Chapter 1

Outside, a sudden downpour came without warning.

The girl looked out at the misty street.

Her adorable face was scrunched into a worried frown.

"Oh no," she muttered.

"I got so busy talking with you, Miss.

"I almost forgot it's my dad's marking ceremony today!"

She looked around almost anxiously.

Suddenly, her nose twitched a little.

Her amber eyes fixed on the doorway.

"That scent. Could it be Dad?

"Did he come to catch me?"

I followed her gaze.

All I saw was a silhouette in a dark coat passing briefly beneath the awning.

He didn't seem to want to come inside.

Perhaps he was just a rogue sheltering from the rain.

I looked away and gently reassured her.

"It's okay, Katie.

"When the rain lets up, I'll walk you home."

She finally relaxed and tilted her head at me. Her eyes were full of warmth and trust.

"Thank you, Miss.

"Dad would never come to a floral boutique.

"He hates the smell of flowers.

"He even tells everyone around him they're not allowed to like flowers.

"I'm not allowed to buy flowers either.

"If he knew I came to a floral boutique, he'd definitely yell at me."

Hearing her naive complaint made my heart sink slightly.

The man buried deep in my memories had been exactly the same.

He never looked directly at me. He couldn't even stand the sight of flowers.

"Where's your daughter, Miss?

"Did she go out learning to hunt?"

Katie's voice pulled me back to reality.

She climbed back onto the wooden chair and swung her legs.

My hands froze while arranging a bouquet.

A thorn pierced my fingertip. Blood trickled down instantly.

"She's gone.

"She was very little when I lost her."

Katie fell silent. She then spoke softly.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

I put the scissors down and looked out the window.

My daughter's death was a thorn buried deep in my heart.

Even mentioning it made my heart ache.

Yet somehow, I couldn't stop myself from telling Katie these things.

I smiled at her.

"Do you want to hear my story?"

My name was Yvonne Stewart.

I used to be the daughter of the Silver Moon Pack's Alpha.

My childhood friend was the only son of the former Dark Wood Pack's Alpha.

His name was Shane Lewis.

Our two packs had been close allies for generations.

Our parents shared a deep friendship, yet he and I never got along.

I loved the scent of flowers while he hated it.

We constantly annoyed each other.

It wasn't until I turned sixteen that our two packs gathered to discuss territory management.

We followed the elders on a patrol through the territory.

That was when rogues ambushed us.

Shane immediately leaped toward me instead of protecting his uncle and aunt who were standing closest to him.

They were killed on the spot after being overwhelmed by the rogues.

Still shaken, my parents clutched me tightly afterward.

When they looked at Shane, their eyes held gratitude along with sympathy and guilt.

Later, when he took over Dark Wood Pack, my parents offered Silver Moon Pack's full support without hesitation.

They helped him secure his position as Alpha.

As we spent more and more time together, we fell in love.

Only then did I realize that even a sarcastic, sharp-tongued Alpha could become gentle when he loved someone.

He remembered every one of my preferences.

He would run across the mountains at dawn just to pick the first blooming rose for me.

When I threw childish tantrums, he endured the entire house smelling of flowers.

On the day we sealed our mate bond, he put a necklace on me that symbolized my status as his Luna.

Katie frowned slightly and asked, "If he was so good to you, how did someone steal your estate?"

Even a child understood that something didn't make sense. But back then, I couldn't see it.

After we held our marking ceremony, he treated me even better. He always put me first.

But whenever I tended to flowers, he would stare at me absentmindedly.

There was a look of mixed emotions in his eyes. He seemed to struggle with guilt.

I thought he simply hadn't recovered from the loss of his relatives.

It wasn't until one year later when we were ambushed in the same canyon.

My parents' escort team was surrounded and slaughtered.

They died one after another.

At the funeral, I collapsed into Shane's arms and cried until I nearly fainted.

He suddenly pushed me away.

He then walked to the center of the altar and retrieved a territorial transfer document.

"Silver Moon Pack has been absorbed by me.

"This is what your parents owed me.

"I won't break the mate bond.

"But that's all it will ever be between us."

I stared at him.

I watched him walk away without ever looking back. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

In one day, I lost the three people I loved most.

That very day, I became the joke of the entire pack.