Chapter 2

I tried password after password, but each time the computer said it was incorrect.

Then, suddenly, I remembered Joanna's birthday. My hands were shaking as I typed it in. The moment I hit enter, the computer unlocked, and I was in.

The desktop background was a photo of Alexander and Joanna together at Moonlight Cove, which had always been her favorite vacation spot.

I opened Alexander's social media account. His cover photo was another picture of him and Joanna, both smiling sweetly.

There wasn't a single trace of me on his page. Everything about it made it clear that Alexander loved Joanna and was willing to sacrifice everything for her, even his marriage.

I clicked over to Joanna's account and saw photos of her living it up in luxury ever since she got out of prison.

She wore different designer outfits from the Redmoon pack and the latest jewelry in every post, never repeating a single look. I never even got to wear any of it.

Joanna was currently staying at Moonshadow Manor, a property the Redmoon pack built just last year.

I stared in disbelief as I opened the photos. That manor was lavish to the extreme, far more extravagant than anything even the Alpha or Luna could hope to have.

Then, I checked Alexander's bank transfers. Just yesterday, he'd wired Joanna 20 million dollars.

"I can't make it to your marking ceremony, so I'm giving you this manor as a gift. May it give you a strong footing with the White Wolf pack. I hope you find true happiness."

When I saw those words, my face went even paler, and tears spilled down my cheeks.

Alexander spent a whole year building a manor for Joanna, but he couldn't even spare three minutes for me. I was always the one reaching out, always the one texting first.

He took all my care and effort for granted. Instead of showing up himself, he just had Marcus send a gift to me on his behalf, even though he knew I didn't like that sort of thing.

He couldn't even remember my birthday without a reminder. If I hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't have even noticed the date.

Yet, he never forgot Joanna's birthday. Every single year, he had the perfect present prepared just for her.

After a year of marriage, the only photo on our wall was one I had begged him to take with me. Besides that, there wasn't a single photo of the two of us together.

Every time I asked about it, Alexander would say, "We see each other every day, so there's no need for photos."

Now, I finally understood the truth—he already had pictures with the woman he really cared about. He didn't need any with me.

I let out a bitter laugh and shut the computer, not wanting to see anything more.

That night, I bought a plane ticket for three days later and made an appointment at the Hall of the Moon to erase my identity from the pack's records.

Once everything was arranged, I opened the last gift my father had ever given me. It was a vial of bond-breaking potion.

It would not only break my mate bond but also break the mind-link between me and the pack, so no one would ever sense my presence again.