Chapter 1

My palm felt empty. My phone had slipped to the ground.

Only then did I realize I was still lying there.

I jolted upright, and a wave of dizziness hit me.

I picked up my phone and checked the time. It was 3:27 p.m.

That was when it hit me. Had I really been unconscious for more than two hours?

'It's probably my low blood sugar,' I thought.

It had happened before. I'd almost collapsed like this once.

Right now, what I needed most was candy or chocolate.

I pushed myself up, and I heard a loud crack under my feet.

When I looked down, I saw the castle model I had spent most of the day building was crushed to pieces.

I couldn't care less about it. After staggering into the living room, I rummaged around for some candies and bread. I stuffed them into my mouth.

The moment the sugar hit my bloodstream, I felt alive again.

I slumped back against the couch and stared at the ceiling for over ten minutes.

I then picked up my phone again.

I tapped on the trending post and pressed play.

In the secretly taken footage, the Brock Pack Alpha's family of three moved through the amusement park together.

They rode the roller coaster, watched the parade, and played tossing games.

The comment section was flooded.

"The Alpha is such a gentleman! He's even carrying the Luna's purse!"

"The Luna is gorgeous! Only a woman like her deserves the Alpha!"

The footage was blurry, but I recognized the woman who was mistaken as Luna instantly.

She was Christine Terra, the woman my Alpha, Augustus Brock, had loved for ten years.

The video kept playing.

Christine scooped up a spoonful of her strawberry ice cream and held it out to my son, Ethan Brock.

Ethan, who had never eaten anything I touched, opened his mouth without hesitation.

The next second, Christine kissed his cheek.

Ethan had never allowed me to kiss him, yet he smiled and kissed her back.

It felt like my heart was pierced by a silver blade.

The pain forced me to bend over. Tears fell before I could stop them.

What exactly had I been holding on to all these years?

When Ethan was just born, I couldn't resist kissing his soft, fluffy cheeks.

But by the time he turned two, he stopped letting me kiss him.

Every time I tried, he would push me away.

He'd grab a wet wipe and scrub the spot I'd kissed.

"Why won't you let me kiss you?" I had asked.

With his tiny, serious voice, he answered, "Saliva isn't hygienic."

He never ate anything I had touched either.

If I took a bite of fruit and offered it to him, he'd push it away in disgust and frown. "It's dirty."

Back then, I thought my son was adorable. He was so particular at such a young age and was truly worthy of being an Alpha's pup.

It was the cutest thing.

Although it made me a little uncomfortable, I had to admit he was right.

It wasn't hygienic.

I even felt proud that my son was smart and cared about hygiene at such a young age.

Being strict on himself at a young age meant he was a qualified Alpha successor.

The way he spoke so seriously reminded me of his father so much.

I loved his father tremendously. How could I not love him too?

That's why I respected his wishes.

I stopped kissing him, and I stopped forcing closeness.

After he turned three, at his insistence, I rarely even held him.

I thought it was just his nature. He was cold and distant, just like his father.

I thought I understood and respected that.

It wasn't until today that it hit me.

That kind of coldness depended on who it was directed at.

I never realized Augustus was capable of smiling either.

When he smiled, it was so gentle. It felt like the light of the Moon Goddess.

The pup I thought was a neat freak could eat food someone else had touched. He could kiss someone else on the cheek and let them do the same.

All these years, no matter how hard I tried, I had never received the kind of affection Christine got from them.

I had to admit I had failed as both Augustus' mate and Ethan's mother.

Suddenly, all the strength was drained from my body.

An overwhelming exhaustion washed over me like a tide.

I stared at the ceiling numbly and thought, 'Forget it. I should just give up.

'Holding on alone is too exhausting.

'Augustus, being your Luna is too exhausting.

'I don't want to try to please any of you anymore.'