Chapter 2
Henrik Knight hadn’t heard from me in three days.
In the past, whenever Maddison Powell and I had a falling out, I would never let it go. More importantly, the Mark Ceremony was approaching. Every year, I would prepare a gift for him. But now, he had already prepared his gift for me, and I hadn’t even hinted at what he might want.
He was growing restless—
The Silver Pack’s border was guarded by our finest warriors, each capable of taking on ten rogues. Yet, the Omegas reported that Maddison had forged orders to withdraw the patrols. Absurd! Maddison might be spoiled and willful, but she was, at heart, a kind soul. She would never play games with the pack’s safety.
Why, then, did Flora Gilbert have to be so unreasonable? To frame Maddison, she would even use the pack’s security as a pawn in her petty jealousy.
He slammed the gift box on the table with a loud *thud*. “Flora Gilbert! When will you ever grow up?”
My soul hovered in the air, detached from the body that had long since turned to ash. Yet, hearing those words, even in this form, I felt a pang of pain.
It wasn’t that I was immature. I simply refused to compromise. When we were younger, we made a vow—I would never take another as my mate, and he would never take another as his Luna. One day, he would offer me the pack as his bond, and I would be his only mate.
For over a decade, we fought side by side, our bond forged in blood and fire. He was fearless for me, and I bore countless scars for him. Until the day I took a rogue’s attack meant for him and nearly died. When I opened my eyes, I found him holding a delicate, rosy-cheeked girl in his arms. Her beauty was like spring blossoms, a stark contrast to the aura of battle that clung to me.
Henrik declared he would make her his Luna.
That was when we stopped seeing eye to eye. He could never understand my refusal. “I’m not rejecting you,” he would say. “But Maddison is so pitiful. Her family died defending the pack, and she’s all alone. You call yourself the pack’s Gamma. Can’t you have a little compassion? Besides, do you really think you, with your constant fighting, are more suited to be Luna than her?”
I always retorted, “This isn’t about being Luna. It’s about me, Flora Gilbert, refusing to be a second mate!”
Then, I tore up the decree naming me his Beta.
The last time we parted at the border, we even came to blows. When he realized what we were doing, he knocked my claws aside. “A Gamma, with such a petty heart. Maddison doesn’t understand warfare, so she misunderstood your father’s intentions. Your claws should be aimed at our enemies, not turned on your own pack over a few careless words. Flora Gilbert, you’re unworthy.”
I laughed through my tears. “Unworthy? Then is Maddison, who mocked my father as a traitor, worthy?”
He fell silent, pulling Maddison, trembling with fear, into his arms. “A warrior who loses territory is no different from a traitor.”
But he forgot. My father fought to the very end. He gave his life for the pack!
That day, I refused Henrik’s demand that I kneel and apologize to Maddison. Even when he used his Alpha tone to command me, I chose death over submission.
He sneered, “The greatest regret of my life is ever crossing paths with someone as narrow-minded and heartless as you.”
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