Chapter 3

I didn't stop walking. Instead, I walked even faster, but he still caught my wrist in a tight grip.

"Nova, what exactly are you so mad about?"

As an Alpha, Felix usually had great control over his emotions. But this time, his eyes burned with real anger.

I didn't understand what he meant. Just as I was about to ask, he spoke first.

"I thought you actually realized you were wrong, but I didn't expect you to be so spiteful."

"You know perfectly well that Serena and I are just brother and sister. You and I are the ones who will ultimately have the bonding ceremony. Yet you purposely brought up the altar in front of everyone, and then threw the moonstone back at me. What is that supposed to mean?"

"Do you have to twist our bond into something dirty just because of your petty jealousy? If you cause the whole pack to gossip about her, how is Serena supposed to survive here?"

Every word slammed directly into my chest, making my eyes burn.

And here I thought he chased after me to explain why he didn't push Serena away.

It turned out he didn't care at all. He was only afraid that Serena would face pack criticism because of it.

I gave a bitter smile, laughing at myself for actually holding onto a sliver of hope.

Had I not gotten used to this over the last seven years?

Whenever something involved Serena, Felix would always put her first. He never noticed who was standing beside him, whether I was heartbroken, or whether I was hurting.

Just like the time we encountered a rogue ambush at the edge of our territory.

Serena had wandered into the battle for no reason and was cornered by several rogues.

When Felix and I rushed over, her arm had already been torn open with two bloody gashes.

Felix charged in like a madman, shielding her fiercely behind his back.

Seeing that he was a powerful Alpha, the rogues didn't dare fight him head-on. They immediately turned all their attention to attacking me.

I was trembling in fear, relying entirely on the mind-link to beg him for help.

But he never responded to me. His entire focus was on checking if Serena had been hurt.

That wasn't all. As if he had completely forgotten I was even there, he picked Serena up and bolted for the pack clinic.

If the patrol team hadn't arrived in time, my throat would have been ripped out.

Afterward, Felix was consumed by guilt for an entire night. He held me tightly and swore he would never leave me alone again, even if it cost him his life.

But later, when a massive avalanche hit the territory, he bypassed me, even though I was only a few hundred meters away.

He braved the blizzard to pick up Serena, who was already waiting in a safe zone.

And later still, when a wolfsbane outbreak hit the pack, Serena claimed she was scared. He gave her all the healing herbs in our home.

Because I had no protection, the poison seeped into my system. Now, every full moon, my lungs still ache as if they were being ripped apart.

Things like this had happened far too many times. I couldn't even remember them all.

And I didn't want to remember anymore. I definitely didn't want to keep waiting for the day he would finally put me first.

I yanked my arm out of his warm grip. Even though my heart was breaking, I felt too exhausted to even speak.

In the end, I just closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and replied in a hoarse voice. "Felix, think whatever you want."

Felix froze, completely thrown off by my indifference. His jaw tightened.

It wasn't until he looked down and saw my red eyes that the irritation in his gaze instantly faded, replaced by a surge of remorse.

"Nova, I didn't mean to yell at you."

He hesitated for a long time before his tone softened. "Don't let what Serena did just now upset you."

"She's just a child. She doesn't understand that she shouldn't cling to me so much at twenty-two. When I get back, I'll talk to her. Don't let it ruin your night."

Listening to Felix easily making excuses for Serena, I surprisingly didn't feel sad anymore.

I merely smiled as I recalled how many times he had said these exact words over the last seven years.

On the night of Serena's coming-of-age ceremony, she insisted on wearing my evening gown. She danced publicly at the party, demanding Felix as her first dance partner. I refused.

Instead of backing me, he ruffled my hair and told me not to make things difficult for a girl who had just come of age. It was just a dance.

Later, when we moved into the main Packhouse, Serena claimed she was scared to sleep alone. Late at night, she would slip into our bedroom in a thin nightgown and demand Felix keep her company.

I felt uncomfortable and told her to move to another floor.

But he frowned and said I was making a big deal out of nothing.

Serena just lacked a sense of security and was too dependent on him. There was no need to be so mean to a fragile girl.

Now, the two of them had openly stood at the altar and kissed in public. Yet he was once again telling me, his actual mate, to be more generous.

I shook my head with a bitter smile. Even when Serena grew old and her hair turned gray, would Felix still righteously say:

"Serena is still young, stop targeting her."

It turned out that in the eyes of this powerful Alpha, an adult woman would always remain a pure, innocent child.

It didn't matter. This time, I genuinely had no intention of competing with her anymore.

I tried my best to calm my emotions and sent a single, difficult message through the mind-link.

"Felix, let's call off the bonding ceremony."