Betrayed Before Our Bonding

On the third day of kneeling before the statue of the Moon Goddess and praying for Ryan Summers, a sudden row of glowing text appeared right in front of my eyes.

[Ryan really is a piece of trash. His little childhood sweetheart, Rowena Blake, ran off the moment she learned he was going to hold a bonding ceremony, so he actually faked his own death just to chase her.]

[Ryan and Rowena are out there whispering sweet nothings to each other under the flowers and moonlight, while Jenna Cuttridge cried her eyes nearly blind over that scumbag.]

[Too bad Jenna never finds out that Ryan tricked her. When he comes back from playing dead, she even happily marries him.]

So this was the miracle the Moon Goddess had bestowed upon me.

Thunderstruck, I grabbed my phone and called my Alpha father, Jake Cuttridge.

"Dad, remember that alliance bonding you mentioned last time? I agree to it."

Half a month later, the news that I would be entering an alliance bonding with an Alpha from the Northridge Pack spread throughout the entire wolf kingdom.

Ryan's friend, Luke Carter, who had been in on his plan, rushed over and demanded, "Ryan just died not long ago, and you're already so eager to find the next guy?"

"He's dead. I can't possibly stay single for him my whole life."

Right before the bonding ceremony, Ryan Summers faked his own death just to chase after his little puphood sweetheart, Rowena Blake. However, he never imagined I would learn every part of his plan from the floating barrage in front of me. With my disappointment hitting rock bottom, I turned away and agreed to the alliance bonding my father, Jake Cuttridge, arranged.

Lines of text flashed across my vision, one after another. At first, I thought I was hallucinating from grief.

Alas, the divine messages kept streaming in front of me, faster and faster.

[Those two bastards are getting all hot and heavy in the Moonlight Forest right now. Girl, see for yourself! Then, you’ll know the truth!]

[Moonlight Forest is where Ryan and Jenna always used to meet. Just thinking about it already makes her chest tighten. Why would she ever go there on purpose?]

My head exploded with a sharp ringing like something inside cracked open.

I pushed myself to my feet, staggering as I headed toward Moonlight Forest.

After cutting through the narrow path, I reached the deepest part of Moonlight Forest. There, a quiet pool glowed with fireflies. That was Firefly Pool, where Ryan and I always met.

Every flower, every tree here felt familiar. Each carried a memory of us.

My chest throbbed with pain, but I forced myself to go deeper. When I was only a few yards from the pool, I suddenly heard a she-wolf’s soft, syrupy voice.

"Ryan, if Jenna finds out you faked your death just to stay with me, won’t she be mad?"

Then I heard the one voice I knew best in this world.