Chapter 1

Leo looked at me in surprise, a subtle smirk playing on his lips. "Our Bloodthorn Pack has an ancestral rule—the Alpha must be completely loyal to his mate, and he can only have one Luna in his entire lifetime."

Assuming he was rejecting me, I lowered my head in disappointment. But just as I turned to leave, he tightly grabbed my wrist.

"Bella, I’m trying to tell you that once you become my Luna, there is no possibility of breaking the bond. Not for the rest of your life!"

I looked back into his eyes and nodded firmly. "Alright. We won't break it."

In reality, Leo was my fated mate. But because I had fallen in love with Arthur first, I had spent the last few years desperately trying to defy the arrangements of the Moon Goddess.

For the next two weeks, Leo chose to stay by my side, comforting me. Arthur, on the other hand, vanished without a trace from that day onward.

Whenever I turned on my phone, I would see the photos the Omega kept posting. The two of them were kissing while cradling their newborn pup, with a caption that read:

“He said that even if he has to bear the infamy, he will protect this tenderness.”

They couldn't wait to flaunt their affection in front of the whole world. I locked my screen, unable to look at it any longer.

Right then, Arthur called. I accidentally swiped the screen and answered it.

"The funeral should be over by now, right? Bella, I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn't want to accompany you, but the pup got sick, and I absolutely had to come check on him."

I caught a glimpse of my pale face in the mirror. "There's no need. We are over."

The other end of the line went silent for a moment before Arthur spoke softly. "That works too. Amy's body is still very weak right now, and I’m afraid she'll overexert herself anyway."

The anger I had been suppressing for so long finally erupted. "Arthur, are you deaf? I said we are over! Our relationship is over, and the alliance is over!"

He let out a helpless sigh. "Bella, stop throwing a tantrum. You’ve been with me for so many years. How could we possibly be over? The marking ceremony date has already been set for two weeks from now."

My eyes burned, and I let out a self-deprecating laugh. "There won't be a marking ceremony. I'm not going."

On the phone, Arthur's voice grew increasingly cold and detached. "Do you really want to cancel it? I’ve truly spoiled you rotten over the years. Perhaps you just need some time to calm down. Remember, the only she-wolf who will ever hold a marking ceremony with me is you."

With that, he hung up.

I slumped onto the floor, completely drained of energy, and sat there for three hours before I could finally gather myself. My phone kept buzzing continuously with notifications.

On the Silver Moon Pack’s live stream, the Omega, Amy, sat smiling in front of the camera, chatting with the host. Alpha Arthur sat right beside her, their fingers tightly intertwined. Throughout the entire broadcast, Arthur’s gaze never drifted from Amy. That tender look was something I once believed belonged exclusively to me.

Whenever private questions came up, Amy would turn her head to look at Arthur. Arthur would gently squeeze her hand, giving her a reassuring nod.

In the comments section, the live chat was scrolling at lightning speed:

"I’m so envious! To receive the Alpha's love, Amy must be truly amazing!"

"I pray the Moon Goddess grants me a devoted mate just like him."

Amy covered her blushing face and leaned against Arthur’s shoulder. "Arthur has always been a very good, attentive Alpha."

Staring at the intimate couple on the screen, a sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

In the past, Arthur always told me that because he was the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, he had to keep his distance from the media. Before our marking ceremony was completed, we wouldn't have a single clear picture together. Yet now, his principles were being completely rewritten just for Amy.

My heart felt as though it were being carved out by a sharp blade. I reached up and wiped away the tear slipping down the corner of my eye.

As it turned out, it wasn't that he couldn't see my emotions; he simply didn't care enough to give me a response.