Chapter 3

Three days before my “death.”

I was walking in the park near the Voss estate when Vivian stopped me.

“Lily, I have some things I want to say to you alone. Don’t worry, I won’t take up too much of your time.”

She took my hand, her eyes slightly red.

“I’m sorry. I know that because of my return you’ve suffered a lot.”

I said nothing.

She lowered her head, her voice growing softer.

“Actually I don’t want this either. But the Elders said only I can give Wilson a pure-blood heir. I can’t just watch him be punished by the Elders.”

As she spoke she took a jewelry box from her bag.

Inside was a moonstone ring.

It was the first gift Wilson had ever given me.

Five years ago, to find this piece of moonstone for me, he had searched every mining area in the pack alone. Later he had personally slipped the ring onto my finger and said it was his gift to his future Luna.

Now it was in Vivian’s hands.

“Wilson said this ring is very important to you,” she bit her lip. “I want to return it to you.”

I reached for it, but she suddenly let go.

The ring fell into the muddy water by the lake.

“Ah!”

She cried out and hurriedly crouched to pick it up, her skirt already stained with mud.

“I’m sorry, Lily, I didn’t mean to!”

I looked at her.

“Do you think I’ll believe that?”

Vivian froze for a moment, then tears immediately welled up.

“I only wanted to help you put your things away properly. Why do you have to be so fierce to me?”

Her voice was not loud, yet just loud enough for the people not far away to hear.

“I know you don’t like me, but you still can’t treat me like this…”

“What happened?”

Wilson’s voice came from behind.

I turned and saw him striding over.

Xavier and Victor followed behind him.

Vivian seemed to have finally found someone to lean on; tears fell in streams.

“Wilson, I only wanted to return the ring to Lily. I didn’t expect her to get angry. I…”

Before she finished, Wilson had already helped her up.

“Don’t cry.”

He took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders, then turned to look at me.

“Lily, you know she has only just returned and still can’t adapt to life here. Why must you make things difficult for her?”

I pointed at the ring in the mud.

“You can ask her who threw it down there.”

Wilson glanced down and frowned.

Vivian quickly explained, “I didn’t hold it steady, it’s all my fault. Lily didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t blame her.”

The more she spoke this way, the more complicated the look in Wilson’s eyes became when he looked at me.

In the end he sighed.

“Forget it, Lily. I know you’ve been in a bad mood lately. Once you reach the north, rest properly for a while. Don’t keep holding things against her.”

Again.

Every time he knew I had been wronged.

And every time he made me yield.

Xavier crouched down, picked the ring out of the muddy water, carefully wiped it with a handkerchief, and then handed it to Vivian.

“You too—how can you be so careless?”

Victor took off his own coat and draped it over Vivian.

“The wind is strong here. Don’t catch a cold. Come on, we’ll take you back.”

Vivian glanced at me and asked timidly, “What about Lily?”

“She can go back by herself,” Xavier answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

I stood where I was and watched the four of them turn and leave.

Wilson walked a few steps, then stopped.

“Lily.”

He looked back at me, guilt in his eyes.

“In three more days you’ll be leaving. Don’t let these days be unpleasant, all right?”

I nodded.

“All right.”

He seemed relieved and caught up with Vivian.

I looked down at the time.

Three days left until I left the Blood Moon Pack.

Back at the estate I packed every gift Wilson had ever given me into boxes and handed them all to the housekeeper.

“Dispose of all these things.”

The housekeeper froze.

“Luna, these were all prepared for you personally by the Alpha…”

“I know.”

I turned and closed the door.

In three days they would hold a funeral for Lily Voss.

And this time, I would not look back.