Chapter 2

I was just about to head home when Silas's office messaged me, reminding me there were some joint property documents that needed my signature.

When I reached Silas's office door, I saw Leah having lunch with him.

She stood up to grab a napkin, and her fingertips brushed the edge of the wolf mark on the back of his neck.

Silas went still for a moment.

But now he just frowned slightly, then didn't pull away. He let her touch him.

Leah's voice was soft and warm:

"How's it going? Tired today?"

Silas nodded.

"It's fine."

I stood in the doorway, thinking the whole scene was ridiculous.

Inside the office, Silas casually reached out and wiped a crumb from the corner of Leah's mouth with a tissue, his voice low.

"Did you sleep well last night? Still having insomnia?"

"Really well," Leah smiled. "You know it. As long as you talk to me, I sleep like a baby."

Then she seemed to remember something, and her face fell a little.

"But I heard you don't let anyone contact you after nine. I've been wondering these past few days if I've been bothering you too much."

Silas didn't hesitate:

"It's different. Like we said, you're a 'coconut candy.'"

"Coconut candy?"

Daniel chimed in from the side:

"Alpha and Beta have more and more of their own secret code. I can barely follow along over here."

Another guy, Kevin, agreed:

"Yeah, when you two are together, there's this special vibe. The rest of us can't get a word in."

I pushed the door open.

The air in the room dropped to freezing instantly.

Kevin looked away.

Silas saw me and immediately walked over, a little surprised.

"What are you doing here?"

I said, "I came to get the certification documents."

Silas shrugged.

"Leah handles that. She'll help you."

Now I understood why I'd gotten that reminder in the middle of the day. I looked at Leah.

Leah walked up to me, holding another lunchbox.

"Luna, I made lunch for the Alpha. You should try some too."

I looked up at Silas.

He nodded at me.

"Try it. Leah's a great cook."

The lunchbox held cheese-roasted wild boar.

I hate wild boar.

I shook my head.

The room went dead silent.

Leah's expression crumbled. After a few seconds, she said, almost on the verge of tears:

"I'm sorry, Ivy, it's my fault. I know cooking for the Alpha is supposed to be your job. I won't ever do it again."

Silas frowned at me.

"Ivy, just eat a little. It's not a big deal."

I asked Silas:

"Do you know what's in that dish?"

At my question, Silas looked confused.

"Of course I know."

When I was a pup, I was attacked by a wild boar, before my wolf had awakened. My leg was torn to shreds. I was terrified. Silas was the one who saved me.

At our bonding ceremony banquet, wild boar dishes were strictly forbidden. But one waiter still brought out a wild boar appetizer. If I hadn't pleaded for him, Silas would've thrown him out.

Leah smiled at me and pushed the lunchbox a little closer.

I reached out, pressed my hand on the lunchbox, and slowly pushed it back.

Leah's smile vanished.

I said to her, "Give me the documents."

She looked flustered, set down the lunch, and pulled out the papers.

Silas's face had already gone dark.

Daniel and Kevin had long since slipped out.

I signed, handed the papers to Leah, and walked out without looking back.

At the door, Silas called after me.

I thought he'd finally remembered the wild boar.

But he said:

"Ivy, you're already my Luna. What more do you want?"

Leah said, "Alpha, it's my fault. I won't bring you food anymore."

Silas cut her off immediately: "No. You did well. The one who needs to adjust her behavior is someone else."

He was waiting for my response. But I'd already taken two steps out the door.

When I got home, I pulled out a suitcase and started packing, one item at a time.

Five years in this place, and I couldn't even fill one suitcase.

That night, Silas called.

"Get ready. There's a gala tonight. You need to come."

I asked why.

His voice on the phone was relaxed, almost gentle.

"Because you're my mate. Have you picked the vacation spot yet, sweetheart?"

I paused.

"Not yet."

"That's a shame. Think about it soon. I'll pick somewhere with a beautiful night view." He paused on the phone. "I'm looking forward to kissing you under the waning moon, Ivy."

His voice was so gentle on the phone.

But my heart just ached and ached.

I cleared my throat.

"Okay, Silas. I'll be right down."

When I saw the black Maybach parked by the curb, I pulled open the door.

And found Leah already sitting inside, eating cookies.

She jumped.

"Luna..."

I watched the cookie crumbs fall onto the seat.

Then I instinctively looked at Silas.

He hates people eating in his car. Including me.

But now, his expression was calm as ever, like he was used to it.

I looked at where Leah was sitting.

It was the seat behind the front passenger side.

The cleanest, most ventilated spot in the car.

In a pack car, that seat is the mate's seat. My scent was marked on the headrest and armrest. For five years, every time I got in, I left my scent there.

Now Leah was sitting there, cookie crumbs falling on my scent mark.

Her scent was pressing right up against the thin, old trace I'd left behind. She was covering me, and Silas was watching her cover me.

He finally noticed me looking at that seat. His gaze followed mine, then stopped for a second.

"It's just a seat."

He said it, his voice flat, without a ripple.

I finally understood.

I'd almost forgotten.

Leah would always be the exception in his life.

Leah quickly wiped her mouth and started clearing the crumbs.

"I'll move to the other side right now, I..."

I smiled and said calmly, "It's fine. Sit. It's just a seat."

I sat down across from Silas and looked up. He was watching me with a slightly puzzled expression.

I ignored it.

This kind of thing had happened before.

Silas always said:

"Ivy, you're different from her. You're going to be my Luna, so you have to be tolerant of her."

I stared out the window at the drizzling rain.

All those old grievances and aches were gone now.

I was calm, so calm it surprised even me.

Yeah.

It's just a seat.

Just a person.

I glanced down at my hand. My nails had left marks in my palm.

I let my hand relax and looked back out the window.

Once that seat was empty, someone else would sit in it.

The scent would be laid down again.

A new scent would cover the old, clean and complete.

Like I had never existed at all.

But honestly? I didn't care.

He could cover my scent, and I could throw him away.