Chapter 1

The light in Lilith's eyes vanished.

"He's not holding it anymore?"

She raised her voice.

Several coworkers looked over curiously.

Realizing she'd overreacted, she quickly lowered her voice and forced a worried expression.

"What happened all of a sudden?

"Is Iris not feeling well?"

Digging my nails into my palm, I shook my head.

"No. She's with pup.

"Ronan's worried the ceremony would be too exhausting for her while she's with pup.

"They're just going to complete the official paperwork first and postpone the ceremony."

Something flickered across Lilith's eyes. She then smiled again. It was a sweet but fake smile.

"That makes sense.

"They've already completed the marking anyway. She's already the Luna of the Silver Moon Pack.

"Oh, right. I heard Ronan really bought Iris that incredibly expensive bag. Did he?"

I looked up at her.

She feigned innocence.

"Don't get me wrong. I just think Iris is so lucky.

"These days, plenty of werewolves won't even spend a little money on their mates, but Ronan was willing to spend that much on her.

"A powerful and generous Alpha like him? Any shewolf who became his mate would be the envy of everyone."

She smiled brightly just like she had in my previous life.

First, she praised Ronan.

Then, she talked about how lucky Iris was.

In the end, she destroyed our family with her own hands after climbing into Ronan's bed herself.

I forced a smile.

"Since the ceremony isn't happening, there's no reason for you to come."

The smile faded from Lilith's face. She looked down and gripped the file in her hands tightly.

"It's okay. I was being presumptuous.

"I was just thinking that the partnership we've been working on for next month is about to be finalized.

"The other pack happens to place great importance on ancient ceremonies and blessings.

"I thought if I could witness an Alpha's marking ceremony, they'd trust me more during negotiations.

"But if it's inconvenient for you, then forget it."

She forced a smile, but her eyes quickly welled with tears.

In my previous life, I had fallen for that pitiful expression. I'd softened and agreed to bring her home. In the end, my family was ruined.

Now, seeing that same act again only made me sick.

Ignoring her, I turned around to leave. Just then, our department manager, Evander, walked out of his office.

"What project?"

He frowned.

"Lilith, which project were you talking about?"

With tears in her eyes, Lilith sniffled.

"The one our team has spent over half a year working on.

"I heard the other pack's Alpha believes strongly in good fortune, so I wanted to attend an Alpha's ceremony to receive some blessings.

"But Mirabel–"

She deliberately left her sentence unfinished. Knowing nothing about the situation, Evander immediately turned to criticize me.

"Mirabel, everyone here is working for the good of the pack. Look at Lilith. She's completely devoted to the team.

"And you? It's just a ceremony. Why can't you let a fellow pack member attend?

"I'll make the decision for you. You're taking Lilith with you. The gift money will come from the pack's expense account. Get it from the Finance department."

Another coworker chimed in.

"Exactly. Aren't you just bringing someone to a ceremony?

"It's not like your family has to adopt another werewolf.

"If this project falls through, our entire department will lose resources.

"Mirabel, don't be so selfish."

I explained that Ronan wasn't planning to hold the ceremony.

Lilith's eyes grew even redder.

"It's okay.

"If the ceremony isn't possible, then just having dinner with the Alpha and the Luna and receiving their blessing would be enough.

"I just want to experience it," she said softly.

I had nothing left to say.

My coworkers became even more self-righteous. They surrounded me and made sarcastic remarks.

Evander even declared that if the project failed, I'd be held responsible.

Looking at all those self-righteous faces, I finally answered, "Fine. I'll let Lilith attend Ronan's ceremony."

Evander immediately smiled and patted my shoulder.

"That's more like it. Attending a ceremony is about offering blessings, not bringing bad luck. What's there to worry about?"

Then he turned to Lilith.

"Remember to ask the Finance department for a generous gift budget. We don't want to look stingy."

Lilith beamed.

"Of course!"

"Hold on. I wasn't done talking." I interrupted them with a smile.

"Ronan just decided to take Iris to the ancient ruins for a private blessing ceremony.

"So sure, you can come to the ceremony. It's just that Ronan and Iris won't actually be in our territory. That won't be a problem, will it?"