第3章

A week after the Blood Moon Festival, as the holiday season finally ended, pack members returned to work. I walked into the Pack House office where many wolves who had witnessed the mating ceremony immediately recognized me. They gossiped and mocked me without restraint.

"Look, the crazy woman actually dared to show her face again! She's money-obsessed! Begging for crystals on her knees during the Alpha's mating ceremony—she has no shame left!" one wolf sneered loudly, making sure I could hear.

Another joined in, "I know her. She's actually a skilled healer with a good job. How dare she spread lies about being the Alpha's Luna? Just because she was once his private healer, she thinks she can climb the social ladder. Even my dog doesn't beg as pathetically as she did for those crystals. She deserves this humiliation!"

I ignored their cruel remarks and walked straight-faced into the Alpha Council chamber.

One of the pack elders—a gray-haired man with a permanent scowl—looked up from his papers and curled his lip in disgust.

"We've expedited your application as requested," he said coldly. "Once the Alpha confirms approval, you'll be free to leave our pack." He leaned forward, voice dripping with contempt. "If I were you, I wouldn't have the face to stay here another day."

I said nothing, turning to exit the council hall with my head held high despite the burning shame.

The sun was setting as I stepped outside. The Blood Moon Festival had just ended, and festive decorations still adorned the streets. Everywhere I looked, pack members walked together—mates holding hands, families laughing. Their happiness was a stark contrast to my isolation.

I was completely alone.

An overwhelming sense of loneliness crashed over me. My only family member, the home I'd known for years, and my mate—all gone in the span of a week.

I walked slowly along the path I'd traveled for ten years between Dominic's house and the Pack Council Hall. Memories flooded back unbidden.

My family had all been warriors who sacrificed themselves for the pack. By the time I was ten, only my mother and I remained, clinging to each other for survival.

Years later, through a twist of fate, my mother saved a gravely wounded Dominic on the battlefield. She cared for him like her own son. Together, my mother and I spent an entire year's savings to purchase two high-grade healing crystals that ultimately saved his life.

It was during his recovery that we discovered we were destined mates. We wanted to spend our lives together, so we used those two healing crystals as our bonding tokens.

Back then, I had no idea he was the pack's heir. We shared a period of genuine happiness and love.

When I struggled during my healer certification exams, Dominic would embrace me tenderly while I broke down, whispering reassurances that he would stay by my side forever, never abandoning me.

He truly loved me then. We were inseparable, spending every possible moment together.

But later, after he successfully inherited leadership of Stormfang Pack and became the revered Alpha, tasting the sweetness of power, his selfish nature emerged.

"Your bloodline isn't prestigious enough," he told me one night, his voice clinical and detached. "You can't help me in the Alpha King selection. Do you understand what that means for us?"

His controlling behavior intensified. Not only did he refuse to acknowledge our mate bond publicly, but he also restricted my freedom and prevented me from gaining any recognition. Despite being a qualified healer, all my research findings were kept private, locked away under his personal supervision.

He began viewing me with suspicion, constantly afraid I was only interested in his power and wealth.

"Your salary should go directly to me," he demanded. "I'll decide how it's spent."

His control grew more suffocating over time. I once had to justify requesting ten dollars for a simple tea, enduring his suspicious questioning as if I were a criminal.

But three months ago, everything changed when Sylvia returned to Stormfang territory. That very day, Dominic gleefully bought her a priceless diamond ring and spent millions to display a message across every digital billboard in the city: "Welcome home, Sylvia!"

That night, he didn't come home for the first time in our relationship.

When I brought the house staff to search for him, we found him drunk, his eyes bloodshot as he gripped Sylvia's arm.

"When we were five," he slurred, his words cutting through me like silver blades, "playing house, you said you were a princess and I was your prince. You promised to marry me. Why did you leave me behind?"

My blood ran cold. After he sobered up, we had our biggest fight ever as I confronted him about who truly occupied his heart.

"You're overthinking this," he dismissed with a wave of his hand. "We were just reminiscing about childhood jokes after a few drinks. You shouldn't take it seriously."

His face hardened. "Your low birth has given you a dirty mind. You're tainting the pure friendship Sylvia and I share."

My thoughts snapped back to the present as loud cheering erupted nearby.

"Alpha! Kiss your Luna right now! Sylvia can't wait any longer!" shouted an excited voice from the crowd.

Just ahead at the Pack House entrance, Dominic stood surrounded by a boisterous group, clutching Sylvia's hand tightly. He threw his head back and howled:

"I, Dominic Blackwood, love only Sylvia Silverstone!"

He repeated this declaration three times, each proclamation louder and more confident than the last. His voice carried down the street, drawing curious onlookers from every direction.

As people recognized the Alpha's distinctive scent and presence, more pack members gathered around, creating quite a spectacle.

Sylvia slipped her arm through his naturally, her smile sickeningly sweet as she basked in the attention.

"The mood is perfect!" someone shouted from the crowd. "Why don't you two kiss already?"

Dominic froze momentarily, uncertainty flickering across his face.

Sylvia quickly attempted to defuse the situation. "Don't be so pushy! You know our Alpha prefers to keep things private—"

Before she could finish, Dominic cupped her face in his hands and lowered his mouth to hers in a passionate, lingering kiss that left nothing to the imagination.

When they finally separated, Dominic gazed into her eyes with unbridled adoration. "You are my destiny," he declared loud enough for everyone to hear.

Before Sylvia could respond, he quickly added, "It's getting late. There have been rogue wolf attacks recently. It's dangerous for you all to be out. I'll personally escort you home."

Their arms were laden with shopping bags from luxury boutiques—filled with expensive items I had never been allowed to own. Yet Dominic had purchased all of this for Sylvia and her friends without hesitation.

In that moment, I realized just how pathetically cheap my love had been.

The cold wind whipped against my skin, shattering what remained of my already broken heart into dust.

With his head down as he hurried along, Dominic collided directly into me.

He looked up, recognition dawning in his eyes as his pupils contracted sharply.