Chapter 8

That night, Forrest dragged his injured body back to the Lockwood residence.

The moment he stepped inside, he eagerly wrapped an arm around Serena's waist and murmured, "Why did you come back alone?"

Serena endured the ache in her chest and replied quietly, "I was tired, so I came back to rest."

Forrest buried his face against her neck and said gently, "I took a knife for you. That should be enough to prove how much I love you, right? Stop being mad, okay?"

As he spoke, he scooped her up in his arms, desire clearly written in his eyes.

Serena struggled free, frowning at him. "I was just harassed last night. I really don't want to do anything."

Her repeated refusals finally irritated Forrest. His expression darkened at once, and his tone turned icy. "Serena, what are you even upset about? I've been doing everything I can these past two days to make it up to you. Don't push your luck!"

A sense of despair seemed to cling to Serena. Her voice was weak when she asked, "Is that all you ever come to me for?"

Forrest froze for a moment before blurting out, "Of course not. I'm here because I love you."

A mocking smile tugged at Serena's lips as she stared straight into his eyes.

Guilt flickered across Forrest's face. Embarrassed and angry, he turned around and slammed the door as he left.

Watching his retreating figure, Serena slowly let out a breath. It seemed like she would finally get a good night's sleep.

…

The next morning, she was woken up by her phone ringing.

A colleague from the research institute was calling to invite her to a team outing. "There's a newly opened club out in the suburbs. I heard it's super luxurious. Let's all go have some fun!

"Oh, right. Make sure you bring Alpha Caspian along. A lot of people at the research institute are hoping to join the Elder Council in the future, and that requires the Alpha's approval."

Serena's dismissal from the research institute hadn't been officially announced yet, so no one knew.

She was about to refuse. After all, Caspian had never once accompanied her to any event. But before she could say anything, the other party hung up.

Astraea said, "Just send the text. You're leaving soon anyway. You might never see these people again."

Serena hesitated, then finally sent Caspian a message, asking to meet him at the club.

To her surprise, Caspian actually showed up that evening. However, Aurelia was holding his hand and walking beside him.

When he saw Serena, Caspian greeted her casually. "This is Aurelia's first team outing since joining the research institute. Of course, I had to come with her."

Serena's heart splintered.

Astraea said coldly, "You two aren't even officially separated yet, and he's already parading her around. Looks like they can't wait for people to find out about their relationship!"

Serena silently distanced herself from them.

Once the gathering started, Caspian kept doting on Aurelia.

When she said she wanted a drink, he immediately went to get one for her.

When she casually mentioned being tired, he carried her on his back without a shred of concern for appearances.

When she accidentally twisted her ankle, he even got on one knee in front of everyone to change her shoes.

Serena had never seen Caspian like this.

When he was with her, he'd always been aloof, never once indulging her. She'd never complained about it either. After all, he was the Alpha of the pack. A little pride had seemed only natural.

Only now did realization dawn on her. It wasn't that he didn't know how to cherish a she-wolf. It was simply that she'd never been the one he cherished.

After several rounds of drinks, everyone was in high spirits.

They started egging each other on to play games. When Aurelia lost one round, her punishment was to randomly kiss a male werewolf.

She glanced shyly at Caspian. Caspian took her hand, pulled her into his arms, leaned down, and kissed her.

When it was Serena's turn, she caught Caspian's evasive gaze. With a bitter smile, she chose to punish herself instead and drank three shots in a row.

As the alcohol burned her throat and flushed her face red, she glanced sideways and saw Caspian lowering his head, coaxing Aurelia to eat. He didn't seem to care about Serena's well-being.

Astraea snorted coldly. "That vile male werewolf never cared about you at all."

The final sliver of hope in Serena's heart vanished completely. Her heart went numb.

She stood up and went outside to get some air.

Beyond the club was a forest. She'd barely stepped among the trees when Aurelia blocked her path.

Aurelia wore a mocking smile, her expression smug. "Did you see that? The wolf in Caspian's heart has always been me. You were never worth his attention.

"You've been demoted to a lowly Omega now. That video has spread through the entire pack, and you've even lost your position as a researcher. You'll never be Caspian's Luna in this lifetime. If I were you, I would've left long ago, so why are you still shamelessly hanging around him?"

Serena didn't respond and simply walked past her.

Aurelia's face twisted with anger. She grabbed Serena's arm tightly. "You worthless Omega—"

Before she could finish, a snake suddenly slithered toward them.

In the split second before disaster struck, Caspian rushed over. He pulled Aurelia into his arms, and the snake sank its fangs into him instead.