When He Chose Another Under the Moon

After two years away studying in distant lands, I had cut my time short, my heart eager to return to Solaria and the life I thought awaited memarriage to him.

While arranging the furnishings of the home we had long dreamed of, my hands froze over a hidden chest. Inside were countless parchmentstravel permits, meticulously kept, each marked with the seal of Lunaria. Kyle Blackthorne, my mate of ten years, had been journeying there every month, and it was never for me. Not once, even when I was only a days ride from his destination.

The night I had chosen to meet him at the grove where he intended to claim me as his mate, I arrived early, only to find him kneeling before another.

Selindra Moonshire, he intoned, voice steady and eyes alight, will you accept me as your mate? Speak your answer, and I shall abandon all else at once.

The anticipation in his gaze pinned me to the spot. My pawsor rather, my legswould not carry me closer. If I was not the one he desired to bind his life with, then perhaps it was best that they claimed this union.

Yet, when I fled into the moonlit forests, he crossed seas and mountains, the call of our bond compelling him to hunt the world over for me.

The grove shimmered under the glow of enchanted lanterns, roses spiraling around every post, the air thick with the scent of night-blooming petals. Kyle, on one knee, mirrored the countless visions I had cherished of our proposal. But the figure standing before him was not me.

Selindra, will you mate with me?

She trembled, one hand shielding her lips, the other accepting the cluster of roses he offered. A moonstone ring glinted as he slid it onto her finger, the circle sealing their bond. Their bodies pressed together, whispers of devotion carried by the wind to my ears.

I found my own hand tracing the moonstone Kyle had sent me from across the sea. I had never told him it was too loose. To prevent it from slipping, I had wrapped a strand of crimson thread around it, binding it to my finger. Perhaps, after all this time, when I tugged at it in longing, the thread unraveled. The ring slipped free and rolled away into the shadows, just as Kyle, after two long years abroad, had freed himself from me.

An ill-fitting ring, I thought bitterly, need not be reclaimed, just as a mate who never loved me need not be held.

Kyle, may your union unfold as planned, I murmured.

Why? The only one I desire is you! he cried across the distance.

Because I intend to crash your ceremony! Only then will it prove your heart belongs to me alone!

I faltered. Curiosity, sharp as a fang, drove me to see how far he would go to spite Selindra.

You cunning fool, only you could devise such a scheme! he laughed.

Id better prepare a second pair of boots, so I can outrun you when we flee together!

Do you truly intend to do this to Sandra?

Marrying her to honor my promise is already the furthest I can go. If she cannot prevent her mate from being claimed at the altar, she cannot fault me.

Their laughter, full and reckless, pierced my chest like icy claws. I stumbled, pressed my back to a tree, legs trembling, unable to move. Fearing that my sobs might alert them, I pressed my hand to my mouth and retreated. Yet halfway through the forest path, my strength failed, and I collapsed into the underbrush.

Home offered little solace. I dialed my mentor, my voice tight with emotion.

Professor, I will join the research expedition you spoke of, I said, each word a struggle against the sting of my bruised knees.

My advisors voice softened with concern and curiosity. I thought you intended to settle in Solaria after the bonding ceremony. Has your mate agreed to long-distance? You know the strain of separation. Are you certain you do not wish to reconsider?

The ceremony is ended. From this moment, I devote myself entirely to our work, I said, pressing my hands to the scrapes and bruises, feeling each pulse of pain.

He, who had always treated me as a daughter of the pack, sensed the unrest immediately. I will place your name on todays roster. Return soon; the work will keep your mind from dwelling on what cannot be undone. Remember, it is not the duty of a loyal heart to chase those who do not value it.

If not for the towering pile of travel permits, I might have dismissed his words: he does not love you as you believed. But the truth lay bare. Each month, Kyle had crossed vast lands to be with Selindra, while my brief encounters after tiresome journeys had been the rarest joys of my life.

