Chapter 5

I could not bear the thought of returning to that house, so I went to my father's old apartment instead.

My phone vibrated.

Adrian had sent me his first written message in three years.

Come back and make sweet porridge for Selene. You owe her an apology.

I stared at it for a long time, almost wanting to laugh.

This time, when I called, he finally answered. Impatience sharpened every word.

"Did you hear me? Selene said the only thing she wants is your--"

"Adrian."

I interrupted him, my voice barely above a whisper.

"If I died, would you grieve for me?"

The question had haunted me for months.

At last, I had found the courage to ask it aloud.

Silence held the other end of the line for several seconds.

Then his voice rose sharply.

"What the hell is wrong with you lately? Who taught you to keep saying such morbid things? If you need money, then ask for it. It's not as if I won't give it to you!"

"Where are you? I'll come right now."

In the end, he still did not answer my question.

It no longer mattered.

The call ended.

I lay on the narrow wooden bed where my father and I had slept side by side when I was a child and took an old phone from a dented metal box.

It still held the messages Adrian and I had exchanged in our early twenties.

Saw a rainbow today. Do you think that improves my chances of a successful confession?

Who are you planning to confess to?

A remarkable woman named Elara, whose reaction time is longer than the entire pack border.

The agony had spread from my wolf soul into every part of my body. It felt as if countless hands were tearing through my organs.

I wanted to laugh, cry, scream, and call out.

No sound came.

Only a trace of wetness gathered at the corner of my eye.

I quietly read all eight thousand of our old messages.

Then I deleted them with a single touch.

With the last of my strength, I swallowed the sleeping herbs and pain-relieving medicine prescribed by my healer.

I had not missed a single treatment in the past six months.

Even so, the countdown on my wolf soul had reached its end.

My consciousness grew heavy, and the pain in my body began to fade.

For the first time in months, a genuine smile touched my lips.

I closed my eyes.

Adrian.

I am free now.

I do not hate you.

I only hope that this time, you will complete the mating bond with the woman you truly love.

Adrian stared at the disconnected call, restless and uneasy.

Without thinking, he opened the location-sharing app on his phone.

Back when they were in love, he had pestered Elara until she installed it. He used to check her location from time to time.

After he decided she was a fraud, he never opened it again.

The red dot rested over a run-down apartment complex.

Frowning, he stood and reached for his car keys.

"Adrian."

Selene caught his arm. Her eyes were still red.

"You promised you would take me to the banquet tonight. And my hand still hurts..."

He stopped.

His gaze dropped to the small bandage wrapped around her finger, and he sat down again.

"I know."

Adrian was distracted throughout the banquet.

Elara's weak voice played over and over in his mind.

He tugged irritably at his tie and ordered his Beta to find out who Elara had been seeing lately.

What kind of con artist was this convincing?

And why should it matter to him?

Elara was nothing more than a fraud who would even sell her body for money.

Adrian rubbed his temples as he listened to his Beta's report.

"The Luna hasn't been in contact with anyone. She only goes to the pack clinic."

"Her personal life is just as simple. The only family she had was her father, and he died three years ago."

Adrian's fingers tightened around his wineglass.

He shot to his feet.

Every head turned, but he did not notice. His voice sank as he asked again, "She had a father?"

Selene's investigation had said that Elara was an orphan who made her living conning wealthy men.

"Yes. He died three years ago from wolf-soul degeneration."

It was as if a barrage of fireworks had exploded inside Adrian's skull. His legs nearly gave way beneath him.

There was a chance--however small--that Elara had not lied.

Wolf-soul degeneration.

He had seen those words somewhere before.

Where?

The answer struck like lightning.

He remembered the message Elara had sent him several months ago. Without even reading it closely, he had dismissed it as another performance meant to wring money from him.

At that moment, his Beta called again.

Adrian was already striding toward the exit when he gave the order in a hoarse voice.

"Go to her father's old apartment. Bring the Luna home."

Silence stretched across the line.

Then his Beta reported in a trembling voice,

"Alpha... the Luna is dead."