibility because of me.
I couldn't put more pressure on her… I kept telling myself that when I found Liv, I absolutely must not lose my temper.
But time was running out. I couldn't sit still any longer. Just as I was about to go search for her myself, she finally appeared.
"Elias!"
Liv lifted her white skirts and hurried toward me, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry. I almost ran late."
"Where were you, Liv?" I asked.
"I—I was checking the placement of the ceremonial items." She lowered her eyes, her voice vague. "Lizzie and her group weren't careful enough. I was worried it would affect the ceremony."
Hearing that she had been working on the ceremony softened my tone. "I wasn't blaming you… What's this?"
I stopped midsentence. A strand of golden hair was caught behind one of the jeweled decorations on Liv's gown. Its color was similar to Liv's, easy to miss. But when I compared it to the hair by her ear, I could see the difference—this wasn't Liv's hair. I had to ask where it came from.
"The color looks like Serenity's…" Had Liv seen her?
"You're seeing things!" Liv's expression changed instantly. She snatched the hair from my hand and threw it aside. "Plenty of people have blonde hair. It probably fell on me from some pack member. Elias, the ceremony's about to start. We shouldn't waste any more time!"
She grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the altar. A flicker of doubt rose in me, but the imminent ceremony left no room for further questions.
Just then, a commotion broke out in the distance. Someone seemed to be trying to break through the warrior guards' perimeter. I could hear shouting:
"I need to see… the Alpha… someone's missing…" I frowned and stopped. "What's going on?"
A warrior hurried over. "A pack member wants to see you, Alpha. They say someone's missing and want you to send a search party."
Liv's grip on my arm suddenly tightened. She cut off the warrior. "The ceremony is about to start! There's no time to look for anyone! Get rid of them. If the ceremony is disrupted, can you take responsibility?"
Fenrir let out another impatient howl. I took several deep breaths. Ignoring her overstepping, I told the warrior, "Bring them here. Find out who's missing."
"Yes, sir!" The warrior turned to fetch the person.
Liv stared at me in shock and hurt. Under her gaze, my head felt ready to split open. I couldn't help comparing her to Serenity again. If Serenity were standing beside me, she would have understood immediately. A missing pack member could mean a hunter attack. She would have taken it seriously.
The Moon Ceremony, no matter how important, couldn't outweigh a member's life or the pack's safety.
Before the attack, she had always been a responsible Luna.
Only now, at this moment, did I realize that deep down, I had never truly believed Serenity was the traitor who'd betrayed me.
The shouting pack member was brought over.
She looked unexpectedly familiar. It was the personal maid who had always attended to Serenity.
"Why is it you, Lizzie?" I asked in surprise. "What are you looking for?"
"The Luna!" Lizzie bowed quickly, then answered immediately. "Alpha, she was just with me preparing the ceremonial items, but now she's gone!"
Fenrir let out a single joyful bark inside me.
"Serenity? She came after all?"
The moment I asked, I realized this wasn't the time to be happy. I pressed on urgently, "When did she go missing?"
"About an hour ago," Lizzie said. "I was helping the Luna prepare for the Moon Ceremony. When we finished, I realized she was gone. I thought she had come back to the ceremony grounds first, but I can't find her anywhere…" "She probably just left early," Liv cut in impatiently. "You said yourself she was only here to help, right?"
"That's impossible! The Luna would never leave without saying goodbye!"
She turned to me, her voice trembling. "Alpha, do you think something happened to the Luna?"
"I'll find her!" I said without hesitation.
Liv grabbed me hard, nearly jumping in protest. "Elias, what are you saying? The ceremony's about to start! You can't leave!"
"Liv…" I frowned at her.
"This is my first time leading the Moon Ceremony. If it fails, what will the pack members think of me?" She seemed strange—her eyes darted around, her breathing unsteady, as if she were afraid. "Besides, she's an adult. It's not like she's a child who'd get lost in the forest."
"Enough!" I snapped at her before I could stop myself. I forced my voice to soften again. "I'll just search the area. If I don't find her, it won't delay the ceremony."
Serenity and I shared a mental bond. The fastest way to find her was to go myself.
"I'll be right back."
