2

Staring at the message on my phone, my heart trembled violently.

Around me in the plaza, the excited girls continued gushing about how romantic their Alpha was. I stepped back, desperate to distance myself from their voices.

A bitter smile twisted my lips. The Alpha they called the most devoted was now giving all his romance to his mistress.

On the giant screen, the dazzling green healing stones were up for auction. The auctioneer's voice rose with excitement, describing how rare these stones were, trying to fuel the bidders' competitive spirits.

The girls in the plaza screamed with each bid. Kieran kept raising his paddle, pushing the price all the way up to fifty million dollars.

Finally, the gavel fell. The green healing stones sold for an unbelievable price—but not to Kieran. An anonymous Alpha had outbid him.

Kieran's funds had fallen short. He could only afford the second-place red healing stones instead.

It felt like a dull knife slowly cutting through my heart, tearing until blood flowed freely.

Scarlett's message flashed with shameless triumph: "See? I won again."

Almost immediately, Kieran's call came through.

"Baby, I'm so sorry. I couldn't get those green healing stones. I didn't expect the price to skyrocket like that. I don't have enough liquid funds... I panicked and accidentally bid on the red stones instead. I know you hate red, so I'll keep these for myself. Next time, I promise I'll buy you even better green healing stones."

On the giant screen, Kieran looked dejected as he left the auction, making the crowd feel sorry for him.

"Alpha shouldn't apologize! Luna already has the best Alpha in the world!"

I used every ounce of strength to keep my voice from shaking. "It's fine. I didn't really need them anyway."

I said it for Kieran to hear. I said it for myself to believe.

I crouched at the crossroads, hugging my shoulders as tears fell freely.

After a long moment, I stood and walked resolutely forward.

---

At home, a melted cake sat on the table. Today was my birthday. Kieran had promised to come home and eat cake with me.

I ate the ruined cake bite by bite while scrolling through social media.

Scarlett had posted on Facebook. The photo showed her in a barely-there nurse outfit, kneeling on a hospital bed. Around her neck hung the red healing stones Kieran had just bought for fifty million dollars.

Her caption read: "Thank you to my Alpha for the healing stones. Today I'm Alpha's personal healer. Alpha needs special treatment... and my injections are very big and very hard."

The blatant sexual innuendo burned my eyes.

I recognized the location immediately—the Blackwood family's private medical suite. Even though I'd already decided to leave, seeing this still brought tears to my eyes.

When Kieran came home and saw my red-rimmed eyes, he didn't even stop to remove his shoes. He rushed to me, gently touching the corners of my eyes.

"Aria, I'm damned. I promised I'd never make you cry again. I'm sorry."

"I was rushing home for your birthday when my old injury flared up. I had to stop at the hospital and that's why I missed your birthday. You can hit me, yell at me, anything—just please don't be sad anymore."

Kieran emphasized the words "old injury." I knew he was reminding me of the silver blade that pierced his chest protecting me from the rogue wolves years ago.

Those memories of his selfless love had become his weapon to make me forgive him.

I remembered one birthday when Kieran was away on pack business. He'd booked the earliest flight home, but it was delayed by fog with no departure time set.

Without hesitation, he'd shifted into his wolf form and ran for ten straight hours, crossing the most dangerous forests alone. He'd made it home at 11:59 PM to eat cake with me.

Now, the hospital was barely two kilometers away, but somehow it had become an impossible distance for him to cross.

I gave him a self-mocking smile. "It's okay. There's a birthday every year."

Kieran ruffled my hair. "Our eighth mating anniversary is in six months. I'll give you an unforgettable gift then. Every birthday and anniversary after this, I'll give you the very best."

I laughed bitterly inside. There would be no anniversary. No future.

But I said, "Okay."

Kieran relaxed, then swept me up in his arms. My eyes caught sight of fresh scratches covering his chest—angry red marks like claw marks.

He quickly pulled his shirt closed. "I fell earlier. Pretty ugly, right? Don't want to scare my Aria."

I smiled sweetly. "Make sure Dr. Scarlett cleans and disinfects those properly. You don't want scars."

The mention of Scarlett made something flicker in Kieran's eyes. I could practically see him remembering her claws raking down his skin, how she'd writhed beneath him like a wild cat.

His breathing grew heavy as he leaned down to kiss me, his lips demanding and possessive.

I turned my head away, struggling out of his grip. "Not tonight. My heat cycle started early."

Kieran nipped at my ear, his voice husky with want. "That's never stopped us before. Your scent drives my wolf crazy."

"I said no, Kieran." My voice was sharper than intended.

Kieran's jaw tightened, but he didn't push. Instead, he headed toward the bathroom. "I need a shower. Don't wait up."

As soon as the water started running, nausea hit me like a tidal wave. I rushed to the kitchen sink, dry-heaving until my stomach cramped.

I turned on the faucet and scrubbed my lips raw, trying to wash away the taste of his lies.