로그인Lucas settled the bills a month later, wiring two separate payments to me. He explained that one of the payments was the money that he owed me. The other one was his compensation to me.However, I didn't need him to compensate me. The past seven years of my life couldn't be measured with money.Alya came to the south to look for me. She stood outside the estate, clutching my favorite sandwich. Her eyes reddened when she saw me, saying, "I'm sorry, Leah. I admit that I was wrong."I recalled how Alya had run across the grassy plains with me when I first arrived in the north. She had told me that she was going to personally hand me over to my mate during my mating ritual.The words that she had spoken to me during our youth were real. Unfortunately, the secrets and betrayal that came after were real too.I smiled as I looked at Alya, saying, "I don't hate you, but I'll never forgive you again."I watched as Alya's eyes lit up for a split second before dimming. I steeled my heart an
I updated my social media account the next morning.I made sure to name Lucas in my post. I didn't show any emotion as I explained everything that had transpired, sparing no detail.I described how I met Lucas when I left the south to study in the north. I also talked about how we fell in love and started living together, how I brought him to meet my parents, and how we discussed potential dates for our mating ritual.I then described how he started dating Maria three years ago. I also presented the evidence of how he openly announced her as his mate on social media, how he got the elders' blessings, and how he told me time and time again to wait a little while more.Finally, I presented the footage from Silvermoon Club.In the video, Lucas said, "I will make you my Luna, but I will allow Maria to participate in the Moon Goddess' ritual to compensate her."After I uploaded everything, I went shopping with Mom and Dad.Mom bought a plushie for me, saying, "You always used to hug
Lucas didn't leave immediately. He stood outside the estate for a long time. He sent messages to me, telling me that he had already cut ties with Maria. He also told me that he would compensate me for everything that he owed me as long as I was willing to forgive him.I ignored all of his messages.Alya called me again when the afternoon rolled around. She sounded exhausted. Gone was the arrogance that colored her tone earlier that morning."Are you really going to let things escalate to this point, Leah?" she asked.I sat at the dining table and took a bite out of my freshly baked cake. "I don't see how that has anything to do with me.""Lucas left the north because of you," Alya said. "The pack doesn't have a leader right now. Everyone thinks that Maria's the one who's responsible. She's on the brink of losing her mind. She had no idea that you and Lucas were still together. She's innocent.""So?" I asked calmly.When Alya remained silent on the other end of the line, I contin
I slept soundly through the night but was jolted awake by the sounds of a commotion outside the estate.Mom stood outside the door. Her voice was low and cold when she hissed, "Leah won't see you. You should leave."I got off the bed, opened the window, and saw Lucas standing outside.Lucas looked like he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. His hair was an utter mess. There was a panicked look in his eyes as if he was truly afraid of losing me.His eyes lit up when he spotted me, saying, "Come down, Leah. Please let me explain."I looked at him quietly without moving an inch.Lucas looked up at me and said in a low voice, "I rushed here from the north overnight because I wanted to admit that I was wrong. However, I never wanted to hurt you."In the past, my heart would immediately soften whenever Lucas looked at me like that. I would forget that I was the one who got hurt, and I would tell myself that he was just too tired—that he had no other choice.However, at that moment, he fel
It was drizzling when the plane touched down on the grassy plains in the south.My phone was bombarded with a barrage of messages when I switched off airplane mode. There were over 30 missed calls.Lucas' messages that started off patient slowly morphed into frantic ones."Where are you, Leah? I told you that I was going to make you my mate. Can you stop being so stubborn? Why did you delete everything on your social media account?"He had sent his last message at 4:00 am."I've learned my lesson, Leah. Please pick up the phone."I couldn't help but feel a little amused as I stared at the words on the screen.Lucas didn't learn his lesson when I was being humiliated by the other wolves in the club, or when he told me that he was still going to let Maria take part in the Moon Goddess' ritual even though he was adamant about making me his mate.He also didn't learn his lesson yet when I discovered that he had been lying to me for three years. He only started feeling scared after
My phone started vibrating seconds after I hung up on Alya.Dad had sent a message to me."When are you bringing your mate back to the pack?" he asked. "Your mother has already prepared the moondrip wine for the mating ritual."My nose stung as I stared at the words on the screen.For the past few years, I lied to my pack and my parents to protect Lucas. I told them that he was always swamped with work since he had to handle many things in his pack. I also told them that he wasn't good at expressing his feelings.I lied to them for so long that I even forgot that I was keeping the truth from them in the first place.I took a deep breath and dialed Mom's number.Mom's voice was as gentle as always. "Are you about to share some good news with me?" she asked. "Is Lucas going to come back with you during the full moon this month?" I remained silent for a long time before I finally said, "We're not going to have a mating ritual anymore, Mom."The air suddenly turned quiet.I br







