They Welcomed a Rogue and Locked Their Own Luna Out

"Find a hotel for tonight."

Caleb's voice came through the phone, lowered to a whisper.

"Elise just took her medication and fell asleep. Don't make any noise and wake her up."

I stared at the tightly shut gates of the estate.

"Okay."

I dragged my suitcase away and headed toward the street corner.

Almost every hotel in the area was fully booked by then.

I had no choice but to check into a budget motel three miles from the estate.

The room was tiny, and the air smelled unpleasantly musty.

I pushed my suitcase against the wall and sat down on the edge of the bed.

My phone lit up.

It was a message from Caleb's housekeeper.

"Miss, your pajamas and daily stomach medication have been delivered to the front desk."

"The Alpha also asked me to tell you not to return until later tomorrow. Elise may want to sleep in."

A moment later, a money transfer notification from Xavier appeared.

"Chloe, I'll reimburse you for the hotel."

"Elise had a really high fever tonight. Caleb is staying with her, and I can't leave either."

"Get some rest. I'll take you out for your favorite strawberry mousse tomorrow."

Strawberry mousse was Elise's favorite dessert. I'd never particularly liked sweets.

I stared at the two conversations for a long time.

Eventually, I replied to the housekeeper.

"OK."

Then I changed Xavier's contact name from "My Dearest Brother" to simply "Xavier."

I didn't accept the money he had sent. Instead, I tossed my phone onto the nightstand.

The next morning, someone knocked on my door.

Caleb stood outside, holding breakfast from my favorite French bakery.

"Did you sleep well?"

He walked in naturally and placed the food on the little round table.

"Elise had nightmares all night. She kept crying and wouldn't let go of me."

"She's been through so much. Can you be patient with her for just a few more days?"

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

It was a message from Elise in our group chat.

【Chloe, I'm sorry. I didn't know that was your room.】

【If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll move out today.】

I had just opened the reply box when Caleb lowered his head and began typing on his phone.

His response appeared in the group chat almost immediately.

【Don't worry. Chloe won't mind something so trivial.】

I stared at those words on the screen, then slowly put my phone down.

Apparently, even my own feelings were something he could decide for me.

That afternoon, I went to Xavier's house to pick up some warmer clothes.

Before I could even ring the doorbell, Xavier happened to open the door.

"Chloe? What are you doing back here?"

"I need to get some clothes."

I pushed open my bedroom door and froze.

More than half of my wardrobe had been emptied. Elise's brightly colored dresses now hung in its place.

Her makeup and jewelry covered my desk.

All my clothes had been stuffed into vacuum storage bags and piled limply in the corner.

Xavier walked over, carrying a box of freshly purchased strawberry mousse.

"I cleared out half your wardrobe for you. Your clothes are in those bags."

He held out the dessert.

"Elise has so many things, so I let her use your side of the closet for now."

"Besides, once you marry Caleb, you won't be coming back here very often."

I didn't reach for the mousse.

Instead, I walked straight to the wardrobe, opened another drawer, and took out a few changes of underwear.

"I want some time alone. I'm thinking of staying at the old apartment Mom and Dad left me."

Xavier looked surprised.

"Why go there? Nobody's lived in that place for ages."

I stuffed the clothes into a canvas bag.

"I want to sort through some of Mom and Dad's belongings."

The moment he heard that, his expression softened with understanding.

"All right. It'll be quieter there, anyway. Let me know if you need money."

With that, he placed the mousse on the table and turned to answer his phone.

Through the phone, I heard him gently coaxing Elise, asking what she wanted for lunch.

I sent Caleb another message.

【I'm thinking of staying at the old apartment for a few days. I want to get some of our post-wedding paperwork organized in advance.】

He replied almost instantly.

【Sure. Don't overwork yourself.】

【I'll spend the next few days helping Elise settle in. I'll come see you this weekend.】

I slung my bag over my shoulder and walked out of a home that no longer felt like mine.

That evening, sitting alone in the empty apartment, I opened my laptop.

I went to the Moon Harbor Pack's website and submitted an application for adult wolf relocation.

A notification appeared on the screen.

【Stage One application received. Please submit your current Pack identity records.】

If I wanted to leave the Silver Moon Pack, I still needed to go back and retrieve my personal documents.