As I made my way to the grove, I tried to imagine his travels had been for duty or work. But seeing him claim Selindrathe very one who had haunted my childhoodproved the truth. Selindra had barred him from me, leaving him to weave stories of longing and sorrow to veil the reality of his devotion. He knew full well the animosity between us, yet allowed me to be humiliated in their union to satisfy her.

I sank into the warmth of a bath, letting it still the tremors that shook my frame, when a summons reached me:

Sandra, his voice called across the distance, carrying the resonance of our mindlink. Where are you? The moon rises over the seaside grove!

I remained silent, my chest tight, my mind a storm of betrayal and disbelief.

Kyles voice, usually so steady, trembled slightly with concern. Sandra, what weighs upon you? Are you upset?

I Im at home, I replied quietly, avoiding the moonstone glow of our shared mindlink. I dont wish to go to the grove today.

There was a pause, the kind that carries the weight of unspoken worries. Then he spoke again, gently, as if coaxing a trembling wolf from the shadows. Very well. I shall come to you at once.

He asked no questions about my refusal. It wasnt the depth of his devotion that made him so deferential. Rather, it was that his moonstone bond with Selindra had already been sealed beneath the ceremonial light of the full moon. I existed only as a contingency, a safety net in case the proposal faltered.

When he entered the chamber, I had just stepped from the warm steam of the bath. Behind him stood Selindra, her presence a thorn I had no desire to touch.

Why have you brought her here? I asked, my voice sharp as a wolfs growl. My fangs were metaphorical, yet the edge in my tone was real.

Kyles gaze faltered, and he rubbed the bridge of his nosea gesture far too human to mask guilt. I met her in the courtyard, he murmured. She she lives in our neighborhood now. When she learned you were in Solaria, she insisted on coming to make amends.

I fixed him with a cold stare, unimpressed by his careful words and controlled tone.

Sandra, Selindra began, her voice trembling in that way only practiced remorse can sound, my mother and I acted wrongly back then. I I am here to apologize on her behalf. Can you find it in your heart to forgive us?

I turned to Kyle, my voice steadier than my quaking soul allowed. And you think I should forgive them? Both mother and daughter?

The past was a landscape of scars etched deep into my flesh and mind: ruptured eardrums from the blows, the sting of bamboo whips, the charred remnants of my mothers belongings reduced to ashes. I did not ask why Kyle had ever been drawn to Selindrait would have revealed weakness I could not afford.

I waited, defiant, as the warmth of his guilt seemed to dissipate into the air. Sandra, he said finally, voice gentle yet impatient, Selindra was but a child then. She did not know the difference between right and wrong. She has carried remorse for years, and she has sought your forgiveness. Why cling so tightly to the past?

The past, I thought, was the abyss of my sufferingthe physical and emotional torment that had hollowed me out. Refusing to forgive Selindra was not stubbornness; it was survival. He knew, better than anyone, what her cruelty had cost me. Yet he had chosen to bind himself to her, to favor her over me, to align his life with hers while I bled unseen.

When he reached for my hand, trying to forge peace between us, I recoiled and slapped it away. Kyle, what right do you have to demand my forgiveness? I snapped, my voice echoing the ache of betrayal. They had harmed me behind my fathers back, poisoned his mind against me, and after his death, had not even honored his memory.

He stared at my hand, now reddened from where I had struck him, confusion and disapproval etched across his features. Sandra, I only wish to help you. You are alone now, and they are the only family you have left. Why dwell in the past and prolong your suffering?

You wish for me to move on, do you not? I asked, a tremor of disbelief beneath my words. His voice, meant to soothe, carried the impatience I knew far too well. The calm, steady affection I had once relied upon was gone.

In that moment, my heart, already fractured, shattered completely into dust. Pain so acute it stole my breath, left my thoughts raw and unformed, almost rendering me mute.

Selindras eyes, brimming with the pretense of sorrow, gleamed with that familiar arrogance, that same provocative spark from our shared past. Sandra, she said, her tone a poisonous caress, it matters not if you cannot forgive me now. I shall continue my penance, my guilt, until you accept me as part of your non-biological family.

