Chapter 2

I looked up, and Adrian was standing outside the door.

He frowned impatiently, but when he saw the tear tracks still on my cheeks, his expression finally became more serious. "Lily, stop it. It's just a bracelet. I'll take you to get you another one, okay?"

With that, he grabbed my arm and strode outside.

After tossing me into the back seat, he gently helped Nora into the front passenger seat.

I rubbed my wrist, already red from his grip, and fought desperately to keep my tears from falling.

When we reached the first floor of the mall, Nora said she wanted to look at a new pair of shoes.

Adrian nodded and stayed protectively by her side, while I followed behind them alone, still like a shadow no one noticed.

"Let's go with Nora to look at shoes first. Lily can wait."

Just as I expected. This happened every time we went shopping. Without fail.

Adrian stayed with Nora for a long time as she tried on shoes at the boutique. She couldn't decide between two pairs.

"Adrian, which pair looks better on me?"

Adrian affectionately ran a hand through her hair. "Buy both. Pick one to wear for now. Lily doesn't have anything that goes with either pair anyway. Give her the other one, and if you want to wear it later, you can switch with her."

He paid for both pairs and handed me the one I would never wear.

I looked at the shoes, which weren't even my size, and found the whole thing absurd. So this was what he meant by letting me choose. It was nothing more than an excuse to shut me up.

"Adrian, I don't need these shoes." I took a deep breath.

'I don't need you anymore, either.'

Adrian's hand was still hanging in the air when it froze. "Lily, Nora has much better taste than you do. Stop making a scene here. How does the way you're acting now look anything like a proper Luna?"

His face darkened as he finished speaking. He shielded Nora and strode out of the mall. He never looked back, leaving me there alone, holding a pair of shoes that didn't fit.

Ever since we were little, everyone had preferred Nora—our parents, our teachers, even Adrian. And yet I still loved him.

All because once, when my father had called me stupid, weak, and nothing like their child, Adrian had given me a piece of chocolate.

He'd told me it was okay. Even if I was a little dumb, he'd protect me from then on.

So when he chose me as his mate, I thought my fantasy had finally come true. I would be the Cinderella in the story, waiting for her prince to finally come.

For him, I gave up the herbal medicine I loved and tried to become a healer. I learned how to help him handle the pack's affairs.

But in the end, I could never become Nora, and Adrian would never love me.

I took a deep breath and turned toward the herbs section of the mall.

Maybe to Adrian, I would always be the one who wasn't chosen, but without them blocking my way, I could finally breathe the air of freedom.

However, the moment I stepped through the villa's front door, a shrill voice made my head ring.

"Lily, what the hell is going through that stupid head of yours?" My mother, Caroline Rose, snatched the herbs I'd just bought to make healing potions and hurled them onto the floor. "Look at yourself! What makes you think you're worthy of Adrian?"

My father, Daniel Rose, stood nearby, his low voice filled with restrained fury. "If Adrian hadn't taken you as his mate because of Nora, why would he ever choose a useless she-wolf like you? How dare you treat him and Nora like this?"

Maybe before tonight, I would have obeyed them and gone to Adrian to beg him not to be angry with me.

But now, I simply looked at them. I didn't want to say anything anymore.