Kyle’s favorite phrase was always“when the time is right.” When his position as Alpha was secure,he would place the Moonstone on me,making me his one and only Luna.I waited for two years. When his mother accepted my low birth,we would hold our formal bonding ceremony.I waited another three years. In the fifth year,at the victory banquet celebrating Kyle’s consolidation of all his territories,his mother,the proud former Luna,publicly unclasped the Moonstone from her neck. It was a relic passed down through generations of the pack,bestowed upon the future Luna as a sign of acceptance into the bloodline. This time,I thought,I wouldn't have to wait anymore. “Come,child.” However,holding the softly glowing stone,she walked past me and placed it securely around the neck of Layla,who was sitting beside me. The entire long table of werewolves fell silent. The former Luna patted Layla’s hand.“Layla grew up with Kyle.Her parents died protecting the pack,so she is family to us.” My hand was still on the table,my claws digging into my palm,my fingertips ice-cold. Someone whispered,“Then what about Ila…” Kyle leaned in,his voice low enough for only me to hear.“My mother is just feeling sentimental about old friends.Don't take it to heart.” “Next month,I'll conquer the Black Rock tribe and bring you their chieftain's skull as a wine cup.Be good,just wait a little longer.” Layla held up the Moonstone on her chest and smirked at me,her smile a taunt.“Isn't it beautiful,sister Ila?The former Luna said it's a sacred object that has absorbed a hundred years of moonlight.” I said it was beautiful. Just then,the communication crystal hidden in my leather armor vibrated. “Have you made up your mind?When are you coming to the Land of the Elders?” … “Why aren't you talking?” In the off-road vehicle on the way back,Kyle,steering with one hand,glanced at me. The moonlight cast hard shadows on his statuesque profile. I pulled my gaze back from the forest outside the window.“There's nothing to say.” Kyle sighed and stopped the car by a small stream. He freed his right hand and reached across the center console,habitually trying to stroke the back of my neck—a gesture of comfort among werewolves for their mates. I tilted my head slightly,avoiding his touch. His hand froze in mid-air for a moment. He then smoothly retracted it,placing it back on the steering wheel.“Still sulking about the Moonstone?” His tone held the weary condescension one uses with a misbehaving cub. “You know my mother's temperament.She values ancient bloodlines above all else.” “Layla's parents died in battle.She grew up in our home,and my mother has always felt indebted to her.” “It's just a stone.So she gave it to her.Did you really have to give me a long face in front of the entire pack?” I hadn't said a word.I had just quietly torn into my piece of roasted meat. But in his eyes,my failure to smile and flatter Layla's gloating was a breach of decorum. “Kyle,”I said his name calmly. “Hm?” “You promised me that Moonstone five years ago.”
The car fell silent for a second. The howl of a lone wolf echoed in the distance,a reminder that he should be continuing his patrol of the territory. Kyle restarted the engine,the vehicle crunching over the gravel road. “I was just a challenger back then.It was just something I said to appease you.You actually took it seriously?” He let out a short,dismissive laugh. “Does the Howling Wind Pack now lack for a single,worthless stone?” “Next month,I'll crush the Black Rock tribe.I'll give you their chieftain's skull as a wine cup.That's way cooler than some stupid rock.” “Come on,don't get hung up on such trivial things.” He was always like this. Using the most domineering tone to casually crush every hope I held. Five years ago,Kyle was still a challenger.In the forest,he had woven a bracelet for me from the fangs of some unknown beast. He put it on my wrist,his eyes red with emotion. “Ila,when I become Alpha,I will make my mother place the Moonstone around your neck with her own hands.” “I want every wolf pack in the Northern Reaches to know that you are my one and only Luna.” I still wore that fang bracelet. It had been imbued with my scent,becoming as smooth and warm as jade. The car pulled up to the wooden cabin in the woods. Kyle unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to look at me. “Tomorrow is the full moon.Want to go to Moonlight Falls?I'll spend the whole day with you.” In the past,I would have eagerly prepared wine and food,looking forward to a whole night just for the two of us. But now,I just felt tired. “No,thanks.”I pushed open the car door. “I have to tend to my herb garden tomorrow.” Kyle got out,locked the car,and caught up to me in a few strides. He wrapped his arms around my waist from behind,resting his chin on my shoulder and nuzzling the side of my neck. “Are you really mad?”
