The Ninetieth Bonding Ceremony

"I was known throughout the Shadow Pack as the perfect, obedient she-wolf.So obedient, in fact, that when my mate David left me during our eighty-eighth Bonding Ceremony, I still chose to forgive him.Until that fateful day—our eighty-ninth ceremony—when an anonymous werewolf gifted us a wedding present worth five hundred million dollars.The screen meant to play our sweet memories suddenly switched to a live broadcast:Amy, auctioning off her virginity for exactly five hundred million dollars.In our Pack, the first night symbolizes the deepest loyalty and love between true mates.If a she-wolf loses her first night to someone other than her mate, she is shunned by the entire Pack—branded with shame and rejection.Tears shimmered in Amy’s eyes as she looked straight into the camera, like it was her final goodbye.“David, if I can’t be your mate, then my purity means nothing.”“I only hope… you’ll never forget me.”David didn’t even hesitate. He threw away our moonstone ring and bolted from the ceremony hall.The Pack murmured in stunned disbelief.Everyone knew one thing:I loved David—but David only had eyes for his so-called savior, Amy.Now, the only question anyone whispered about was whether we’d make it to the ninetieth Bonding Ceremony.But I knew the truth—There would never be a ninetieth.So I left, my heart shattered in silence.But later, I heard he had regretted everything he had done—And had been desperately searching for me ever since.Because the truth was,I was the one who saved his life—not Amy."