Crowned in Ash and Silver

On the eve of the Starfall Festival, the pack hall was aglow with shimmering lights.

The moment I stepped inside, the whispers swirled around me like a foul wind.

"Look, the jealous shrew."

"I heard she's breaking the mate bond with the Alpha. It must be another one of her games to get attention."

I ignored them and made my way to a corner. The head ranger, Jake, handed me a glass of champagne and murmured, "Sienna, you were right. The soil contamination is severe, but the Elders are suppressing the news."

I nodded. It was what I expected.

Just then, the main doors opened, and all heads turned.

Horton stood there, breathtakingly handsome in a dark blue suit.

And on his arm was Chloe, dressed in a pale pink gown, looking ethereal in the moonlight. He leaned down to listen to her, a look of tenderness on his face I had never seen directed at me.

A violent, twisting pain seized my chest.

Even though I was prepared, seeing it with my own eyes still felt like my heart was being flayed.

I turned away sharply, unable to watch.

The ceremony began. Chief Elder Marcus held up an ancient box and removed a necklace made of a wolf's head carved from moonstone.

"This is the sacred relic 'Heart of the Land,' passed down by our ancestors! It enhances the wearer's connection to the Moon Goddess and amplifies their gift!"

A wave of awe rippled through the crowd.

My friend Jake, standing beside me, couldn't help but say, "If your Earth Empathy was amplified by that, you might actually be able to purify the forest."

My heart gave a sudden, painful lurch.

Yes, if only...

Before the thought could finish, a figure strode toward the stage.

It was Horton.

In front of everyone, he walked directly to Marcus and took the necklace from his hand.

My heart was threatening to hammer its way out of my chest.

He heard us! He heard what I said to Jake!

He crossed the room, the crowd parting for him. He came straight for me, his golden eyes burning with a focus and intensity I couldn't decipher.

"You need it," he said in a deep and powerful voice, but he didn't hand me the necklace. "For the tribe."

The entire hall fell silent.

I stared at the necklace in his hand, my heart feeling like it would explode.

He... for me...

No.

I snapped back to reality.

I followed his gaze and saw Chloe in the distance, tears welling in her eyes, her face a mask of wounded expectation. She must have thought Horton would give the relic to her.

And Horton, bound by his duty as Alpha, couldn't show her public favoritism. So he was using "for the pack" as an excuse, intending for me to pass it to her.

Sienna, stop deluding yourself.

"Thank you, Horton." I took a deep breath and accepted the necklace from his hand.

Then, under his cold, stunned gaze, I turned and walked to Chloe.

"Chloe, this is from Horton." I fastened the necklace around her neck, smiling. "He wants you to wear it and pray for the pack."

Chloe's eyes lit up instantly. She touched the necklace in joyful disbelief before turning a loving gaze to Horton. "Horton, thank you! I... I'm so happy!"

I turned around and met Horton's complicated expression.

I couldn't understand the emotions in it. He must have thought I was teasing him again, humiliating him with such "generosity".

"I need some air," I muttered, fleeing the hall.

I had done the right thing.

So why... did it feel like I had just made the biggest mistake of my life?

Tomorrow, our mate bond would be officially broken.

He would be completely free.

And I would begin my third wish, and my final offering.