Chapter 3

That night, when I saw that Vivian had taken over the master bedroom I always slept in, I simply closed the door quietly and turned toward the small guest room.

As the door clicked shut, footsteps sounded behind me.

Ethan walked over from the living room. Seeing me holding my basic toiletries and heading toward the guest room, he paused in his tracks.

"Elia, you..."

He seemed to want to explain, but in the end, he merely muttered under his breath, "She said the bed in the master bedroom is softer, and she hasn't been sleeping well lately. I let her stay there for a few days."

Without looking back, I simply murmured, "Okay."

He stood frozen in place, watching me step into the guest room, his expression unreadable.

In my past life, facing a scene like this, I would have confronted him on the spot, demanding to know why even my own bed had to be given away. But now, I only felt exhausted.

The guest bed was narrow and stiff. As I lay down, Vivian's soft, sweet voice drifted in from the living room: "Ethan, Elia is so fierce. She scares me."

"It's okay," Ethan replied gently. "She's just been in a bad mood lately. Don't take it to heart."

"Then can you hold me? Please?"

I closed my eyes and pulled the blanket over my head, muffling the sound.

None of it mattered anymore.

The next morning, I went to the kitchen to pour myself some water.

Vivian was already sitting at the dining table, leisurely sipping the coffee Ethan had brewed for her.

Seeing me enter, she looked up, her lips curving into an amused smile.

"Elia, did you sleep well last night? The guest bed must have been pretty uncomfortable."

I said nothing, merely opening the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

Seemingly energized by my silence, she set her cup down delicately, her voice laced with deliberate smugness: "You know what? Ethan told me last night..."

She paused, a spark of triumph gleaming in her eyes. "He said he's in no hurry for me to move out. After all, he didn't race all the way to the airport to bring me back just to watch me leave again, right?"

I unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

"Suit yourself."

Vivian clearly didn't expect such a numb reaction. Visibly irritated, she pressed further: "Last night, he held my hand and said he used to think the fated mate bond was everything. Only now does he realize there are some people you can never let go of."

I tossed the empty bottle into the trash can and turned to leave.

Her voice suddenly rose: "Elia, don't you care at all?"

I stopped and looked back at her.

"What if I care? What if I don't?"

Unsettled by my cold gaze, she opened her mouth to snap back, but Ethan suddenly appeared in the kitchen doorway.

"What are you two talking about?"

Vivian's face transformed in an instant. She stood up abruptly, only for her legs to 'give out,' her body tumbling sideways.

"Ah!"

Almost on pure instinct, Ethan lunged forward, sweeping her into a bridal carry before she could hit the floor.

"Careful!" His brow furrowed with deep concern. "Are you hurt?"

Vivian clung to his chest, her eyes glistening with tears as she whimpered, "I was just clumsy..."

Ethan carried her toward the living room. As he brushed past me, he seemed to hesitate, but ultimately muttered: "Go ahead and eat breakfast. I'll come back after I settle her down."

I watched their retreating figures in silence.

Being carried like that... in my past life, he had never once held me that way.

And now, I didn't need it.

A short while later, the doorbell suddenly rang.

I had just washed my face when I saw two pack enforcers in full uniform standing at the front door.

The lead officer looked at me with a stern face. "Elia Carlson?"

"Yes."

"According to our investigation, your personal laptop IP transmitted encrypted data to an outside werewolf pack yesterday. The contents involve the internal defense deployments of the Blood Moon Pack. We have preliminary confirmation that you are suspected of leaking pack secrets."

I froze.

Leaking secrets?

My laptop... while I was away, the only person who had touched it was Vivian.

The enforcer continued, "Please cooperate with our investigation. The evidence points directly to you, so you must be taken into temporary custody."

In the living room, Ethan emerged from the bedroom with Vivian trailing behind him. Her face was pale, yet she remained utterly silent.

I instinctively looked at Ethan.

A flicker of conflict crossed his eyes, as if he had already pieced things together. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke in a calm, authoritative Alpha tone:

"Take her in first. Since the evidence points to her, follow proper protocol."

Looking at him, I felt an overwhelming urge to laugh.

When I truly needed his trust, he still chose Vivian without hesitation.