My late mother's hairband appeared as a prize at the pack's ice hockey tournament. My mate，Westridge pack's next Alpha, had promised to win first place and bring it back for me. But he broke his word. He deliberately lost to the alpha's son of the Northern Border pack, just to claim the second-place prize — a flowing celestial gown. It was something my omega-blooded half-sister had been coveting for a long time. My mate said with a helpless, indulgent smile, "Lily's wolf awakening ceremony is coming up. It's the only thing she wants, and I promised to give it to her." My half-sister slipped into the gown, smug and coy as she turned to me. "Elder sister, isn't it bad luck to keep things that belonged to a dead woman?" My mate tried to soothe me. "When I come to propose, I'll have a custom piece made for you at the Silver Moon Jewelers — even more beautiful than your mother's." It was too late. Because before she died, my mother had said: whoever presented the hairband as a betrothal gift would have my hand in marriage. Three days later, I would be the wife of the Northern Border alpha's son. ........... "Second place in the ice hockey tournament — Nathaniel Voss, alpha's son of the Westridge pack. His prize: one flowing celestial gown." I stood on the viewing platform, watching a servant present the gown to Nathaniel, and felt as though I had been plunged into ice. He had finally broken his word. The scene I had witnessed before the match was still vivid in my mind. It was my half-sister, Lily Harmon, who had intercepted Nathaniel near the locker room, pulling at his sleeve with a pitiful expression. "Nate, my wolf awakening ceremony is in three days. Could you please give me that gown as a gift?" "My elder sister is the alpha's daughter, born of the luna. Her awakening ceremony will be grand and celebrated. I'm only omega-blooded — I can't compare to her. But I want beautiful things too." "My mother is a mistress. People look down on us. If I could wear the prize gown gifted by the lycan king's daughter herself to my ceremony, people would finally see my mother differently." "I'm asking for just this one thing. Will you do it, Nate?" "I have nothing. Just this once, I want to win something." Her eyes glistened with tears, and one fell — landing directly on Nathaniel's outstretched hand as he moved to wipe it away, burning him with something he mistook for tenderness. "Don't cry. I'll do it." "It's just — I already promised your elder sister I'd win back that hairband for her. She said it was her late mother's keepsake." Lily quickly dabbed her eyes and smiled. "It's fine. All the men in the tournament know Nate. Once one of them wins the hairband, which man really wants a piece of jewelry? We can buy it back for my sister with moonstone afterward." "I'll give every moonstone I've saved to buy it back for her." Her careful, timid manner stirred Nathaniel's pity beyond reason. "All right. I'll win that gown and give it to you." I closed my eyes and pressed my fists together. I heard their exchange before the match started but had no time to intervene before it began. I still held on to a thread of hope. After all, Nathaniel and I had been promised to each other since childhood — our two families had a verbal agreement. Three days from now was when the Voss family was due to arrive with a formal proposal. I thought that, at the very least, as my intended mate, he would honor this one wish of mine. I was wrong. He deliberately lost to Ethan Calloway, the Northern Border alpha's son, just to win that gown for Lily Harmon. "Oh dear, sister — Nate lost! He let someone else take the hairband." "Isn't that your mother's keepsake? What will you do? The Northern Border alpha's son and Nate have always been rivals. Do you think he'd ever sell it back to Nate?" So she already knew. That's why she had suggested buying it back — she had already calculated that Ethan would never agree. I looked at her steadily. "Sister, with a heart like a viper, does your precious Nate even know what you truly are?" Her expression shifted, but before she could speak, Nathaniel arrived with a crowd of people bearing the gown. Lily flung herself at him. "Thank you, Nate!"
The alpha daughters around them surged forward with envious sighs: "That gown was made by the most renowned seamstress in the pack — it took her three full months. And Nathaniel won it just for you, Lily!" "Nathaniel cares so much about you." "I heard the Harmon and Voss families go way back. They were going to arrange a match between their children." "So the Voss family had their eye on Lily all along? How enviable." Lily accepted the gown with a triumphant smile and disappeared to the back to try it on. Nathaniel watched her go with that familiar indulgent expression, then turned to me. "Evelyn, I know I broke my word to you. But Lily said it was the only thing she wanted for her awakening ceremony, and I couldn't refuse her." "As for the hairband — I don't know why the Northern Border alpha's son won't part with it. But it doesn't matter. When I come to propose, I'll have one custom-made at Silver Moon Jewelers — even more beautiful than the one your mother left you." I blinked back tears, my eyes burning. "I only fear there may never be another chance." Nathaniel looked regretful but stood there, unable to find the words. My half-sister emerged in the gown, tugging at Nathaniel's sleeve with a bright laugh. "Thank you, Nate. This is the best awakening ceremony gift I've ever received." Then she tilted her head at me, her voice dripping with mock comfort. "Sister, some things are over — why hold on? That hairband is beautiful, yes, but it's a dead woman's possession. Isn't it bad luck to cling to it?" "Would you really have Nate commission an exact replica of a dead woman's token as a proposal gift? Wouldn't that be terribly unlucky?" Nathaniel stepped in to smooth things over. "All right, it's my fault entirely — it's just a hairband. I'll have several made. When I come to propose, I'll bring them all as an apology to Evelyn." On the way back, when I stayed silent, Nathaniel finally lost patience. His expression hardened. "How long are you going to sulk over an object? The dead are gone. Aren't the living more important?" "Is