Chapter 4

Leina’s POV

Kael leaned closer to Helena, his expression calm and gentle.

“I’m sorry you had to see her earlier,” he said softly while touching her hand across the table. “She showed up unexpectedly. I didn’t plan for that.”

His voice was warm. The exact same soft voice he used on me for years.

“But don’t worry,” he continued with a small smile. “I’ll make it up to you.”

Then his voice softened even more. “I won’t be going home tonight. I’ll stay with you instead, so she won’t disturb us.”

My heart stopped beating for a moment. Every word crushed something inside me. He would rather stay with her and not me.

Helena smiled shyly, though worry still showed on her face.

“Sweetheart… I think you’re becoming too attached to me,” she whispered softly. “What if Leina starts suspecting something? What if she finds out about us?”

Kael laughed quietly like the idea was ridiculous. “Don’t worry Leina is easy to control.”

My fingers tightened painfully around the edge of the table.

“She loves me too much and she believes every word I say.” He adds.

Each sentence hurts worse than the last.

“She’s blinded by the mate bond… and by her foolish love,” Kael added with a smirk. “She’ll never question me.”

Those words were harsh…. My breathing became uneven as anger burned violently inside me. Every part of me wanted to walk over there and question him, to cry out and tell him I can’t imagine my life without him but something inside me stops me from moving.

I watch as Kael leaned forward and kissed Helena softly on the lips. After that, he turned toward the little boy sitting beside her and kissed his cheek lovingly. The child giggled happily and grabbed Kael’s face with his tiny hands.

Then he looked at Helena excitedly.

“Mama, you’re so pretty,” the little boy said sweetly. “And Daddy loves you very much.”

Helena smiled warmly at Kael while he looked back at her with real affection. Real love he never gave me. The kind of love I spent ten years begging for without realizing it was never mine. The pain was unbearable.

Next moment, Helena kissed the boy’s forehead gently.

“You’re the cutest boy in the world,” she whispered lovingly to him.

My hands trembled badly, I wanted to destroy the table, to destroy the restaurant, everything! But I remained frozen in my seat, unable to move.

Then Kael spoke again.

“As for the diamond bracelet, I’ll give it to you when it arrives.”

My chest tightened instantly. The bracelet. The one he told Ken he bought for me. Helena blinked in surprise.

“But… wasn’t that supposed to be Leina’s gift?”

Kael shrugged carelessly. “It doesn’t matter, you can have it.”

Something inside me shattered completely.

“I’ll just tell her some believable excuse. Maybe I lost it or the delivery failed. She won’t question me anyway. Just keep it away from her.”

Tears burned painfully behind my eyes, but I forced them back.

Helena stared at him softly before leaning closer. “Kael… you’ve always loved me,” she whispered. “Before marriage and after marriage. You never stopped loving me.” Admiration filled her voice. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” She adds.

My chest ached so badly it became hard to breathe. Those were the words I once dreamed of hearing from him. But they were never meant for me.

Helena leaned forward and kissed him again. The kiss lasted only seconds. But to me… It felt endless.

Like knives slowly twisting deeper into my heart. Everything I believed in for ten years was a lie. Every sacrifice. Every promise. Every moment. All fake.

Suddenly, memories flooded my mind one after another. Kael never touching me unless I begged for his attention, Kael rejecting every conversation about having children.

I once believed he was simply cold by nature. I thought maybe Alphas were too busy to love properly. I blamed myself for every lonely night. I tried harder. Loved harder. Forgave harder.

But now I finally understood the truth. He was never cold. He simply saved all his warmth for Helena. And I was only the woman carrying the title of Luna while another woman owned his heart.

How pathetic. For ten years, I protected his reputation like a fool. I defended him every time the elders criticized him for neglecting me. I stood beside him through wars. I ignored insults from other packs. I abandoned my own family for him.

And this was my reward. Humiliation. Betrayal. Lies. I stared at the happy little family sitting together once again and Kael looked peaceful and happy. I had never seen him smile so naturally with me before.

The air inside the restaurant felt suffocating. Without saying anything, I turned and walked toward the exit while Maya silently followed behind me.

Neither of us spoke. What words could possibly fix this? The cool night air touched my face once we stepped outside. But nothing helped. Nothing could ease the pain inside me. Slowly, my fingers moved toward the silver necklace around my neck. Kael gave it to me the day I officially became Luna of Blackthorn Pack.

I still remembered that day clearly.

“You are mine forever,” he told me while placing it around my neck.

“You are my Luna. My only choice.”

I believed him like an idiot, I believed every word. I stared at the necklace for a long moment. Then without hesitation, I ripped it off my neck and threw it directly into the trash bin beside the road.

Maya looked at me carefully. “My Luna…” she whispered softly.

But I shook my head immediately. If I speak right now, I’ll break apart. Her eyes filled with sympathy, but she stayed silent.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. I looked down at the message on the screen. It was from Kael.

“I’m currently in an urgent meeting with several Alphas. Take care of yourself, sweetheart.”

I stared at the message silently. Bloody lying ass hole! For years, that message would have comforted me. I would have smiled, would have believed him, would have waited obediently at home like the loyal Luna he expected me to be.

But now all I felt was disgust.

A few seconds later, another message arrived. “I love you so much, my Luna.”

My chest felt painfully hollow. Slowly, I lifted my eyes toward the restaurant window and I could still see him inside sitting beside Helena.

After sending me those lies, he slipped his phone back into his pocket and returned his full attention to her.

A cold feeling spread through my entire body. At that moment, something inside me finally died.

Suddenly, a polite male voice snaps me out of my thoughts. “Excuse me, miss.” Said the voice. “Your car is blocking the driveway.”

I blinked and turned around to the source of the voice to see a tall man dressed in a black suit standing nearby. He looked like a personal guard.

Behind him stood another man beside a black luxury car. He stood a few distance covered by the shadows. Even standing in the shadows, his presence felt overwhelming. Powerful. Dangerous. Dominant. Even without clearly seeing his face, I knew immediately. This man was not ordinary.

The air around him felt heavy with Alpha power.

I returned my gaze to the man in front of me and replied. “I’m sorry, I’ll move it right away.”

I took a step forward. But suddenly, a sharp dizziness hit me violently as my vision blurred instantly. The ground beneath me spun dangerously and my body swayed weakly.

I tried to stay standing. I tried to take another step but my body refused to listen. The pain from the damaged mate bond suddenly exploded inside my chest as I could barely breathe and everything around me faded into darkness.

Then just before I hit the ground, strong arms caught me. And I fell against a warm chest.