A Lesson in Independence

Selene's Point-of-View

I had just limped my way back from the cemetery when I found out that I had already become the laughingstock of the entire pack.

They all kept saying that after spending six years with Callum Lowe, I had failed to become a qualified Luna, and that I was now even using Grandpa's life to threaten Callum into marrying me. I was unfortunately exposed and became the laughingstock of everyone.

Callum's clique—his loyal friends—somehow caught news of what had happened. They swept in boldly, with Natalie Anderson front and center, and snapped pictures of me on their phones, relishing my disgrace.

I didn't even bother to raise my hand to shield my face. Ever since I started begging for medicine for Grandpa, my worthless dignity had been worn away, bit by bit, by this group. I was repeatedly compelled to kneel and slap my own face for the medical fees.

Any sense of honor was utterly meaningless when weighed against Grandpa's life.

"Isn't this woman supposed to be the Luna of the Shadow Wolf pack? How did she end up in such a pathetic state?"

"Does she even deserve to be Luna of our pack? I'll never acknowledge her as one! She's nothing more than Alpha Callum's temporary plaything! Natalie is clearly the rightful Luna here!"

"Didn't she get thrown out of the pack? I mean, even the rogues look cleaner than she does! She looks so revolting now!"

I knew how wretched I looked at that moment. I had just buried Grandpa, so my clothes were creased and filthy with mud. I still had that red handprint on my swollen face from the slap two days prior.

I didn't have any money to buy tools, so I had to dig his final resting place for 24 hours using my bare hands, which were now still trembling with dirt filling the cracks beneath my nails. I had also lost one shoe somewhere along the way, and my bare left foot was completely numb from the cold.

Natalie smiled faintly, basking in all the flattery. She then looked over to me with a gaze tinged with pity and exclaimed, "You're an absolute mess, Selene Moore! How is it that you still haven't learned what it takes to be a Luna after so many years?"

Just as the others were about to make their move, a small convoy of black sedans suddenly coasted in and pulled to a stop, roughly 30 feet away.

I was certain that Callum was sitting in the luxurious Maybach leading the convoy. Natalie gleefully headed straight for him, while I instinctively took two steps back, intending to turn around to avoid him entirely.

Callum stepped out of the car as soon as the door opened. He then came straight to me, his penetrating gaze fixing on my wretched state. He instinctively furrowed his brows upon noticing my face and disheveled appearance.

"What happened to you? What happened to your face?"

I instinctively flinched away, ducking my head to avoid Callum's hand as he reached out—his long, refined fingers hovering near my face.

Natalie came over just in time to catch the moment. She rushed right up to us and forcibly scrubbed her hand across my cheek.

I winced in pain and shoved Natalie, who seized the moment to collapse gracefully into Callum's embrace.

"I knew she was putting on an act! That strength of hers almost fooled us all!"

Natalie then lifted her hand and displayed the black paint coating her fingertips. "It's clear that she was putting on a pathetic show, hoping to manipulate your pity and force you to mark her right now, Cal!"

In that instant, the momentary pity in Callum's gaze ebbed away, leaving only his familiar indifference.

"I made it clear that the bonding ceremony is scheduled for next year, and no stunt of yours will change the date. You're far too reckless, turning yourself into a spectacle in public just for that. Have you no shame, Selene?"

I felt no familiar sting in my heart at his criticism and rejection. I made no effort to argue that Natalie had orchestrated a blatant setup. I merely lowered my head and murmured, "I'm sorry."

I didn't choose to be in this wretched state. I simply lacked the means to cover Grandpa's medical bills without Callum's help, so much so that I even had to dig Grandpa's final resting place with my bare hands, one handful at a time.

Callum hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly. He then said with a hint of approval, "It seems like Natalie's assessment was right—you've changed for the better after enduring some hardships. You're no longer as spoiled and reckless as before."

I managed a faint, wry smile, wondering if I had really changed before musing that he was right. I was different now—I no longer had the courage to love him.