your mother's old hairband worth more than Lily's awakening ceremony? She is your sister." "This behavior today — this pettiness — it's unworthy of an alpha's daughter. Think about that." "If you keep acting like this, I'll have to reconsider whether you're fit to be the luna of the Voss pack. This match — I may need to think it over." And with that, he mounted his horse and rode away. Three days later came Lily Harmon's wolf awakening ceremony. Her mother, the mistress Gloria Harmon, had been preparing for months. After my mother died, my father had showered his mistress and her daughter with favor, moving Gloria into my mother's quarters. Lily had always been treated as if she were an alpha's daughter by birth. If not for the influence of my maternal grandfather, my father would likely have made Gloria his new luna long ago. So for Lily's awakening ceremony, invitations went out to every luna and alpha daughter in the pack. And this same day was when the Voss family had agreed to arrive with their formal proposal. The hall was full of guests. Someone joked about when they could expect to toast both unions. Nathaniel caught my eye, looking slightly uncomfortable, then smiled. "Our families' match was always meant to be settled — I was thinking three months from now for the wedding date. Evelyn, does that suit you?" One of the lunas who knew both families spoke up. "Wasn't the original date set for one month from now?" Nathaniel lowered his gaze, his voice quieter. "Evelyn, we discussed this. Because your maternal grandfather won't allow Lily's mother to be formally recognized, Lily is still considered omega-blooded — it makes it harder for her to find a match." "Her situation is difficult. I truly feel for her." "I spoke with your father. He agreed that Lily should enter the Voss household first, one month from now, and then I would welcome you three months later." A hush fell over the entire room. Someone drew a sharp breath. "He's asking the omega-blooded daughter to take the luna's place — and sending the alpha's daughter in afterward?" I held Nathaniel's gaze and asked clearly, "Is this the decision of both the Voss family and my father? That Lily Harmon should be the Westridge alpha's son's luna?"
Nathaniel waved his hands quickly. "It's not a matter of luna or mistress. Lily said herself — even if she enters the household first as my mate, she will defer to you in all things once you arrive. She won't compete with you." He stepped toward me, urgent. "Evelyn, you are the lycan council elder's alpha daughter, and the granddaughter of a great general. Your standing in the pack is unquestionable. No one would dare look down on you, no matter what." "But Lily is different. She was born omega-blooded. Every step of her life has been a struggle. I only want to make things a little easier for her." "You'll only be two months behind, and Lily has already said — when you arrive, she won't ask you to take suppressants. She'll allow you to conceive and bear your own children. They can even be registered under her name and raised as alpha-born." He spoke with such feeling, seeming genuinely moved by Lily's so-called generosity. The expressions on the guests' faces said everything: "Has the Voss pack lost their minds?" "What is Elder Harmon thinking — sending his alpha daughter in as a second wife?" "If the General hears about this, he'll ride back from the Northern Garrison and tear this place apart." Nathaniel's face cycled between pale and red. Lily drifted over in her celestial gown, voice soft as silk. "Sister, please say yes." "Nate has such a kind heart. He pities my circumstances — that's why he thought of this." I let out a cold laugh. "You call your circumstances pitiful? Your mother moved into my mother's quarters three days after her death. My mother's jewelry was claimed by her. And you took over my rooms — the most comfortable in the house — claiming you preferred them." "Your food, your clothing, your jewels — you always had the first pick of everything, and better than what I had as the alpha's daughter. Tell me, sister — where exactly is the hardship you speak of?" The guests looked her over. The celestial gown she wore was the very prize Nathaniel had won for her at the tournament. Its value needed no explanation. On her head sat a jeweled crown from Silver Moon Jewelers — their signature piece, worth a hundred moonstones. Her embroidered slippers were adorned with Eastern pearls, impossibly opulent. By contrast, I stood in clean, simple attire — and somehow appeared more plainly dressed than she did. "That outfit costs a fortune. Even the most celebrated alpha daughters in the pack don't dress like that. She has the nerve to call herself an unloved, omega-blooded girl?" "Just that crown alone is worth a hundred moonstones." "Even her mother's cloud-silk robe is worth thousands. Those two dress grander than most lunas." "The actual alpha's daughter here looks positively understated by comparison." Lily retreated a step, tears clinging to her lashes, looking at Nathaniel. "That's not true, Nate. Father only asked me to dress this way today, for the ceremony, so as not to lose face in front of guests. These clothes aren't really mine." "This crown and the jewelry — Father said they were meant for my sister." I smiled softly. "Father said they were meant for me? Pearl — make a note. After the ceremony, please go to the second young miss's room and collect all the crown jewels and accessories for return to my quarters." My maid Pearl pressed her lips into a smile. "Yes, Miss Evelyn." Nathaniel snapped, "Enough, Evelyn — it's just a crown. Why must you back your own sister into a corner? All this petty bickering — it's completely beneath an alpha's daughter." "I had my doubts about whether you were treating Lily poorly. Now I'm starting to wonder just how much you've been bullying her when I wasn't around." He stepped in front of Lily, clasping her hand tightly. "She will be the future luna of this house. She doesn't stoop to counting jewelry." "Besides, when Lily is formally wed, your father has agreed to send her off with a hundred-box dowry. She couldn't care less about a few pieces of jewelry."
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