Chapter 6

"Oh, Moon Goddess above, for a second there I thought my Luna was trying to sever the Mate Bond and leave me to go Rogue." Ethan teased, burying his face in the crook of my neck and inhaling deeply.

I tried my best to pull away, but the procedure to remove the Alpha Mark from the nape of my neck over the last few days had left my inner wolf incredibly weak. My vision went black, and I completely lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was already in the Pack Hospital.

The Healer said my wolf was dangerously weak and needed a high-concentration nutrient IV drip for observation.

I lay on the hospital bed, a needle in the back of my hand, staring boredly out the window at the withering pack forest.

The building next door housed the VIP entrance to the Pup Nursery.

A familiar figure flashed by.

It was Ethan. He was carefully supporting a woman whose belly was slightly swollen, radiating the thick, distinct scent of a pregnant she-wolf. It was Daisy.

Daisy seemed to sense something. Her ears perked up, and she turned her head. Through two layers of reinforced glass, her eyes met my icy gaze.

She didn't panic. Instead, she flashed a triumphant, provocative smile. Deliberately, she leaned her head on Ethan's shoulder, pointing at her belly and whining about something in a baby voice.

Ethan petted her head dotingly. In his other hand, he carried bags of magical supplements—top-tier deer blood and spirit herbs that only those with Alpha bloodlines were entitled to enjoy.

A while later, Ethan returned to my ward. In his hand, he carried nothing but a container of cold soup .

"Ivy, feeling better? The Council of Elders is pushing hard; there's some trouble with a territorial dispute. I might not be able to stay long."

I watched his clumsy performance. I didn't even have the desire to growl. I just said flatly, "Go handle your business."

"You're so good. My Luna is the most understanding." Ethan let out a sigh of relief.

The moment Ethan left, the phone on my bedside table started vibrating incessantly.

It was a barrage of messages from Daisy, like artillery fire meant to demonstrate her power.

A werewolf pregnancy report shows the outline of the pup.

[Daisy: Luna, look how cute the little Alpha is! The Priest says his claws look just like Ethan's. He's so happy; he said he wants to give his heir the best of everything.]

[Image] An intimate photo of the two of them naked in their den. The battle had been fierce; Ethan's back was covered in scratch marks left during the heat.

[Daisy: Ethan was so rough last night; he kept wanting more. I was afraid he'd hurt the pup. He said my figure are the most addictive—sweet and hot. Unlike you. He said you’re like something dead in bed..]

Then came a string of explicit text descriptions, detailing every aspect of their mating: the outdoor locations, the shifted positions, and even the dirty talk Ethan whispered in her ear.

Every message was an attempt to enrage me, to shred my dignity as Luna, and to flaunt her superiority as the "winner."

I leaned back against the headboard, swiping through the messages one by one. My inner wolf didn't feel a ripple of emotion.

It was like reading a documentation of lower-tier beasts' mating rituals.

I felt absolutely nothing. In fact, I almost wanted to laugh.

I didn't reply. I didn't even bother to block her.

There is no need to waste emotion on someone I am about to banish from my memory forever.

I turned off the screen, closed my eyes, and rested, waiting for the bag of blue liquid to slowly drip into my veins.

After all, there were only five days left.