Rejected Mate

Chapter One: The Moon Breaks Us Apart

The full moon hung overhead.

Its light was sharp and white. It lit up every stone on the Gray Fang pack's square.

Elowen stood at the front of the crowd. She could hear her own heartbeat. One. Two. Faster than usual.

She gripped her dress. Her knuckles turned white.

Behind her stood hundreds of pack members. Their breathing pressed down on her like a heavy blanket.

Ahead stood the old priest. He held the Moon Scepter. Silver light gathered at its tip.

"Tonight, fate takes its place," the old priest said.

His voice was dry and rough. But it reached every corner of the square.

"Kael, the top Alpha of Gray Fang, will bond his soul with his fated mate, Elowen. This will secure our bloodline. She will be named Luna!"

Cheers rose like waves.

Elowen did not move.

Her eyes stayed on the tall figure beside her. Kael wore a black dress coat with silver trim. His shoulders were sharp. His jaw was tight.

The moonlight cut his face into light and dark. He looked straight ahead. He did not look at her.

When did it start?

When did he stop sending warmth through their soul bond?

When did he stop sneaking glances at her during pack meetings?

When did he stop using his Alpha pressure to silence the branch pack members who mocked her?

About two years ago.

That was when Lira started coming to his meeting hall.

That beautiful Beta from a noble family always wore a worried look. She leaned close to him and whispered. Then she glanced back at Elowen with pity in her eyes.

Pity for what? Elowen understood later. Pity for the girl who was about to be thrown away.

"Elowen."

A soft call came from beside her. Like wind through a crack in the stone.

She turned her head. Kael finally looked at her.

There was nothing in that look. No warmth. No spark of the bond. Not even hidden care.

Just emptiness.

"After the ceremony, I need to talk to you," he said.

His tone was flat. Like he was giving orders about pack business.

Elowen's fingers curled.

"...Okay," she said. Her voice stayed steady. She surprised herself.

She remembered a winter when she was seven.

She lay in a broken wooden hut at the edge of the territory. Fever burned through her. Her mother was dead. Her father had gone missing on a hunt. No one cared for her.

In the middle of the night, someone pushed open the door.

Kael stood there in the snow. His shoulders were white with it. He held a bundle of herbs in his hand.

He was only twelve then. His face still had that young, rough look. But his eyes were already cold as ice.

"Don't die," he said. He dropped the herbs by her pillow and turned to leave.

She was burning with fever. But she forced her eyes open and asked: "Why?"

He did not look back. He just said: "You're mine."

Back then, he claimed her.

Now, he stood beside her like she was a stranger.

The bell rang.

The old priest raised the scepter. Moonlight bent into a silver stream. It flowed toward them.

Elowen closed her eyes. She prepared to receive that warm power into her soul.

"Wait."

Kael's voice cut through.

Then came a sharp crack. He raised his hand. Black smoke swirled around his palm. He struck the silver stream directly.

The light exploded. It shattered into specks of dust across the ground.

Silence.

Then, like a kicked beehive, the whispers exploded.

Elowen opened her eyes.

She watched Kael lower his hand. She watched him turn to face the whole pack.

His voice was not loud. But it carried the crushing pressure of a top Alpha. Every word nailed itself into the ground.

"I reject this fated bond."

Four words.

Elowen felt a buzz in her ears.

She stood there. She did not fall.

Kael turned to face her directly.

His eyes were cold as frozen streams. His thin lips parted. Every word came out sharp and hard.

"Elowen, your bloodline is weak. Your birth is low. Your moon-force is chaotic. The elders checked it. It carries traces of a curse."

He paused. Like he was looking for a stronger excuse.

"I cannot let an unlucky person become Gray Fang's Luna. Your existence will drag down my rule. It will kill the whole pack."

Elowen looked at him.

She wanted to argue. That force was never cursed. Lira had faked the report with the elders.

But she held back.

Because his eyes told her he had already believed it all.

"So," Kael raised his right hand. The black smoke thickened. "Right here, I will break every fated thread between us. From now on, you are no longer my mate. You lose all right to be Gray Fang's Luna forever."

The black smoke crashed into the invisible silver thread between them.

Deep in her soul, something cracked.

Like a bone breaking.

Elowen's whole body shook.

A huge hollow feeling exploded in her chest. Her vision went dark. Her knees almost gave way.

