LOGINA noticeable look of hurt flashed across Mom’s eyes, and she spoke cautiously. “Aurora, since you’ve retired from service, why didn’t you call home? I’ve kept your room. It’s all cleaned up, so you can move back in whenever you want.”I answered calmly, as if speaking to a stranger. “I just returned to the headquarters, and there are many military business matters to hand over. I’m swamped. Besides, if I remember correctly, you told me to never set foot in that community again.”Mom looked like she had been punched in the gut, her face turning pale. Caleb couldn’t maintain his composure any longer either.They both exchanged a glance, seemingly nonverbally deciding who should speak first. In the end, Caleb took the initiative, his voice raspy. A faint red glow—the sign of a werewolf losing control—flashed in the depths of his eyes, revealing the emotions he had suppressed over the past eight years. “Aurora, I’m sorry. Mom and I were blind, and we were wrong to have accused you.” T
Eight years later, I finally completed my closed service with Vanguard Legion.Our final mission, hunting down the head of the largest rebel group in North America, was a resounding success. That victory cleared the rogue threat across the country and earned me a direct promotion to High Commander of the Werewolf Alliance Supreme Council.I stepped foot onto the grounds of my alma mater, the preparatory academy, once again. Only this time, I was no longer that humble cadet, Aurora. I was Commander Aurora, adorned with the highest medals of honor, and more important than anything else was the person standing by my side.I met Ethan Grey during my third year of legion service. At the time, he was the Supreme Commander of Vanguard Legion and the sole heir to the oldest royal lineage of the werewolf race, the Great Wolf King.Our meeting wasn’t romantic. He had rejected my tactical plan during a war council, and I argued with him for two hours in front of everyone.Later, he told me t
Mom walked down the stairs, her footsteps so light it seemed as if she had forgotten how to bear her own weight. She walked up to Chloe and leaned down to look at her.Chloe tilted her head up, her tear-stained face still wearing that vulnerable and innocent expression she had used for over a decade, like she was a wounded little animal.“Mom, I know I was wrong for doing that. I’ve had nightmares every night about Dad’s death for three years now. Don’t worry, I’ll treat you like my real mother, serving you and atoning for my sins for the rest of my life. Please forgive me, okay? I’m your sweetheart—”Mom said nothing at all. She simply pulled the hem of her skirt out from Chloe’s grasp, her voice hollow.“I raised you like my own daughter for fifteen years, and you killed my husband. Yet, I treated my own flesh and blood like an enemy, neglecting her for three years. What would the Moon Goddess say? If Arthur were still alive, what would he say?”The moment she learned the truth,
Caleb kicked open the door connecting the garage to the living room, holding the metal box in his hand.Mom looked up, and the moment she saw his eyes, she immediately stood up from the couch.“Caleb? What’s wrong?”He didn’t answer. Instead, he threw the metal box onto the coffee table, his voice hoarse.“Get Chloe down here.”Mom didn’t ask any more questions. She turned and went upstairs.When Chloe came downstairs, she still wore her usual innocent expression. Seeing Caleb standing there in silence, she pouted and called out, “Caleb?”Caleb pushed the metal box toward her, asking, “This belongs to you, doesn’t it?”Chloe looked down at it. Her eyes flickered for a split second, but she quickly raised her head, maintaining a nonchalant expression. “Yeah, it’s where I kept my junk when I was little. It’s been in Dad’s car for a long time. What about it?”Caleb said nothing. He took a slow, deep breath, allowing that scent to flood his lungs once more, before staring at her
A rare trace of panic appeared on Mom’s face. “Why is Aurora’s phone number not in use? And we haven’t heard a single word from her for so many days… Could something have happened to her?”Caleb snorted, looking unconcerned. “She’s the one who said she wanted to leave. Nobody forced her at gunpoint. She’s just playing hard to get. She’s waiting for us to bow down and beg her to come back.”Mom’s lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but Caleb had stood up and headed for the garage. He said he was going to clean out the trunk of the old pickup truck tonight. That truck had been parked in the corner of the garage for three whole years. No one had touched it since Dad died, but tonight, he felt like clearing it out. There was no special reason; he just felt maybe it was time. The garage light was dim and warm, illuminating the pickup truck parked in the corner, coated in a thick layer of dust. Caleb pulled the door open and began hauling out the old items piled inside,
Mom stared at the notification, her eyes wide.“What the hell? How dare she block me?”Chloe leaned in out of curiosity to glance at the screen. A flash of satisfaction flickered in her, which she immediately buried under a hurt expression.“Is Aurora mad at me, and that’s why she lashed out and blocked you, Mom?”Whatever unease Mom felt was instantly swallowed by rage, and she threw her phone into her purse. “She can’t even cook a proper meal. Who is she to get mad? She will never be allowed to set foot in this neighborhood again!”Caleb, who was driving up front, said in a lighthearted tone, “Mom, why do you care about her? Didn’t she say she was leaving anyway? Good riddance. The house will finally be quiet.”Only then did Mom remember what I had said before they left at noon. As it turned out, I wasn’t just talking out of anger.“Good riddance… Good riddance…” she muttered under her breath, though her hand unconsciously tightened around her seatbelt.Noticing that Mom was







