Chapter 3

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Callum's gaze fixed intently on me. Clear displeasure was written all over his face.

"Just as I thought… You're still upset about yesterday. You're mad that I canceled the ceremony at the last minute, aren't you?"

The elder tactfully excused himself from the office and gave us privacy.

The moment the door closed, Callum marched forward and accusatorily said, "I told you—Seraphina's leg injury flared up, so I had to cancel the ceremony.

"Since when did you become so petty, Nova? This isn't how a future Luna behaves."

I kept my voice as flat and steady as I could. "I'm not mad; I'm just tired, so I want to take a vacation in the central lands and get some rest."

Callum crossed his arms and frowned in confusion. "If you want a vacation, just take leave. If you suddenly resign, wolves in the pack will think you have something against Seraphina. She's an outsider Omega, so how is she supposed to work in the pack if rumors start?"

He had forgotten that I had used up all my annual leave this year, all spent preparing for the 52 ceremonies he canceled. Yet the only thing on his mind right now was Seraphina's standing in the pack.

A cold despair settled in my heart as my gaze drifted back to the glaring scratch mark on his neck, and I said nothing.

He noticed where I was looking and instinctively covered it, his gaze flickering. "It's just a scratch from thorns in the forest, so don't overthink it."

I was a little surprised that he had not flared up at my stare; instead, he tried to explain.

But the lie was painfully pathetic. Any adult wolf could tell the difference between a thorn's tear and the claw's scratch.

The old me would have been blinded by love and believed him, but now, I simply nodded and stayed silent.

Callum visibly relaxed and seemed convinced that I was appeased. Smiling, he draped an arm over my shoulder like he was granting me a favor.

"That's more like it. You have to be magnanimous if you want to be the future Luna.

"Drop this resignation nonsense. Tonight, I'll take you to Moonstone Restaurant for a tomahawk steak; consider it my way of making it up to you."

When I still said nothing, he took my silence for consent.

Any thought of giving him a proper goodbye was quietly crushed. I didn't even want to tell him that I was returning to the Darkhowlers pack.

"Alpha Callum!"

The office door burst open without a knock as Seraphina barged in.

Startled, Callum immediately dropped the arm around my shoulders.

She playfully stuck out her tongue and cast me an innocent glance before turning to him.

"Sorry for interrupting your date with Nova, Alpha Callum, but I had no choice. I don't quite understand this medical report…"

Without a second thought, Callum walked straight toward her.

He took the file from her and lowered his head to patiently ask what she did not understand.

Seraphina pressed close to him on purpose. Right before my eyes, they murmured as if an invisible barrier encased them in a world no one could enter.

Naturally, Seraphina slipped her arm through his and steered him toward the door. Just before it closed, she looked back at me and shot me the sharp, provocative smile of a victor.

After the door slammed shut, the office fell silent; only the sound of my heavy breathing remained.

A second later, a sharp crack came from my wrist. The smooth moonstone bracelet had slipped off and shattered against the marble floor. It had snapped for no reason at all.

It was a gift from Callum for our first anniversary. He had told me that he hoped our bond would be as pure and whole as the moonstone, blessed by the Moon Goddess.

I stayed silent for a long time.

Ignoring the sting as the sharp fragments cut into my fingertips, I gathered the broken pieces one by one. Along with whatever trace of reluctance I still harbored, I dropped them all into the trash can.