Leave, I commanded, my voice carrying the authority of a wolf claiming its territory. Leave this place.

I clutched the hallway walls as if they alone could anchor me, my body trembling violently under the weight of fury and despair.

Kyles impatience radiated through the space between us, carried on the quiet hum of our mindlink. Sandra, why must you be so unyielding? No soul is perfectwhere has your mercy vanished? His tone sharpened ever so slightly, betraying the irritation he could no longer contain.

He had once witnessed the depths of my suffering, the relentless torment inflicted by Selindra and her mother, driving me to the brink of despair. Back then, he had argued with them on my behalf, unafraid of fury, even when it risked unleashing his own wrath. And now, what madness had led him to stand against me, to defend the very ones who had haunted my life for so long?

I let the pain surge through me, my words heavy with every memory and scar I carried. Unless she dies before my very eyes, I will never forgive her! I stated, each word a blade carved from years of torment.

Kyles brow creased, his pulse quickening, the familiar fire of his temper beginning to flare. This was the same look he had worn when he had raged at Selindra and her mother on my behalf, yet now it was directed at me.

Sandra! he exclaimed, voice low but fierce, echoing across the corridor. How have you grown so bitter in merely two years? If you cannot find it in yourself to forgive her, then at least offer an apology to Selindra. I cannot endure the thought of others mocking my mate as spiteful or vindictive!

I clenched my jaw, my pulse racing with both anger and disbelief.

Your mothers own choices brought ruin upon her life. If she had considered your youth, your father would never have been forced to remarry. You cannot blame every misfortune upon Selindra and her daughter. Her mother erred, yes, but she did not deserve death. If you, like your mother, are determined to dwell stubbornly in misery, it is no wonder that nightmares continue to plague you.

He spat the word nightmares as if it burned his tongue. The disgust, the fatigue, the impatience flashing across his featuresall of it was unmistakable. The man who had once sworn to shield me from the darkness, who had soothed me in the dead of night when nightmares clawed at my mind, now seemed wearied by the burden of my pain.

Everything I had endured, every scar carved into my body and spirit, had become a weapon in his hands, wielded to wound me once again. The man who once knelt beside my bed, promising that no darkness or monster could harm me while he lived, had now become the force pushing me back into the abyss. All of this, he claimed, was deserved for Selindras sake.

My legs gave way beneath me, and I staggered backward, trembling so violently I could no longer grip the hall for support. Kyle caught me just in time, but the moment he saw my knee, swollen and bruised, concern overtook his impatience. He crouched immediately, inspecting the injury with precision born of both instinct and care.

How did you wound your knee so grievously? he asked, his voice mingling worry with the impatience I knew so well.

Forget it, I muttered through gritted teeth. If you refuse to apologize, I will do it for you. But in the future, you must not be so disrespectful. I wrenched my hand free, strength flaring despite the pain, and gestured sharply toward the door, my face pale and hard as stone.

Leave! All of you, leave this place! I commanded.

Kyle, sensing my vulnerability, reached out once more, attempting to soothe me with the memory of the gentle embrace that had once calmed my soul. But Selindra, tears tracing her carefully painted path, bowed low.

Sandra, I shall go now. Please, do not torment yourself further over this, she said, her voice quivering with practiced remorse.

As she turned, her movements were too swift, too careless. She collided with the doorframe, falling sideways in a tangle of limbs. Kyle released me instantly, his instincts surging as he lunged to catch her. They tumbled together into the corridor, and though his arms cradled her with protective force, her temple struck the frame, crimson blooming across her skin almost immediately.

Does it pain you? he demanded, cradling her as he pressed forward, voice threaded with urgency. We must see the healer at once!

Finally, the doorway fell silent. My heart, already battered from ten years of love and trust, sank to the depths of despair. After a decade of knowing each other, of intertwining our souls through moonstone and mindlink, we had arrived at this place of estrangement.

I drew forth a travel permit, a rare token for such swift passage, and secured a journey for the day of the ceremony. Seven days remainedjust enough to sever the lingering threads of the past.