She bit her lower lip. Blood filled her mouth. She forced herself straight.

The crowd was dead silent.

She heard someone gasp. She saw Lira cover her mouth with fake shock in the crowd. She heard the elders mumble "for the pack" and other useless words.

Then, she took a deep breath.

The night wind filled her lungs. Cold and bitter.

She lifted her eyes to the man she had loved for over ten years.

The disgust in his eyes was clear. His brow was furrowed. Like looking at her one more second was too much.

She smiled.

Very lightly. Like a feather landing.

"Okay," she said.

Her voice did not shake. It was not loud. It even carried a strange calm.

"Kael, I accept your rejection."

"From now on, the bond is broken. Fate is settled."

She turned and walked away.

Her silver hair cut a cold arc in the moonlight.

She stepped down from the platform one step at a time. Her back was straight. Every step was solid.

The crowd parted for her. No one touched her. No one spoke.

She went back to the broken wooden hut at the edge of the territory.

She pushed open the door. Inside was just a bed, a wooden chest, and a dressing table with peeling paint.

She opened the chest. She folded her only thick coat and stuffed it into a bag. She put her mother's moon pendant around her neck. She added a change of clothes.

That was it.

Over ten years of connection. It took less than three minutes to pack.

She slung the bag over her shoulder. At the door, she looked back.

Moonlight slipped through the window cracks. It fell on the empty bed frame.

Nothing to hold onto.

She pulled the door shut and walked into the dark forest.

On the platform, Kael still stood.

He watched that thin figure disappear into the shadows between the trees. A sharp pain suddenly stabbed his chest.

The hole in his soul was bleeding. Every drop burned.

But he clenched his fist. He pushed the pain down.

"You did the right thing."

Lira slid up beside him. Her voice was sweet as honey.

"For the pack, you gave up the bad bond. This is what a true wolf king does."

Kael did not look at her. He just nodded.

He told himself: Yes. I was right.

But that night, he could not sleep.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Elowen's calm smile when she turned away.

That smile scared him more than tears.

Chapter Two: Waking Up in the Wild

The deep forest at night was like a giant beast with its mouth open.

Elowen ran over dead branches and moss. Her boots were soaked through.

Footsteps followed behind her. At least three.

She knew that rhythm. Lira's private soldiers used that hunting formation. One on the left. One on the right. The one in the middle did the killing.

She ducked into a low bush. She crouched down and held her breath.

A branch cut her arm. Blood seeped out. Warm at first, then cooled by the night wind.

She tore off a piece of her sleeve and tied it tight around the wound. She did not make a sound.

The footsteps came closer.

"She went east."

"Keep going. Lady Lira said: find her dead or alive."

Elowen waited until the two voices faded. Then she crawled out.

She chose the opposite direction. West. There was a swamp there. The thick smells would hide her wolf scent.

Near dawn, she lost the trackers.

A hollow appeared ahead. Steep stone walls on all sides. A small open space in the middle. Water seeped from the rocks into a shallow stream.

She could not walk any more. She dropped to her knees by the stream. She scooped water into her mouth.

Her reflection stared back.

Hair tangled. A scab on her forehead. Lips cracked.

But her eyes were bright.

She remembered something her mother said before she died.

"The power inside you is not weak. Something holds it down. When that thing breaks, you will know."

She did not understand then.

Now she did. The thing that held her power was the fated bond.

Now that bond was broken. The power had no cage.

She closed her eyes. She let her whole body relax.

At that moment, a warm current rose from her core. It ran up her spine and spread through her limbs.

She opened her eyes. She looked at her palm. A ball of silver light was forming. Pure. Soft. But bursting with energy.

The light grew brighter. She could feel her wound healing. Her tiredness fading.

Then, the silver light suddenly shrank. Like an invisible hand squeezed it.

A black mark appeared on her arm. Twisted lines like ancient letters.

Pain.

Like someone pressed red-hot needles into her skin.

She gritted her teeth. Veins bulged at her temples.

A few seconds later, the black marks faded. The silver light returned to normal.

She looked at her arm. The mark was gone. But she felt something new inside her. Like a lock that held the core of her power.

"Not a curse," she whispered.

She remembered her mother mentioning something else. "The moon goddess blesses, but she also seals. If you cannot unlock it, you will only have seventy percent of your power."

