Charlie paced impatiently outside the emergency room, his agitation radiating like heat from a furnace.

His voice sliced through the air, sharp and unrelenting. "Eve! Is this really the time to argue? We've been in love for six years, and Lisa is your cousin! Of course, it's only natural I'd remember your blood type in a critical moment."

I remained silent, though my body felt like it might collapse at any moment. I had just suffered a miscarriage, and the bleeding hadn't even stopped entirely. Yet here he was, demanding my blood.

A wolf suffering a miscarriage is fragile, and the negative blood of the Silvermoon Pack is rare, almost sacred. It was unthinkable to donate, even if I had recovered.

Besides, why should I cover for a man like him, a man who'd already shown his true colors?

When Charlie barged into Silvermoon Pack's territory, did he not consider the consequences?

Everyone knew we were engaged—the union of Silvermoon and Ironclaw promised to be the alliance that shaped the wolf packs' future. And yet here he was, dragging both families' reputations through the mud for the sake of my cousin.

"I just had a miscarriage," I said flatly. "I can't donate blood. Find someone else."

Charlie's anger ignited instantly, his words scalding. "Eve! Didn't you always claim to love me? Now I'm asking for a little blood, and you're using a miscarriage as an excuse? You've shown your true colors. You'd rather let Lisa die than lift a finger. I can't believe I ever loved someone so heartless!"

His accusation landed with the force of a punch.

Maybe he was right—perhaps he'd never truly loved me. If he had, he wouldn't have feigned illness to deceive me.

He wouldn't have overlooked the exhaustion etched into my face or forced me to donate blood for his lover.

And he certainly wouldn't have carried on with my cousin in secret.

An alarm blared from a nearby monitor, interrupting the tense standoff. The emergency doctors rushed to move Lisa into the operating room.

In his frustration, Charlie grabbed me and hoisted me over his shoulder, carrying me toward the blood donation area as though I were a sack of grain.

"Eve, whether you like it or not, I'll owe you for this," he said gruffly. "Dang it! I'll even marry you on the day of the ceremony if that's what it takes."

This was the future Alpha of Ironclaw—cold-blooded, reckless, and willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.

I stopped resisting. Perhaps this was my way of repaying an old debt. Once, he'd risked his life to save me. Now, I'd let this act settle the score between us.

As crimson blood flowed into the collection bag, a chill seeped into my heart.

When the donation ended, Charlie hurried off with the nurse toward the operating room, not sparing me a second glance.

Watching his retreating figure, I whispered to myself, "We're even now, Charlie."

Later, I woke up in my hospital bed, the weight of exhaustion pressing down like lead. The doctor's voice cut through the haze. "Your body isn't capable of enduring another blood donation, not for at least six months. Attempting anything sooner could be life-threatening."

I nodded weakly, offering a faint, detached smile.

After he left, I checked my phone. There were over a dozen missed calls, all emergency contacts from the hospital for Charlie. Not a single one had been answered. Instead, there was just a single text message from him.

Charlie: [Eve, can you stop being so dramatic? You need to know your place. Seriously.]

I stared at the screen for what felt like an eternity. Whatever faint ember of warmth remained in my heart froze solid in that moment. I couldn't reconcile the man who had once loved me with the venom in his words.

Without replying, I spent the rest of the day recovering in silence.

When I finally felt strong enough, I shuffled to the hospital's rooftop garden, hoping the sunlight might melt the chill inside me. But instead, I stumbled upon a group of Charlie's friends.

Each of them carried flowers and fruit baskets, and for a brief, foolish moment, I thought they had come to visit me.

I turned to leave, but they intercepted me, their mocking voices sharp as knives. "Wow, so this is the famous Silvermoon princess. Playing the victim while Charlie's here with his girlfriend? Pathetic."

"Isn't it too much? Acting all frail just because she gave a little blood. What a drama queen."

"Guess even princesses can be losers. Can't keep her man and now getting dragged through the mud by her own cousin. Talk about karma."

Their words cut deep, but I steadied myself and glared at them coldly. "Don't forget the Silvermoon bloodline outranks anything Ironclaw has to offer. If you continue talking shit about me, you'll be dragging Charlie's name through the dirt too."

They faltered, momentarily caught off guard. Before they could retort, Charlie appeared from the stairwell. His gaze landed on me, his brows furrowing in frustration.

"Eve, seriously? Do you have to make a scene with my friends?"

