Chapter 1

On the second day after Sebastian Miller left for Highfeather Forest with his Beta, Charlotte Lewis, I submitted my request to withdraw from the pack to the Wolf Council.

Adam Smith, the staff member handling my application, let out a long sigh. He was clearly uncomfortable.

"Ms. White, have you really thought this through? Conflicts between mates are normal, and you are still the Luna of a pack. Everyone has seen how much you have contributed over the years—"

I cut him off before he could finish.

"I'm not reconsidering. The Alpha King has offered me a position as a healer, and becoming a healer has been my dream since I was a pup. My decision is final. There's no need to persuade me."

Adam frowned, studying me for a long moment. Then, he said the request would need approval from the Alpha of my pack.

Half an hour later, the notification that Sebastian had approved it came through.

At that point, my departure was set in stone.

The news that I was leaving the pack spread quickly. As I walked past other wolves, I could hear their hushed whispers trailing behind me.

"Did you hear? Selena is leaving the pack. I bet Alpha Sebastian wanted to get rid of her for a long time."

"Right. It probably annoyed him just seeing her around. But once she leaves, the Luna position will be vacant. Who do you think will take her place?"

"Is there even a question? Just look at how Alpha Sebastian treats Charlotte. The next Luna is obviously her."

I had grown used to these rumors a long time ago.

Every wolf in the pack knew how much Sebastian favored Charlotte. For her sake, he was more than willing to ignore me, his own Luna.

Charlotte would trip me up openly and in secret, doing everything she could to embarrass me. Sebastian would pretend not to notice, then lecture me about being generous and not petty, because I was the Luna.

That kind of blatant favoritism only fueled the gossip. Wolves whispered that my bond with Sebastian had shattered, that Charlotte was about to become the new Luna.

So some wolves deliberately targeted me, just to curry favor with her.

To me, it was laughable. It was like watching monkeys in a circus. I never bothered to care.

Just as I stepped outside the main gates, my phone rang.

It was Sebastian.

I assumed he was calling to question why I was leaving the pack. Instead, he said, "I've sent you the project details for this collaboration. Once the deal is finalized, send the contract back to me."

That was when I realized that he hadn't even read my withdrawal application. He had signed it the same way he would approve any routine work message.

I opened the file he sent.

It was the same project I had asked Charlotte to negotiate not long ago.

It was always like this.

I did the work, but Charlotte got the credit.

If it succeeded, the rewards were hers. If it failed, the blame was mine.

At first, I tried to refuse Sebastian. However, he always said the same thing.

"You're the Luna. You hold the highest authority, so of course you have to shoulder the responsibility that comes with it."

If I still didn't agree, he would give me the cold shoulder for days.

We hadn't come this far easily. I didn't want our bond to harden into something brittle and broken, so I was always the one who gave in first.

I thought my compromises would earn his understanding.

I was wrong.

At the pack's anniversary ceremony, he actually granted Charlotte privileges equal to the Luna's. It was a direct challenge to the Luna's status and an open insult to my position.

That time, I refused to back down.

We had a massive fight, then three months of cold shoulder.

Even when I was attacked by a rogue on a business trip, barely escaping with my life and ending up in the hospital, he didn't even bother to check on me. Instead, he forced me to hand over the hard-won deal I'd negotiated to Charlotte.

That was the moment my heart finally went cold.

"I'm not in the pack," I replied flatly.

There was a brief pause on the other end. Then his voice hardened.

"Selena, you're the Luna. While I'm away, you're supposed to take full responsibility for pack affairs. Yet, you dared to leave without authorization. Do you have any idea how much work will pile up because of your negligence?"

"I know, but I already—"

Before I could say that I'd withdrawn from the pack, Charlotte's soft, delicate voice floated through the phone.

"Sebastian, if Charlotte isn't willing, don't force her. Let me handle it instead."

"No," Sebastian said immediately. "You haven't been sleeping well these past few nights. You must rest today."

His tone was gentle, warm, nothing like the wolf who had just been scolding me.

Charlotte was still insisting she wasn't tired, that it wasn't hard for her. Sebastian's voice turned firm.

"I'm the Alpha, so my word is law. You're staying at the hotel today and resting properly. Don't think about anything else."