Chapter 5

Violet’s POV

"Alpha must be on his way here, Luna."

I blushed when I heard the maid who was styling my hair.

It was finally the night of our anniversary, the night Leo would mark me.

Standing in front of the dressing table mirror, I was checking out my dress. I was wearing a beautiful white gown. The dress had a design that no other royal gown could match, and the stones shone like diamonds.

“You are right,” I mumbled with a smile.

I swirled around, admiring my lovely dress. It was my first time attending a royal party since becoming Luna.

When I went to the closest to get my white heels, my gaze landed on a black jacket.

The fabric was soft and expensive. When Leo brought me home that night after rescuing me from the kidnappers, he wrapped his jacket around me.

That day, when I went back to the bedroom after talking to him, I discovered it lying on the couch. I kept it in a safe place. It held a special place in my heart, like a memory.

After getting ready, I went into the living room to wait for him. I sat on the couch, tapping my foot in excitement.

The sound of a car screeching came from outside the house. I jumped to my feet. Lifting my gown slightly, I dashed toward the front door. Because I was wearing high heels, I nearly tripped on a mat, but I quickly controlled my steps and remained balanced.

"Calm down, Violet," I told myself.

With a bright smile on my face, I opened the door.

But my smile faded when I noticed an empty car. The driver emerged from the car with a worried expression.

"What happened?" I questioned him.

"Luna, we need to go to the pack house."

"That's what I know. We are going there. But where is he?"

He gave me a puzzled look that I could not understand. "He is in the pack house."

I was stunned when I heard that.

‘Why did he go there without me? We were supposed to go together,’ I thought.

All of my excitement faded. I felt a twinge of disappointment.

I tried to hide my disappointment and got into the car. The driver kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror.

I had absolutely no idea what was wrong with him. I gazed out the window, thinking about Leo.

I realized it was life. Life was not like a novel where the hero would be romantic or something. To be happy, we had to make many compromises.

My gaze remained fixed outside the window. I was lost in thought.

I had never felt the way the other girls in my pack described the mate bond. But I believed Leo was my mate because he had married me.

Leo said he would mark me tonight, after the anniversary party. Just thinking about it made my cheeks heat up. I patted my cheeks and shook my head.

“Don't think about it right now. You have to concentrate on the party and the people first," I mumbled to myself with a smile.

Suddenly, a news bulletin crackled through the car radio.

“Breaking News!”

The driver was about to turn off the radio when I stopped him. “It's okay.”

The reporter’s voice was urgent, a hint of breathless excitement in his tone.

“The prominent Alpha and the most successful businessman, Mr. Daniel Collins, has been spotted boarding a private jet bound for an unspecified location. Mr. Collins reportedly spent the last few days in the Crimson Howl Pack for work purposes. But sources say now he plans to spend the next several weeks enjoying a well-deserved vacation after a successful year for his company.”

I listened carefully as my ears strained to hear every word.

They were reporting about my husband's biggest rival. He was Leo’s sworn enemy, a very successful Alpha in the business world.

The car stopped in front of the big steel gate. The guards opened the gate, and the car drove into the royal area.

We arrived at the pack house. A lot of expensive cars were parked outside the pack house, which caught my eye.

"Have I arrived late?" I murmured.

It was because I did not know Leo had already arrived, and I had been waiting for him at our house.

The driver quickly got out of the car and opened the door for me.

I stepped out of the car with a smile. The guards gave me a strange look, which I found surprising.

As soon as I entered the hall where the party was taking place, I noticed our relatives gathered in the center.

I walked inside with a puzzled expression. The smile was still there on my face. I took a deep breath and approached the crowd.

Some people noticed me and began to move aside to make room for me. Their faces were grim, and their voices were hushed.

There was an unusual tension in the air.

I moved slowly, unsure of what was going on.

Suddenly, I heard someone crying.

I was shocked.

That was my mother-in-law, Clara Easton's voice!

"You can't leave me. How can I live without you?" Her voice was filled with sorrow.

My heart began to race in response to an unknown fear. Who was she talking about? Who had left her?

What was going on?

"She is here!"

I heard one of the guests' surprised voices in the crowd.

At that time, the crowd split to allow me to see what was happening.

My gaze fell on my mother-in-law, Clara, who was sobbing on my father-in-law, Wesley's chest. Our pack's four officials were also there.

My eyes slowly drew to Leo's little sister, Daisy, who was crying on the floor while holding someone's hand.

I froze as soon as my gaze landed on whose hand it was.

My whole world shattered.

My eyes welled up with tears as I saw Leo lying on the floor.

There was blood all around him. His head looked wounded. His eyes were closed, as if there was no soul within his body.

My heart trembled inside. It felt like a crushing blow to me.

My eyes widened, and I was unable to move from the frozen state.

I heard someone in the crowd say,

“Poor girl! At this young age, she became a widow!”

It jerked me back to reality. I could not believe what I was witnessing.

My eyes turned ocean blue as my wolf started to howl inside. I felt a sharp pain in my chest as if my wolf got to feel that her soon-to-be mate was no longer there to cherish her.

Then, with my trembling lips, I let out a piercing scream.

"LEO!"