I shifted into wolf form and sprinted in the direction our bond pulled me, leaving Liv's anxious calls behind. I didn't look back.
I circled the sacred lake, searching everywhere, but found no trace of her.
The bond felt strongest toward that forest cabin, the one no one paid attention to once the ceremony began.
"Serenity! Where are you? Answer me!"
I ran and called her name.
Silence.
Just as doubt crept in, a faint thudding sound came from inside the cabin!
"Serenity!"
I rushed to the door. Pressing close, I heard weak cries for help from within.
"Serenity, get away from the door!"
I shouted the warning. After waiting a moment, I unleashed my wolf's full strength and kicked the reinforced iron door in.
The door crashed down. I charged into the pitch-black interior and saw a figure collapsed on the floor.
Serenity was curled into a ball, arms wrapped tightly around her stomach, her forehead drenched in cold sweat. She looked like she had just been pulled from water. The moonlight spilled through the doorway, but her face was paler.
I rushed over and gathered her in my arms. She instinctively burrowed into my chest, seeking shelter.
The gesture made my heart go soft; it even ached.
"Serenity, are you okay?" I called to her gently.
But she didn't respond. She lay utterly still, as if she'd already died. Panic seized me. I leaned close to her neck and inhaled. Her pheromones were erratic and faint, rising and falling like unstable tides.
I recognized this condition. Pheromone imbalance.
When an Omega went too long without their mate's presence and mark, their body developed this rejection response. But something was wrong.
Serenity's reaction was far too severe. Normally, pheromone imbalance just caused some fatigue, nothing this painful.
Yet she trembled nonstop in my arms, like a leaf fighting the wind, as if she might wither any second.
Why was it so severe?
The question surfaced, but I had no time to investigate. I carried her into the cabin, leaned down and kissed her lips, wrapping her in my pheromones and giving her a temporary mark.
She was barely conscious, responding on instinct, her arms circling my neck. Such an intimate position. But the emotions bleeding through from deep inside her made Fenrir whimper in pain.
She was crying.
I knew it with absolute certainty.
Why? Was her life outside the mansion that hard?
My eyes traveled over her body. She was thinner than when she had lived at the mansion. Strangely, though, her abdomen had a subtle, soft curve that hadn't been there before. Serenity had always been careful about her figure.
Why would she suddenly gain weight there?
Curious, I reached out to touch it gently.
Just then, Herman's voice came from outside: "Alpha, the ceremony's about to start! Where are you?"
I withdrew my hand and carried her out.
Herman and a small squad of warriors immediately converged on us. With a reluctance I couldn't explain, I transferred Serenity to one of the guards.
"Take the Luna back to the mansion and let her rest. Then call a doctor."
The guard nodded.
I watched them carry her away until she disappeared from sight. Something heavy and impossible to release settled in my chest.
I never could have imagined that would be the last time I saw Serenity.
After the Moon Ceremony ended, Serenity vanished.
According to the guards, she woke up, realized she was at the mansion, and started screaming. Then she slipped away while they weren't watching.
Was she really that unwilling to stay?
I didn't know whether to be furious or dejected. My emotions were a tangled mess. Liv kept bragging about how successful the Moon Ceremony had been, but my heart felt hollow. I couldn't muster a shred of joy or happiness.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Serenity's pale face and lonely silhouette.
She had seemed so unwell that night. How was she now?
The question circled endlessly in my mind, making it impossible to focus on work. The only thing I could do to ease my conscience was to deposit more money into her bank account, hoping she would take care of herself.
But to my shock, the transfer was rejected.
Staring at the notification that the account had been frozen, I went blank.
The next second, I roared for Herman.
"What the hell is this?!" I demanded furiously. "This is how you carry out my orders?!"
Herman calmly glanced at the frozen notice and reminded me, "Alpha, I'm not the one handling the Luna's bank account anymore. You've delegated that responsibility entirely to Miss Liv."
His words hit me like cold water.
My mind cleared. I remembered Liv sweetly asking me to let her handle this task. A creeping sensation crawled over my body like vines.
Had she deceived me?
But why?
I couldn't figure it out. More importantly, was this the only thing she had lied about, or was she hiding more?
I knew I had to investigate her true intentions.