Chapter 2

Following the location that Lucas left behind, I made my way to Silvermoon Club in Northvale.

It was a private club that the pack's wealthy wolves enjoyed visiting. Regular wolves had no chance of stepping foot into the establishment.

The mating mark on my wrist began to burn slightly when I was on the way to the club. A few seconds later, I received a notification that a transaction had been made using the funds in my shared bank account with Lucas.

Lucas had just bought a bracelet.

I froze in place, feeling as if I couldn't move.

At the same time, a new post appeared on Lucas' social media account.

The photo showed a slender hand with a bracelet wrapped around the she-wolf's wrist. The bracelet glimmered with a gentle light. It looked beautiful and refined.

Lucas' caption read, "The wolf I love deserves to have all the beautiful things."

My gaze strayed to my own wrist, which had a very visible scar.

Last year, when Lucas' blood went out of control, he was at the mercy of a high fever for two consecutive days.

I kept vigil by his bedside every night. Since I was his mate, I bit my wrist and used my blood to stabilize his condition.

When Lucas was lucid again, he hugged me and kissed my wound over and over again when he noticed my mangled wrist, saying, "I'll never let you hurt yourself on my behalf ever again."

Lucas' condition did stabilize in the end, but the wolf who was by his side was no longer me.

I hailed a cab and headed toward Silvermoon Club.

…

I received a message from Lucas just as I got out of the cab.

The photo showed a beautiful crystal ball in a display case, sparkling dazzlingly as it caught the light.

"This crystal ball looks just like your eyes, darling. I'll buy it for you when I'm on my way home," Lucas said.

I placed two fingers on the screen and zoomed in on the photo.

Maria's face was reflected in the crystal ball. She stood next to Lucas with her forehead nearly pressed against his shoulder. Meanwhile, Lucas' hand was raised as he fixed her flyaway strands of hair.

They looked as if they had done that a million times.

I pocketed my phone and strode into the club.

The biggest auction among the packs of the north was taking place inside. The guests consisted of Alphas of different packs.

The huge screen that was installed in the center of the main hall was playing a reel of all the donors of the event.

Lucas appeared on the screen, but the she-wolf who was holding onto his arm wasn't me.

Maria was wearing a white gown and the bracelet that Lucas had just bought.

The host smiled, saying, "Lucas will be donating another ten million dollars under his mate, Maria's name."

Thunderous applause erupted among the crowd.

My breathing sped up. Although Lucas and I had been together for seven years, I finally realized that he was actually someone who was willing to announce the identity of his mate to the public.

He was never willing to take me to an auction in the past, saying, "Auctions are so noisy. I don't like attending them."

A smile broke across Maria's face. She extended her hand toward Lucas, calling his name.

Lucas took her hand as if it was second nature, running his thumb gently across her wrist.

He used to do the same thing to me when he was comforting me. He didn't even hesitate before showing the same gentleness that used to belong to me to someone else.

My wolf couldn't take it anymore and looked up at me with a devastated expression. "Are we going to keep suffering like this?"

I fell silent for a long time before I shook my head.

My wolf closed her eyes. She stopped struggling and crying. Instead, she just remained silent.