Chapter 1

When I saw my mate Luke's post on Instagram bragging about doing chores, I simply liked it.

I could feel the pack shift—the gossip and whispers were already swirling.

That post felt like a mockery. Luke, an Alpha who wouldn’t even help wash dishes at home, was now posing in an expensive suit, pruning grapevines in the countryside.

He captioned it: "A strong Alpha handles both pack affairs and chores at home."

Was this the “territory inspection” he said he was doing when he left this morning?

Something in me broke as I looked at his face in that photo. Pain seeped through my chest like cold water. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

But strangely, I didn’t feel rage or sorrow anymore—only calm. Numb clarity.

I gave the post a like and turned off my phone.

Whatever storm was coming didn’t matter. I didn’t need the details.

All I knew was—I was done. It was over.

After a while, I turned my phone back on. Almost immediately, Luke called.

His voice was sharp with irritation.

“Alice, we’re all from the same pack. Why would you throw a shady like at Doris? She’s not well off—she’s an omega. What’s wrong with helping her?

You come from a big clan and never faced hardship. What do you even know about her struggles? Delete that like. Don’t embarrass me in front of the whole pack. If you’re not ashamed, I am!”

I couldn’t believe my ears.

For a random she-wolf… he was snapping at me?

“Next holiday, I promise I’ll go with you to visit your parents in the mountains,” he added.

That same empty promise. He had made it so many times I’d long given up.

Our bond would be officially broken after the full moon. Soon, I would no longer be his mate.

Before I could respond, Luke seemed to trip or drop the call.

I frowned, set the phone aside, and went back to the festival paperwork.

But trouble still found me—even when I tried to stay away.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with messages.

It was the pack group chat.

Doris had posted a screenshot of my like and followed it with a voice note:

“Alice, I’m sure I’ve never offended you. Why leave such a passive-aggressive like?

Are you mocking me for being a weak omega?

Luke, our Alpha, even came to help my clan—but you? All you’ve done is push paper.

You’ve never entered the forest, never fought in a battle, never dirtied your hands for the pack.

What kind of Luna does that make you?”

Her message wasn’t even finished before the chat exploded.

Judgment flooded in. The pack turned on me over a like.

And then came Luke’s message:

“Alice, I demand you apologize to Doris immediately. Or else, you’ll be removed from participating in any pack activities for a month.”

Apologize? For a like?

His bias couldn’t be clearer.

And the pack… they’d made their decision.

Not one person stood up for me.

They called me names—narrow-minded, petty.

They claimed I discriminated against omegas.

I let out a bitter laugh.

But I didn’t respond.

Maybe this was for the best.

Maybe this was Luke’s excuse to remove me from the pack.

After all, it had been three months since he initiated the breaking of our bond.

Three months since he decided I wasn’t fit to be his Luna.