Chapter 3

To make it up to me, Wayne became unusually attentive.

"Nina, once we get to the island, no one will bother us."

The car cruised smoothly toward the private airstrip. The scenery outside was a blur as we sped by.

In a daze, I thought back to the time when the Azure Pack and the Silver Moon Pack had just formed their alliance.

Wayne and I were childhood sweethearts. Every werewolf we knew was envious of our relationship.

Back then, the love in his eyes had been real.

Now, his betrayal and schemes were just as real.

Halfway through the trip, his phone rang again.

Wayne glanced at the caller ID, and his expression changed instantly.

He slammed on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road.

He hurriedly unloaded my luggage from the trunk.

"Nina, something urgent has come up in the pack. I have to deal with it right now!

"Wait here for me. I'll come back to pick you up as soon as I'm done!"

He didn't even wait for my response before driving off and leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

I stared at the ridiculous pile of luggage on the ground. It felt as if a hole had been carved straight through my chest. The cold mountain air filled my lungs.

Time ticked by, second by second.

He never came back.

Without warning, a rare thunderstorm hit.

Heavy raindrops came down and soaked me to the bone.

My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.

I received a video clip from an anonymous contact.

Wayne's face took up half the screen. His head was lowered, and he was gently kissing a slightly rounded belly.

Below it was a single line of text.

[You're so generous, Nina. You even let your husband accompany me to my prenatal checkup.]

At that moment, the very last trace of hope in my heart was completely washed away by the cold rain.

The emotional shock, combined with days of sleeplessness, brought on a raging fever.

I made it home on my own and curled up on the cold sofa. My consciousness slowly slipped away.

Late at night, Wayne finally returned.

The first thing he said to me when he saw me wasn't about how worried he had been.

"A werewolf's self-healing ability is strong. Getting caught in the rain wouldn't leave you this weak."

He looked down at me from above. Scrutiny filled his eyes.

"Nina, you're the Luna of the pack. Don't throw childish tantrums."

I wanted to argue, but I didn't even have the strength for that. I could only stare at him with hollow eyes.

Wayne fell silent for a long moment, as if only then realizing that I wasn't pretending.

A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes.

His tone softened as he brought a hot bowl of seafood chowder to me.

"Alright, stop being upset.

"I made this seafood chowder just for you. Drink it while it's hot."

He held the bowl up to my mouth and expected me to obediently drink it like I always did.

The strong fishy smell hit my nose, and my stomach immediately churned.

He had forgotten.

After ten years together, he had forgotten that I never ate fish.

I hated the smell of it.

Just yesterday, when I followed him to the pack infirmary, I saw it clearly through the glass window of the ward.

There was a bowl of seafood chowder on Yvonne's nightstand.

This wasn't made just for me at all.

It was simply leftovers he brought back after delivering it to Yvonne.

I closed my eyes and turned my head away.

Seeing that I refused to drink, Wayne grew irritated.

"Nina, I'm already exhausted from handling pack affairs. Don't push your luck!"

I kept my eyes tightly shut and ignored him.

It didn't matter.

There was only one more day.

As long as I made it past tomorrow, I would finally be free.