Chapter 2

The next day, I returned to the mansion.

The guards barred my way. They knew exactly who I was, yet they still stood firmly in front of me.

"My apologies. The Alpha ordered that no one is allowed to enter the mansion without his permission."

"Hello there, you're back!" Stella stepped out, wearing my bathrobe and walking around in my slippers. She gave the guards a gentle nod, smiling with effortless composure as she gestured for me to step inside.

"Finn said you could come by and pack your things if you're insisting on leaving," she said.

Inside the master bedroom, everything had been transformed into a bright shade of purple. The bed was made with brand-new light violet sheets, and the vanity table, once filled with my belongings, had been replaced by lavender-toned cosmetics sets and countless purple gemstone jewelry pieces.

The portrait capturing Finn and my bonding ceremony had also been taken down from the wall, casually discarded in a corner. My face in the painting was blocked by a chaotic mess of cardboard boxes filled with my items, leaving only half of Finn's face visible.

Finn walked into the room, lightly kicking one of the boxes toward me. "Eloise, I've had your stuff packed up. Whether you leave or stay is up to you, but once you've thrown enough of a fit, know when to stop."

"Finn, maybe I should move out instead?" Stella chimed in softly. "She is your true mate, after all. I shouldn't be occupying the master bedroom without her permission."

Though her lips spoke of leaving, her body remained glued to Finn's side. As expected, Finn caught her by the arm. "You live here now. You don't need her permission for anything you do."

A familiar glint of amusement danced in his eyes. "If she still wants the position of Luna, she had better learn how to be an obedient mate."

He seemed to be waiting for me to show a look of intense jealousy, to break down crying, sweep all of Stella's things onto the floor, or demand to know who he truly loved. Finn knew this all too well.

Yet this time, I simply bent down, picked up the cardboard box, and asked calmly, "Is everything of mine here?"

For the first time, the smirk on Finn's lips faded.

He stared at me for a few long seconds before his voice turned icy. "A good try, Eloise. Let's see how long you can hold out."

Without giving him any response, I turned around and shut the door behind me.

...

On the third day of this ridiculous game, Finn's father, Owen, the former Alpha of the SnowMoon Pack, sent a messenger with a strict order: I was required to attend a dinner party at his estate and bring along the Moon Crown, a sacred relic passed down through generations of Lunas.

I knew that in Owen's eyes, I was merely an ordinary healer lacking a prestigious bloodline, unworthy of becoming the Luna of the SnowMoon Pack. By contrast, Stella, who hailed from a prominent pack and had been groomed to be a Luna since childhood, was his ideal vision of a mate for his son.

To marry me, Finn had gone as far as engaging in a bitter two-year cold war with his father, nearly forfeiting his position as the pack's heir in the process.

"My mate is my choice. I love her. This is fate, and nothing can change it."

It was only because of his unyielding stubbornness that the Moon Crown, a crown never intended for my hands, finally rested upon my head.

My fingertips lightly brushed against the cool, intricate engravings on the crown. It was an old tradition of the SnowMoon Pack. Every Alpha's mate had to receive the blessing of the Moon Crown before the altar of the Moon Goddess. After Owen reluctantly had placed it on me, he had looked at Finn and uttered a single line that echoed in my mind like a curse.

"Love is the most hypocritical thing in existence. Soon enough, you'll see, my son."

Unluckily for me, he was right.

I carefully placed the crown into its velvet-lined box. Perhaps today was the perfect opportunity to return it where it belonged.