Seventy percent?

She made a fist. Silver light exploded from her palm. It knocked several stones from the stream into the air.

Seventy percent did that. What would one hundred do?

She had no time to think.

Far away, wolf howls echoed again. Lira's people would not give up.

She stood up and walked deeper into the valley.

The valley was quieter than the outside.

Tall trees blocked the sky. Birds sang clearly.

Elowen found a natural cave. She cleaned it quickly and put down her bag.

She blocked half the entrance with stones. She left a gap to watch outside.

On the first day, she tried to call the silver light.

She focused. The light came. But every time it reached a certain point, the black marks on her arm appeared and pushed it back.

She tried over ten times. Same result.

On the second day, she practiced hand-to-hand combat.

Wolves had claws. But hers were short and not very sharp.

She wrapped silver light around her fingertips. Then she slashed at the stone wall. Five deep grooves appeared.

It worked.

On the third evening, she sat at the cave entrance eating wild fruit. She heard footsteps.

Not the trackers. Those would not walk so slow and steady.

She stood up. Silver light gathered in her palm.

The man stepped out from the trees.

He was tall. He wore simple gray clothes. His hair was dark brown. His eyes were light amber, clean as pebbles in a stream.

He stopped. He raised both hands, palms out.

"Easy," he said. His voice was warm and low. "My name is Silas. I am the Alpha of the Breeze Pack. I passed by and sensed a very pure moon-force. I was curious."

Elowen did not lower her hand.

"How did you find me?"

"Followed the force." He smiled. A small curve on his lips. "But don't worry. I mean no harm. Breeze Pack does not fight other packs. I just... "

He paused. Like he was choosing his words.

"I haven't seen such clean moon-force in a long time. It does not hurt. It feels like healing."

Elowen studied him for a few seconds.

His eyes were calm. His breathing was steady. He did not have that crushing Alpha pressure.

She slowly lowered her power.

"If you tracked me here, you must have heard about me," she said.

Silas nodded.

"Heard some. The change at Gray Fang's full moon ceremony. It reached my ears."

He paused and added: "But the version I heard said you were wrongly accused."

Elowen did not answer.

Silas did not push. He just took a small cloth bag from his coat. He placed it on the ground and stepped back two paces.

"Baked bread and dried fruit inside. You are alone here. Food will run out. I will pass this way again tomorrow. If you need anything, leave a mark at the cave entrance."

He turned and walked away. Light steps. No hesitation.

Elowen waited until his figure disappeared completely into the trees. Then she walked over and picked up the bag.

The bread was still warm.

The next day, Silas came again.

This time he brought a small jar of salt and a flint stone.

"You might want to make a fire," he said. He placed the items at the cave entrance and stepped back.

Elowen leaned against the stone wall and looked at him.

"Why are you helping me? I am a stranger to you."

Silas thought for a moment. He sat down on a rock nearby.

"I was kicked out of my pack as a child too," he said. His tone was flat, like he was telling someone else's story.

"Breeze Pack was not always Breeze. It used to be called Flame Fang. Aggressive. Bloodthirsty. My father was the Alpha. But I did not agree with his ways. Once, he ordered the massacre of a weak branch pack. I stopped him. They broke three of my ribs and threw me out."

He looked down at his hands.

"Later, I met an old man. He taught me how to live gently. He also taught me how to tell if moon-force is pure or not. Your force... it reminds me of his. Both were suppressed. Both are kind."

Elowen stayed quiet.

She did not expect this calm man to have such a past.

"And now...?"

"Now? Breeze Pack took me in. They do not fight. They do not expand. They live off the mountain. I travel sometimes. When I come back, I bring herbs and news." He shrugged. "Life is comfortable."

After that day, Elowen stopped refusing his kindness.

He came every day. He brought food or a rolled-up map of animal hide. He taught her safe paths through the wild.

He never entered her cave. He never asked about her past. He just sat on the rock at the entrance, said a few casual words, and left.

But Lira's trackers still found her.

One foggy morning, Elowen was washing her face at the stream. She heard strange rustling from the western bushes.

She was about to stand when a dark figure lunged at her.

She dodged. Silver light burst out and knocked the attacker back three steps.

But there were more. Two more came from the sides. A triangle surrounded her.

Elowen gathered silver light on her claws. She was ready to fight.

