By the third year of our mate bond, Adeline returned.

For the first time since becoming my mate, Drake, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, skipped dinner at the pack house. He grabbed his coat and headed straight for the airport. That night, he didn’t return.

I found Adeline through Drake’s Instagram by checking who he followed. Scrolling through the updates, I saw her latest post:

“Finally back home, surrounded by love and friends.”

In the accompanying photo, Drake stood beside Adeline, his commanding presence unmistakable even in a casual setting. They were surrounded by his pack warriors—friends he had never introduced to me. My chest tightened as I closed the app, shutting my eyes and my heart along with it.

After my duties at the pack’s headquarters, I dined alone at a quiet restaurant by the riverbank. The cool night air brushed against my skin as I drove back to the pack house. The lights from the windows indicated that Drake had returned.

I opened the door and stood at the entrance, slipping off my heels. It was rare for Drake to greet me like this, taking my coat and handbag to hang them up. His alpha aura, usually so commanding, felt subdued tonight.

“Why are you back so late, Luna?” he asked, his voice softer than usual. “I tried calling, but you didn’t answer. Your assistant said you left work a while ago.” He paused, his dark eyes searching mine. “Have you eaten? I made dinner…”

These were usually my actions, my words. But tonight, it was him.

I raised a hand to interrupt him. “I’m tired, Alpha. I have an early meeting tomorrow, so I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight.”

As I walked through the living room, I noticed a spread of dishes on the dining table, even candles. The scent of rosemary and roasted meat filled the air, but it did nothing to ease the churning in my stomach.

What’s the point? Guilt over spending last night with Adeline, trying to make amends? It’s revolting.

I pushed open the guest room door, and Drake’s voice stopped me. “Elaine, what were you trying to say last night?”

I turned around. The warm light cast shadows on his chiseled face, giving it a hint of false tenderness. This face I’d seen for countless years, never tiring of it. But after seeing him in Adeline’s intimate photo, it was no longer familiar.

“I forgot,” I said, my voice flat.

I lowered my eyes and stepped into the bedroom. Lying in bed, my hand unconsciously brushed my abdomen. Last night, I had wanted to tell Drake I was pregnant. But he had received a call, dropped his fork, grabbed his keys and coat, and rushed out the door, leaving a mere “There’s an issue at work” behind.

I had sat by the dining table, waiting in silence until the food grew cold and lost its original warmth.

A friend from the pack had sent me a message saying Adeline had returned. On impulse, I had opened Drake’s Instagram and scrolled through his follow list. Tracking back, I found her.

A minute ago, she had posted: “Finally back home, surrounded by love and friends.”

In the photo, nestled in Drake’s arms, both looked at the camera, surrounded by his pack warriors—friends he had never introduced to me. Each time I attempted to join his circle, he dismissed them as insignificant, never agreeing. After a while, I stopped trying.

As I scrolled further down the timeline, it became clear that over the years, they had maintained close contact.

Drake had arranged her study abroad. The apartment overseas was under his name. Even Adeline’s extravagant spending abroad was covered by him.

I never knew Drake’s gentle attentiveness, the same care he had shown me as Luna, could be so casually transferred to another.

That night, I had tossed all the food from the dining table into the trash bag and taken it out to feed the stray wolves that roamed the edges of our territory.

With a click, the guest room door opened. I turned over and closed my eyes.

The bed on one side suddenly sank, and I felt a chill on my back as Drake climbed into bed.

I stiffened, fists clenched against my chest. After a while, a hand reached over, wrapped around my waist, and a warm chest pressed against my back.

My heart jolted, waves of nausea washed over me.

I abruptly sat up and switched on the bedside lamp.

The bright light flooded the room. Drake squinted as he sat up, his face grim.

“Elaine,” he began, his alpha tone slipping into his voice, a tone that usually commanded obedience. But tonight, it only made me feel more hollow.

“Don’t,” I said, my voice trembling despite my best efforts. “Just… don’t.”

Living in the same suburban neighborhood of the Silver Moon Pack territory, Alpha Drake Ryan and I grew up side by side, our lives intertwined from childhood. The summer we graduated from the pack's high school, he confessed his feelings to me. It felt like a mere formality, as we seamlessly transitioned into being mates, our bond sealed by the Moon Goddess herself.

That same year, my father introduced us to a girl a year younger than me—his illegitimate daughter from a previous affair. My mother had passed away less than six months prior. The man I once saw as a gentle and scholarly ideal mate and father now appeared to me like a hidden monster. We had a major argument, and I insisted that if Adeline Nelson stayed in the house, there wouldn't be room for me. It was her or me.

He merely glanced at me with indifference and said, "Do as you wish." I grabbed the money my mother had left me, packed a few clothes, and moved out. I arranged to live at the pack's school dorms and severed all ties with my family. A year later, Adeline joined the same university as me, thanks to my father's donation for a new campus building.

On the outside, she was all smiles, but behind the scenes, she constantly tried to drive a wedge between me and my packmates and friends. She even leveraged my father's connections to secure investments, eventually pushing me out of the student council. Then she'd proudly flaunt her achievements in my face. But I never cared for these things. If anyone or anything could be taken away from me, they weren't worth my time. There were always people she couldn’t take away from me, no matter how hard she tried. Chief among them was Alpha Drake Ryan.

Adeline repeatedly tried to get close to Drake, even boldly declaring her love for him. She ingratiated herself with his Beta and Gammas to keep tabs on him, conveniently showing up at lectures, the cafeteria, the gym, and pack meetings. On Instagram, she chronicled her secret love affair, detailing her unrequited feelings. Every move Drake made became a reason for her heart to flutter. She was like a moth drawn to a flame, risking everything for that little glimmer of hope.

Drake often vented to me about Adeline’s obsessive behavior. In public, he'd directly tell her to leave him alone, trying to distance himself from her as much as possible. Yet Adeline was relentless, refusing to be discouraged. Three years of university passed with her hovering around us. At times, I almost believed she genuinely loved Drake deeply—until she confronted me, declaring that Drake would eventually fall for her and betray me.

I dismissed her claims without a second thought. Anyone could see how much Drake loved me. When I chose to live on campus, he rented an apartment nearby, urging me to move in with him. He wanted to share meals with me every day. I loved the spiced honey cakes from a bakery south of the city, but they were always in limited supply. Drake, ever the devoted mate, would rise early just to queue for them. When he handed me the cakes, they were still warm.

Both of us shared a passion for traveling, but I was inherently lazy and not great at planning. So Drake took charge of everything—booking hotels, scheduling sightseeing, reserving tickets, packing luggage. All I had to do was follow his lead.

Having grown up together, we shared countless memories. I never believed he could betray me.

After college, Adeline went overseas for further studies. I thought that marked the end of her chapter with Drake. But unexpectedly, her Instagram updates revealed a different story. In her third year of pursuing Drake, his attitude towards her began to shift.