Silvermoon Healer : the Alpha's Broken Bond

All my life, my greatest desire has been to gain recognition—not as a "silver-fur from a small pack," but as a respected healer, and a mate who is more than just a name on a mating bond. I once thought that in the cold Blackmane Pack, I could find a glimmer of hope through Lucian's gentle courtship and the elders' recognition of our fated mate bond. But when I walked into the Moon Gathering, all I saw was him dancing with Mira under the full moon, while pack members whispered, "She will never be our Alpha female." Mira even stepped closer, her voice laced with malice: "Everyone is hoping he forgets about you... and so am I." Betrayal, isolation, the shattering of all illusions. On the night after the coronation ceremony, I huddled in the corner of the cave, tears soaking the animal hide. Yet I still clung tightly to my herb house and persisted in my healing work—even though Lucian treated me like a stranger. But fate loves to rub salt in wounds. Once, when I followed the hunting party to gather silver-leaf grass, Mira "accidentally" pushed me into the icy river. I watched Lucian leap into the water, only to swim straight toward her, leaving me to cling desperately to the rocks alone. His voice was as cold as the river water: "Seraphina! Hold on!" My fingers tightened around the slippery stone, but my heart was colder than the river itself. Did our mate bond really mean nothing to him?