Then came a dull thud.

The first tracker flew backward like he had been hit by a heavy hammer. He crashed into a tree trunk and slid down, still.

Silas walked out of the fog. He had no weapon. But a light green wind-pressure swirled around him.

He looked at the remaining two. His voice was still warm: "Go back. Tell Lira this valley is under Breeze Pack's border. If her people cross again, I will not be polite."

The two trackers looked at each other. They picked up their fallen comrade and retreated.

Silas turned to Elowen. His eyes scanned the fresh wound on her arm.

"Clean that," he said.

"I'll do it myself." Elowen turned and walked back to her cave.

Silas did not follow.

But she heard him start a fire not far from the entrance. He boiled water and left it on a rock.

"Hot water cleans wounds better. Less infection," he said. Then he walked away and turned his back.

Elowen looked at the bowl of hot water. Her nose suddenly stung.

She had not been cared for like this in a long time.

The last time someone boiled water for her was the night Kael brought her herbs as a child.

But that night, Kael dropped the herbs and left.

This time, Silas stayed.

Days passed.

Elowen's moon-force grew steadier. The seal remained, but she learned to use the power within its limits.

She could leap onto branches three meters high. She could slash half a foot deep into tree bark with one claw. She could cover her whole body in a thin silver armor.

Silas taught her more.

How to read the wind to find prey. How to keep fire alive in the rain. How to use leaf juice to cover wolf scent.

He was patient to the point of being boring. But every word was useful.

One evening, the two sat on a ridge watching the sunset.

The western sky burned orange. Birds flew home. The wind was soft.

Elowen suddenly asked: "Do you plan to stay with Breeze Pack forever?"

Silas turned his head. His amber eyes reflected the sunset.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll find a place to settle down. Raise a few goats. Plant some fruit trees." He smiled. "Why? You thinking of staying?"

Elowen did not answer.

But something inside her was softening.

This place had no betrayal. No lies. No one pointed at her and said "you don't belong."

Silas asked nothing from her. He did not ask for a response. He did not ask for gratitude. Even when she spaced out, he just sat quietly beside her like a rock.

That night, she lay in her cave looking at the stars through the cracks. She suddenly thought: If fate had bonded her to Silas, would her life have been easier?

But then she shook her head.

No "ifs."

She had lived what she had lived. She had been hurt. She had walked her own road. She did not need "if" anymore.

But on Kael's side, things were far from calm.

For the first few days, he buried himself in pack work.

He signed papers. He inspected borders. He met with messengers from allied packs. From morning till night.

But every late night, the soul backlash hit. His chest felt hollow and cold. He could not sleep.

He closed his eyes and saw Elowen standing in the moonlight. That calm smile on her lips.

"Okay."

Just one word. But it stuck in his head like a thorn.

He started to lose his temper.

He spaced out during meetings. He slammed the table if a subordinate made one small mistake. Even the hot soup Lira brought him ended up on the floor.

"Don't come to my meeting hall again," he told Lira. His voice was cold as ice.

Lira's face went pale for a second. But she quickly put on her smile.

"Of course. You are upset. I understand. All for the pack..."

"Out."

After Lira left, Kael sat alone in the empty hall. He rested his forehead on his hand.

What had he done?

He had driven away the girl who grew up beside him. All for a "curse claim" he did not even fully believe.

He called his trusted man and gave a low order: "Investigate. Get the original draft of that moon-force report. Check everyone Lira has contacted in the last two years. Find Elowen's tracks after she was driven out."

The man left.

But Lira got the news fast.

She forged a fake report that night. It said Elowen had allied with the Black Rock Pack. She slipped it into Kael's study.

Kael saw it. He was quiet for a long time. In the end, he chose to wait. He told himself: Wait for more proof.

But he did not know that wait would last until autumn.

Until the night of the storm.

That night the rain came down hard.

Kael was restless. He rode alone to the border forest.

He took no guards. He just wanted to be alone.

Rain poured down his cloak. His horse's hooves sank into mud. Every step was slow.

Deep in the forest, he heard voices.

He got off his horse. He hid his presence and pressed himself against an old tree.

"Lady Lira, we blocked so many messages for you. When will you give us the border pasture you promised Black Rock Pack?"

A rough male voice. Clearly unhappy.

