2

Four days left.

These past few days, besides recovering from my injuries, I'd been packing up everything in my den that was related to Marcus.

Looking at the pile of items filling the living room, I silently threw them one by one into the incinerator.

520 love letters I'd written to him. Kitchen utensils I'd used to cook for him personally. A suit I'd sewn for him by hand.

And the protection stone I'd prayed for at the Moon Goddess temple for 99 days straight.

After throwing away the last item, I let out a long breath. It felt like saying goodbye to the past three years.

The moment I turned around, my heart skipped a beat.

Marcus had appeared at the doorway without me noticing. Those dark, unreadable eyes were fixed on me, and on the pile of "trash" on the ground.

His voice carried an edge of disbelief and hoarseness:

"Why are you throwing them away?"

My tone was as cold as if I were discussing the weather: "Trash belongs in the trash."

After saying this, I felt an unprecedented sense of relief in my heart.

Marcus took a deep breath and spoke stiffly:

"Yesterday I was impulsive. Today's autumn hunt had good results. For the sake of... the past, I'll share some of the spoils with you. Just behave yourself. Don't go looking for trouble with Serena anymore. She and the pup in her belly... are innocent."

I didn't respond. I walked silently toward the car parked downstairs.

As soon as I got in, I saw Serena sitting in the passenger seat. That bitch wolf was smiling provocatively at me: "Aria, since I'm pregnant, let me sit in the front seat. It's more convenient for Marcus to take care of me. You don't mind, do you?"

I raised an eyebrow and nodded calmly to show my agreement.

Seeing my reaction, Marcus looked shocked. The old me would have gotten into a huge fight with Serena before giving up.

But seeing my unusually calm, even excessively well-behaved appearance now, he probably felt a sudden surge of panic. But he didn't know that because I no longer loved him, I didn't care about these things anymore. All I wanted now was to smoothly leave the Moonridge Pack and return to the Crimson Pack.

Throughout the ride, the atmosphere in the car was strange. Marcus unconsciously began showing off his affection with Serena in front of me.

First adjusting the air conditioning temperature and tenderly asking if she was comfortable, then taking advantage of red lights to kiss her ear intimately.

However, when he looked at me through the rearview mirror for the seventh time, it was still my familiar yet strange face.

He felt inexplicably unhappy, gripping the steering wheel so tightly it creaked.

When we arrived at the autumn hunt grounds, he openly held Serena's hand and intimately introduced her to the Moonridge Pack's elite and powerful families.

A Gamma friend of his joked: "Brother Marcus, you're really something. Worthy of being the Alpha heir, bringing both your lover and your fiancée to such a grand occasion." That friend glanced at me with sympathy.

Whispers arose around us, and those gossiping looks fell on me without any concealment.

"So the rumors about Marcus liking Miss Vale are true. He even brought her to an autumn hunt that concerns the pack's entire winter food reserves, while his legitimate fiancée has become just decoration..."

"That Crimson Pack heiress can actually tolerate such humiliation. Didn't the rumors say she had a bad temper? Looks like she really loves Marcus deeply."

I listened to their mockery like a bystander. If this had been me before losing my memory, I probably would have lost my temper on the spot and ruined this entire hunt.

But now, having forgotten everything about Marcus and feeling no love for him whatsoever, these people's stares and words had no effect on me at all.

After the autumn hunt began, Marcus didn't stay with me. Instead, he took Serena into the hunting grounds surrounded by pack members.

I put on my gear and went in too. I could hunt what I wanted myself. I didn't need Marcus's charity.

"Marcus is so amazing! Whatever Miss Vale wants, he can shoot down even elusive rabbits."

"I have a celestial serpent here. Miss Vale, look quickly! This is premium game."

The wolves' praise and flattery rose and fell continuously.

I headed deeper into the forest on my own.

The forest was quiet. Just then, I caught a strange, sweet scent.

Pushing through the undergrowth, what appeared by the lake was a seven-colored stag!

I didn't rush forward recklessly. Instead, I took advantage of it resting to quietly circle around and set up a trap.

Just as I was ready and preparing to take it down in one move, there was movement in the nearby bushes.

"Ah! It's a seven-colored stag!"

Hearing that exclamation, I knew something was wrong.

Sure enough, the sound of deer calls came from the lake. It had been startled and ran toward the area where I hadn't set up traps.

Just as I was fuming with anger, Serena emerged from the grass.

Looking at the smile on her face, I knew she had done it on purpose. She didn't want me to catch the rare stag and steal her spotlight.

"Marcus, I almost caught a seven-colored stag just now! What a pity, it got startled." She finished speaking and glanced at me.

I couldn't be bothered to expose her. I turned and went after the seven-colored stag.

After this farce, my hunting results were still pretty good...

To avoid the crowds, I headed early to the side hall used for tallying hunting spoils. Just as I pushed open a compartment door, I saw Serena frantically stuffing something under her skirt... a silicone fake belly?

She jumped in fright, hurriedly trying to hide it.

"You're not pregnant?"

The woman turned around, her eyes filled with viciousness and wariness: "What? Are you going to tattle?"

I didn't care at all:

"You loving Marcus is your business. I have no relationship with him now. Why would I tattle?"

"Really?" Her eyes were full of suspicion.

Probably confirming something from my honest, almost indifferent gaze, her tense body relaxed.

"I'm sorry," she lowered her head, her voice carrying a hint of apology, but soon became firm again. "You were born privileged and don't understand the situation of an Omega wolf like me. Marcus is my only way to change my life, so I can only use any means necessary."

I looked at her silently, suddenly noticing her eyes turn vicious.

Unexpectedly, she pulled out a silver dagger from behind and stabbed it viciously toward me. I'd exhausted too much energy during the hunt and was momentarily powerless to respond.

The silver blade pierced through my abdomen, blood flowing everywhere.

I saw Serena's face wearing a cold, twisted smile.

"Sorry," she looked down at me from above, her voice soft yet cold. "I believe in relying on myself, so I can't let you live knowing the truth. I have no choice but to do this to you."

I struggled to fight back, suddenly realizing she fell down when I pushed her.

Then, clutching her belly with both hands, she lay in the pool of blood I had shed. Her face instantly switched to extreme pain and terror, and a piercing wail shattered the silence: "No! My child! My child!"

Marcus rushed up after hearing the sound, his face instantly turning pale when he saw the scene.

He quickly took off his jacket, draped it over Serena, and carefully helped her up from the ground.

"Serena! Serena, what happened?!"

Serena clutched her belly tightly: "Marcus! I... I just saw her alone here and wanted to comfort her... to ask her to stop targeting me for the sake of the child I'm carrying... but then... then she suddenly went crazy! She hates me! She hit me! She... she killed our child! Our pup!"

My pupils contracted sharply. I struggled to stay conscious, wanting to explain, wanting to tell him the truth.

However, the man's eyes turned blood red as he suddenly turned his head. The look in his eyes when he saw me was filled with towering hatred and killing intent.

He even ignored my bleeding wound, gave me no chance to speak, and lifted his leg to kick me hard in the abdomen! I suddenly felt like I'd lost something, but my severe injuries made me too weak to investigate.

All my various injuries finally became too much to bear. My vision went from red to black, and as the blood flowed more and more, my consciousness began to blur.

Before losing consciousness completely, the last thing I saw was Marcus hurriedly carrying the sobbing Serena, running downstairs without looking back. His retreating figure was decisive and cold.

My eyelids fell heavily, and I lost all consciousness.