Chapter 2

A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. I looked up and saw Lily Cross, standing there, wearing that soft, calculated smile. She exuded the gentle, yielding aura of an Omega, tinged with a practiced sweetness that seemed designed to charm.

"Scarlet," she said softly. "I just finished reporting to the Alpha. He seemed a little down and said he wanted to go out for a drink. I wanted to check with you. Would it be okay if I went with him?"

Her words were polite and direct, but the faint glimmer of pride in her eyes gave her away.

As a Beta, I could tell that she had been around Lucas too much as his scent clung to her. Such a scent should exist only on a bonded mate.

For the past half year, she had maintained this charade before me, pretending to be deferential while secretly savoring her own little victories.

A heavy knot of confusion settled in my chest as I watched her silently.

When had Lucas changed? Why would he favor a she-wolf who was so superficial, fake, and calculated?

At first, he had disliked Lily. He called her foolish and unreliable and even admitted to despising her. But everything changed during a full-moon hunt when Lucas was attacked by a Rogue.

While I was on a business trip in Palonia, I heard that Lily had broken down in worry for him. She tended to Lucas nonstop at the hospital for two full days without sleep. Afterward, Lucas began to see her differently, and gradually, they grew closer.

Lily had openly called Lucas her brother, and soon it became common knowledge. Everyone knew that Alpha Lucas had an Omega "younger sister," while I was jokingly dubbed Lily's "older sister".

Every time I heard that, my expression hardened. Lucas didn't seem to notice. He would just smile and squeeze my waist. "Scarlet, don't listen to them. I only love you."

Could he still say that now?

His wolf's occasional tremors told me that his attention to Lily had gone far beyond what an Alpha owed his pack.

I forced a bitter smile as I stared at Lily.

She returned the same soft smile. "Scarlet, are you upset?"

Before I could answer, Lucas strode in. His Alpha presence radiated raw aggression, yet it softened the moment he approached Lily. "Lily, didn't I tell you to wait for me in the conference room? Why are you here?"

"I-I wasn't sure if I should say yes," Lily stammered, twisting her fingers nervously as she maintained a perfectly obedient stance. "I wanted to hear what Scarlet thinks first."

Lucas' expression softened instantly, and a protective aura seemed to wrap around him. "I want you to go. Do I need anyone else's permission?"

Lily lowered her head. A barely noticeable smile flickered across her face, but she still looked uncertain. "But she's your future Luna."

A hint of impatience flashed in Lucas' eyes as he looked at me. "Lily is already showing you enough respect. She even asked before going out to dinner with me, and yet you—the future Luna of this pack—get caught up in every little joke."

He always brushed off their interference with my pack transfer request as trivial, as if I were the unreasonable one.

Why should I ever accept this so-called joke?

I snorted coldly. "Respect? Over the past six months, how many flirtatious games has she played with you right in front of me? Not only did she bring you breakfast in front of the entire pack, write you cards, and act all coy and clingy, but she even calls you her brother, like it's adorable.

"Does she not feel embarrassed? Other Betas and Omegas find it disgusting. Lucas, can't you see through this hypocrisy, or do you actually enjoy it? Do you like it and take pleasure in it?"

Lily went pale instantly. Her shoulders shook, and tears sparkled on her cheeks, as if she had been deeply wronged.

Lucas' expression darkened. He frowned, radiating the full weight of his Alpha presence. "Scarlet, why are you being so aggressive all of a sudden? You disappoint me."

He suddenly let out a sharp, derisive laugh. "With that sharp, cruel attitude, how could you possibly deserve to stand as my future Luna? I regret being with you."

His words hit like an ice-coated dagger, shattering the last walls of my defenses. Five years of devotion and seven years of companionship, all erased with a single cold sentence.

He said he regretted it.