3

The next morning, Aria ran over to kiss my cheek.

"Mommy, Daddy's taking me camping today!"

I was surprised. Marcus was a neat freak who hated the outdoors unless work required it. The idea of him cooking over a fire was unthinkable.

The man leaning against the doorframe just smiled softly at our daughter.

"Come on, my little princess."

Soon after they left, I went to the healing center.

Last night's intensity had left me with an uneasy feeling.

The moment I got the pregnancy results, I stood frozen in place.

The healer spoke matter-of-factly.

"Five weeks pregnant. The fetus isn't very stable yet. No intimacy for the first four months. Be careful."

"If you don't plan to keep it, decide soon. The longer you wait, the more it'll hurt your body."

I clutched the report and broke down crying in my car.

During those two years when I loved Marcus most, I'd thought about using a child to tie down his heart.

So I'd gotten pregnant with Aria on purpose.

He did come home more often, fussing over me constantly.

It was like going back to when we first met, when he was pursuing me so passionately.

Until the day she was born.

While I was facing the agony of labor, my mate vanished. For a full day and night, he was nowhere to be found.

Later I learned that was the day he finally won over a woman he'd been chasing for months. She'd just come of age.

He'd spent those hours with her in the presidential suite of a seven-star hotel, lost in passion.

I'd hated him for that.

Years had been enough to wear down all my expectations of Marcus.

People kept telling me to have another child.

"The more powerful a man is, the more women surround him. Besides, which Alpha hasn't kept lovers? Your Alpha is actually quite good."

"You should have more children. No matter what happens outside, you'll still be secure as Luna."

And I had Aria. She was practically my life.

I tucked the report away and drove home to make soup, waiting for Aria's return.

Night fell.

After Marcus's phone went to voicemail for the sixteenth time, I couldn't stand it anymore.

I grabbed my car keys and went looking for them myself.

Not at the company. The camping grounds were empty. Just as I was frantically directing the Gamma to search, the house servant finally called.

"Luna, Aria's back. A beta wolf brought her home. She's sleeping soundly."

I leaned back in my seat and closed my eyes in relief.

"The beta also asked me to tell you that the Alpha won't be home tonight."

"Understood."

I hung up and drove back.

Turning a corner, I spotted Marcus's car.

Under the dim streetlight, his silhouette stretched long. His fingertips glowed red, cigarette butts scattered at his feet.

I'd been here just yesterday. This was Vivian's building.

He stared up at a lit window without blinking once.

I followed his gaze to see a woman's faint shadow moving behind the curtains.

He looked like the most devoted man in a romance movie, only daring to watch her from afar.

Soon after, Vivian came running lightly down from the building. When she saw Marcus, her face lit up with a smile as she threw herself into his arms. They embraced and disappeared into the building together.

Something inside my chest shattered piece by piece.

I sat in my car all night.

As dawn gradually broke, Vivian and Marcus emerged from the building hand in hand.

She'd obviously slept well, her cheeks slightly flushed. They got into his car together.

I sat there numbly, my heart feeling strangled by invisible wire.

This was exactly how Marcus had pursued me.

Playful yet relentlessly persistent.

When a noble Alpha sets his mind on someone, his gentleness is utterly irresistible.

Only this time, I wasn't the leading lady.

I followed them all the way to the company.

From a distance, the two of them tactfully separated before entering the building.

Marcus walked ahead, accepting everyone's respectful greetings. Then, as if casually, he waved at her.

But she was wearing a dress that belonged exclusively to a Luna. Anyone could tell Marcus had given her permission to wear it.

That gorgeous outfit was like announcing to everyone that she held extraordinary privileges.

The scene stabbed at my eyes.

I sat in my car, struggling to process all these emotions, until the house servant called.

Aria was awake and looking for me everywhere.

When I got home and Aria wrapped her arms around my neck, my nose stung with tears.

She sat on my lap, swaying happily as she shared everything that had happened yesterday.

"Yesterday Aria saw Aunt Vivian too! Her barbecue was so delicious, and Daddy really liked it."

My breath caught.

So yesterday's sudden camping trip had been for Vivian.