Chapter 168. Clash of Fire and Shadow

Celeste’s POV

Lira and I had been inseparable since we were children. I always believed she looked out for me, that her fierce loyalty and protective spirit would never waver. She chased away bullies with snarls and fangs, and she treated me like the sister she never had. Our bond felt unbreakable—until Leon came back to the Crimson Howl pack.

Leon had left for months to complete his training with the warrior elders, and when he finally returned, everything shifted. The moment he stepped across the threshold of our pack’s grand hall, the air between Lira and me crackled with tension. That same night, under a silver sliver of moon, the Lunar goddess herself chose me to be his mate. I should have been honored—and part of me still was—but at that instant, something inside Lira snapped.

Before the goddess’s proclamation, I’d seen Leon only as a friend. Of course, I’d known Lira harbored a secret crush on him—her cheeks had turned the color of ripe cherries whene