Chapter 2

Just then, my gaze unconsciously swept across Beatrice's neck, which left me frozen in place.

There was a moonstone necklace around her neck. Only the future Lunas of the north had the right to wear it.

I had been wearing that same necklace a month ago, but it suddenly went missing one day. I had blamed myself for a long time for losing it.

I remembered Julian comforting me gently, telling me that it didn't matter that I lost it because it was just a necklace. He also said that he would search for an even better moonstone and make another necklace for me.

His words had filled me with gratitude and regret at the time. Only then did I realize how pathetic I had been.

I didn't lose the necklace at all. Instead, Julian was the one who gave it to Beatrice. If it wasn't for this chance encounter between us, I would be none the wiser to the truth and would have kept believing in Julian's lies like a fool.

However, the greater the flames of rage that burned in my chest, the calmer I was.

"From what I've heard, Lily Whitfield is the future Luna of the north, not Beatrice Quillo. Don't tell me that you're just Julian's mistress? Using Lily's title to flaunt an authority that doesn't actually belong to you… Aren't you afraid that the true, future Luna will find out about what you're doing?"

It was obvious that I had struck a nerve in Beatrice. Her humiliation swiftly morphed to fury.

"A mistress?" she screamed hysterically. "The one who's not loved is the real mistress! And so what if she finds out? From Julian's perspective, she's just an accessory that he can swap out at any time. It looks to me that you have no plans to leave. If that's the case, I'll tell Julian to come over right now!"

Beatrice pulled out her phone and dialed a number. The moment the call connected, her voice turned sweet and tender.

"Are you free right now, Julian?" she asked. "I'm on Moonshine. I'm so scared because these two hags are bullying me. Please come and help me."

She glanced at us as she continued whining. "Moonshine should be reserved only for me in the future. I bought a few new swimsuits. I only want to wear them for you. I don't want anyone else to see me in them."

A gleeful expression appeared on Beatrice's face after she hung up. "Julian will be here in half an hour. The two of you are done for! He has plenty of ways to deal with wolves like you!"

Disgust roiled in my gut when I thought about how Julian had been fooling around with another she-wolf behind my back while kissing me deeply.

Willow's expression instantly darkened when she noticed my expression. Her eyes burned with rage.

"Julian, that bastard! He's just like his father!" she spat, curling her hands into tight fists. "I can take back everything that I've given him any time that I want."

Willow hated betrayal more than anything else.

Many years ago, she broke her mate bond with Julian's father without any hesitation when she found out that he was cheating on her with another she-wolf. They started living separately ever since.

Willow single-handedly raised Julian while also building up her business empire in the north. She never could have imagined that the pup whom she meticulously nurtured would make the same mistakes that his father did.

Although she had entrusted some of the businesses to Julian over the years, the true power of the business empire was still firmly grasped in her own hands.

Meanwhile, just the fact that Julian and I were engaged proved that my own background was nothing to sneeze at.

I was curious to see exactly how Julian planned to deal with us.

Just then, I noticed Willow sneezing. She was getting on in years, and she had fallen into the icy seawater. It made sense that her body couldn't hold out for too long.

My chest tightened. I immediately swam toward the ladder that was attached to the side of the cruise ship while supporting her.

Gary suddenly appeared just as Willow was about to climb back up onto the deck using the ladder. He stood at the edge of the deck, raised his foot, and cruelly stomped on Willow's hands.

Willow lost her grip on the ladder and fell into the sea again.

"Watch out!" I screamed, immediately throwing myself forward to catch her.

Beatrice clapped and laughed as she stood on the deck. "Where did all your confidence go? Why do the two of you look like soaking wet dogs? No need to rush getting back onto the ship. I haven't had my fill of watching you struggle yet."

She looked at Gary and continued, "Don't let them onto the ship before Julian gets here!"

"Don't worry, Ms. Quillo," Gary said with a fawning smile. "I can certainly carry out such a simple task. Be sure to put in a good word for me when Julian gets here."

After that, Gary would intentionally shove us away every time we tried to climb back up onto the ship with the ladder. He even stepped on the ladder, making it impossible for us to approach it.

Willow's condition was deteriorating by the second. The icy seawater had triggered her old heart condition from a previous injury that had remained dormant for many years.

Her powerful wolf began to weaken, making it difficult for her to maintain her body temperature.

Fear and fury gripped my heart as I watched her shiver violently.

Mustering all of the strength that I had within me, I shouted, "Do you have any idea what you're doing? Mom has an old heart condition! You're killing her! You'll definitely regret it if anything happens to her!"

Gary hesitated upon hearing my words. He was a professional dive safety officer. Naturally, he could tell that Willow was already in critical condition.

He shot a hesitant look at Beatrice and said, "That particular she-wolf is quite old, Ms. Quillo. She looks like she's in bad shape. We're going to be in trouble if she actually dies in the sea."

However, Beatrice simply scoffed and shot a disdainful look at us. "What are you afraid of? I already said that neither of them is allowed back onto the ship unless they grovel for my forgiveness.

"Put the lifebuoys away, Gary. I'm curious to see how much longer they'll insist on being stubborn!"