Chapter 4

I just smiled and said, "Then it's yours."

Adrian's face instantly darkened. He softly reprimanded Hazel, "No. This is the Luna's token."

But Hazel had already slipped the bracelet onto her wrist, showing it off in front of Adrian. "Adrian, doesn't it look perfect on me?"

Adrian looked at her with a tenderness that didn't even try to hide itself and nodded right away. Only then did he seem to remember I was still there.

He turned and added in a softer voice, "Let Hazel wear it for a little while. I'll give it back to you on the day of the ceremony."

I just answered casually, "Sure."

Things like this happened so many times in my previous life. He never once returned anything to me.

At the mall, Hazel made a beeline for the ring counter and tried on every style, dragging Adrian along to look at other jewelry.

When it was finally my turn to browse, no matter which ring I picked up, Hazel had something negative to say about it.

The saleswoman looked apologetic. "Sorry, these are all the styles we have."

I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

Adrian was the Alpha of our pack, yet instead of custom ordering rings for his Luna, he'd just brought me here to pick from what was left in the display case. That said everything about how little he cared.

I stayed calm on the surface. "Forget it, I'll come back another day."

As we left the mall, Adrian suddenly pulled a train ticket out of his coat pocket and handed it to me. It was a non-reserved train ticket to the Southlands, departing in four days.

"I'm not leaving you behind," he said, "It's just that we only got one vehicle pass for this trip. Hazel and I will head to Arlanta first and get everything settled. Then, you can come join us."

Staring down at that ticket, I felt the smile on my lips grow colder.

It took three full days and nights for the Darkmoon Pack to reach Arlanta. How could he just buy me the cheapest ticket for such a long journey?

Besides, he had already given the only spot at Eldren University to Hazel. What did he expect me to do there? Be their housekeeper?

The answer was obvious.

When I finally took the ticket from him, Adrian seemed relieved. "Even if you've never gone to university, I'd never look down on you. You're my only Luna. I'll be with you till the end. What I feel for Hazel is just sibling love."

I glanced at him in surprise. He'd never said anything like that in my previous life.

Suddenly, a pack transport vehicle came speeding around the corner.

Adrian reacted immediately, pulling Hazel aside and accidentally stomping on my foot so hard I couldn't even move.

The next thing I knew, the truck swerved and slammed into me head-on. I was thrown several yards down the street, my body aching everywhere.

The driver jumped out in a panic, horrified. "Are you okay? I swear, I didn't mean to! Let me take you to the hospital!"

People in the crowd started calling for help.

Struggling to lift my head, I caught a glimpse of Adrian standing there with his arms wrapped protectively around Hazel. He looked shaken, but he had completely forgotten about me.

So much for his promise to stay with me until the end.

The driver took me to the clinic.

Thankfully, aside from some surface wounds, nothing was seriously wrong, but just to be safe, I had to stay overnight.

I lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

That night, Adrian came by looking guilty. When he saw I was awake, his expression shifted in surprise.

"Caroline, are you okay? I'll handle your discharge papers tomorrow."

I looked at him expressionlessly.

He fidgeted. "Hazel was so scared. I've been trying to calm her down..."

His voice trailed off, barely above a whisper.

"It all happened so fast, and Hazel was right next to me, so I just reacted. I didn't know you'd get hurt."

I cut him off coldly. "When are you leaving for Arlanta?"

He replied in a low voice, "Tomorrow morning."

"Good. You can go."

I rolled over and closed my eyes, getting ready for sleep.

He stood there for a while before finally walking out.

...

The next day, Eleanor showed up at the clinic with a thermos of warm beef bone broth.

"Caroline, Adrian told me what happened. Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm already cleared to leave today. Thank you for your concern."

She set the thermos down and started to fuss. "You know, Adrian has never really taken care of anyone before. Hazel was so frightened..."

Suddenly, she seemed to realize she'd said too much and stopped talking.

Sensing the awkwardness, I spoke up. "Eleanor, the one who will bond with Adrian is Hazel."

She looked at me in shock. "What?"

"I wrote Hazel's name on the Luna registration form."

Eleanor's face lit up with joy. "Caroline, thank you for doing this. But what about your fated bond with Adrian..."

"I have my own way of handling it. Please don't tell Adrian or Hazel."

She grabbed my hand tightly. "I understand! So, where will you go?"

"I'll be leaving in a few days," I said, not offering any more details.

She seemed to want to ask more, but I closed my eyes and ended the conversation.

When I was discharged, I didn't tell anyone. Before leaving, I wrote a letter to Adrian.

"Adrian, I've already left. I'm on the train to the Northlands. I know Hazel is the one you truly love, so I'm letting you two be together. May the Moon Goddess bless you."

I included the unused train ticket to Arlanta and a copy of the Luna registration form, mailing both to his address in Arlanta.

Then, I boarded a train bound for Larkspur City.