Chapter 2

All the guests had already left by the time I returned to the hall.

Ethan was cradling the infant against his chest with such tenderness, whispering sweetly,

"Charles, my good little pup… Are you happy now that Daddy brought you home?"

Elsa stood beside him, giggling as she tickled the baby, her face glowing with joy.

I froze in the doorway of the restroom, staring at the picture-perfect scene — a “happy family of three wolves.”

When Ethan finally noticed me, he shoved Elsa away deliberately.

“Back off! Your clothes are filthy — he could get an allergy!”

Then, as if I hadn’t just witnessed the intimacy he tried to erase, he snapped at her coldly,

“Do you really have nothing better to do? If you keep idling around like this, I won’t hesitate to throw you out of the pack!”

I bit back a bitter smile.

Once upon a time, I lived in ignorance. Now, it wasn’t even hard to see the truth — it screamed at me in every single detail.

Elsa flushed with embarrassment and anger. She glanced at me, her eyes burning, before storming out in silence.

Ethan turned back swiftly, acting surprised to see me, then closed the distance and gently pressed his cheek against mine.

“I hate when pack members interrupt my private time,” he muttered softly. “It’s draining… Only with you, my Luna, can I truly feel at peace.”

Then he added, as if nothing had happened,

“How about we take Charles to the beach for a walk? It’ll be good for you — you can bond with him. And you deserve to relax.”

Watching the way he held the pup — so natural, so practiced — I realized this wasn’t new.

He’d clearly been with the baby for a while now. Long before I knew.

I couldn’t help but sigh. He was such a good father. Just… not to the right pup.

The mansion we lived in was a gift from Ethan for our tenth bonding anniversary. He said it was his symbol of “eternal love” — a home by the sea, a promise carved into brick.

But now I knew: it had always been built on lies.

As we walked along the shoreline, my ankle twisted suddenly, and I came to an abrupt stop.

But Ethan didn’t even notice — he just kept walking ahead, all his attention devoted to the infant nestled in his arms.

Watching his back grow smaller with every step, I fought to keep my tears from spilling.

But my vision blurred, and in my daze, my wedding ring slipped from my trembling fingers. It hit the wet sand with a soft clink... then the waves came, and took it away.

The sound made me gasp, unintentionally.

Ethan finally turned around, startled by my voice. He rushed over, his expression panicked.

“Mia? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

I looked up at him — the one I had loved for ten years — and the tears I had tried so hard to hold back finally streamed down my cheeks, unstoppable.

“My ring fell into the sea.”

Ethan glanced at my finger, and I could clearly see the panic in his wolf’s eyes.

There was no time for words. He quickly handed the infant to me, then lowered his head and plunged toward the water, searching frantically.

Watching his reaction, I didn’t know whether I should feel touched by his supposed affection—or just admire the perfection of his act.

By the time I snapped out of the memory, he had already merged into the crashing waves.

I remembered our bonding ceremony.

Back then, Ethan cried like a pup—a rare sight for someone so serious, so dignified as the alpha of our pack.

He had tried several times to slip the ring onto my finger, his hands trembling with excitement and nerves.

But that memory was shattered by the sudden shadow of someone running toward the sea.

It was Elsa.

She rushed past me without even noticing I was there.

Desperate, she sprinted straight into the water and tore off her coat, eyes only on Ethan.

I stood frozen, watching as she reached him and wrapped her arms around him in the shimmering sunlight.

Their figures grew smaller and smaller as they disappeared into the sea together—two silhouettes melting into the waves.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when Ethan finally returned.

He stood before me, dripping wet, his chest rising and falling as he struggled to breathe.

“M… Mia… the ring… I couldn’t find it…”

I saw the water streaming down his face, nonstop.

But I couldn’t tell—were they tears, or just sea water?

When I looked at him more closely, I noticed something even more shocking:

Clear marks of kisses littered his neck and chest.

Behind him stood Elsa, her clothes a mess—clinging to her body, soaked and twisted out of place.

Her hair was disheveled, lips slightly swollen, and the fresh red mark on her neck left little room for doubt.

Anyone with eyes could see it—

they hadn’t just been diving for a ring.

I could almost picture exactly what they had done beneath the waves.

Yet Ethan still had the audacity to pretend he had been looking for my ring all along.

He kept blaming himself, voice filled with false remorse.

“Mia, it’s all my fault… I couldn’t find your ring. I know it represents the promise I made to you. But please, don’t worry. I’ll still stay loyal to you—ring or not, our bond remains.”

Loyal?

Hearing that word—“loyal”—while the kiss marks were still fresh on his skin made me feel nothing but disgust.

I lowered my head, staring at my bare finger.

Then I met his eyes and asked coldly,

“Ethan, could it be that the Moon Goddess deliberately let the ring slip away… as a sign of your betrayal?”