After a good night’s rest, I joined the team the next day to begin our journey across the pack for herbal research.Everyone in the team treated me very well, especially Andrew.As second-in-command of the team, he constantly worried that my body hadn’t fully recovered.Whenever I went to gather herbs, he followed. If I was reading research notes, he stayed close. He probably wished I spent twenty-four hours lying in bed, only drinking medicine and resting.These past few months have been the happiest days I’ve had in years.Just as I was slowly forgetting the past, I saw Henry again.At the time, I was on a cliff by the lake picking a rare herb. I slipped, but luckily, Andrew reacted quickly and caught me.That was when Henry, who had been secretly following me from afar, suddenly rushed out and shoved Andrew aside.Grabbing my shoulders tightly, he looked like he wanted to pull me into his arms.“Nicole, I finally found you! I missed you so much!”I shoved him away in retur
In our pack, the Moon Goddess placed great importance on the mate bond.Once two wolves were bound as mates, that connection was unbreakable, unless severed with a witch’s potion.The potion was not only expensive, but it also caused excruciating pain to the werewolf drinking it.Henry poured the potion for me, his face full of guilt as he tried to comfort me.“Don’t worry, my love. It’s just like before. I paid five times the normal price for this batch to make sure the pain is as mild as possible. You won’t hurt much.”Pain, however, no matter how mild, would still leave scars when experienced eight times, right?I stared at the potion in the glass. I then suppressed the urge to ask him why and drank it all in one go.After taking the potion, we still had to visit the Pack Council to update documents.I had been there with Henry so many times that the wolves on the council recognized me on sight.They couldn’t help but find our situation ridiculous, even joking, “Nicole, whe
The arrogance and smugness vanished from Alice’s face the moment Henry turned back around.He glanced at me behind them, then gently pushed Alice’s hand away. With a sigh, he said, “Alright, since you're feeling better now, let’s go home.”Alice happily skipped toward the car. Meanwhile, Henry walked over to me, carefully lifting my wrist with concern.“I’m sorry, love. I made you suffer.”He pulled a small jar of salve from his pocket and pressed it into my hand.“I bought this from the witch. It’s expensive, but it should help lighten the scars.”I lowered my gaze, ignored his lingering eyes, and silently walked toward the car.Without thinking, I reached for the passenger-side door, only to find Alice already there.She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly annoyed.“Nicole, you and Henry ended your mate bond. Why do you still think you can ride in our car?”I clenched the jar of salve in my hand as Henry frowned and snapped, “Alice, no matter our current status, Nicole will al
As soon as Henry saw me come back, he instantly stepped away from Alice.“Alice wanted pie, but I messed it all up. Thank God you’re back, Nicole.”With a sigh of relief, he pulled off his apron and headed straight for the shower.I showed no expression.The moment he disappeared, Alice sneered and ordered, “Didn’t you hear Henry? Go make that pie. Put on the apron and get in the kitchen!”She dusted the flour off her clothes and flopped onto the couch, flipping through a magazine like she owned the place.“Oh, and make me a salad, too. I have to watch my figure.”I scoffed and headed to the bedroom to pack my things.However, she blocked my way before I could.“If you want to eat it, make it yourself,” I said, brushing her arm aside.Her eyes flicked toward the direction of the shower, and then she suddenly screamed.“Nicole! Do you really hate me that much? I just wanted some food, and now you’re trying to starve me? Fine! I’ll just go!”Like a woman possessed, she shook
There was no more anger left in me.I was heartbroken.So I stopped resisting. My face was pale, and my voice was calm as I spoke.“Fine. Go ahead. Kick me out.”Henry froze. His grip on my wrist loosened slightly.He looked at me, drenched, and his expression softened. His hand trembled as he reached out, trying to touch the swollen spot on my cheek where the cup had hit.I turned my face away without emotion.Still, he swept me off my feet and carried me back into our bedroom.He laid me gently on the bed, then rested his forehead against mine. It was as if he were trying to hold himself together, his voice tired and laced with disappointment.“How could I bear to throw you out? This is all just a misunderstanding. Even if you’re angry, you can’t hurt Alice like that. She’s our sister, Nicole. If she upset you, you should be the bigger person and talk it out with her.“And besides, all we asked was for a few dishes, and you didn’t manage to make anything all evening. Ca
