Chapter 1

"Elder Garou, I am voluntarily stepping down from my position as Beta of the pack to apply for permission to go out and gain experience," I said in a voice devoid of any emotion as I placed the signed resignation letter on the wooden table.

The elder, Remy Garou, looked stunned. "What? Heather, you're about to become Luna, yet you want to leave now? You've endured so much to earn a place by Claude's side, pushing yourself from an Omega without a wolf to a Beta.

"In that last battle with the vampires, you nearly lost your life. Now that things are finally starting to look up for you, you want to leave?"

Looking up? But then, why did I still only feel the pain and none of the gain?

I held back the tears threatening to fall. "Elder Garou, please approve it. There's someone more suitable for that position than me."

For the past ten years, outsiders had only seen Claude's special treatment of me. After all, I was the only one who could freely enter his study and also the only she-wolf who could get close to him.

However, I knew full well that he had agreed to crown me as Luna not because of love, but because of the vampire ambush two months ago.

To buy him time, I'd ventured alone into the enemy camp and nearly been drained of blood.

When I woke up, Claude had caressed my face, his gaze complicated. "You saved me. I can't give you anything else, so I'll make you my Luna."

I saw the pity in his eyes, but I accepted it anyway. I'd thought that, given enough time, his heart of stone would eventually warm up.

But everything changed the day Victoria Grimm returned.

Without waiting for Elder Garou's response, I turned and walked out of the council hall.

My phone vibrated. There was a new post in the pack forum, a replay of Victoria's coronation ceremony.

The comments section was particularly hurtful.

"What a perfect match. Since Ms. Grimm is the former Alpha's daughter, only she deserves to stand by Alpha Claude's side."

"I heard Ms. Grimm put in tremendous effort during this vampire extermination. Like father, like daughter indeed."

In the video close-up, Victoria wore a red gown, intimately holding Claude's arm and whispering in his ear.

Claude tilted his head to listen, the corners of his lips unconsciously lifting.

Claude, who on regular days would order me to keep my distance even when I was reporting battle updates, claiming he didn't like the scent of others, now had his brow relaxed.

The scene shifted to the coronation ceremony.

Claude placed the crown that belonged to me onto Victoria's head with his own hands.

"Victoria, only you are worthy of this crown."

Though I'd mentally prepared myself, my heart still couldn't help but ache when I witnessed this scene.

Echoing in my ears were the words Claude had spoken to me in his study two days ago.

"It's just a Luna crown—why are you fighting over it? Victoria's father guided me when I was growing up. Now she has no family to rely on and needs the Luna crown to maintain her dignity.

"The Luna position will still be yours in the end, so it's not like it affects your status."

Tears slipped down unbidden, and like one punishing oneself, I looked back at the screen.

The coronation ceremony ended, and Victoria excitedly rose on her tiptoes to kiss Claude's cheek right in front of everyone.

The same Claude, who'd frown and pull away if I so much as accidentally touched him, was momentarily startled but didn't push her away.

In that moment, I finally saw reality clearly.

It wasn't that he had a cleanliness obsession, but purely his rejection of me.

Even though he and I'd already shared an intimate bond as mates, he still hated my touch.

I roughly wiped the tears from my face and returned to my quarters.

As I packed my belongings, I realized how pathetically little I had.

This place had never been my home. If anything, I was merely a lodger.

A buzz rang out from my phone again.

It was Claude.

"Victoria is throwing a celebration party at the pack tonight. Take care of the arrangements, and make sure to secure the best venue."

It was only upon seeing this command that I remembered he had already severed our mind-link in order to sense Victoria's condition the moment anything happened.

I shook my head with a self-deprecating smile and typed a word in the dialogue box that I'd never used with him before.

"I'm busy."

Since I'd decided to leave, I wasn't going to leave any room for turning back.

I found the Gamma in charge of training, Sawyer Harte, and dumped the Beta command badge, along with the keys to the warehouse and armory, into his arms.

"They're all yours now."

"Ms. Ashwood, what's the meaning of this?" Sawyer asked with confusion.

"I'm handing everything over to you," I replied curtly and turned to leave. "Don't come to me about these matters anymore."

It took me ten years to earn this badge. But it only took a second to rip it off.