His tone grew colder, more suffocating with each word. "I've already said I'd marry you. What more do you want? Stop pretending to be sick just to spy on me. If this is how you'll be after we're married, we won't last long."

"No need to trouble yourself. I don't need you to marry me."

Six years of love, and he had always been free.

When he wanted to drink, I silently accompanied him, never rushing him.

If my presence didn't suit the occasion, I'd wait for his call and pick him up without complaint.

When he got drunk, I took care of him with the utmost patience.

When he wanted to travel with his friends, chasing thrills and turning nights into reckless adventures, I planned their trips, bought their tickets, and mapped out their journeys.

Even when he offered to let me check his phone, I refused.

I loved him, but I feared that my noble lineage would weigh him down, so I never sought to control him. I was determined not to repeat the mistakes of my mother, who drove my father away with her high expectations.

I believed I had managed our relationship perfectly, keeping the rhythm steady and harmonious.

Before his betrayal, we still lived as though we were in the throes of first love. He desired me endlessly, his longing for my body unabated.

But now I realize—he loved me, yet he loved others too. He was entranced by every woman. He was never able to resist any temptation.

Was this why he feigned illness? To indulge in a new kind of thrill?

Our gazes met, but there was no trace of love in his eyes. The questions burning on my tongue were swallowed, leaving only silence behind.

Charlie furrowed his brow under my gaze. Grabbing the bouquet from his friend's hand, he shoved it into my arms. "Here. Consider this a gift. Take the flowers and just leave, will you?"

In his eyes, I was still the simple girl who would be content with the smallest gestures. He never stopped to consider that I was a princess of the Silvermoon Pack, someone who had seen the world.

My satisfaction was never about the gift—it was because I loved him.

He couldn't fathom that I might actually mean it when I said I wouldn't marry him.

I handed the flowers back to his friends.

"These are for your girlfriend Lisa. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to accept them. I donated blood willingly. You don't need to force yourself to marry me."

For a moment, Charlie's expression faltered. A flicker of panic crossed his face. "Eve… Lisa and I… There's nothing between us. I still love you."

I smiled faintly. "Fine. Go take care of my dear cousin Lisa. I'll handle my discharge papers. You take care of your business."

My words cut into him like claws. He froze, then turned his head away, trying to mask his discomfort.

His friends wasted no time hooking their arms around his shoulders and dragging him off.

"Come on, Charlie, Lisa's waiting. She bled so much for you—unlike someone who just donates a little blood and starts demanding marriage. If you don't go back soon, she might get jealous. Oh, and we've got a few new girls lined up for later!"

"Eve's just putting on a show. She'll come crawling back eventually. That's how women are. You're just too naive."

Their words should have hurt, but I felt nothing. Only a cold numbness, as though I were standing on the frozen tundra of the wolf lands, forever unable to feel warmth again.

While Charlie was away, I summoned the one maid I trusted in the Ironclaw Pack to help me pack my bags.

One by one, the wedding dress, the photo albums, and the decorations disappeared. With them went the fragile dreams of a shared future, stripped away to reveal the harsh truth beneath.

The maid stared at the transformed room, now devoid of its festive touches, and hesitated. "Princess Eve, all of this was prepared for the wedding. Are you really letting it all go?"

"Yes," I replied, my voice calm and detached. "The groom is practically dead to me already. It's useless now."

Her hands trembled at my words, and she dared not speak further, carefully disposing of the wedding photos and the Ironclaw pack's engagement ring.

When the room was stripped bare, I stood at the doorway with my suitcase. I looked at the once-familiar door and deleted my fingerprint from the lock.

From this moment on, this place was no longer my home.

I didn't go to the house Charlie had rented for me, nor did I return to the Silvermoon pack. Instead, I chose a postnatal care center.

When the receptionist learned of my miscarriage, she thoughtfully arranged for me to stay on a quiet floor.

For a few days, I enjoyed the solitude, until a notification broke through the stillness—a video pushed to my phone.

That's when I remembered I'd forgotten to cancel the monitoring account for our marital home.

Without thinking, I clicked on it.

On the screen, Charlie and my cousin Lisa were tangled together on the couch. Lisa was wearing an almost transparent lace nightgown that clung to her full, tempting figure.

Charlie's head was buried in her chest, his breathing heavy.

"Let me ask Eve when she's coming back," he said, reaching for his phone.

But before the call could ring for more than a second, Lisa grabbed it, pouting. "Ugh, stop it. Why are you thinking about your ex-fiancée when you're with me? Focus!"