Just as I stepped out of the house, a familiar figure came into view."Hi, Nicole. Long time no see!"At the door stood a tall, handsome male werewolf. It was Andrew!My teacher must’ve been worried Henry would give me trouble, so she sent her most accomplished student to pick me up."It’s been a while. I… thank you, Andrew. Sorry to trouble you to come in person."Seeing Andrew brought a flicker of unease to my heart.Back then, when I chose to form a mate bond with Henry and leave the team, Andrew had tried his best to talk me out of it. However, I didn’t listen.That once-young werewolf was now a renowned herbalist throughout the entire pack.Under my lingering gaze, Andrew’s face flushed slightly. His brow furrowed gently when he noticed the faint scars on my wrist.“You should’ve told us sooner if things were this bad. With me and the professor around, no one will bully you again.”“Thanks, Andrew.”I gave him a small smile. He cleared his throat, face still flushed,
His words were full of heartbreak and grievance.It was as if I were the one who abandoned him and turned my back on our family, and he had suffered endlessly at my hands.I let out a cold laugh and tried to shake his hand off, but he refused to let go.Seeing me frown in pain, Andrew rushed forward, forcefully pulling him away and shielding me behind him.My classmates immediately stepped up as well, surrounding me.Henry seemed unable to accept the situation. Eyes wide in disbelief, he desperately reached for me.“Nicole! I need you to tell me why!”However, before his fingers could even graze me, he was shoved to the ground by my classmates standing in front of me.“You bitch! How dare you get everyone to gang up on Henry!”I frowned, only to see Alice, hair disheveled, screeching as she lunged at me from behind.Andrew’s brows furrowed. With a quick movement, he pulled me tightly into his arms.Since Alice missed me, she slammed hard into the ground. Her nose broke, and
After a good night’s rest, I joined the team the next day to begin our journey across the pack for herbal research.Everyone in the team treated me very well, especially Andrew.As second-in-command of the team, he constantly worried that my body hadn’t fully recovered.Whenever I went to gather herbs, he followed. If I was reading research notes, he stayed close. He probably wished I spent twenty-four hours lying in bed, only drinking medicine and resting.These past few months have been the happiest days I’ve had in years.Just as I was slowly forgetting the past, I saw Henry again.At the time, I was on a cliff by the lake picking a rare herb. I slipped, but luckily, Andrew reacted quickly and caught me.That was when Henry, who had been secretly following me from afar, suddenly rushed out and shoved Andrew aside.Grabbing my shoulders tightly, he looked like he wanted to pull me into his arms.“Nicole, I finally found you! I missed you so much!”I shoved him away in retur
As we were about to pass through the dense forest to meet up with our professor, Andrew suddenly looked at me and laughed.“Nicole, I never thought I’d see you this calm.”I blushed.Three years ago, when Andrew had tried so hard to stop me from leaving the research team, I had angrily accused him of not understanding true love and called him a cold, emotionless robot.Back then, he had stared at me for a long time before lowering his head in defeat.Thinking of how I’d lashed out at him, regret bubbled up in me. So I lowered my head and said quietly, “I’m sorry. I was young and impulsive. I didn’t think things through.”“Love isn’t wrong. And you’re a good person.” Andrew shook his head and gave me a gentle smile. “It’s just that the lucky guy didn’t know how to cherish you.”I looked at Andrew. He was so handsome, with eyes that shone brighter than the stars, always capable of drawing someone in without warning.The moment our eyes met, I saw the faintest blush creep ac
His words were full of heartbreak and grievance.It was as if I were the one who abandoned him and turned my back on our family, and he had suffered endlessly at my hands.I let out a cold laugh and tried to shake his hand off, but he refused to let go.Seeing me frown in pain, Andrew rushed forward, forcefully pulling him away and shielding me behind him.My classmates immediately stepped up as well, surrounding me.Henry seemed unable to accept the situation. Eyes wide in disbelief, he desperately reached for me.“Nicole! I need you to tell me why!”However, before his fingers could even graze me, he was shoved to the ground by my classmates standing in front of me.“You bitch! How dare you get everyone to gang up on Henry!”I frowned, only to see Alice, hair disheveled, screeching as she lunged at me from behind.Andrew’s brows furrowed. With a quick movement, he pulled me tightly into his arms.Since Alice missed me, she slammed hard into the ground. Her nose broke, and
