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Sebastian POV

As the moon hung low in the night sky, casting eerie shadows across the forest, I paced the dimly lit room in one of my secluded houses, deep within my pack's territory. Emily, the Alpha's Luna, sat before me, her defiant eyes fixed upon mine.

I had offered her two choices, options that I believed would break her spirit and make her mine. The first, to become my mate, to embrace a new life beside me as the Luna of my pack. The second, a gruesome alternative, was to face death. I had seen the fire in her eyes, her unwavering resolve when she spat her answer at me.

"I would rather die," she had declared, her voice trembling with a courage that both impressed and frustrated me. She believed, with a stubborn certainty, that her mate, Roman, the Alpha of her pack, would come for her. It was a belief I found utterly amusing.

I had spent nights contemplating the depth of her loyalty, her faith in the bond she shared with Roman. Did she truly think he could defy all odds and