Chapter 3

Drevan was cheating on me, and I had stumbled onto the truth while packing his suitcase for a business trip.

My hand brushed against something soft tucked into the pocket of his expensive, tailored suit. I pulled it out and found a pair of black lace panties. They were skimpy by design, and they weren't even my size. I stared at the red-rose embroidery on it and recalled that it was Belle's favorite design.

I confronted him with the evidence in my hand. "What is this?"

Drevan was tying his necktie at that time. He glanced at the panties without batting an eye.

"Someone probably slipped it in my suit as a prank," he replied.

"A prank?" I trembled with anger. "They smell like Belle's perfume. Do you take me for a fool?"

He finally lost his patience, snatched the panties, and tossed them into the trash.

"Kyra, it was for a business negotiation! The other party enjoys this sort of thing, so I was just playing along," he explained.

"So playing along means bringing it home?"

"That's enough!" he shouted at me. "I have my reasons. I'm doing this for the pack's interests. What would someone like you, who's only obsessed with a fairy-tale romance, understand about that?"

He impatiently pushed me aside and left for his business trip, dragging his suitcase behind him.

But getting caught didn't make Drevan tone it down one bit. If anything, it made him bolder.

One day, I received an audio file from an unknown number, and I opened it. The recording that played was filled with breathy moans that would make anyone blush, along with Belle's sultry voice.

"Ah! Drevan… Don't you think I'm much better than that blockhead Kyra…"

"Stop talking about her. You're killing the mood." Drevan's voice had a raw edge that I'd never heard before when he was in bed with me.

"But I want… Mmph… Please be gentle… Didn't she find those panties I gave you last time? I'll leave you another pair this time…"

After listening to the whole thing, I felt like pouring bleach in my ears to cleanse them.

The next day, I played the recording for him. This time, he didn't even bother with excuses.

"Since you already know about it, I won't beat around the bush anymore," he said, lighting a cigarette. Through the curling smoke, his face looked like a stranger to me.

"Belle is healthy and passionate. She gives me the satisfaction an Alpha needs. And you… You can't even last ten more minutes in bed without passing out from the pain. But I swear, the Luna position will always be yours."

Drevan flicked ash from his cigarette, all the while acting like he was doing me a favor.

"As long as you behave yourself, don't make a scene, and don't embarrass the pack by spreading this around, I'll still mark you. After all, you're the Luna my father chose for me."

Everything made sense at that moment. I should have walked away right then, but when I looked at the calendar, I realized the full moon was only three days away.

After living with this curse for 20 years, I was finally one step away from breaking free. Once I lifted the Sympathetic Pain curse, I'd recover my health and finally be able to get revenge on those two.

That was why I stayed and endured every ounce of rage and humiliation. I even turned a blind eye while Drevan and Belle carried on their affair right in front of me.

I watched how she'd deliberately show off the hickeys on her neck, and how he threw himself between her and a blade without hesitation.

I endured all of it right up until tonight's ceremony, when he stood before the entire pack and rejected me in front of everyone.

That was when it finally hit me—keeping quiet didn't earn me any respect, and backing down didn't earn me any mercy. Instead, my tolerance only gave them more confidence to walk all over me.

Since they were going to be this ruthless, they couldn't blame me for being selfish.