Lisa hooked her arms around his neck, her hand slipping deftly under his shirt and moving downward.

Charlie couldn't resist; he pushed her down onto the couch and kissed her with a hunger I'd never seen before—not even during our first time together. Clothes scattered to the floor within moments.

I thought I'd seen enough, but the absurdity escalated.

A group of women from The Velvet Bite wearing black stockings and nothing else above the waist—entered the scene, wrapping themselves around Charlie.

To my shock, he welcomed them with open arms, letting them press into him. He even kissed their bare necks and chests.

I never imagined my cousin Lisa and my Alpha, Charlie, could sink so low. Not only did they betray me, but they also indulged in this grotesque display of debauchery.

Rage burned through my chest. My wolf howled inside, desperate to tear through the screen and shred them all. Their licentious voices filled the room.

Lisa's seductive tone grated on my ears. "Oh, my lightning bolt, Alpha Charlie, I just got out of the hospital. Be gentle!"

Charlie, his eyes flushed with suppressed desire, looked at her and muttered, "Little vixen, why don't you do it yourself?"

Lisa, her gaze sultry, lifted his chin playfully. "That depends on your performance," she teased. "Between me and your ex-fiancée, who do you love more?"

Panting heavily, Charlie's expression darkened. "Eve is my fiancée. Who do you think I love more? Besides, we agreed at the beginning to each get what we wanted. Most people wouldn't play with me and prostitutes. You enjoy it too, don't you?"

Lisa slid off him abruptly, her lips trembling as tears began to spill. "I nearly lost my life trying to please you, and this is what I get?"

Charlie panicked. He hated it when women cried. He pulled her into his arms, kissing her until her complaints turned into gasps of pleasure.

I watched, numb, as they moved from the couch to the bedroom and then to the bathroom, experimenting with every position imaginable.

It became painfully clear to me—Charlie had never loved me.

When he was severely injured, I wept in secret, but he never saw my swollen eyes. Instead, he scorned me for being melodramatic, accusing me of using tears to manipulate him. He even paraded other women in front of me, claiming that even if he'd once loved me, he was justified in playing around now.

I felt a deep sense of relief that I hadn't kept the child. Even if he married me, Charlie would have continued his sordid escapades.

As their moans filled the air once again, I exited the interface and deleted the account.

The next morning, Charlie called me. It was the first time he'd reached out since his incident. I didn't answer. When he couldn't get through, he sent a message.

Charlie: [Eve, what's the meaning of this? I agreed to marry you, so why did you throw away all the wedding items at home?]

I refused to let him humiliate me any further, so I lied.

Eve: [That house isn't luxurious enough. I've bought a seaside villa and moved in there.]

Moments later, Lisa sent me a video. It was a recording of her and Charlie in bed, accompanied by a crying emoji.

Lisa: [Oops, sis, I sent this by mistake!]

Lisa: [Charlie got drunk last night and insisted on seeing me. I didn't expect him to pin me down the moment I arrived. He must've mistaken me for you. I'm so sorry, sis! I tried pushing him away, but he was too strong.]

Her next message dripped with malice.

Lisa: [But Charlie is amazing. He's so obsessed with my body, kissed me all over. If I were you, I'd invest in some lessons on how to please a man. Otherwise, why would Charlie be so starved around you?]

She sent me a transfer of 8,000 dollars.

"Here's the money for the wedding dress. I'll wear it instead. When we get married, you're welcome to attend the reception!"

Faced with her blatant provocation, I refunded the transfer.

Eve: [Consider this my gift for your wedding. Wishing you a lifetime of happiness.]

Then, I blocked her.

As my health improved, I decided it was time to leave. I booked a flight and realized it coincided with their wedding day. It didn't matter anymore.

Before heading to the airport, I stopped at a jewelry store to pick out a gift for a friend. That's when I remembered the wedding ring I'd designed with Charlie. It was still unclaimed.

But when the clerk checked the records, they told me Charlie had already picked it up.

As I stepped outside, I ran into Charlie and Lisa on the street. Their fingers were intertwined, and they wore the rings I had designed.

Charlie noticed my gaze and hurriedly explained, "Eve, about the ring—"

"You two look perfect together," I interrupted, turning away.

The day I left, I walked out of the care center and headed straight to the airport. Meanwhile, Charlie's friends, carrying custom wedding dresses and makeup kits, arrived at the house he had rented for me.

They knocked persistently, but no one answered. The commotion disturbed a neighbor, who stepped out and said, "No one's been living there. Did you get the wrong address?"