Just as I stepped out of the house, a familiar figure came into view."Hi, Nicole. Long time no see!"At the door stood a tall, handsome male werewolf. It was Andrew!My teacher must’ve been worried Henry would give me trouble, so she sent her most accomplished student to pick me up."It’s been a while. I… thank you, Andrew. Sorry to trouble you to come in person."Seeing Andrew brought a flicker of unease to my heart.Back then, when I chose to form a mate bond with Henry and leave the team, Andrew had tried his best to talk me out of it. However, I didn’t listen.That once-young werewolf was now a renowned herbalist throughout the entire pack.Under my lingering gaze, Andrew’s face flushed slightly. His brow furrowed gently when he noticed the faint scars on my wrist.“You should’ve told us sooner if things were this bad. With me and the professor around, no one will bully you again.”“Thanks, Andrew.”I gave him a small smile. He cleared his throat, face still flushed,
There was no more anger left in me.I was heartbroken.So I stopped resisting. My face was pale, and my voice was calm as I spoke.“Fine. Go ahead. Kick me out.”Henry froze. His grip on my wrist loosened slightly.He looked at me, drenched, and his expression softened. His hand trembled as he reached out, trying to touch the swollen spot on my cheek where the cup had hit.I turned my face away without emotion.Still, he swept me off my feet and carried me back into our bedroom.He laid me gently on the bed, then rested his forehead against mine. It was as if he were trying to hold himself together, his voice tired and laced with disappointment.“How could I bear to throw you out? This is all just a misunderstanding. Even if you’re angry, you can’t hurt Alice like that. She’s our sister, Nicole. If she upset you, you should be the bigger person and talk it out with her.“And besides, all we asked was for a few dishes, and you didn’t manage to make anything all evening. Ca
As soon as Henry saw me come back, he instantly stepped away from Alice.“Alice wanted pie, but I messed it all up. Thank God you’re back, Nicole.”With a sigh of relief, he pulled off his apron and headed straight for the shower.I showed no expression.The moment he disappeared, Alice sneered and ordered, “Didn’t you hear Henry? Go make that pie. Put on the apron and get in the kitchen!”She dusted the flour off her clothes and flopped onto the couch, flipping through a magazine like she owned the place.“Oh, and make me a salad, too. I have to watch my figure.”I scoffed and headed to the bedroom to pack my things.However, she blocked my way before I could.“If you want to eat it, make it yourself,” I said, brushing her arm aside.Her eyes flicked toward the direction of the shower, and then she suddenly screamed.“Nicole! Do you really hate me that much? I just wanted some food, and now you’re trying to starve me? Fine! I’ll just go!”Like a woman possessed, she shook
The arrogance and smugness vanished from Alice’s face the moment Henry turned back around.He glanced at me behind them, then gently pushed Alice’s hand away. With a sigh, he said, “Alright, since you're feeling better now, let’s go home.”Alice happily skipped toward the car. Meanwhile, Henry walked over to me, carefully lifting my wrist with concern.“I’m sorry, love. I made you suffer.”He pulled a small jar of salve from his pocket and pressed it into my hand.“I bought this from the witch. It’s expensive, but it should help lighten the scars.”I lowered my gaze, ignored his lingering eyes, and silently walked toward the car.Without thinking, I reached for the passenger-side door, only to find Alice already there.She raised an eyebrow at me, clearly annoyed.“Nicole, you and Henry ended your mate bond. Why do you still think you can ride in our car?”I clenched the jar of salve in my hand as Henry frowned and snapped, “Alice, no matter our current status, Nicole will al
In our pack, the Moon Goddess placed great importance on the mate bond.Once two wolves were bound as mates, that connection was unbreakable, unless severed with a witch’s potion.The potion was not only expensive, but it also caused excruciating pain to the werewolf drinking it.Henry poured the potion for me, his face full of guilt as he tried to comfort me.“Don’t worry, my love. It’s just like before. I paid five times the normal price for this batch to make sure the pain is as mild as possible. You won’t hurt much.”Pain, however, no matter how mild, would still leave scars when experienced eight times, right?I stared at the potion in the glass. I then suppressed the urge to ask him why and drank it all in one go.After taking the potion, we still had to visit the Pack Council to update documents.I had been there with Henry so many times that the wolves on the council recognized me on sight.They couldn’t help but find our situation ridiculous, even joking, “Nicole, whe