His breath ghosted over my ear.“Layla is so excited about the Moonstone she can't sleep.She wants me to go with her tomorrow to test its power.” “You know how she is,she can't control her own strength well.She's relied on me since we were kids.” “I'll go with her in the morning and be back in the afternoon to be with you,okay?” “Okay,”I said softly. Kyle chuckled in satisfaction,pressing an uncomfortable kiss to my cheek. “I knew my Ila was the most understanding.” Back in the cabin,Kyle went straight to the bathroom to shower. I walked to the entrance and,from a leather pouch hanging there,took out a scroll made of a special tree bark. It was an acceptance letter for advanced studies in the Land of the Elders,specializing in the ancient art of Soul-Healing. On the bottom line was my name,which I had just signed this afternoon in wolf's blood. I took it out and placed it in the hidden compartment of a bag I had already half-packed. The sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. I walked out to the balcony and sent a mental message to my senior in the Land of the Elders. [Silas,I'll be leaving at dawn the day after tomorrow.] He replied instantly:[Finally saw the light?That's more like it!Why suffer through that marathon of misery?Come to the Land of the Elders,and I'll show you every kind of handsome wolf on the continent!] I looked at the faint light shimmering in the crystal and smiled faintly.
The next morning,I was awakened by the sound of Kyle’s deliberately hushed roar. He was standing on the balcony,holding his communication crystal. “A crack?Is it serious?” “It's fine if the stone is cracked,as long as no one's hurt.” “Don't cry,it's just a stone.I'm on my way.” His voice was laced with concern. I lay in bed,staring blankly at the wooden ceiling. Five minutes later,he pushed open the bedroom door. Seeing my eyes open,he paused,then quickly walked over. “Did I wake you?” He sat on the edge of the bed,reaching out to touch my face. I turned my head away and sat up. “Are you going out?”I asked. Kyle's hand froze in mid-air and he awkwardly pulled it back. “Layla tried to test the Moonstone's power this morning and accidentally knocked it against the altar.She's crying her eyes out.” “I have to go check on her.She lives alone,I'm worried.” As he spoke,he quickly shed his pajamas and changed into his combat leathers. “I'll skip breakfast.Just go into the woods and catch something for yourself.” I watched him expertly tighten his vambraces. “Kyle.” “What is it?”He didn't turn around,fixing his messy hair in the reflection of a water basin. “I want to go see that plot of land in the southern valley today.” His hand stilled. The southern valley.We had talked about it six months ago. He had said it would be our future cubs'nursery,and that as soon as his position as Alpha was stable,he would designate it as our private territory. Kyle turned,his expression a little unnatural. “That land isn't going anywhere.” “Layla is very unstable right now.I have to go comfort her first.” “Once this blows over,I'll take you to pick an even better spot,one with more spiritual energy.The southern valley is too close to human territory anyway.” I looked at him,my gaze calm. “Okay.” Kyle visibly relaxed. He walked over and placed a hurried kiss on my forehead. “Be good.I'll be back.”
He left.I got up and went to the kitchen. I opened the ice cellar;it was filled with all sorts of game. I took out two bird eggs and a pouch of milk-tree sap. As I fried the eggs,memories surfaced uncontrollably. Back then,we lived in a cave. Every day,Kyle would wake up before me and go into the forest to find the freshest honey and berries for me. Once,I casually mentioned wanting to eat the fire frogs from the western marshes. He ran for half the night through acid rain to catch them for me. When he returned,the fire frogs were still alive and hopping,but a large patch of his own fur had been corroded away by the rain. “If Ila wants to eat something,I'll get it for her even if it's raining knives,”Kyle had said then. And now? Even accompanying me to see the land he had promised had become an inconvenience he could casually dismiss. I plated the fried eggs. As I poured the sap,my hand slipped,and some spilled on the stone table. I grabbed some moss to wipe it up but accidentally knocked over a bottle next to it. It was a vial of high-concentration“wolfsbane”extract. The dark brown liquid oozed out,emitting a pungent smell. I stared at the puddle,my stomach churning. I'm severely allergic to high-concentration wolfsbane. Kyle had brought this vial back two days ago. Because Layla had said she felt vampires lurking around the territory,and wolfsbane could strengthen their defenses. Kyle had even forgotten that the strong scent of wolfsbane alone made it hard for me to breathe and left me feeling weak all over. I threw the moss into the fire,burning it to ash along with the plate of eggs and the vial of extract. Then,I went back to the bedroom and pulled out three large leather trunks from under the bed. I started to pack. There wasn't much that was truly mine. A few healer's robes,a few ancient medical texts,a stone mortar for grinding herbs. The rest were things Kyle had brought back for me from his hunts. Trophies that were powerful but ill-suited for me. He always armed me according to Layla’s tastes. “Layla says bear-skin cloaks are imposing.You should try one.” “Layla says this model of bone-splinter dagger is perfect for a girl's self-defense.I made one for you too.” I gathered all those things and stacked them neatly in the deepest part of the storage room.
