Chapter 5

Austen snatched the necklace from my hand.

"Lower your head, Sera," Austen said softly.

Seraphina obediently lowered her head, revealing her long, pale neck.

His hands were steady as he held the necklace, his focus absolute. In the fading light, he looked like a priest performing a sacred ritual.

His eyes saw only her.

That focused gaze, those careful movements, that gentle expression…

It was exactly how he had looked when he’d placed the bonding necklace on me at our ceremony.

The moonstone glowed against her skin. She looked like a real Luna, elegant and captivating.

"So beautiful!" the onlookers gasped.

"Seraphina is a natural-born Luna!"

"That necklace looks like it was made for her!"

"She deserves that title more than anyone!"

Every compliment was a knife in my heart.

Seraphina, surrounded by her fawning entourage, had a triumphant gleam in her eyes.

She stroked the necklace, basking in the attention.

Then, her eyes met mine.

A look of fake panic crossed her face, as if she'd forgotten she was the one who demanded it.

"Oh no!" She made a show of fumbling to take the necklace off. "I can't wear this! It belongs to the true Luna! I'm not worthy..."

Her voice trembled, and tears of "remorse" filled her eyes.

"Sera, it's fine," Austen said, stopping her hand. "Just wear it for a little while. It looks good."

"No! Absolutely not!" Seraphina shook her head, pulling at the clasp while looking at me. "Evelyn, I'm so sorry! I was just so captivated by its beauty!"

She made a show of fumbling with the clasp, her fingers shaking dramatically.

I instinctively reached out my hand.

But just as the necklace was about to be passed to me…

Her fingers "accidentally" slipped.

The Moonlight Necklace slid from her grasp.

CRACK.

The sound of shattering stone split the air.

The moonstone hit the stone steps. A spiderweb of cracks fractured the gem's surface before it shattered into a thousand pieces.

The sacred symbol of generations of Lunas, destroyed right before my eyes.

"No!" Seraphina fell to her knees, staring at the fragments with red-rimmed eyes. "I didn't mean to! I really didn't mean to!"

"It's all Evelyn's fault!" a girl named Ellie immediately accused. "Sera was trying to give it back to you! Why didn't you catch it properly?"

"Yeah!" another girl, Camilla, chimed in. "Now look what happened! Such a precious treasure is ruined!"

"Sera was being so careful! You're the one who couldn't hold on to it!"

The accusations crashed over me.

I could only stare at the glittering shards on the ground. My heart had shattered with them.

That necklace, just like my past life's spirit wolf and my position as Luna... all so fragile.

"Evelyn." Austen walked up to me, his tone an undeniable command. "Sera didn't do it on purpose. Just look at her. She’s devastated. Forgive her."

I looked up at him.

There was no pain in his eyes for the broken necklace, no guilt toward me.

Only protectiveness for Seraphina and annoyance at me for "making a scene."

"She didn't do it on purpose," he repeated, his voice harder. "Don't make her feel guilty."

I opened my mouth to argue.

To remind him of the honor this necklace represented.

To tell him Seraphina obviously let it go.

To tell him how much this hurt.

Then the memory of the potion hit me like ice water. The Moon-Eclipse Potion. In twenty-eight days, I would be free. None of this would matter.

Why waste a single emotion on these people?

"Of course," I said, turning to leave. "The Alpha is right."

"Evelyn!" Austen called after me.

I heard his footsteps following.

But in the next second, a pained moan came from Seraphina.

"Austen… I don't feel good… my stomach hurts…"

His footsteps stopped cold.

"Sera! What's wrong?" Austen spun around and ran to her without a second thought. "I'll get you to the infirmary right now!"

I kept walking, not looking back.

Behind me, I could hear his worried voice and the comforting murmurs of the others.

Back in the main building, I went straight to my closet and started packing a bag.

An hour later, the door opened.

Austen walked in, a hint of apology on his face.

"Evelyn, about the necklace…"

"How is she?" I asked, not looking up from my packing. "Is Seraphina okay?"

"She was just emotional," he said, sitting on the edge of the bed. "The doctor said she just needs to rest."

"Good to hear."

He watched me packing and frowned.

"You're not really leaving over a necklace, are you?"

A necklace?

I stopped and looked at him.

"In your eyes, that was just a necklace?"

"That's not what I meant…" He looked flustered. "I know it was important, but it's broken. We can find the best craftsman to fix it. There must be some magic that can repair it perfectly…"

"Repair it?" I laughed, a cold, empty sound. "Austen, some things, once they're broken, stay broken."

"It's not just the necklace."

He was silent for a few seconds, then pulled a small, ornate box from his jacket.

"I got this for you." His voice softened. "I know you've been upset lately. I hope this makes you happy."

I took the box, my heart giving an unwelcome flutter.

Just then, the door was thrown open again.

"Austen!" Camilla burst in, ecstatic. "It's the best news!"

"Seraphina's pregnant! They just confirmed it!"

The box slipped from his hand, falling to the floor with a clatter.

His face was a storm of emotions.

Shock, joy, panic… all swirled together.

"What did you say?" His voice trembled.

"Sera's pregnant!" Camilla was practically bouncing. "She's scared right now! She wants to see you!"

Austen glanced at me, a flash of guilt in his eyes.

But the hesitation was quickly replaced by excitement.

"I'm coming," he said, rushing out the door.

The door slammed shut.

I bent down and picked up the gift box, slowly opening it.

Inside was a gaudy, oversized ruby ring.

The style was gaudy, the color garish. It wasn’t me. It was proof he’d never really seen me at all.

I closed the box and walked to the trash. The ring made a soft clink as it landed.

"You're going to be a father!" a voice celebrated outside.