Chapter 3

Rue fixed her hair and tugged her collar lower. I clutched the wallet and followed her. Unsurprisingly, she stopped right outside Troy's private room.

As soon as the door opened, she threw herself into Troy's arms. I stood in a hidden corner, staring at their intertwined figures through the narrow gap in the door.

If he so much as pushed her away, I would turn around and go home, burn the photo, and pretend none of this ever happened.

Yet, he didn't. Instead, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her neatly onto his lap. "You got here fast."

She tilted her head up, smiling sweetly. "I missed you."

He pressed a kiss to her lips, the look in his eyes darkening with desire. "Here, your reward."

Groans and laughter rolled through the room.

"Oh, enough with the PDA!"

"Easy life for you, Troy. Estelle doesn't have a wolf. Therefore, she'll never sense you sneaking around."

Their tone was the same joking, careless teasing they used with me just minutes ago. Only then, it hit me—they all knew about him and Rue, except me.

I never imagined that my sealed wolf would become Troy's biggest loophole in cheating on me. I stood frozen, tears spilling uncontrollably down my face.

A live betrayal hurt far worse than any photograph. My wolf wailed inside me, raw and broken. I turned on my heels, legs nearly giving out beneath me.

The guards noticed my pale face and moved to rush inside to report to Troy, but I stopped them. "Don't tell him I came back."

He had no idea that the secret he wanted most to hide from me was already out in the open, nor did he realize that the Luna he swore he couldn't lose was already planning her escape.

The rain started pouring on my way home. Suddenly, I remembered another rainy night when Rue decided to confess to Troy.

She held out a single rose with trembling fingers, cheeks burning scarlet. "I like you, Troy."

He tore that rose apart in front of everyone, ripping it petal by petal. "I'll only ever have one Luna in this life. Don't have any thoughts you shouldn't have. It disgusts me."

That scene was so deeply etched in my mind that I never again believed the witch's prophecy. Now, those same hands that shredded a rose for me were wrapped around her waist on our sixth anniversary.

I went to the pack infirmary alone, planning to abort the pup. However, the healer handed me an image, showing a tiny outline of my pup.

"Congratulations, Luna! Your pup is developing beautifully," the healer exclaimed. "Look… Here's its hand, and its little foot…"

My hands trembled around the ultrasound photo, and in the end, I couldn't express my desire to abort the pup.

The healer beamed at me. "Luna Estelle, this is wonderful news! Should we inform Alpha Troy?"

"No," I murmured, shaking my head as tears gathered in my eyes. "I want to surprise him."

A surprise, indeed, because I planned to take the pup and leave him.

I stayed the night in the pack infirmary, only returning home around noon the next day. The moment I pushed the door open, the butler nearly collapsed with relief.

"Luna, you're finally back! Alpha Troy has been looking for you like a madman!"

I removed my dew-damp shawl calmly. "What's he looking for me for?"

The butler was caught off guard by my question, stammering, "H-He thought you… left him."

I let out an emotionless laugh. If he loved me with his entire heart, why would he fear my leaving? Only a guilty person would panic like that.

The moment I stepped into the foyer, a thick, overwhelming scent slammed into me. It was the kind of pheromone an Alpha only released when he was spiraling in anxiety.

Shattered glass littered the floor. Deep claw marks raked across the armrest of the couch, as if a storm had torn through the room. Troy was pacing back and forth, restless.

The instant he saw me, he lunged forward and crushed me into his chest so forcefully, like he was trying to fuse me into his bones.

"Where have you been all night, Estelle?" he roared, both relieved and scared. "I looked for you the entire night! I thought… I thought you were never coming back!"

I gently patted his back. "I'm here now, aren't I?"

He buried his face against my mark, his body trembling despite his effort to hold steady. "Promise me that you'll never disappear like that again. You're my life, Estelle. Losing you will be no different than dying."

I lowered my eyes, staying silent. In two more days, he would never find me again, no matter how frantic he became.

I looked at his bloodshot eyes, then turned away to pick up a wrapped box I had prepared earlier. "Don't worry. Here, my anniversary gift for you."

He was taken aback, the panic draining from his face, replaced by a rush of delight. "Estelle, you…"

"A surprise, for you," I said, lifting my eyes to meet his with a smile I struggled to steady.

I added, "But you must promise that you'll only open it in two days."

It was both a gift for Troy and the final offering I would ever give to this six-year-long joke of a bond.

"Alright, I promise you," he answered excitedly, taking the box almost too reverently.

As soon as the words left him, the doorbell started ringing urgently. He set the box down and went to open the door. Standing outside was Rue, her face beaming with a radiant smile.