Chapter 2

During the three years I was Kaden's mate, I did everything perfectly. I cared for and looked after his parents and every member of his family. I also treated everything in the Glorymoon pack as though it were my own business.

From the elders and warriors to the Omegas and pups, everyone respected and loved me.

That was why Kaden's decision left everyone shocked.

But he offered no explanation to anyone. He simply made it clear that he would not change his mind and that he intended to dissolve our bond.

I was devastated. I couldn't accept it and begged him to give me a reason.

"Kaden, what did I do wrong?"

Kaden lifted his head from his work. He looked at me for a long moment before saying flatly, "Your sister is far more suited to be the Luna of the Glorymoon pack than you are. She wouldn't form a bond with me simply for the sake of power and status, like you did."

He stopped looking at me and lowered his head again, returning to his work.

My heart shattered. I forced myself to walk out. But just before I left, I heard him speak behind me.

"You should leave tonight. There's no need for us to drag this on anymore. For the past three years, I only chose you because I had no other choice."

With a single sentence, he denied every single memory we shared.

I refused to leave. And I was even less willing to dissolve our bond.

Mom hurried over as well, personally trying to persuade me.

She said, "You should just dissolve the bond with Kaden. If he doesn't want to be with you, forcing him to stay won't do you any good. Besides, Isla is the one who's going to become Luna. You'll still be part of the family."

Theo stood nearby, taking pleasure in my misfortune.

"See? What did I tell you? It doesn't matter how much effort you put in. If something doesn't belong to you, you can't take it no matter how hard you try. It's time you woke up."

It was only then that I learned the truth. When Isla was born, the priest had declared that she was destined to be bonded to the most noble Alpha and become the pride of our pack. That was why Mom and Theo had gone out of their way to give Isla the very best, always favoring her.

But I couldn't accept this outcome. I remained in a deadlock with everyone, refusing to give in.

Until Isla died.

While everyone was distracted, she locked herself in her room and drank a cup of poison, leaving behind a suicide note.

"I'm too weak and unworthy of becoming the Luna of the Glorymoon pack. I beg Alpha Kaden, for the sake of my lowly life, not to dissolve his bond with Serena and to let her continue as the Luna of the Glorymoon pack."

I hated her.

How could she do this? How could she use her own death as the price of giving me what I wanted? I wanted nothing more than to drag her out of her grave and beat her senseless.

Kaden hated me too.

He didn't dissolve our bond, but he also refused to let me live in the moon palace. My status as Luna became nothing more than an empty title.

In our daily life, he treated me like someone completely dispensable, just like Mom and Theo had once treated me, only worse.

Yet, he would enter my room late at night. He would pin me down on the bed and torment me without saying a single word, rocking the bed so violently that it nearly collapsed, while deliberately calling out Isla's name.

My eyes burned red with fury. Unable to take it anymore, I opened my mouth and bit him hard.

"Let go." He looked down at me from above, tightening his grip on my jaw. "You stole someone else's place. Is this little punishment really so hard for you to endure?"

There was no way for me to escape his grip. Amid endless loneliness and torment, my strength slowly withered away.

I stopped caring about whether things were fair. I stopped caring about whether I could ever be loved. I just wanted it all to end.

Day after day, the constant torture inflicted tremendous damage on my wolf. My body grew weaker and weaker until finally, I could no longer even get out of bed.

At the end of my life, Kaden came to see me one last time.

Moonlight spilled across the side of his face, cold and blurry—just like my feelings for him at that moment.

I stared at him for a long time before numbly forcing a smile. "I regret it."

He stroked my cheek, his expression dark and unreadable. It was probably hatred, but it had become so twisted that it had long since surpassed anything love had ever made me feel.

After a long silence, he let out a soft chuckle and said, "You got everything you ever wanted. What is there to regret?"

"Because I got it. And I realized it was nothing special. That's why I regret it."

Kaden's expression froze.

I stopped looking at him. I stared at the ceiling blocking the sky and finally closed my eyes.

"In this life, I brought this upon myself. I don't blame anymore. If I could live another life, I would never go near you again."