I had no idea what the Grandmaster of the Northern Pack planned to ask of Lewis. But I knew one thing—power in our world never cos free. The Moon Goddess does not grant miracles without balance. If keeping my life ant Lewis had to give up sothing sacred—his rank, his strength, his future as Alpha—then I would rather fade.
Lewis had already given more love than I ever deserved.
How could I ask him to sacrifice more?
I pounded on the heavy wooden door of the temple chamber again and again. Each ti my hand hit it, a wave of golden energy pushed back. It felt like running into an invisible wall woven from pack magic and ancient vows.
What else can I do?
My gaze lifted to the towering statue of the Moon Goddess at the altar. The air around it humd with old power, thick and heavy like the night of a full moon. I dropped to my knees, bowing low, over and over again, my forehead almost touching the cold stone floor.
"If soone must lose their life, let it be ," I whispered. "Lewis deserves to live. He deserves to lead his pack."
"I have nothing left. No body. No place in the pack. Just this thin, unstable soul. There is nothing more that can be taken from ."
A soft silver light from the statue brushed over . It was faint, but warm. For a second, I felt seen. As if sothing ancient and watchful was listening.
"Elena."
Lewis’s voice ca from behind . Deep. Familiar. Steady.
I spun around and saw him standing just a few steps away. He looked exhausted, but his presence was strong, like the Alpha he was born to be.
Without thinking, I rushed toward him. He pulled into his arms. We couldn’t feel skin against skin, but our bond wrapped around us like a current. I could feel it in my chest, pulling tight.
I rose slightly and leaned close to his ear. "I don’t know what’s going to happen next," I murmured, "but if you can hear , there’s sothing I have to say."
"Mm?" he answered softly, waiting.
"In the past, I was just grateful," I said. "Everything you did for moved . I didn’t know if what I felt was love or just relief. I kept telling myself there was ti. That we could take it slow. But now... I regret it. I regret not telling you sooner."
I lifted my hand and traced the line of his brow. Even without a body, I saw him shiver slightly. The silver light from the altar reflected in his eyes, and in them I saw myself—not the broken shell I had been hiding in.
Elena.
Not a borrowed body. Not a ghost.
.
"With the Moon Goddess as my witness," I said quietly, my voice steady now, "I, Elena Sander, vow that in this life and every life after, I belong only to Lewis. As his mate, as his bonded one. To live is to stand beside him. To die is to remain his, even in spirit. If I break this vow, may my soul be scattered to the winds."
"Elena."
His expression shifted. He lifted his hand and gently pressed it over my mouth.
"In the presence of the Goddess," he said softly, "don’t speak reckless vows."
I caught his hand and held it tightly. "I’m not being reckless. Every word is from my heart. Now you can stop worrying, can’t you? Even if I remain like this, I will stay with you. Forever. Do you understand?"
"Even if you take another mate one day, even if you build a new pack and have pups—"
"Elena." His voice hardened slightly, Alpha instinct rising beneath it. "In this life, you are my only mate. I will never claim another. No matter how long I stand alone."
He held my gaze. "And who says you will stay like this forever?"
Hope flickered in . "Can I return to Riley’s body?"
He nodded slowly. "Think of it like a pack accepting a new mber. Sotis the instincts reject what doesn’t belong. But sotis... with the right bond, it accepts."
"How do I go back?"
"It’s not difficult," he said. "There’s just one thing we need to do."
"What?"
"Your soul is unstable," he explained gently. "Even if you return today, it could slip again. If your true form is hard, you won’t be able to co back. We need to anchor you. Strengthen the bond."
I narrowed my eyes. "Lewis, did the Grandmaster demand sothing from you? If this costs you your Alpha status, your strength, anything that weakens you—I would rather stay by your side like this. We can hunt our enemies together. Even if it takes a hundred years."
He let out a soft breath. "You’re overthinking. How could stabilizing your soul harm ?"
He opened his hand.
Resting in his palm was a pendant shaped like a droplet. It glowed faintly under the temple lights. The stone looked like moonstone, but brighter. Pure white with thin red lines inside it, like veins. It shimred softly, alive with energy.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A Soul-Binding Pendant."
I blinked. "Just wearing it is enough?"
"Yes."
I frowned. "No price? No blood oath? Don’t lie to ."
He shook his head. "I promised the Grandmaster the pack would restore the temple grounds and fund the protection wards. That’s all."
I walked around him slowly, watching for signs of strain. The only obvious injury was his knee, swollen from kneeling in the snow.
"Are you sure?" I asked again.
He sighed. "Fine. There’s one more thing. We need a drop of blood from Lena and Grant. Their bloodline must acknowledge you as Riley’s daughter. Only then will the body fully accept you."
My heart jumped. "My mom. She’s flying back today to finalize the separation from Grant."
"I know," he said calmly. "I’ve already contacted Lena and Grant. They’re heading to the pack hospital."
I looked at him sharply. "Mom is pregnant. Don’t stress her."
"I’m being careful," he replied.
He extended his hand to . I placed mine over it, and we walked away from the altar together. Still, sothing in my chest felt unsettled. Like this wasn’t the whole truth.
I glanced back at the statue. The Goddess looked down, silent and unreadable.
She gave no answers.
Outside, the sky was slowly turning pale. The storm had faded without noticing. A beam of golden light broke through the clouds, washing over the mountains. The world no longer felt trapped in darkness.
"Lewis, it’s beautiful," I said softly.
He turned to . "Yes. It is."
"Elena."
He said my na gently, and I snapped back to him. He pulled into his arms again.
"I love you," he said. "Forever."
A strange unease stirred inside . I looked up at him, but he didn’t quite et my eyes. The sunrise bathed him in gold, softening the sharp edges of his usual dominance. For a mont, he looked untouchable. Like a king standing above the clouds.
It made afraid.
Afraid he might disappear.
I reached for him quickly. "Lewis..."
He placed his hand gently on my head, his expression warm. "Let’s go," he said quietly. "Elena, I’ll take you ho."
"Alright," I answered. "Let’s go ho."
I don’t know what the future holds. But right now, I have Lewis’s love. And that makes feel stronger than anything.
Back at the car, sothing strange happened. He could hold my hand with perfect accuracy. He couldn’t sense before unless he could see , but now his grip felt certain.
"Lewis, can you see ?"
He lifted the droplet pendant slightly. "With this."
I studied it. "This pendant has nothing to do with . How can it make visible?"
"It does," he said.
He kept his eyes on the road as he drove down the mountain, his profile calm and strong. "Do you rember the string of beads with your ashes? The one Luke photographed?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"On the day the pack statue cracked, I saw you too," he admitted. "But I wasn’t Alpha yet. I didn’t have the authority to speak."
His smile was small and almost helpless. My chest tightened. "I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were there."
"You couldn’t have noticed," he said softly. "When the statue fell, Luke’s bracelet snapped. One bead rolled toward . I felt... sothing. Instinct. So I kept it."
That explained why one bead had been missing.
"So how is that connected to this pendant?" I asked.
"You later told it held your ashes," he said. "I brought that bead to Mount Spiritus. The Grandmaster reshaped it into this pendant. Your ashes are inside."
He turned to then, serious.
"Elena, this is your anchor. Your sacred object. From now on, you must never take it off."
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