Chapter 3

Kitty was thrilled to see me.

"You're amazing!" she gushed. "I've always wanted to come here, but I could never get a reservation. You really pulled it off!"

She reached out to pinch my cheek playfully.

But in the next moment, she frowned and said, "You've lost weight. Has Nick not been taking care of you? Why have you gotten so skinny?"

I gave a bitter smile but didn't explain. No one knew about the agreement between Nick and me. As far as Kitty was concerned, we were a loving couple.

While I was still trying to figure out how to tell her I was leaving the Lycus pack, she suddenly grabbed my arm and pointed toward the restaurant entrance, her face aghast.

She exclaimed incredulously, "Eva, isn't that Nick? And who's that woman standing next to him?"

My heart dropped. I looked up.

Nick and Zora were standing by the entrance. They weren't exactly close, but their smiles matched perfectly.

So he had gone to meet Zora, and he even brought her here.

The owner of Lycus Restaurant was a good friend of Nick's. But when I had wanted to dine here, Nick told me to get on the waiting list like everyone else. No matter how much I begged or whined, he insisted on sticking to principles.

But now, he must've called in a favor to bring Zora here ahead of schedule.

It seemed that for his old lover, he could even toss his principles out the window.

When Kitty noticed how heartbroken I looked, she stood up furiously. "Unbelievable! Is Nick cheating on you? Who is this slut of a she-wolf trying to seduce him? I'm going to beat them both up!"

I clung to Kitty's hand tightly to stop her from storming over. Before I could speak, tears were already running down my cheeks.

I whimpered, "Don't… Please don't go to them. They're the true couple…"

With that, I told Kitty everything about my relationship with Nick. I went on to tell her I was about to leave the Lycus pack too.

Kitty hugged me tightly. I could see how sorry she felt for me.

"Don't cry," she said, trying to console me. "A man like that isn't worth it. I'll find you someone way better!"

Then, she grabbed my hand and led me out of the restaurant. She even thoughtfully guided me through a different exit.

Kitty spent the evening with me. We watched the moon in the secluded forest garden, went surfing under the moonlight, and danced around a bonfire.

By the time I went back home to face Nick again, there were no more signs of a breakdown or grief on my face. With my emotions in check, I began preparing for Nick's birthday banquet.

By the time the banquet happened tomorrow, I would probably already be back at the Lunaria pack. Though I wouldn't be attending, I still wanted to organize one last event for him.

Every year, I had been the one to plan Nick's birthday party.

Nick was actually very particular. He had extremely strict standards when it came to food. To please him, I had always overseen everything personally. Every dish, every bouquet… Everything was prepared according to his preferences.

This year was no different, except I had our butler, Carl Nord, follow me the entire time as I meticulously passed on all the details.

"The cake must have blueberry filling and not anything else.

"For the decorations, use moonlight roses… He hates lilies.

"No lemon in the drinks! He's allergic to it.

"Make sure to remember all this. In the future, don't get it wrong."

Carl looked puzzled. "Won't you be organizing it next time, Luna Eva?"

I looked down and didn't respond.

Next time, I wouldn't be Nick's mate anymore. How could I possibly organize an event for him?

Once everything was arranged, I received a message from Nick.

He texted, "Eva, I won't be coming home tonight. Wayne will bring you the dresses for tomorrow's banquet. See you there."

I quietly set my phone down and walked into the bedroom to grab my suitcase.

Nick was probably going to celebrate his birthday privately with Zora tonight.

That was fine. This way, I wouldn't have to face him when I left.

After taking one last look at the villa, I dragged my suitcase behind me and left in silence.