Vanc

d, to attend a private family dinner. I knew it was about

lence was so thick you could have sliced it with the steak knives we held. The clinking of silve

he silence and died. Ryker stared down at his plate, methodically cutting his steak into precise, angry little pieces, his

a lone pea around with my fork, wishin

tensils down with a soft click. "The Mating Moon is next week," she said, he

The one night when the Moon Goddess herself was said to reveal the fated mates for all werewolves of age.

a soft, cont

en this year. Even though..." She trailed off, the unspoken words-*even though

was trying to give me hope. And despite everything, a wild, insane fan

f the Goddess ch

, that it was almost painful. But it was

ment. "Stop with the old myths. I will choose my own mate. She

a fraction of a second, and the message

g itself. "Ryker. You will respect the will of

low and challenging. The air between father and son crack

tainty, leaving nothing but a wisp of smoke. But the Luna's

o believe. As long

only ever brought me pain. If the Goddess herself declared me his, he

on as it was over, I fled to my room. I walked to the window, star

ure even listened to the likes of me. I prayed with every fiber of my bei

d for a

It was enough to make me forget, for a little while, the humi

ld stand before the pack and the Goddess. I w

hear me... please. Just th