Chapter 3

The next morning, I received a reply from the Council of Elders.

My resignation had been approved. There was also a message attached to the notice:

[You are required to complete the handover of all duties and belongings today. Effective immediately, you are prohibited from entering the Frost Moon Pack's administrative office without prior authorization.]

I stared at the message for a few seconds before closing my phone. It seemed Adrian was genuinely furious this time.

As soon as I stepped into the administrative office, I noticed the pack members glancing at me. The same people who used to greet me with warm smiles then lowered their voices whenever I passed.

"That's Elena, right? I heard she threw a fit at the Alpha's bonding ceremony yesterday."

"The Alpha has always treated her so well. Did she really think she could become his Luna?"

"If her brother weren't on good terms with the Alpha, she'd never have been qualified to work here."

"Vivian is the Alpha's true mate. It's about time she learned her place."

I kept walking without looking back and headed straight to my workstation.

Once I finished handing everything over, Adrian and I would have nothing left to do with each other.

I had just organized the final file and was about to leave when an icy voice stopped me.

"Hold it."

I turned around.

Adrian stood a short distance away, with Vivian nestled against his chest and a faint smile on her face.

"Some confidential Frost Moon Pack documents were leaked this morning."

Vivian looked at me, her voice soft and gentle. "I heard Elena was the one responsible for organizing those files."

The room immediately fell silent.

I looked straight at Adrian. "You think I did it?"

He did not answer. Instead, he nodded toward one of his assistants. "Check her computer."

The assistant immediately approached my desk and began pulling up the computer's activity logs.

My expression changed. "Don't touch my computer."

Besides the pack records, it contained photos and private records from my five years with Adrian.

I had deleted those things a long time ago. However, if they kept digging and managed to recover the files, everyone would discover the truth about our relationship.

"What? Got something to hide?"

Someone in the crowd muttered mockingly.

"If she didn't do it, why won't she let them check?"

"She just had a falling-out with the Alpha yesterday, and now confidential documents get leaked? That's one hell of a coincidence."

"Maybe she's bitter because she couldn't have him. Could this be revenge?"

The whispers grew louder. I turned to Adrian.

"I wasn't the one who leaked the confidential files.

"Tell them to stop."

He finally looked at me, his eyes as cold as ice.

"Elena, if you didn't do anything wrong, why are you so nervous?"

"Because there are private records on that computer."

No sooner had I spoken than the assistant suddenly announced, "Found them."

My heart sank.

"Don't open those files."

I hurried forward, but someone stepped in my way.

Adrian grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard that pain shot up my arm.

"Open them."

"No, Adrian."

"I said, open them."

The computer screen lit up.

One photograph after another appeared before everyone.

In the pictures, I was nestled in Adrian's arms. He was kissing me, carrying me across the snowy fields of the Frost Moon Pack, and holding me close beneath the moonlight.

I had once believed those moments were secrets meant to belong to just the two of us. Now, they were laid bare for everyone to see.

Humiliation washed over me, threatening to swallow me whole. I looked up at Adrian. His expression was unreadable.

Then, after a moment, he actually laughed.

"Elena, are you dreaming?" He scrolled through the pictures one by one, his voice dripping with mockery. "Where did you get all these photos? Did you photoshop my face onto some random guy's body?"

Laughter erupted around the room. I dug my fingernails deep into my palms.

Adrian knew perfectly well the pictures were real. Yet he had chosen to deny everything.

Vivian stepped beside him and slipped her arm through his. Then she deliberately asked me a question.

"Elena, are you in love with Adrian? If you admit it, I'll give him to you."

Adrian frowned. "Vivian, stop playing along with her nonsense."

He turned to face the others, his voice firm and authoritative. "Elena is like a little sister to me. Those pictures are nothing more than something she dreamed up herself."

Every word felt like a sharp claw tearing into my heart. I had to summon every ounce of strength I had just to keep from crying.

Vivian smiled, clearly pleased with his answer. "Adrian, how can you be so cruel to her? What if she leaves the Frost Moon Pack like I did? You might not be able to win her back."

Adrian looked completely confident. "Where would she go? Either she'd follow Ethan around, or she'd come running after me. Even if she's throwing a little tantrum, she'll come crawling back within three days."

In the past, our arguments had never lasted longer than seventy-two hours. Every single time, I had been the one to apologize first.

However, that version of Elena was gone. I did not love him anymore. I just wanted to know whether Adrian would still look so confident when he realized I had truly left.