Chapter 1

Clara's POV

Xavier Ashton said I would come crawling back?

Fine. I would let him see just how determined I was.

When I retrieved my luggage from my room and walked toward the door, I did not even glance at him.

Just as I was about to step outside, he spoke.

"Leave the moonstone brooch behind. Give it to Lily."

My breath caught. I instinctively clutched the brooch, a relic left to me by my warrior grandfather. It kept my wolf rational when my emotions spiraled out of control. It was the only thing I could not lose.

Yet now, he wanted me to hand it over to someone else?

"No," I said, my eyes widening as tears rolled down my cheeks. "Anything but this."

Xavier narrowed his eyes, his tone gentle to the point of mockery. "Stop being dramatic, Clara. Lily's pregnant and needs the moonstone to stabilize the pup. Don't be so petty."

I could have screamed, fought back, or even destroyed everything in sight.

Nevertheless, his Alpha aura already blanketed the entire room, suffocating me until I could barely breathe. To protect my wolf, I could only turn stiffly and walk toward Lily Shaw.

Her pale face displayed feigned innocence.

I removed the brooch, took a deep breath, and pinned it to her collar.

"Regardless," I said softly, "I hope your pup is born safely."

Lily rolled her eyes and deliberately touched the sharp point of the brooch. A bead of blood welled from her fingertip. She gasped sharply, her face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She collapsed to the floor, clutching her wound in horror as she shrieked, "Luna, why did you stab me with the pin?"

"What? I didn't!" I froze, my voice hoarse.

Xavier reacted quickly. He shoved everyone aside, rushed over, and scooped Lily up in his arms before glaring at me. "What did you do to her? She's carrying my pup, and you did something this vicious out of jealousy?"

"I didn't. I have no idea what happened!" My hand was still suspended in midair, my fingers trembling.

I had another secret I had not yet told Xavier. I was also carrying a new life. As a mother myself, how could I deliberately harm Lily?

"Call the healer!"

His worried expression looked as though he were witnessing the end of the world. However, when he turned to me, it transformed entirely into indifference.

"And you. Clean up the moonstone shards on the floor. Reflect on your mistake."

I lowered my head and saw that the brooch had shattered into pieces. My grandfather's proud trophy was now reduced to trash.

I cradled my belly and picked up the moonstone fragments one by one. The shards cut into my palms, blood seeping out. They hurt, yet they brought clarity.

"I'm sorry," I whispered over and over.

By the time I picked up the last sharp fragment, the metallic scent of blood in the air had grown thick and bitter.

I gritted my teeth and looked up, meeting Xavier's eyes directly.

"Is this enough, Alpha?"

He did not answer. He only frowned at me.

"The elders of the werewolf council stopped siding with you long ago. Clara, who are you putting on this pitiful act for?"

"An act?" I forced a smile, tears trembling on my lashes. "Xavier, if you really think that of me, why don't you just dissolve our mate bond?"

Unexpectedly, he averted his gaze.

"Clara, don't even think about it. Dissolving a mate bond injures the wolf. What if I have to face a pack war after breaking our bond? Should I just surrender?

"Besides, even if we dissolve the mate bond, you'd still beg me to mark you again. Why bother going through the trouble?"

I shook my head and carefully placed the bloodied brooch fragments back into my bag. Then, I picked up my luggage and walked out without looking back.