Chapter 2

Reading those words, I felt as if all the blood in my body had frozen solid.

I trembled as I typed out, "How come?"

The she-wolf on the other end seemed to have found an outlet for venting and replied with lightning speed, "That old she-wolf is nothing but a workaholic, completely consumed by her duties and endlessly tending to patients. She's utterly devoid of any feminine charm.

"If she found out that her mate has me, she'd definitely go crazy. After all, how could someone as image-conscious and work-obsessed as her bear to see her own mate fall in love with someone else?

"Moreover, I'm the orphan she and her mate rescued together from Rogues. If that crazy she-wolf knew, she'd surely want to kill me."

My brows suddenly twitched.

No combat ability, orphan rescued together—everything matched too perfectly.

I still wanted to ask more, but another message arrived instantly from the other side.

"Enough talking. It's thundering outside, and I'm scared. So, I'm going to ask him to come stay with me. He gives the warmest hugs."

The moment the message arrived, I heard the sound of Alpha Ethan furtively heading out from the living room.

Snapping back to the present, I quickly wrapped a towel around myself before rushing out.

"It's Christmas Eve—every family is celebrating at home, so where are you going?"

Alpha Ethan glanced at my disheveled state, his eyes flickering evasively for a second. He then picked up a coat from the couch and handed it to me.

"The border patrol spotted some signs of Rogues, and they need me to go take care of it."

My voice trembled as I pressed further, "Does it have to be tonight? Can't a Beta or Gamma handle it? Alpha Ethan, tell me you'll stay with me tonight."

"I can't. This is my duty as the Alpha."

Alpha Ethan stood up and put on his heavy fur coat. "Have dinner yourself and go to bed first. Don't wait up for me."

With that, he pushed open the door and stepped out into the wind and snow.

The pack house felt hollow and empty, the firelight in the fireplace glowing with a particularly desolate warmth. He didn't see me sway as I collapsed into a chair and tossed that cheap bangle straight into the trash.

The sensitive bond between mates told me that Alpha Ethan was having an affair, and the other she-wolf was none other than Ivy Keller, the Omega we had rescued from the edge of the forest five years ago.

Alpha Ethan and I understood better than anyone the hardships of being werewolves from the bottom. Even though I was once the heiress of the former Alpha, I trained and passed the brutal Trial of Claws with him, and that was how we made it to where we were that day.

And then we met Ivy, barely clinging to life, at the edge of the forest.

She was only 15 years old back then. She was an orphaned Rogue, hunted by other Rogues. Kneeling before us, she begged us to save her.

That year, Alpha Ethan and I had just taken over the pack, so our footing was still shaky. Yet to protect Ivy, we made enemies of a vicious group of Rogues and even scaled back our own training resources to support her studies at the Werewolf Academy.

For five whole years, we did exactly that.

I slapped myself hard across the face in an attempt to jolt myself out of my own foolishness. I must have looked like a complete joke in their eyes.

The next day, I went to the training grounds at the Werewolf Academy. It had been a long time since my last visit, and the place had expanded quite a bit.

But I instantly spotted Alpha Ethan standing beneath the ancient oak tree along with Mr. Robert Ramirez, the elder who had once taught us.

"Alpha Ethan, it's not that I won't help you, but Ivy didn't contribute to this magic defense formation. So, I can't credit her for the achievement. You've already done more than enough by sponsoring her for so many years."

Alpha Ethan adjusted his collar and replied impassively, "Then replace my name with hers. She needs this honor to improve her standing in the pack. This way, it'll help justify giving her a high-ranking position later."

Mr. Ramirez furrowed his brow, his mouth opening as if he wanted to say something, and that was when he saw me. He smiled and waved at me, then quickly changed the subject.

"Luna Maya! It's been a while. I haven't seen you much since you stopped participating in warrior training."

Alpha Ethan whipped around, a flicker of panic flashing in his eyes.

"What are you doing here?"