Chapter 3

The next morning, Aiden’s call woke me.

"Clara, are you up?" His voice sounded casual. "I had the kitchen make your favorite blueberry pancakes. I’m not coming back to the Lunar Hall today. Something urgent came up in the pack. We’ll take the wedding photos another day."

He paused. "And about last night… don’t overthink it. I already apologized to Seraphina on your behalf."

"Okay," I answered calmly.

My composure surprised him.

"The mating ceremony is just a formality," he added. "Our bond runs deep enough. We don’t need a ceremony to prove anything. Let’s keep it simple."

"Sure."

Keep it simple.

This mating ceremony would have no blessing from the Moon Goddess, no token of devotion, and no witness from the pack.

And soon… no bride.

After hanging up, I crossed off "take wedding photos" from the calendar, dragging the pen with force. That calendar held every hope I had. I used to believe each wish would come true before the ceremony.

Now, every blacked-out line glared back like an unhealed wound.

I stopped thinking about Aiden.

Over the next few days, I quietly reached out to my friends and told them the ceremony was off.

"We kind of suspected it," one friend said gently. After some hesitation, she opened a photo on her phone.

It was Aiden and Seraphina smiling at each other. Their faces were too close, their eyes gleaming with an unspoken understanding.

The same Aiden who had never once shown affection toward me in public now unreservedly displayed his closeness with her for everyone to see.

They had partied all night on his private yacht and vacationed together on his secluded island. He even brought her as his guest to his family’s annual dinner party. His welcome for Seraphina’s return was loud and proud, known by all.

As for me? The woman he was supposed to mate with?

I remained a secret.

"Clara, don’t be too upset," my friend said, squeezing my hand. "A flirty and fickle girl like Seraphina can’t compare to you. One day, Aiden will regret it. His wolf will tear itself apart."

"It’s okay. I don’t care anymore."

Five days. In five days, I would leave forever. I had no time left to waste on a man who didn’t love me.

So when Aiden finally came home after days of absence, I felt nothing.

He strolled in, still on the phone with someone, only half paying attention as he glanced around. "Why’s the room still empty? Didn’t you decorate it the way I like?"

"Didn’t you say you wanted to keep things simple?"

He looked stunned, then noticed the "7" on the countdown calendar. "Wow, time has flown by. Only seven days until our mating ceremony."

I walked over and tore off two pages. "Five days," I corrected him.

Those two torn pages had wishes written on them: "watch the sunrise together from the mountaintop" and "hold hands and share our hidden secrets".

He’d never cared for those details.

Just then, my mother called. I stepped onto the balcony to take it.

When I returned, Aiden was still on the phone. He looked up at me. "Was that something important? I thought I heard you say the word ‘leave.’"

"It’s nothing. A friend of mine is leaving soon for studies in the Graylands."

"Oh… Just don’t plan any honeymoon trips after the mating ceremony. I’m too busy. No time for that."

"I know. I didn’t plan any."

That was a lie. I had planned a honeymoon, but now I remembered I needed to cancel the tickets.

After all, Seraphina was back. All of Aiden’s time naturally belonged to her.

After a brief silence, I held out the black obsidian ring to him.

His eyes flickered. He reached for it and said casually, "Ah, so that’s where it went. A gift from an elder—important stuff. I looked everywhere for it."

"I know. I saw your reward notice."

A million… to find a ring.

In comparison, the entire mating ceremony cost less than a hundred thousand.

I looked at Aiden and asked quietly, "Where’s your wedding ring?"

He paused, then looked down at his bare finger.

"No idea when it slipped off."

He looked like he wanted to explain, but Seraphina’s call came through, urgent and demanding. He glanced at the screen, then leaned over and brushed a kiss across my forehead.

"Sorry, Clara. Things are just really hectic right now. I’ll leave the rest of the preparations to you. When all this is done, I promise that you’ll be the happiest Luna in the whole pack."

Aiden had never been this good with words. If this had been before, I would’ve cried with joy, thinking I’d finally melted his cold heart.

But now?

I rubbed my ear and pretended I hadn’t heard a thing and went back to packing my bags.

Time crept forward. Soon, it was the day before the ceremony.

That day’s wish on the calendar was "have a meal with the whole family". It was my biggest dream for the past twenty years, but even I knew that dream would never come true.

My mother would never forgive my father, and I would never forgive Aiden.

So, I went alone to the mountaintop and watched the most breathtaking sunset. The golden dusk painted every piece of land I’d ever called home. All my memories floated into the wind.

At that moment, Seraphina posted a new update. In the photo, her father beamed as Aiden served her the choicest cut of grilled meat.

The caption read: "Families meet to finalize mating ceremony details".

I didn’t get angry. I was just… profoundly sad.

Whose mating ceremony was this exactly? Aiden and me, or Aiden and Seraphina?

I exited the post.

I wanted to send Aiden my questions, all my hurt, all my confusion. I typed and deleted for ages, then sent nothing. Why bother? Even if I said it, nothing would change.

Just as I wiped my tears and turned to leave, my phone rang. It was Aiden.

"Where are you? Why aren’t you at the marital house? Send me your location. I miss you."