Kyle had been correct; one must look forward, or risk being consumed by what had come before. From this day, I vowed to cut all ties to both the joy and the agony that had shaped my life, leaving nothing but the cold clarity of the path ahead.

I cast aside the wedding decorations I had meticulously prepared, letting them fall across the floor like discarded fragments of a life that had never truly belonged to me. The house, which I had imagined as ours, now felt hollow and foreign. Only the collection of tickets remainedthe delicate tokens I had kept as a chronicle of my devotion to Kyle Blackthorne.

For a heartbeat, I hesitated, then set them aflame. Each ticket curling into smoke was a fragment of my love consumed, leaving only ash behind. The fire died, leaving a bitter smell in the air, just like the love that had once burned fiercely between us and now lay in ruin.

Morning arrived with the faint scent of breakfast drifting through the house, rousing me from my grief.

Sandra, breakfast is ready. Hurry, Kyles voice threaded through the mindlink, calm but persistent.

You eat first. Ill deliver the tray to Selindra myself, I replied, keeping my tone deliberately neutral.

Very well.

Sensing my distance, Kyle carefully retrieved the first aid kit, cleaning and bandaging the bruises on my knee with meticulous precision. His touch, once comforting, now felt formal, almost clinical, yet attentive.

Sandra, he said quietly, his gaze steady, we have been bound for years. Everything I have done has been for your good. I do not wish to see you without family on the day of our union.

You mentioned a maid of honor? I asked, voice tight with controlled bitterness. I have already asked Selindra. She agreed to take the role.

Kyles amber eyes flickered with disbelief at my prompt acquiescence. He pressed a warm kiss to my hand, lingering, and I forced myself to remain unmoved.

After delivering breakfast to Selindra, he did not return. I scrubbed my hands, the sting of the soap grounding me in reality, when his voice pierced the quiet through our mindlink.

Finish your meal and come to the garage. I shall be waiting.

Arriving at the garage, I instinctively opened the front passenger door, only to find Selindra already seated there. Without a word, I took the rear seat. Kyle glanced at me a few times, a faint smile of satisfaction on his face at my quiet understanding.

Selindra is skilled with jewelry, he said lightly, she will help you choose a ring that suits you perfectly.

I closed my eyes, pretending to rest, but when I opened them again, I saw him lightly pinch Selindras cheek. Our eyes met in the rearview mirror, and he quickly explained, She had something on her face. I was merely helping her. I closed my eyes again, refusing to watch any further.

At the jeweler, Selindra immediately commanded attention, her presence precise and deliberate. The associate greeted her warmly, her poise radiating authority.

What may I assist you with today, sir? Something special for your loved one?

Both Kyle and Selindra flushed. He guided me closer. Do not stand so far away. Come, select the ring.

Selindra took control, inspecting each piece with a critical eye. Too small. The color is wrong No other ring measured up to her standards. Finally, she presented a simple ring, a deliberate choice meant to overshadow me.

Sandra, this will do for the wedding, she said, pride and calculated generosity mingling in her tone. I shall craft a more exquisite one later.

The sales associate offered polite, awkward praise. Kyle, standing silently beside her, smiled softly, a springlike bloom meant entirely for her. He slid the ring onto my finger without ceremony. No kneeling, no roses, no proposalonly a ring deliberately small, meant to humiliate. I removed it silently, ignoring the suggestion to choose another.

Let us finalize this. No need for further complication, I said flatly.

Kyles lips pressed together. If you are dissatisfied, we may commission another later.

No, I said firmly. This one is enough.

Selindras eyes glistened with feigned remorse. I shall work in the studio to ensure the wedding is perfect, she said and left without a backward glance. Kyles attempts to call her back went unanswered.

Why such fuss over a mere ring? he asked, bewildered as he guided me from the store.

What fuss? It is reality, I said.