At three in the afternoon,Kyle returned. He pushed open the door and froze,seeing the three large leather trunks piled in the living room. “What are you doing?” He strode over,his brow furrowed. “Sorting furs for the winter?” I tied the last leather strap. “Getting rid of old things.” Kyle's gaze fell on an unsealed trunk. Inside were the horn cups we drank from on our first date,and the white wolf doll he had given me. His face darkened. “Ila,are you ever going to let this go?” He snatched the horn cup out and slammed it onto the stone table. “You've been throwing a tantrum since last night over a stupid rock!” “Now you're throwing this stuff out?What's next?Are you going to tell me you're leaving this home?” I straightened up and looked at him calmly. “Yes.” Kyle laughed,a sound laced with fury. “Fine.You've grown bold.” He yanked open the leather tie at his collar,sat down in a chair,and watched me coldly. “Where are you going to go?To your friend Kora's cave?Or back to that birthplace of yours that never even sees the moonlight?” “Ila,you're not a cub that needs protecting anymore.Can you stop acting like a little she-wolf,playing this'running away from home'game all the time?” “Do you really think I'll come begging for you to come back if you're gone for a few days?”
He was convinced I couldn't leave him. Convinced I was just using this clumsy method to force him to bow his head to me. I offered no explanation. I just silently placed the horn cup back in the trunk and tied the leather strap. “Think whatever you want.” Kyle watched my actions,a flicker of irritation in his eyes. He stood up,walked over to me,and softened his tone. “Alright,stop it.” “Tomorrow is our five-year anniversary.” “I've booked the top-floor table at the Moonlight Restaurant.After dinner,we'll go pick out a blood-diamond ring.” “As for the southern valley,I'll have my Beta go plant our pack flag there tomorrow and write your name on the deed.” “Does that work for you?” He thought this was the greatest concession an Alpha could possibly make. I looked at his familiar yet alien face and smiled. “Okay.” I nodded. “See you tomorrow.” Kyle let out a sigh of relief and ruffled my hair. “That's my good girl.” He didn't know that in my bag,I already had a map for tomorrow's journey. I had fourteen hours until my departure.
The next morning,Kyle left early for the pack council meeting.Before he left,he planted a kiss on my forehead. “I'll pick you up at six tonight.” “Wear that white moonlight dress.It looks good on you.” The moment the door closed,I turned and walked into the closet. That white dress hung in the most prominent spot. It was the same style as Layla's. I didn't touch it. I changed into a simple linen shirt and leather pants. This was what I used to wear most often the year I met Kyle. I dragged the three sealed trunks outside and called the pack's transport team. I had them sent to a friend who recycled old goods. “Ila,this stuff is still pretty new.Are you sure you don't want it?”my friend asked through the communication crystal. “I don't.Please get rid of it for me.” After ending the call,I looked around. This spacious wooden cabin,once filled to the brim by me. The cushions on the sofa,I had sewn by hand. The herbs on the balcony,I had nurtured one by one. The pottery in the kitchen,I had traded for at the human market. Now,they were all still in their places. But all personal traces of me were completely gone. As if I had never lived here at all. Just then,the communication crystal vibrated. It was a mental message from Kyle. [Ila,I'm sorry,but we might have to cancel dinner tonight.] [Layla got hit by a rampaging horned deer at the training grounds.Her ankle is sprained and swollen like a ball.] [I have to take her to see the High Priest.] [We'll go look at blood-diamond rings in a few days,okay?]
I stared at the light on the crystal,not replying. A moment later,another message came through. [Are you mad?Don't be.I promise I'll make it up to you tomorrow.] Make it up to me.Again. I silenced the crystal and tossed it on the bed. I went to the kitchen and cooked myself a bowl of clear noodle soup. This was my last meal in this territory. Just as the noodles were ready,the lock clicked. Kyle pushed the door open,a hurried look on his face. Seeing me standing in the kitchen with a bowl of noodles,he froze. I placed the bowl on the dining table,pulled out a chair,and sat down. “Weren't you at the High Priest's with Layla?” Kyle walked over and poured himself a glass of water. “Layla said she was craving the pastries from that elven bakery in the west district.I came back to get the Raptor from the garage to go buy them for her.” The west district. The place where he had once braved acid rain to catch fire frogs for me. Now,he was about to cross half the Northern Reaches for Layla's pastries. “Ila,are you being moody again?” Seeing my silence,Kyle's brow furrowed again. “I already told you,Layla's hurt.I can't just leave her alone,can I?” “Can't you be more considerate of the difficulties I face as an Alpha?” I lifted a chopstick full of noodles to my mouth. It was bland,tasteless. “I'm not being moody,”I said calmly. “Go buy them.Don't keep her waiting.” Kyle gave me a suspicious look. He seemed surprised by my excessive calm today. But he was in a hurry to leave and didn't press the matter. “I'm leaving then.I probably won't be back tonight.Layla's scared to be alone,so I have to stay the night at the Priest's Tower.” “You go to bed early.” He grabbed his car keys and turned to leave. As he reached the door,he suddenly stopped.
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