Chapter 2

I looked at the mess. Another woman’s scent was already taking over my space.

In the past, I would have cried or asked why he didn't talk to me first. Now, I just felt hollow.

"She can stay as long as she wants," I said. "I don't care." I walked past him and grabbed my box from the study.

Caleb stood there, shocked by how "agreeable" I was being. It seemed to make him uneasy. Seeing my back as I walked away, he reached out to help with my bag.

"Evelyn, are you upset? I promise it's only for a week..."

I moved my hand away. "Don't bother. I can do it myself."

Caleb’s hand froze in mid-air. He pressed his lips together, his expression strained. "Let the servants handle that," he said quietly. "Look, if you're still upset, I can—"

Before he could finish, his Beta appeared to report an urgent pack matter.

Caleb hesitated, then threw a quick sentence over his shoulder. "I have to take care of some pack business in the study. We’ll talk later." He turned and left in a hurry.

Not long after he was gone, Ivy appeared at the end of the hallway. She was wearing my silk robe, and I could catch the faint, unmistakable scent of Caleb’s Alpha aura lingering on the collar.

She walked up to me with a provocative look, though her voice remained deceptively soft. "Moving out so soon? You must be exhausted. Caleb stayed up with me all night to help soothe my restless wolf... I feel so much better now."

She gave a cruel, triumphant smile and lowered her voice to a hiss. "You see? Some things simply can’t be stolen if they don't belong to you."

Just then, I heard Caleb’s footsteps coming down the stairs.

The malice on Ivy’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a mask of sheer terror. she threw herself backward just as she reached the top of the stairs, letting out a piercing scream as she tumbled all the way down.

"Evelyn! Please don't push me!"

Caleb arrived like a whirlwind. He looked at Ivy lying motionless on the floor with blood seeping from her forehead, and his composure shattered.

He whipped around to face me, his eyes full of hurt and rage. "Evelyn! I thought you were finally starting to grow up, but you're still this twisted and cruel!"

I didn't say a word. I just looked at him coldly.

He didn't wait for an explanation. He scooped Ivy up and rushed toward the infirmary as if he were carrying the most precious thing in the world.

In that moment, I remembered a pack border skirmish from two years ago. I had taken a hit to protect him from a rogue's sneak attack, leaving a gash on my back so deep you could see the bone. I was shaking from the pain and begged him to stay with me.

But he had only looked at me with clinical detachment. "There’s too much to deal with after the battle," he told me. "As the future Luna, you need to be stronger. Your wolf is powerful; a little wound like this will heal in no time."

It turned out he wasn't incapable of being tender. He just saved that tenderness for someone else.

Werewolves are incredibly resilient; a fall from that height was nothing for our kind, yet he acted as if Ivy were at death's door. This blatant double standard finally extinguished the last spark of love I had for him.

I watched their retreating backs with a self-deprecating smile. My phone vibrated.

It was a text from Alpha King Silas.

[Evelyn, your extraction team is on standby. We can leave whenever you're ready.]

Without a second thought, I typed back: [See you in two hours.]

I went back to my room to collect the last box of manuscripts and my mother’s belongings.

However, when I opened the hidden drawer in my nightstand, my mind went blank.

It was gone. The crystal pendant necklace my mother left me was missing. It contained her ashes—it was the only piece of her I had left in this world.

I knew exactly who took it. At that moment, my rage finally boiled over.

I shifted instantly into a massive silver wolf. Radiating a murderous aura, I sprinted toward the pack infirmary.

I smashed the door open with a single swipe of my claws.

Ivy was alone in the room, sitting on the bed. She was idly twirling the crystal necklace around her finger with a wicked smirk.

"Looking for this piece of junk?" She saw me in my wolf form, but there was no fear in her eyes, only madness. "Something this pathetic doesn't belong in this house. It’s bad luck, and I won't have it filthy up the bedroom I share with Caleb."

With that, she threw the necklace onto the hard floor right in front of me.

There was a sharp crack. The crystal shattered instantly. My mother’s white ashes mixed with the glittering shards, swirling into the air before scattering across the floor.

I lost all ability to think. Only a pure, burning hatred remained.

I shifted back into human form and lunged forward. Before Ivy could react, I backhanded her across the face. The strike carried all my strength, and her cheek swelled up immediately.

She collapsed onto the pile of broken glass and ashes, letting out a gut-wrenching scream. But as she fell, her eyes darted past my shoulder toward the door.

Heavy footsteps were approaching. Ivy looked toward the doorway and flashed me a triumphant, taunting smile.