Once inside his room, Zane dropped to the floor and bowed his body to cradle his face between his knees as if he had lost all of his strength. "How could I do this to her? How could I believe in lies? I rejected my mate and even had sex with another woman in front of her. Fuck. Asshole!" he said as he yanked his hair and ran his hands roughly over his face. Zane tightened his fists and cursed, "Fuck...fuck...fuck," while repeatedly punching the floor in sheer anger as his eyes filled with tears.

"Lunaire must have been in so much pain. Fuck! Why the fuck did I do that? Why?" Zane shouted in agony.

'Why? Because you're a fucking piece of shit,' his wolf, Wren, spat at him. Zane flinched. However, Wren continued in disgust, 'She was so beautiful and kind-hearted. I love her so much. I even fell for her at first sight, but you filthy human had to ruin everything. You fucking took my mate away from me, and for that, I will never forgive you. You have no idea what you have lost. I hope you regret it for life."

Zane suddenly thought back to how he ignored Wren's whimpers and painful howls when he tortured Lunaire. Wren...He was hurting beside her. While he? He was fucking enjoying watching his mate suffer.

Zane trembled and choked back a sob. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," He whispered, closing his eyes and allowing the tears to run down his cheeks. When Zane didn't hear Wren's response, he pleaded in a shaky voice, "Wren...Wren, p-please t-talk to me...Wren...p-please." Still, only silence was heard. Self-blame. Regret. Guilt. It was all Zane could feel at this moment.

After an unknown time passed, Zane raised his head from his legs, wiped away his tears, and vowed in a determined voice, "Forgive me, Lunaire. Once I find you, I will win you back, and I promise I will treat you like a queen," and wiping my tears.

With a renewed sense, Zane took in a deep breath and exhaled. He was the Alpha of this pack, and he needed to stay strong for her, his Luna, and his pack. He stood and walked out of his room towards the training field where everyone was gathered. Once Zane stood in front of his pack members, they all became silent as they waited for him to speak. He sighed, trying to suppress his tears as he didn't want to look weak in front of his pack.

"As you all know, we ha-have lost a pack member, a member we all treated like trash and a punching bag. We condemned her for murdering her parents and stealing, not knowing she was innocent," Zane spoke loudly. The pain in his chest became unbearable as he said each word.

"Lunaire is my mate," He finally admitted and looked at each and everyone as loud gasps echoed through the field. "Yes, Lunaire was my mate until I decided to reject her, which was the biggest mistake of my life. We all wronged her and hurt her, especially me," Zane whispered at the end.

His expression morphed into anger as he said through gritted teeth, "That filthy Rogue. He killed our previous Beta and his mate, so we must avenge their death. I decided, from today onwards, you will all be training for the war and to end this Rogue once and for all. We will get our Luna back. I will search the ends of the world just to find her. She will be back and rule beside me as your Luna. We will be one together, stay strong, united, and win," Zane confidently said, scanning the faces of his pack members.

Some had a look of regret and guilt flashing on their faces. Others had tears in their eyes, some had sorrow, and very few were apathetic, but once their Alpha shouted the last words, they all gave Zane a firm look.

"FOR OUR LUNA!" a pack member started chanting, his voice full of spirit. "FOR OUR LUNA!" another member echoed. After that, all members repeatedly chanted, "FOR OUR LUNA!" and fisted their hands up in the air. Zane genuinely smiled and whispered, "For my Luna."

***

"I wish you were here with me," Zane whispered, caressing Lunaire's photo with his thumb. He placed her scarf on his nose, taking in her sweet scent of roses. When Zane felt like he was losing himself and suddenly craved her, he barged into her room just to feel, smell, and touch her. Only in this way could he soothe his rampant emotions. Looking around the room, his heart churned as he finally realized the condition of her room. It was awful; the bedsheet was filthy, the chair, table, and even her wardrobe were broken, and the wall had cracks.

Zane couldn't believe that Lunaire lived here, and he did nothing to help her except to add more pain to her. Like a madman, he rummaged through her stuff, just wanting something of hers that would make him calm down. Zane then realized his mate didn't have a lot of things which made him nearly trash the room. Good thing he saw a scarf lying on the edge of her bed. He cried in relief, clutching the scarf to his chest, hugging it, imagining the scarf was her.

Still not satisfied, Zane buried his face into his scarf, deeply inhaled it, and kissed it while murmuring into her scarf, "I'm so sorry, Lunaire. If only I had the power to go back in time. If only I wasn't blind to see how much I love you. You are my true soul mate, and I threw you away while you were ready to accept the way I was, accepting my past along with it. I don't deserve a girl like you, yet I can't let you go."

