Chapter 2

By the time my birthday party began and the elders had all arrived, Wayne finally showed up with Nala at his side.

Nala's cheeks were flushed, and there was an obvious hickey on Wayne's neck.

Anyone could tell exactly what they had been doing before coming here.

In the past, I would have broken down in tears. I would have caused a scene and demanded to know how they could do something like this.

One was the man I loved, and the other was my sister.

Didn't they care about how I felt at all?

But now, I only glanced at them before calmly turning around to chat with the werewolves beside me.

Wayne noticed my gaze linger for a few seconds on their marks of intimacy. He cautiously stepped forward to protect Nala behind him.

Yet after waiting and waiting, he never got the reaction he expected from me.

Despite feeling a little irritated, he forced a smile.

"Leah, are you pretending to be generous because you're afraid I won't agree to become your mate?

"Honestly, that's for the best. I'm going to be the future Alpha of this pack. As my future Luna, you should at least learn how to act like one.

"You behaved yourself today, so I'll reward you with a small gift."

After saying that, he reached into a bag and retrieved a delicate-looking velvet box.

Just as he was about to hand it to me, Nala snatched it away.

"It's so pretty! Isn't this the limited-edition bracelet that's all the rage these days? It's nearly impossible to get!"

Wayne immediately pulled away. "You like it, Nala? Then it's yours."

Nala smiled sheepishly. "Forget it. This is your birthday gift for my sister. I can't steal something meant for her."

She was looking at me when she spoke. There was a smug look in her eyes.

"What's the big deal? Just take it. I can always give Leah something else.

"Besides, she likes anything I give her."

People around us started chuckling when they heard his slightly insulting remark.

I fell into a trance for a moment.

What he said was once true. I used to think everything he gave me was wonderful.

One time during a hunt, I got caught in the rain.

He casually handed me a jacket, and I kept it for years.

Later, he coincidentally caught me smelling it.

He looked at me with an amused smirk and said, "Leah, do you have no shame?"

The fragile feelings of a young girl had been exposed so cruelly that I wished the ground would swallow me whole.

The Alpha had scolded him back then and forced him to apologize.

"Shut up, Wayne. What's with all this nonsense?"

Wayne only grinned and stayed quiet, but he later exaggerated the story and told it to many others.

I became the joke of the town.

Thinking back on it now, all I felt was emptiness.

I turned around to leave, but Wayne blocked my path.

"What's wrong? Can't keep pretending anymore?"

He sneered. "I knew a vile woman like you could never actually be generous."

I watched as he clamped his palm around my wrist. I yanked it free. "Wayne, show some respect."

He froze for a second. He then sneered. "Show some respect to you? Do you even deserve it? Aren't you the one who desperately wants to become my mate?"

He paused. There was a condescending air to his tone. "Fine. I promise I'll mark you once I become Alpha."

"But you won't be my future mate," I said.

There was dead silence after those words came out. Immediately after that, everyone burst into laughter.

"Not me? Who is it then? You're so obsessed with me. Would you really agree to be someone else's mate?

"Besides, there's only my brother in my family and me. My brother's been gravely ill ever since he was attacked by rogues. No one even knows how much longer he'll live.

"More importantly, I heard his wolf was injured too. Apparently he can't even mark anyone anymore. Are you really choosing some loser who's even weaker than an Omega?"

Everyone looked at me silently and waited for my reply.

At that moment, Eric Seinfeld was suddenly wheeled into the room.

He truly looked frail. He was too weak to even get out of his wheelchair.

Everyone started laughing again.