Marked in Shadows

I held the document in my hands that confirmed my release from the pack, signed with the Alpha's own name, Matteo Donovan.Just as I was about to leave the office building, Elder Jason Briggs called me again.He said, "The Alpha doesn't know it's you who's leaving. If you tell him, he'll definitely ask you to stay since you're his most trusted Beta."I lowered my eyes slightly and replied, "No need to trouble him with something so trivial."Jason still refused to give up. "You've been at his side for four years. You've handled almost everything for him. If you leave, he won't know how to manage without you."He kept trying to talk me out of it, but my mind was made up."His life will be more comfortable without me anyway. I'm just an extra presence that doesn't belong. My pack is at war, and I have to go back."Plus, I've reached the age for my marking ceremony, so I really don't have the energy to stay by the Alpha's side anymore. Since the Alpha already approved my request, I'

Two days were enough time for my wounds to finally heal. On the third day, I showed up at the office right on time.There was a business negotiation with the Shadowridge Pack that day, so I went to Matteo's office to brief him.Just as I reached the door, I heard Sabrina's flirtatious voice coming from inside."Matteo, these moonberries are so sweet. You should try one."Through the crack in the half-open door, I saw Sabrina feeding Matteo a moonberry she had already taken a bite of.Matteo, who never let anyone else touch his food, actually smiled and ate it before gently kissing her cheek.He said, "Anything you feed me tastes sweet."Sabrina giggled. "You used to run all the way up the mountain to pick these for me just because I said I liked them, and now that you're Alpha, you still pick them yourself."Matteo gently stroked Sabrina's hair, his eyes filled with unconcealed love. "Just thinking about you eating moonberries someone else picked makes me jealous, so I'd rather

After leaving Matteo's home, I went to the hospital to get an antidote serum. Only then did the swelling on my body finally go down.After resting at home for a few days, I received the party plan from Matteo.The location was Moonlight Forest, supposedly where he first met Sabrina, and every detail, from the desserts and flowers to the patterns on the plates, had strict requirements.The timeline was tight and the workload was heavy. I spent three days running around frantically to prepare everything.Three days later, Sabrina's welcome party officially began.She appeared before everyone in an expensive haute couture gown. Guests immediately swarmed around her, flattering and fawning over her as everyone regarded her as the next Luna.Sabrina smiled smugly like she already owned the title.Someone said, "Sabrina is still as beautiful as she was back then! No wonder the Alpha dotes on her so much. Anyone would be unable to forget someone so gorgeous.""Back in school, Alpha Ma

During my time in the hospital, Matteo never once showed up.His guards would just send me messages from time to time asking about my condition and telling me to rest well.I was in the hospital for over a week. Once my body was fully recovered, I returned to the company.During my hospital stay, the pack's gossip about Matteo and Sabrina never stopped. "Alpha booked out the entire Firefly Park for Sabrina's birthday. The whole pack gets three days off to celebrate.""Alpha gifted Sabrina his family's heirloom gemstone. Her position as future Luna is practically sealed." "Sabrina likes the sacred relic from Meadowbrook Pack. Alpha failed to get it for her several times and is rumored to be planning a war to take it."Countless trending topics flooded in on social media, with new articles breaking every hour. Faced with all that news, I just quietly put down my phone.At that moment, I realized I could calmly accept Matteo's devotion to Sabrina.After being discharged, I r

Matteo's POVI was reviewing documents in my study when my phone suddenly chimed with a message notification.Sabrina snatched my phone away before I could reach for it. She smiled sweetly at me and said, "Let me check it for you."I sighed at her mischief, but I could not bring myself to stop her. She unlocked my phone with practiced ease, but the moment she glanced at the screen, her smile froze. A flicker of disdain flashed in her eyes.I frowned and asked, "What message is it?"She snapped out of her daze at the sound of my voice and instantly put on a cheerful expression again."Nothing. It was just a spam text. My phone's dead, so can I borrow yours to play with for a bit?"I agreed, not knowing that my decision would haunt me for the rest of my life."Let me know immediately if there are any work messages," I said to Sabrina, who was lounging on the couch, as I put down my documents.Sabrina agreed on the surface, then turned around and deleted the collaboration docum