Chapter 3

The Rare Wolfsbane Treatment Symposium at the Neutral Territory would last four years.

The head healer there had already written to me twice, urging me to report in the autumn.

Four years—far away in a distant land, far from Felix, far from Mary.

I hardly hesitated before agreeing.

What happened last night replayed in my mind like a nightmare on an endless loop. I remembered with painful clarity: when Felix touched me, my mind recoiled, but my body—traitorous, desperate—yielded to him.

I couldn't let that loss of control happen again. I couldn't allow myself to drown in the illusion of his false tenderness. That was why I made my decision: pack my things and leave.

In six days, once I reached a safe, stable, and faraway place, I would finally be able to use that scroll to sever the mate bond without him ever noticing.

I packed a single suitcase, staring at what else I could take. My gaze drifted toward the nightstand. The only thing that could truly be called personal there was the heavy photo album resting on top.

I opened it. Every page held a memory of me and Felix.

Every month in the past, like a fool, I had dragged him to take photos with me. In each picture, I smiled brightly, while he stood like a cold statue, gaze always averted from the camera.

Without hesitation, I tossed the album into the trash.

I didn't want that kind of hollow happiness anymore.

The next few days passed in a blur of preparation. I forced myself not to think of Felix.

Three days later, his call came.

"I'm at the door of your clinic. Come out." His voice was the same as ever—commanding, uncompromising.

His car waited by the roadside. I opened the passenger door and slid in. His scent—a blend of familiar wood and sharp alcohol—surrounded me. It was honestly a little dizzying.

He stared straight ahead as he said, "You haven't been home in days."

"Work's been busy," I murmured.

"Mary will move out next month. It hasn't been proper for her to stay here this long." His fingers tapped lightly against the steering wheel.

I yawned, leaning my head against the window. "Don't bother. I don't care."

A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He seemed to sense something amiss and parted his lips as if to press further, but fell silent when he saw my eyes closed.

I pretended to sleep, unwilling to speak. But the exhaustion was real. For the first time in five years, my dreams were free of him.

Two days before my departure, a message from the Neutral Territory arrived. All healers applying for the program were required to submit a complete medical report.

I thought little of it until my routine checkup at the clinic. One result shattered everything.

"Congratulations, Luna Jean," the healer said, her voice trembling with barely contained excitement. "You're twelve weeks pregnant, with… twins."

Her eyes gleamed with awe, as though witnessing a miracle.

"Have you heard the prophecy?" she whispered. "The one that spread across the packs? A Luna would bear twins—not ordinary heirs, but children destined to change the fate of our kind. True kings, who will lead us into glory."

She clasped my hands. "It's you, isn't it? Luna, am I standing in the presence of legend?"

Her words struck me like thunder, leaving me reeling.

"But… I'm an omega," I stammered. "How could I possibly carry an Alpha's children?"

She only laughed, shaking her head as though I'd told the funniest lie. "My dear Luna, you were never an omega. How could you be? I've never seen such pure, overwhelming energy radiating from an unborn child."

Then her expression turned solemn. "I've heard the descendants of the Moon Goddess bear a hidden bloodline. Until it awakens, it conceals itself, even from the bearer. It shields you, disguises you, until the day it's ready to reveal its true power."

My hands trembled as I fumbled for my phone. I called Felix.

The next instant, his familiar ringtone echoed in the hallway outside.

I looked up and froze.

He stood there not far away, his jacket draped over Mary's shoulders. She touched her stomach as she spoke to him, and he smiled gently.

I cut the call and ducked into the stairwell, heart hammering.

From the nearby room, another healer's voice carried out, "No strenuous activity. Eat well, rest plenty…"

So, Mary was pregnant too.

"I'll make sure she rests," Felix replied firmly.

The words struck like a blade. I stumbled out of the stairwell, desperate to escape, but a nurse grabbed my arm.

"Don't run here! What if you fall? What if you hurt someone?" Her voice rang out sharply.

Faces turned toward me. Heat burned my cheeks as I stammered, "S-sorry."

"Jean?" Felix had noticed me. He strode closer, frowning.

"Routine check," I muttered quickly, crumpling the pregnancy report in my fist and shoving it into my pocket.

Mary appeared at his side, clutching an ultrasound image.

Her laugh was sweet and cutting. "I'm so grateful the Alpha came with me today. Feeling the baby move inside is… magical. Jean, would you like to touch my belly?"

Her voice faded into nothing. My gaze locked on the blurry image in her hand. It felt like a cruel blade stabbing straight into my heart.

Felix must have noticed my expression. He took a step forward. "Jean, it's not what you think—"

Before he could finish, Mary let out a soft whimper, swaying as though she might collapse.

"Felix… my stomach… it hurts. Please, help me…" Her voice trembled with pitiful fragility.

He froze. For an instant, he didn't move. Then, as her eyes darkened with displeasure, she whispered venomously, "Alpha, you haven't forgotten your promise to me, have you?"

At last, he reached out, steadying her.

That single motion crushed the final piece of hope inside me.

My Alpha had chosen another woman.

I turned away, numb, and walked to the elevator.

When the doors opened, icy wind swept in.

At the bottom of my pack, my transfer papers to the Neutral Territory lay waiting.

I would leave. I would bury the memory of Felix—my cruel, faithless mate who had given me love only to snatch it away.

My hand drifted to my still-flat belly, soon to swell with life.

I would raise these two pups. They would be mine alone.

As I looked one last time at the pack I had lived in for five years, a hollow strangeness filled me.

The world was vast. Where, in all of it, could I ever call home?