Chapter 3

The day after I was discharged from the facility happened to coincide with the birthday gala of Justin’s mother, the pack’s Luna.

I’d rather not go. The only thing on my mind was to stay as far away from Justin’s family as possible.

However, the Luna had written the invitation to me by hand.

She went as far as to claim that the event could not be whole without me, the future Luna, in attendance.

I couldn’t forget how the Luna held my hand and told me to think of her as my mother after mine died giving birth to me.

Besides, someone ought to explain my broken bond with Justin to her.

In the end, I agreed to attend.

The party was held at the Alpha House where music drifted beneath the stars. The guests mingled among stone pillars and wolf totems, the air both solemn and vibrant.

I stepped into the estate and spotted them right away.

Marissa snuggled up against Justin, her head nestling in the crook of his neck.

Even when Marissa’s hold on him dragged at his pace, Justin didn’t pull away.

“Look at you. You practically risked your life to keep me safe. How can I ever repay you?”

Marissa looked up to meet my gaze and added with quiet intent. “Fay is your fated mate. Aren’t you worried about hurting her feelings?”

The pack members pulled funny looks, their eyes darting between the three of us.

It was then that Justin saw me. Out of instinct, he pulled Marissa off him and approached me.

“There you are, Fay. Come over.”

I didn’t even bother to stop. Instead, I snapped a curt look at him before heading to a quiet corner.

While Justin stood frozen, Marissa pressed closer to him.

Eventually, someone broke the silence.

A friend of mine spoke up sternly, “Hasn’t your mating ceremony with Fay been rescheduled for soon? Justin, you’re the future Alpha. What are you doing? What do you take Fay for?”

Justin glanced at me nonchalantly and scoffed.

“The mating ceremony? Fay has already decided to break our mate bond. There won’t be a mating ceremony.”

Every wolf gasped.

In a pack where tradition ruled above all, breaking a mate bond was a scandal that could haunt generations.

The pack elders clustered around me right away.

“What has happened between you two, young pup?”

“You grew up together, and you’re fated mates.”

“Didn’t you risk a 20,000-foot climb to pray for Justin at the Moon Goddess Temple? If there’s a misunderstanding, why not just talk it out?”

My gaze fell on the Moon Goddess bracelet on Marissa’s wrist.

With Justin lying critically wounded in battle, I obtained the bracelet by free climbing the mountain to pray to the Moon Goddess for her protection over him.

Following the climb, it took me three months before I recovered mobility in my hands.

For the first time, he shed tears in front of me and pressed his lips onto the band.

He vowed to always treasure the bracelet just as he cherished me.

Yet, the bracelet had been passed to another.

Fighting the gut-wrenching agony, I swallowed the scream in my throat and let out a wry chuckle.

Justin gave his life away, along with the Moon Goddess bracelet, to Marissa.

Our unforgettable history together could not beat his present with Marissa.

With the elders’ pleas ringing in my ear, I cut them off softly.

“There is no misunderstanding. Things are over between us. The tokens of our promise have been returned.”

The Luna rushed to the scene, her expression laced with worry when she saw my face.

She grabbed hold of Justin’s arm and yanked him over to me.

“Apologize to Fay now,” the Luna barked.

However, Justin simply stared at me stubbornly in silence.

Not one to linger, I lifted my skirt and walked away to hide in the shadow of the terrace.

Despite the chilly night breeze, I could breathe easier there than indoors.

Soon enough, Marissa showed up.

She rested her hand on the railing, the massive moonstone on her finger glittering.

Not eager to spend a second alone with her, I turned on my heels to leave, only for her to grab my wrist.

She didn’t even bother to hide the hostility in her eyes. “I bet you’re feeling pretty smug because the Luna stood up for you.”

Furrowing my brows, I tried to pull my hand free.

Marissa’s grip only tightened, and her nails sank into my skin.

“Don’t flatter yourself. She’s only nice to you because of your dead mother. Too bad your mother was too weak to carry you. Hang on… Maybe it’s the curse in your blood that killed your mother tragically.”

Marissa crackled out loud.

“Once I have Justin completely under my spell, do you think she’d still side with you, a half-breed outsider, against her son?”

There was one line that could never be crossed, and that was to insult my parents.

Clenching my fists, I shook with rage.

“Get lost!”

Just as I was about to shove her hand away, Marissa’s eyes flickered with success.

Instead of resisting, Marissa went with my push and fell back dramatically. As if that wasn’t enough, Marissa slapped herself.

“Smack!”

The sharp sound cut through the night sky.

Marissa fell to the floor in sobs. “Save me, Justin! I didn’t want her to be mad at you, but she hit me… She said that you meant nothing to her.”

Justin jolted toward the commotion.

With a hard grimace, Justin took hold of my arm and commanded, “Apologize, Fay.”

I smirked sarcastically.

There was a time when he would stand against the world rather than let any wolf hurt me.

Yet there he was, standing right before me in menace.

The wolf, the one who was once mine, was long gone.

“I didn’t hit her, but she’s got one thing right,” I said in composure.

Justin froze. “What’s that?”

“You are absolutely nothing to me now.” I looked him in the eye.

I pried his fingers off my arm and walked away without looking back.

As I walked down the stairs, a betraying tear slid down my cheek.