Then the voice he knew. Lira.

"What's the hurry? Kael is lost in his own head. He does not care about the border. Once I officially sit as Luna, handing over the pasture is just one sentence."

"But I heard he sent someone to investigate the original report."

"So what? I burned the original draft long ago. He can search until he dies. He will never find proof. As long as that trash Elowen dies in the wild, he will only ever believe me."

Kael stood in the rain. His whole body went cold.

Rain ran down his neck. But he could not feel it. A fire was burning in his chest.

"Elowen's moon-force... it was not cursed?" He forced himself to stay still. He listened more.

Lira laughed softly: "Cursed? That was the purest gifted moon-force. A rare treasure. If I had not faked that report with the elders, that idiot Kael would never have let her go. He is so easy to fool. Just keep telling him 'it's for the pack,' and he believes everything."

Kael's nails dug into his palm. Blood mixed with rain and dripped into the mud.

So that was it.

From start to finish, he had been a puppet. Lira had pulled his strings for years.

The one he pushed away was the only treasure fate gave him.

The one he insulted with such confidence was the one he should have protected most.

He could not hold back anymore.

His Alpha pressure exploded. The rain within ten meters scattered.

He stepped out. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Lira in the shadows.

Lira's face went white instantly.

"K... Kael? What are you doing here?"

"If I weren't here, how could I hear such an interesting conversation?"

His voice was low and rough. Like it was dragged from his throat.

Lira tried to explain. But Kael raised his hand.

"Get out. Before I decide to kill you. Get out of my territory."

He spoke softly. But it was scarier than any scream.

Lira scrambled away into the rainy night.

Kael stood there. He looked up at the black sky.

Rain washed his face. He could not tell if it was rain or something else.

He stood for a long time.

Then he got back on his horse and rode straight to the pack hall.

That night, he called the deputy Alpha and two senior elders. He announced: "I am stepping down from all pack duties for now. The deputy Alpha will take over. I do not know when I will be back."

The deputy Alpha was shocked: "Kael, you are about to become Wolf King. If you leave now..."

"Wolf King?" Kael let out a laugh. It sounded worse than crying. "I could not even keep the most important person in my life. How can I be Wolf King?"

He packed a small bag. Two changes of clothes. Some dried food. A short blade.

No guards. No horse. He walked into the wild alone.

Chapter Three: Realizing the Truth, Chasing His Mate

The rain was still falling when Kael left that night.

He trudged through the mud. West.

The last news he heard about Elowen was that someone saw her near Breeze Pack's border.

He walked for three days and nights.

He finished his food. He ate wild fruit. He drank stream water.

His boots wore through. He tied bark around them.

Branches cut him all over. He did not treat the wounds. He let them scab and crack again.

On the fourth day, he met a merchant caravan.

The leader was an old wolf who had seen a lot. When Kael asked about "a young woman with silver hair and moon-force," the old wolf hesitated. Then he said: "Someone like that was seen in the southern valley of Breeze Pack a while ago. She had a man with her. Tall. Gray clothes."

Kael's fists tightened.

But he did not get angry.

He thanked the old wolf and kept walking.

On the fifth night, he was so hungry his head spun. He slipped and rolled down a gentle slope.

His face scraped. His knee twisted. He limped.

He sat against a tree trunk and took a drink from his water pouch. Then he thought of Elowen on the night she was driven out. A girl alone in the dark. Struggling.

Did she have water? Did anyone bandage her wounds?

He did not dare to think too deep.

On the seventh day, he stepped into Breeze Pack's land.

The mountains here were gentle. The trees were thick. Streams ran clear.

He followed a small path upward. In the distance, he saw a wooden cabin. Half a stone wall built around the yard. Clothes hung on a line.

Women's clothes.

His heart pounded hard.

He walked closer. He saw a figure in the yard.

Silver hair. Slim. Back straight. She was carving a wooden stick with a short knife.

It was Elowen.

He stood outside the gate. His throat closed up.

He wanted to call her name. His lips moved. No sound came.

Then the cabin door opened. A tall man in gray stepped out.

Silas.

He carried a bowl of hot soup. He walked to Elowen and handed it over naturally.

Elowen took it. She took a sip. A small smile curved at the corner of her mouth.

The smile was faint. But real.

Kael felt a heavy blow to his chest.