"Zane," a voice suddenly said. Zane snapped his head at the bedroom door and frowned at the person. "Why are you here?" he asked with disgust.

"I...I thought you might need some company," She whispered in a sultry voice and bit her lips as he looked at him, making Zane feel disgusted with her and himself.

He gritted his teeth, clenched his jaw in anger, and demanded, "Get the fuck out of here, Bella."

However, Bella didn't listen. She walked in and closed the door behind her, her night dress swaying as she walked, flashing him her perky ass.

Disgusted, Zane looked away, his nails digging into his palms, trying to curb his anger.

Bella looked down at him and taunted, "I can't believe you are crying because of that bitch. The big bad wolf is actually crying, huh?" She scoffed at him.

In a flash, Zane stood up, which made her jump back in fear while he glared at her with rage, threatening, "One more word…one more word about her, and I will snap your neck, you filthy slut!"

Bella gasped in disbelief. Her eyes became moist, "So now I'm a filthy slut to you? After doing everything with me, I'm a slut to you now?" She laughed bitterly. Zane didn't care as he continued glaring at her.

Not hearing his reply, Bella walked towards him, tears running down her cheeks, and said in a hurt voice, "I thought you loved me...I thought you wanted me to be your mate. That's why we devised the plan to accuse Lunaire of being a thief. We did it so we could finally be together, but you threw that all away. For what? For a weakling like her?"

"Shut your fucking mouth! I didn't want you in the first place. I only used you to get what I wanted, which was my biggest mistake. Now, don't ever show me your fucking face ever again. GET OUT," He roared, but Bella was not a bit intimidated. She smiled at him as if she had lost her mind, making him frown.

Then, Bella cupped his cheek, so Zane raised his hand to slap it away. However, she endured the pain and murmured, "You don't know what you have done, Alpha Zane. You using me will be the biggest mistake of your life." Saying this, she stared deeply into his eyes with her red glowing ones. Suddenly, his vision became blurry, and he started to sway from side to side as dizziness hit him.

Disoriented, Zane turned to look at Bella's blurry face. He repeatedly shook his head and dug his palms into his eyes to dispel it.

"I loved you so much, and look what you did," a familiar voice said with a hint of accusation.

Zane opened his heavy eyes and stiffened. "A-Lunaire," He called out in his trembling voice. He raised his shaking hands to touch her face and laughed madly. "You...y-you c-came b-back," Zane whispered over her lips.

"You used me. You hurt me. Why?" her bottom lip trembled as she cried.

He furiously shook his head and gulped, leaning his forehead onto hers. He desperately said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that I hurt you. P-please don't leave me again. I need you. P-please, Lunaire…I love you...Forgive me."

Only their heavy breathing could be heard inside the room.

"Kiss me," She commanded, making his eyes widen in shock. The person who he thought was Lunaire looked into his eyes and placed her hand over his chest. "Kiss me, Zane. Kiss me and show me how much you love me," She whispered in a seductive voice.

Zane's heart started to pound wildly. He instantly smashed his lips onto hers, causing her to moan. Her taste felt weird. It was different from what he remembered, but he just shrugged off the feeling. He continued to trail kisses down her neck, licking and sucking on her sweet spot, causing her to tug on his hair while she moaned.

"You're mine, Zane. Mine," She possessively whispered into his ear.

Zane growled and ripped off her clothes, stripping her down naked, and leaving marks all over her body.

"Mmmm, Zane. I need you," She moaned. "P-please don't leave me. I love you."

Zane kissed her forehead and thrust into her roughly and deeply. She dug her nails into his back, making him groan as he slammed against her like a mad man. He kissed her lips, biting her lower lip while he rubbed and squeezed her breasts which felt a lot bigger. This feeling again. It felt wrong. All of this felt wrong, but Zane was so lost in pleasure that he couldn't tell why.

"ZANEEEEEEEE!" a sudden voice snarled in agony.

Caught off guard, Zane shifted to the side, bent over, and held his pounding head in his arms. He began to pant as he groaned, "Ahh," the pain became intolerable. He couldn't help but scream as his head grew heavier and the pain became severe.

"ZANEEEE!" again, the voice cried, his tone had a hint of anger and resentment.

Zane collapsed to the ground, pulling at his hair as his eyes were tightly shut. He was in excruciating pain and the voice... It seemed so familiar. His body trembled, and a chill caused his hair to rise up. He shivered and hugged his body. He then felt a presence hovering over him before it sat down on his stomach and leaned down so that its lips were close to his ear.

"Sleep well, my big bad wolf," was the last thing Zane heard before he fell into the darkness.

1 year later

Near the place where Lily was hiding, a man's voice commanded angrily, "Don't let her get away. You must catch that bitch."