He held me briefly, the warmth of his embrace barely a salve. Once work concludes, we shall travel. A honeymoon, with bridal portraits entwined in one journey, he said. But his promise felt like mockery. He had no time to visit me in Lunaria, yet he had time for Selindra in Glaciara to see the penguins, in the North Tundra for the auroras.

Two days passed. He did not return. He was with Selindra, capturing staged memories, even photoshopping our faces into their bridal images. I went to the cemetery, leaving two bouquets and settling affairs with the caretaker, prepaying ten years fees. Even in the sanctuary of my parents resting place, Kyles absence stung like betrayal.

Then I heard the voice I would never forget. Kyle, remarkable you remember this day. If my father knew you came to share a drink, he might rise to toast you himself.

I turned stiffly to see Kyle flanked by Selindra and her mother ascending the cemetery steps. This is my duty, he said. The woman beside him, playfully scolding, accepted the informal title of Mom without hesitation.

Tears pricked my eyes, but I pressed on, meeting friends and revealing the weddings cancellation. They exchanged knowing looks and revealed photos of Kyle and Selindra at their pre-marital checkup, confirming their deception.

Sandra, they said, we support your choice. Witnessing the bride absent from her own wedding, watching Selindra attempt to steal itit will be unforgettable.

The day before the wedding, Kyle arrived with new running shoes. I asked calmly, Arent these against your preference?

He patted my head, smiling faintly. Tomorrow, I must run swiftlywith the bride on my back.

Not me. Not for me. The delight he derived came from orchestrating my humiliation for Selindras sake.

I walked the venue, tearing my youthful image from the giant wedding posters, then fled to the airport. Kyles calls flooded in, but I ignored them, leaving the pastand himbehind.

---

The morning after, I returned home with a single resolve: the past would burn as completely as the tickets I had set alight. The house, once a dream of love, now felt like an empty vessel. I packed away every remnant of hope I had placed there, leaving only ash and the bitter scent of fire as a reminder of a decades devotion.

Kyles voice reached me again through the mindlink, soft yet insistent. Sandra, come down. We must leave for the photoshoot.

I opened the door to the garage, and there they were: Selindra poised beside him, every movement precise, every smile calculated. My heart tightened, but I refused to acknowledge it. I seated myself in the back silently, feeling every pulse of tension radiating between them through the mindlink.

Selindra will ensure you find a ring suited to your hand, Kyle said. She is skilled with design.

I closed my eyes, refusing to witness the performance. Even when he pinched her cheek, I would not allow my gaze to meet his.

At the jeweler, Selindra commanded the space. Her scrutiny of every ring left none suitable in comparison to the one she finally presenteda deliberate slight against me. This will suffice for the wedding. I will craft another later, she said, proud and calculated.

Kyle allowed her to lead, smiling softly at her demonstration of control, then slid the ring onto my finger without ceremony. No gesture, no proposalonly deliberate diminishment. I removed it silently, refusing to acknowledge the mockery.

Let us finalize this, I said, the finality in my tone shutting down argument.

Two days later, he did not return, occupied entirely with orchestrating staged memories and Photoshopped images of Selindra as bride. I visited the cemetery alone, tending my parents resting place, prepaying fees for ten years. Even there, his neglect stung with bitter clarity.

Then, the voice I could never forget: Kyle, remarkable you remember this day. I turned to see him climbing the steps with Selindra and her mother. This is my duty, he said lightly. Their casual ease was a dagger to my heart.

I reported the weddings cancellation to my friends, revealing the betrayal in stark relief. They nodded in silent approval, their glances conveying unspoken solidarity.

Sandra, they said, we support your escape. Watching Selindra attempt to steal the wedding, with the bride absentit will be a spectacle.

The day before, Kyle delivered running shoes, joking about carrying a bride on his back. Not me. The smile on his face belonged entirely to his orchestrated humiliation, a cruel delight in proving loyalty to another.

I walked the venue, tearing down my youthful image from the posters, fleeing to the airport. His calls flooded in, but I silenced them, severing the past and leaving him behind, along with the hollow echoes of what we had once been.