He clenched his jaw. He pushed the gate open and walked in.

Elowen looked up.

Her eyes ran over him from head to toe.

Mud everywhere. Scratches on his cheekbones. Cracked lips. Eyes tired to the bone.

But her face showed nothing.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. Her voice was flat.

Kael stepped forward. His knees almost buckled.

He opened his mouth. His throat felt like it was stuffed with hot coal.

"I was wrong," he said.

Those three words felt too light.

"I know everything now. Lira's lies. The fake report. All the schemes. I know it all."

He stared into her eyes. His voice started to shake.

"I was stupid. I believed the wrong words. I destroyed everything we had with my own hands."

Elowen put down the soup bowl. She wiped her hands.

"And?" she asked.

Kael was stuck.

And? He could not just say "and I forgive myself."

"I stepped down from pack duties. I walked seven days to find you." He took a deep breath. "I will give up the Wolf King throne. I will give up Gray Fang. Everything. Just give me one more chance."

Silas stood beside her. He said nothing. He did not back away.

But he shifted half a step forward. He was slightly in front of Elowen's left side.

The move was small. But Kael saw it clearly.

Elowen was quiet for a few seconds.

Then she stepped forward. She walked up to Kael and looked up at him.

She was a head shorter. But her eyes made him feel small.

"Kael, listen carefully."

Her voice was steady. No anger. No bitterness. Not even emotion.

"Every word you said at the full moon ceremony, I remember. 'Low birth.' 'Unlucky power.' 'Not fit to be my mate.' You said those things while I stood beside you. I looked into your eyes. There was no doubt in them. No pain. Only disgust."

Kael's face turned white as paper.

"I carried that disgust for two years," Elowen continued. "While I was running for my life. While I was being hunted. While I was alone in a cave licking my wounds. I kept asking myself: what did I do wrong? What made the boy who once brought me herbs turn into that?"

She paused.

"Later, I understood. I did nothing wrong. The mistake was yours. You believed the wrong people. You hurt the wrong heart. But that was your choice. Not mine. You chose to throw me away. I accepted it. Now you regret it. That is your problem. Not mine."

She turned and walked back to Silas's side.

"Leave," she said. She did not look back.

Kael stood frozen.

He wanted to rush and grab her. But he saw Silas gently pat Elowen's shoulder. She just stood there calmly.

That ease. That trust. He had never had it.

He clenched his fists. His nails dug into his palm again.

But he did not step forward.

"I will stay nearby," he said. His voice was low and rough. "Until you are willing to hear more."

He turned and walked out of the yard. He stopped under an old oak tree about fifty meters away.

He did not leave.

Elowen did not chase him away.

She just did her daily routine. Practice. Cook. Eat. She acted like he did not exist.

Silas did not mention him either. But he sometimes left extra dried food on the yard wall.

Kael sat under the oak for two days.

On the third day, heavy rain came.

He had no umbrella. No shelter. He just stood there in the rain.

Elowen glanced out the window. Then she looked away.

Silas walked over and said softly: "He will get sick."

"He deserves it," Elowen said. But her tone was not as hard as before.

On the fourth morning, Kael had a fever.

He curled up under the tree. His face was flushed. His lips were pale. He was shaking.

Elowen stood at the yard gate. She stared at him for a long time.

In the end, Silas walked over first. He helped Kael up and moved him to the woodshed beside the cabin.

"Don't misunderstand," Silas told Elowen. "I just don't want him to die at my doorstep. Bad luck."

Elowen said nothing. But that evening, she left a bowl of hot water at the woodshed door.

Kael reached for it half-conscious. He drank. The hot liquid slid down his throat. His eyes suddenly got wet.

Three more days passed. Kael's fever broke.

He walked out of the woodshed. He saw Elowen practicing sword forms in the yard.

Silver light wrapped around the blade. Her moves were sharp and graceful. So much stronger than when she was in Gray Fang.

He stood there for a while. Then he said: "Your power... it is much stronger than before."

Elowen put away the sword. She did not look at him.

"Does that concern you?"

He gave a bitter smile.

"No. But I still want to say: I am sorry. I do not expect forgiveness. But I want to do something to make up for it."

"Make up?" Elowen finally turned to look at him. "What can you make up for? Turn the nights I was hunted into sweet dreams? Turn the nights I cried alone into fake peace?"

