Chapter 1

The pack has a rule. Every ten years, the pack will give birth to twin she-wolves.

One will take a mate. The other must stay behind and become the Lunar Seer to guard the pack.

The Lunar Seer never takes a mate, and she is never permitted to leave the pack territory.

When we were kids, my older sister said she would become the Lunar Seer and let me go to the Citadel.

So under my efforts I was chosen by the Citadel, which meant I could make a living in the capital, far from this isolated pack.

And I made a promise with my love, Soren. When I turned twenty-two, he would claim me as his mate. We will live in the capital.

The day arrived, I prepared myself and waited, my heart pounding with nervous excitement. Soren came and stopped at my family's lodge.

Pushing down the wild joy in my chest, I heard him lean against the carriage, speaking to someone.

"I came here to claim Elodie as my mate. We will move to the capital."

"You do not understand. Their parents favor the older daughter. If I do not take Elodie, she will be forced to become the Luna Seer."

"Tamsin at least earned her place at the Citadel. She can leave and make her own life. Their parents definitely will not force her into anything."

I silently wiped the makeup off my face.

Tomorrow is the day of the consecration ceremony, for the Luna Seer.

I sat on the edge of my bed. My chest felt tight with bitterness.

Because of my sister's promise, I had to yield everything to Elodie. Our parents favored her, too.

But compared to all of that, freedom was too important.

All these years, I carried guilt and shame, pushing myself to the breaking point with barely any rest. Just for a position in the Citadel. But now she used my mate to play the victim.

She did this on purpose. She never truly wanted to spend her life confined to the pack, just wanted to reap the benefits without sacrifice.

I sat on the bed, wiping off the foundation layer by layer.

The woman in the mirror slowly revealed her true face.

Nothing special about it. Just an ordinary face, ordinary eyes, an ordinary nose. Identical to my sister Elodie's face.

But since childhood, everyone said she was beautiful, said she was gentle, said she looked like the Lunar Seer.

They said I was wild, said I was rough, said I was improper.

Outside the window came the sound of the carriage door closing, then footsteps approaching.

Soren was coming but I did not move.

I gripped the cloth in my hand, staring at that face in the mirror, forcing myself to see it as a stranger's face.

He knocked on the door. "Tamsin, I am here."

I said, "Come in."

He pushed open the door and froze for a moment.

He probably had not expected me to have removed my makeup and not be wearing the ceremonial dress I had prepared, just an old tunic as I sat on the bed.

"You..." He walked in. "Why have you not changed clothes?"

I looked at him. "What are you here for?"

He paused, then forced a smile onto his face and walked closer. "To claim you, of course. We made a promise, did we not? Twenty-two years old, I come to take you as my mate."

"Whose mate?"

He stopped.

I continued watching him. "Soren, I am asking you. Whose mate did you come to claim?"

His smile slowly faded.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke. "Tamsin, let me explain—"

"No need to explain." I stood up and placed the cloth on the table. "What you said just now, I heard everything."

His expression shifted.

"You said Elodie did not earn a place at the Citadel and cannot leave, so you came to take her as your mate." I said. "You said I earned my place and can make my own life, so it does not matter for me."

"Tamsin—"

"You are saying you weighed both of us," my voice remained even, "and decided I was less deserving of your protection, so you came here to take her away instead?"

He opened his mouth but could not form words.

I knew it. He could not deny it because that was the truth.

Soren and I have known each other for five years, been bonded for three. He has seen Elodie fewer than five times.

But he still weighed us. On both sides of the scale, one side held me, the other held her.

And he decided I could carry my own weight, so he did not need to help me.

"Soren," I took a step back. "Go off."

He frowned. "Calm down. I have my reasons for this—"

"I am calm," I said. "Much calmer than you think."

He looked at me, hesitating to speak.

Footsteps sounded outside, then came Elodie's voice, soft and sweet with a hint of tears.

"Tamsin, I know you are angry, but you do not know, I actually..."

She pushed open the door and stood in the doorway, her eyes red-rimmed with tears clinging to her lashes.

She looked beautiful when she cried. It had always been this way since childhood. One tear, and everyone felt sorry for her.

Even I used to feel sorry for her. But now I only looked at her and said, "Elodie, you do not need to explain to me."

She froze. "Tamsin..."

"I have no right to blame you," I said. "I was too foolish to think the promises between us meant anything."

I was speaking to both Soren and Elodie.

Silence fell for a moment.

Then I said, "I am going to the Sacred Cavern. You two can wait here."

"Wait," Soren followed. "What are you going to the Sacred Cavern for?"

I did not turn around.

"To tell Elder Torin," I said, "that I will participate in tomorrow's consecration ceremony."