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I was born different. @
My soul held two “Soul–Sparks,” a gift from the Moon Goddess.
It was the only thing that made the pack elders, and my Alpha, Damien, look at me twice.
Because his childhood friend, Seraphina, an important she–wolf in our pack, was fading. An old shadow curse was weakening her wolf spirit.
The elders decided that I, as Damien’s fated mate, with my rare twin Soul–Sparks, could give one up to keep Seraphina alive.
Later, Damien and I mated. The moonlight saw our vows.
He used to be my only star, the one who saved me from the loneliness of being an outsider in my own birth pack.
I thought he’d be different from those elders who only cared about my gift.
But when Seraphina’s curse got worse, he got obsessed. In that hard Alpha voice no one questions, he demanded I give up one of my Soul–Sparks.
But he didn’t know I’d already given up a Soul–Spark once.
The other half of its bond was already in his own burning chest.
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“It’s just one Soul–Spark, Elara. How can you be so selfish?”
“Weren’t you born to protect the pack, to ease your Alpha’s burdens?”
Damien’s fingers, like iron, clamped onto my wrist. The smell of pine and storm coming off him nearly choked me.
“But I want to live too! Without my Soul–Spark, my wolf spirit will just fade, I begged, my voice hoarse with fear.
Damien’s handsome face tightened for a second, then became even more determined.
“You have two Soul–Sparks. Give one up. You’ll still be a strong mate to an Alpha. You’ll still live.”
“But Seraphina’s different. Without this spark from you, her wolf will die out completely. The pack will lose an important warrior.”
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Damien ignored my useless struggles, dragging me towards the pack’s central altar chamber.
I tried to explain, helpless, tears blurring my vision.
“I only have one whole Soul–Spark left now!”
“You heard the Moon Priestess’s reading, didn’t you? My spirit–light is dimmer than a normal
person’s!”
Damien wouldn’t listen. His golden wolf eyes burned with a stubbornness I didn’t recognize.
“Who knows what tricks you’ve pulled to avoid giving it up? You even dare say the Priestess’s reading was messed with!”
Damien thought I’d messed with the priestess’s judgment, or that one of my twin sparks was just naturally weaker and not a big deal to lose.
“No, Damien! When I was little, my pack faced disaster. I already gave up a Soul–Spark to calm a mountain spirit’s anger!” I yelled out the secret I’d kept hidden deep inside.
“Enough, Elara!” Damien cut me off harshly, his voice a low growl, heavy with Alpha power. “I’m just asking you to save Seraphina. Why are you being so stubborn?”
“I’m not lying. The other half of my Soul–Spark’s bond… it’s in you. It beats with your wolf spirit,” my voice dropped, soft with a desperate tenderness.
Damien didn’t really hear what I said, or maybe he didn’t want to. He just walked straight to where Seraphina was being prepared.
The other pack elders and warriors in the altar chamber froze too.
Then someone muttered, low and scornful.
“Trying to sway the Alpha with sweet talk at a time like this? Disgusting.”
“Seraphina is on the brink of death, and she’s over here whispering shameless nonsense to the Alpha.”
Only a few core members knew the details of my mating with Damien.
Many of the younger wolves in the pack didn’t even know I was the true mate of the Alpha.
Plus, with Seraphina being sick, Damien had been the one taking care of everything for her, so many in the pack thought Seraphina was Damien’s future Luna.
And Damien never bothered to explain, just let the rumors spread.
“Exactly. Not thinking about saving her packmate, just trying to secure her own position.”
“Your Soul–Spark is wasted on you.”
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Hearing the other wolves, I wanted to scream the truth.
“Actually, I’m the one who’s…”
Damien came out from the preparation area, grabbing my hand again. His palm was burning hot, like he wanted to brand my skin.
“Today, you must give up your Soul–Spark”
“Seraphina is already on the altar. You’re next.”
Then Damien pulled a piece of bone from his tunic, carved with ancient runes.
“I’ve already had the High Priestess prepare the ritual circle. You go up there now.”
On the altar, I saw Seraphina. She looked so weak it made everyone around her pity her. But the sickeningly sweet smell of wildflowers on her made me feel nauseous.
“My Moon–blessed mate… don’t worry. Damien will make sure you live a long, healthy life. We’ll all be grateful to you.”
Seraphina didn’t object to being called “Moon–blessed mate.” Instead, she gave a weak little smile, a hidden, challenging glint in her eyes.
“It’s all my fault, making sister Elara sacrifice so much for me.”
Her words were full of self–blame, but the look she gave me was pure triumph.
The other wolves heard this and thought Seraphina was kind and considerate, while I was
heartless and selfish.
Damien comforted Seraphina for a moment, then, ignoring my terrified struggles – I even half–unsheathed my claws he roughly pushed me onto the cold stone slab of the altar.
He ordered the Moon Priestess to quickly bind me with special vines.
After a moment, my violent struggles gradually stopped, lulled by the priestess’s hypnotic whispers and the strange scent from the vines.
Damien leaned down, his breath brushing my hair, a tiny, almost unnoticeable tremor in it.
“Don’t worry, Elara. I’ll make sure you live. I’ll protect you with my Alpha strength.”
The pack’s High Priestess had performed similar soul–essence transfers before, so Damien was confident he could keep me alive after the sacrifice.
“When Seraphina recovers, the whole pack will accept you, respect you. And I’ll always be by your side, my… Luna. His last two words were barely a whisper.