Kael opened his mouth. Nothing came out.

Silas walked out of the cabin. He held two cups of tea. He handed one to Elowen.

He looked at Kael. His tone was warm but firm: "Kael, you have been here for days. You have seen it yourself. She lives well. She does not need you. Instead of wasting time here, go back and clean up Lira's mess. At least prove you truly see right from wrong."

Kael was quiet for a long time. Then he nodded.

"I will go back," he said. He looked at Elowen. "But I will come again. Whether you want to see me or not."

He turned and walked away.

This time, his back was less broken. But still lonely.

Elowen watched him disappear into the trees. Her tea went cold in her hands.

Silas sat back down beside her. He took a sip of his own.

"You are not really going to chase him away forever, are you?" he asked.

"He deserves it," Elowen said.

"Yes, he does. But..." Silas tilted his head. "You told me earlier that you loved him because he brought you herbs in a snowstorm when he was twelve. You hate the man who was blinded by lies. Not that boy."

Elowen lowered her head.

"But that boy is dead," she said.

Silas did not push further.

He just patted her shoulder lightly.

"Then let that boy stay dead. Keep walking forward. Don't look back."

Elowen looked up at him. She suddenly asked: "What about you? Do you walk forward?"

Silas was surprised. Then he smiled.

"Me? I'll just stay here. Wherever you want to walk, I will walk with you for a while."

That night, Elowen sat on the roof watching the moon. The black marks on her arm flickered again.

She stared at those lines. She felt they were more than a seal. They were a puzzle.

Her mother said: "If you cannot unlock it, you will only have seventy percent."

What would happen after unlocking?

Stronger? Or something more dangerous?

She did not know.

But at least, she was not in a hurry now.

She had company. A place to stay. Power to protect herself.

As for Kael...

That was all in the past.

One month later, Kael returned to Gray Fang.

His first move was to fully investigate Lira and her allies.

The evidence was solid. Lira was stripped of her noble status. She was exiled from the territory forever. No return.

The elders who backed her lost their positions. They were sent to the border pastures.

Kael sat in the empty meeting hall. He signed the last document and put down his pen.

The deputy Alpha asked: "Will the Wolf King ceremony go ahead?"

Kael shook his head.

"No. I am not taking the throne yet. Let the elder council govern together."

The deputy wanted to argue. But he saw Kael's eyes and stopped.

Those eyes held no fight. Only a tired peace.

Kael walked out of the hall. He looked up at the moon.

Full moon.

Exactly like that night.

He looked down at his hand. The hand that cut the fated bond.

Now it was empty. It held nothing.

He remembered Elowen's last words: "Leave."

She told him to go.

But he left, and her voice still stayed in his ears.

He pulled out the moon pendant from his chest. The one she had left behind on the ceremony platform. Her mother's pendant. The chain had broken and fallen between the stones.

He had picked it up secretly later. He had kept it close to his heart ever since.

He held the pendant and whispered a single sentence only he could hear.

"I will wait. Whether you come back or not."

Back in the valley, Elowen was washing clothes by the stream.

Silas sat nearby. He was carving arrows. He looked up at her sometimes.

Sunlight fell through the leaves. Golden specks floated on the water.

Elowen suddenly asked: "How long does it take to forgive someone who made a mistake?"

Silas thought for a moment.

"That depends on whether the one who made the mistake is willing to wait. And whether the one who was hurt is willing to give a chance."

"What if neither is willing?"

"Then you each live your own lives." Silas tucked the finished arrow into his quiver. "The sky will not fall."

Elowen smiled.

She wrung out the clothes and stood up. She looked at her reflection in the stream.

Silver hair. Lean. Eyes bright.

The black marks on her arm were warm. But she was used to them now.

She turned and walked back to the cabin. As she passed Silas, she casually dropped a wet shirt over his shoulder.

"Hang this for me."

"Okay." Silas took it. He did not ask more.

In the yard, clean clothes swayed on the line. The wind moved them gently.

Birds called in the distance. The stream flowed. The sun was warm.

Elowen leaned against the doorframe. She watched this scene and thought:

She used to think living was for a fate, an Alpha, a home.

Now she understood. Living was just standing in the sun by yourself.

As for Kael? He was still on the road. Or maybe not.

Either way, she would not run back into that full moon night again.

(The End)