Chapter 3

Meeting Reese was the most unexpected accident of my life. Back then, I was still a healer's apprentice in a small pack.

I was at the market when I saw a Rogue harassing an Omega she-wolf. I stepped in, subdued him, and turned him over to the law enforcement.

At that time, Reese was still just the heir to the Silverclaw pack, young and full of confidence. He followed me for a while, intrigued.

And that was how our paths crossed.

The day he confessed to me was in a meadow full of moonlit flowers. I asked him why he liked me. After all, I was just an ordinary healer with no noble bloodline.

Reese just took my hand and placed it over his heart, allowing me to feel its strong, steady beat.

"Because you're kind, brave, and smart. But more than that, because my wolf chose you."

Maybe it was his pleasant scent drawing me in—or perhaps it was an unconscious flutter of my heart—but whatever it was, we were together for a long time after that.

That was until Reese's father, the previous Alpha, passed away. The transfer of power in the Silverclaw pack was nothing short of bloody.

Aside from Reese, the legitimate heir, his father had several illegitimate children scattered around. The most threatening among them was Caleb, who had been exiled.

When the inheritance dispute was at its most intense, Reese suddenly collapsed. Tests showed he had been poisoned with a high concentration of wolfbane—a strain modified by a witch.

He stayed in intensive care for ten days.

Even with the best witch doctors helping him, his organs continued to fail rapidly. His wolf had also fallen into a deep slumber.

Helpless, the witch doctor said there was only one possible cure. He needed blood from someone with the same bloodline as him to willingly offer their "wolf essence" to create the antidote.

However, that meant the donor would lose their ability to shift forever, and even their lifespan would be cut in half.

I kneeled before every one of his half-siblings and begged them, but not one of them agreed.

Who would? Losing one's wolf meant becoming useless in a world where only the strong survived.

Besides, with Reese gone, they would each get a bigger share of the inheritance. They wanted him dead, so why would they lift a finger to save him?

During those days, I felt like I was walking through a fog, unable to find any way out.

Reese could sense it too. In one of his lucid moments, he transferred all his assets into my name.

As he lay in the clinic's bed, his pale hand brushed my face. He looked reluctant as he patiently wiped away my endless tears.

He said meeting me was the one thing in his life he had no regrets about, and that his only regret was not having the chance to give me a grand bonding ceremony.

Everyone praised the love between us. But then, something happened that made their jaws drop.

No sooner had I accepted Reese's gift than I turned and ran to another wolf's arms.

I chose not to stay by Reese's side through his final days. I had betrayed him and unhesitantly went straight to Caleb—his greatest enemy and the exiled bastard son.

No one knew why. Not even Reese.

I would never tell anyone the reason. Never.

…

At eight in the morning, I dragged my exhausted body back to my cramped apartment. I had barely slept four hours when the clinic called me in for an emergency.

The nurse's voice was trembling as she said, "Elara, come back quickly. The patient in the VIP room says a valuable item is missing, and she's accusing you by name."

I immediately got up and hurried back.

When I walked into the clinic's VIP reception room, I looked up and saw Reese sitting on the couch, his entire being exuding a cold, unapproachable presence.

Tiffany was half-leaning into his embrace, daintily wiping away tears.

Peter Swanson, the Captain of the Guard, stood off to the side. He was forcing a smile and had sweat beading on his forehead.

Tiffany had discovered that morning that her "Tears of the Moon" necklace was missing. It was said to be made from the purest moonstone and was capable of enhancing a Beta's fertility.

Only the cleaning lady and I had been in their room the night before.

The cleaning lady had already been interrogated and even given the truth serum, but nothing had been found.

Tiffany raised a perfectly manicured finger and pointed at me, saying haughtily, "It must be her! That lowly healer took it! Strip her and search her!"

My gaze instinctively flicked to Reese. The night before, I had never once left his line of sight.

How could I have stolen that necklace from right under his nose?

But Reese didn't seem inclined to defend me. He just sat there with his legs crossed, playing with a lighter in his hand and watching everything with icy indifference.

Peter came over and whispered to me, "Elara, I can't afford to offend the Alpha of the Silverclaw pack. Just go along with it for show."

I knew this was a trap set specifically for me. Still, I held my head high and refused to give in.

"If you suspect I stole it, then call the law enforcement to handle it. You don't have the right to search me privately. That violates the Werewolf Convention."

Tiffany shot up at that, her tone growing aggressive. "We're very busy. We don't have time to waste on law enforcement procedures. That necklace was a birthday gift made by Reese himself!

"Also, right after I came out of the bathroom last night, I saw you running out in a panic. If you didn't do anything wrong, why were you in such a hurry?"

With that, she lunged for my bag.

I held onto it with all my strength. Inside that bag was something I treasured more than anything. I couldn't let her touch it.

From beginning to end, Reese made no move to stop her.

After a struggle, Tiffany finally wrestled the canvas bag away from me.

The zipper was yanked open with a loud rip, and everything inside spilled onto the floor. Books, keys, and loose change were scattered everywhere.

There was also an unremarkable wooden carving of a wolf. It fell to the ground and broke clean in two.

The craftsmanship was rough, but it had been polished smooth and shiny. It was clearly something cherished, held, and touched often.

When Reese's gaze fell on the broken wooden wolf, his previously composed expression finally cracked.

That was something he had carved for me with his own hands when we first got together.

Back then, he had said, "If you miss me, hold onto this."