Chapter 3

It felt as if an invisible hand had clamped down around my heart, squeezing until I could barely breathe.

I looked at him. The man who had once meant everything to me now felt like a stranger. The warmth and tenderness that used to fill his gaze were gone, replaced by cold disappointment and a faint trace of irritation he didn't bother to hide.

Lily chose that moment to lean into Lucas. Her slender arm slipped gently around his shoulder, and tear tracks were still visible on her face, though her voice carried a soft, cautious plea.

"Alpha, please don't be angry. Scarlet just… She just cares about you too much. That's why she spoke without thinking. It's my fault. If I weren't here, you two wouldn't be arguing."

She cast a quick sideways glance at me. The fleeting smugness in her eyes pierced straight through my chest.

Lucas reached back to pat Lily's hand. The casual intimacy of it was striking, as though they were the ones who truly belonged together.

"This has nothing to do with you. She's just too sensitive. She's making a big deal out of nothing."

When he looked back at me, his gaze carried a quiet judgment, as if I had already disappointed him beyond repair.

"Scarlet, you really need to fix that temper of yours. Stop causing a scene and embarrassing everyone."

I took a deep breath, forcing down the lump in my throat and the surge of emotion threatening to spill over. Tears burned at the edges of my eyes, but I pushed them back with sheer will.

I straightened up and met his gaze head-on. "I didn't do anything wrong, Lucas."

He frowned, then snapped, "Scarlet, do you have to be this unreasonable? Look at yourself right now. Petty. Selfish. You're not even as good as an Omega."

A sharp pain tore through my chest, catching me off guard and leaving me breathless. I had never imagined that Lucas would humiliate me like this.

Who did he think he was, and what did he take me for?

Did he despise me now? Was this his way of ending things?

I held his gaze without blinking. For a brief moment, his expression wavered before he looked away first. Through the mind-link, his emotions spilled over in a chaotic rush. There was regret, anger, and reluctance, all hopelessly tangled together.

I knew he hadn't forgotten the time we had spent together. For years, we had relied on each other, never once hurting each other. But this time, Lucas had truly changed. His heart had completely turned toward Lily.

Through his wolf, I could feel it clearly. The attention he gave her had long crossed the line of what an Alpha should show an ordinary pack member.

He continued, "Lily is understanding. She won't take this to heart. Just apologize to her, and we'll put this behind us."

With that single sentence, the trust and bond we had built over five years collapsed in an instant.

I shook my head calmly.

"No."

Lucas' expression darkened, and he firmly asked, "Scarlet, are you really going to keep this up?"

I froze for a moment. What had I done wrong?

Every single word he said now sounded utterly absurd.

In that instant, all desire to argue vanished completely.

I looked at him and said quietly, "Alpha Lucas, I've always been like this."

Then I turned and slammed the door shut behind me.

Back in my office, I opened my laptop and found myself staring at the transfer request form for the pack once again. There was only one hour left before the deadline.

After that, I would no longer be able to withdraw my transfer request. I would be leaving the city I had lived in for years and heading south, to the Emberclaw Pack.

I closed my eyes, sensing the emotions still flowing through the mind-link. Lucas was angry and irritated, but there was no sign that he intended to come after me or apologize.

He probably thought I would calm down like I always did, then turn back on my own.

After all, I was supposed to be his future Luna. A Luna was meant to tolerate her Alpha's temper.

But this time, I didn't withdraw the request.

I sat there for a long moment, then began searching for everything I could about Emberclaw. Before I knew it, the final deadline passed.

The application status flashed "Locked".

I let out a small sigh. It turned out that leaving Lucas wasn't as dreadful as I had expected.

When I stepped outside, the moonlight was cold and pale, draping over me without a trace of warmth. I gazed at the bright full moon and remembered all the nights Lucas and I had run beneath it, holding each other close, believing those moments would last forever.

Now, those memories only brought me pain.

Under the full moon, I let him go and freed myself too.

From this moment, our paths would part completely, and we would owe each other nothing.