Chapter 3

The next morning, Alexander sounded puzzled as he said, "Vannah, the Hall of the Moon just called. I picked up for you. They said you've scheduled an appointment to erase the identity record. What's going on?"

I stayed calm as I picked up my phone. "It's nothing. After my father died, I never got around to canceling his identity record. So, I scheduled an appointment to take care of it.

"Aren't you meeting with the other pack's Alpha today? You should go. Don't let me keep you."

He nodded, not thinking much of it. He reached for his tie and handed it to me. "Vannah, could you tie this for me before I go?"

I managed a small smile and said nothing more.

Just as he was about to walk out the door, I suddenly asked, "Will you be home early tonight?"

He patted my head gently. "It'll be a busy day, but I'll try. Be good and wait for me, okay?"

The look on his face made it obvious he'd completely forgotten that today was my birthday.

My disappointment had finally reached its breaking point. After a year of living inside a lie, I knew it was time to end it.

As soon as Alexander left, I headed straight to the Hall of the Moon and officially canceled all my identity records.

"Applicant Savannah Whitmore, you're requesting to revoke all identification linked to the Redmoon pack. The process will take several days," the clerk explained.

I nodded, then brought up the matter of the letter of understanding.

"Once a letter of understanding is issued, it's legally binding under werewolf law. Unless you can prove it was not signed by a direct relative of the victim, it can't be revoked."

I said I understood and went straight to the Alpha's office. I still needed more evidence.

Just as I entered the office building, I overheard some warriors chatting.

"That's the Luna, right? She just got back from abroad. With a figure and presence like that, no wonder the Alpha fell for her. I'm a woman, and even I can't help but stare."

"She must be the Luna. No wonder she stayed out of sight after the marking ceremony. It turns out she was living abroad. Look at those shoes! They're a global limited edition! Only the Alpha would spend that kind of money!"

"I always see the Alpha picking out jewelry in his office. It looks like they're still as in love as ever, even after a year."

"Did you hear? Moonshadow Manor was built for her. What a beautiful name!"

As I reached the office door, I heard two very familiar voices inside.

"Anna, how have you been this past year? I pulled strings to make sure you were treated well in prison. I didn't want you to suffer."

"I've been alright," Joanna replied, her voice trembling with emotion as she leaned into Alexander's embrace. "I just lost my freedom. If it hadn't been for you, I might've died in there."

"Don't say that," Alexander said, trying to comfort her. "It's all behind you now. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen. You're a good person, not a killer. Helping you was the least I could do."

Joanna wiped away her tears and managed a smile. "You're still the same after all these years. If Savannah ever finds out you've been helping me behind her back, you know she'll lose it, just like she did at the marking ceremony last year."

That was Joanna, alright. She always managed to walk away with the best of everything, but still pinned every crime on me.

A year ago, I exposed Joanna as the one who killed my father during the marking ceremony. That was when I completely fell out with Joanna and Samuel.

Joanna clung to Samuel, sobbing as she played the victim. "Savannah, Samuel and I are in love. You can't force him to be with you just because you have feelings for him. It's not fair to make up lies and ruin our ceremony. You've gone too far."

Samuel chimed in, "Yeah, your father should have watched where he was going. You can't blame Anna for an accident."

I couldn't believe how shameless they were.

All the guests turned on me, refusing to hear a word of my explanation. They acted like I was some lunatic, sabotaging a friend's big day for no reason.

Even after I showed them the surveillance footage and Joanna was arrested, the whole pack still took their side and helped Samuel drive me out.

After that, when I was hurt and left with nowhere to go, it was Alexander who showed up and asked me to bond with him. He said he wanted to bond with me and be the one I could rely on.

But it was all just another lie, pushing me even further into the darkness.