Chapter 1

My fingers swiped across the screen, one after another.

Sometimes by the entrance to the meeting hall.

Sometimes by the celebration bonfire.

Sometimes at the blessing ceremony.

Every year at the Elder Gathering, they stood together.

The earliest photo was dated five autumns ago, tagged with a location.

The caption read, "Thanks to Alpha Liam for the invite. First time at a pack gathering."

I zoomed in on the photo.

His first love, Sophia, wore a silver-grey gown, a color reserved only for Lunas.

That night, I sat alone in the quiet rooms of the pack house, waiting for him to come back and tell me about the gathering.

He came back late, saying the meeting was long and tedious. He was glad I didn't have to attend such boring events.

Each time after, Liam would use the same excuse. "You weren't raised in the pack, and by tradition, you can't attend."

He said it was to protect me.

I believed it was for pack harmony.

I accepted it.

Because of this, for five years of marriage, I've never attended any major celebrations, even though I was the pack's Luna.

But now, looking at these photos, I saw the woman who also wasn't raised in the pack, standing for five consecutive years where I should have been.

That's when I knew.

He could make an exception.

It was just that the one he would make an exception for wasn't me.

The phone screen's light stung my eyes.

I sat in the finance office, surrounded by piles of pack accounts and reports. This was my duty as Luna—handling the tedious administrative tasks so Alpha could focus on more important matters.

I never expected those important matters would include bringing another woman to the Elder Gathering.

"Selena, you're not home yet?"

Liam's low voice came from the doorway, carrying the unique pressure of an Alpha.

I quickly shut off my phone screen and turned to face him.

"Just finished this month's financial reports." My voice sounded calm.

He walked in, suit jacket over his arm. He loosened his tie, showing a rare relaxation in front of me.

He leaned in. His face was still handsome, but now, in my eyes, it held an indescribable unfamiliarity.

He seemed to have just returned from somewhere, his pheromones carrying a hint of unfamiliar sweetness.

I frowned, subtly shifting my body.

"It's late. You should go back and rest." He glanced at the documents on the table. "These aren't urgent."

"Okay." I began packing up my things.

He waited for me at the door, as usual.

He naturally took my bag. We walked to the parking lot together, him half a step ahead of me. It was the instinct of a protector.

If I hadn't discovered all this, I would have been touched, my heart softening.

But looking at his retreating back, I suddenly found it all deeply ironic.

That night, before bed, Liam spoke casually:

"It's the Elder Gathering again, so it'll be busy. Make sure you get enough rest. If there's too much pack work, you can hand it over to a beta for now."

"I can go too."

I said suddenly.

Liam, on his way to the bathroom, stopped.

He turned to look at me, a slight frown on his face.

"Selena, we've been over this. The pack's rules—"

"Wolves not raised in the pack can't join pack gatherings." I finished his sentence, my voice flat. "Not even Lunas."

"Good that you understand." He let out a breath of relief. "It's an ancient tradition, not something I can change."

I looked at him, suddenly wanting to ask: What about Sophia?

She wasn't raised in the pack either.

Her parents were independent wolves who had migrated from the East Coast.

Yet she attended the Elder Gathering for five years.

"Liam," I said. "What if one day, tradition is broken?"

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

"For example," I said slowly, "if someone wasn't raised in the pack, but wanted to attend the gathering, would you make an exception?"

"There are no 'ifs'." His voice turned cold. "Rules are rules. As Luna, you should understand that best."

"I understand."

He nodded, a satisfied look on his face, then turned and left.

After he left, I quickly grabbed his phone from the bedside table.

For five years of marriage, he'd never guarded his phone from me. He'd even told me the password was my birthday.

I was so touched, I never once checked his phone, let alone snooped.

Perhaps that's why they could keep me in the dark so easily.

I gave a bitter smile.

The password hadn't changed. I easily opened his chat window.

The top chat was Sophia's.

The latest message was from this evening.

"Elder Gathering tomorrow. Same old, take a picture?"

"Of course. Long time no see, I've missed you."

I clicked into it, scrolling through. Their conversations weren't frequent, but when they did chat, it was endless. He'd patiently reply to her about everything, even the oddly shaped weeds by the road.

I remembered when we first got together. I was so eager to share, but he'd just give brief replies to my last message.

Over time, I assumed he didn't like online chats and curbed my impulse to message.

Turns out his enthusiasm was selective.

Just then, the man's voice came from behind me:

"What are you looking at?"