Hearing this, she stifled her sobs as she began to flee into the woods across from where they were. She was so terrified that she failed to notice the branches and was scratched. She persevered, however, and kept going.

"I'm going to kill you with my own hands when I find you," her Alpha roared fiercely.

She quickly ducked behind a bush, covering her mouth with both hands, not wanting to make any noise. She tried to hold her breath, but it became quicker when she heard the sound of footsteps coming closer, the leaves crunching as the steps moved slowly and steadily, making her heart drop in fear.

"Come out, come out wherever you are," a voice said in a sing-song voice before laughing darkly.

Lily closed her eyes tightly, and her heart continued to pound violently against her chest. She pressed her palm to her mouth to stifle the sound of her breathing. Lily was terrified—terrified of being discovered again. If her Alpha found her, she was sure he would kill her.

"Alpha, I have searched everywhere but can't find her. The bitch must have made it out of the territory," another voice spoke.

Lily flinched when she heard her Alpha growl angrily. "Send out a search team tomorrow morning. I want that whore back as quickly as possible. I'm going to have fun snapping all her bones and breaking her legs for escaping the pack," He said and laughed maniacally.

Tears rolled down her eyes, her nails digging into her skin while the footsteps walked away from near her. Lily peeked out from the bushes, and after seeing no one in sight, she heaved a sigh of relief after withdrawing her hands from her mouth. She looked down and silently cried; her arms and legs were now full of bruises and cuts. She leaned back and gazed at the dark sky above her, the moon staring down at her with its light making her somewhat feel safe. She smiled despite her tears and thought, 'Sure enough, the moon goddess was watching over me.'

Lily hugged her knees and looked around her surroundings. She didn't know where she was, only that she was surrounded by tall trees and darkness everywhere. She nearly screamed when she felt something touch her leg. She quickly stood up and sighed when she saw it was just a bug.

The wind howled, blowing her hair all over her face. With her eyes still scanning the area, Lily retreated, still feeling uneasy. She panicked as something touched her back, only to find out it was just a tree. She sat down once again and leaned against the tree. When the wind blew in her direction, Lily shivered and hugged her body to keep it warm. Feeling tired, her eyes started drooping, but she pinched herself to keep herself awake. She warily looked around her, her eyelids heavy, listening to the crickets, the rustling of the shrubs and trees in the breeze.

Only God knew what was out there at this time of the night.

When Lily heard an owl hooting, her tensed nerves made her flinch. She looked around. The moment she saw the huge eyes looking back at her, she froze and stared at them. After realizing it was not a threat, Lily sniffled and hugged herself more tightly while wiping her tears. As the night passed, her eyes became even heavier, unaware when she closed her eyes, and darkness overtook her.

THUD!

Lily jolted awake when she heard a loud sound. She frantically looked around only to see nothing. She swallowed, feeling her throat parched from thirst, and her stomach started to growl in hunger. She rubbed her stomach and weakly stood up. "Where do I go now?" she wondered loudly and started to cry again.

She decided to walk deeper into the woods while constantly looking for any danger. Lily didn't know what time it was or where she was. She was lost in this forest, not knowing any survival skills.

Lily then froze when she heard a crunching sound, followed by a roar echoing through the forest. Without hesitation, she started running for her life. Hearing someone behind her prompted her to run even faster until she tripped and fell onto her face. Lily let out a painful cry, her cheek now bruised, and her leg started swelling.

"Well, well, look who we have here, brothers," an evil voice spoke.

Lily looked up with tears only to see three ugly wolves walking around her in a circle.

"She looks delicious," "Mouth-watering," "Tasty," they all spoke in unison, their tongue licking their razor-sharp teeth.

"P-please, I mean n-no harm...P-please, l-let me g-go," She said in a shaky voice and scooted backward.

"Awww, the baby is going to cry now," one of the wolves mocked, causing them to all burst out with laughter.

Lily couldn't help but shriek as a large washed-brown wolf charged at her with an unsightly scar extending from its eye to its lips. With its face now directly in front of Lily, she froze in terror. She felt sick as he snarled at her and closed his mouth, filthy drool running down her calf.

"How about a No, missy? We haven't had a great snack in years, right, brothers?" one of them replied, tilting his head and giving Lily a nasty glare while his brothers chuckled behind him,

"P-please l-let me go," Lily begged and let out a frightened scream when she felt the wetness on her cheek. The rogue was now licking her, making her shut her eyes with disgust and fear.

"Weak human, I'm going to have so much fun with you," the wolf laughed evilly.

Lily opened her eyes in a flash. Her eyes were now swollen from all the crying. She wanted to rub them but was too terrified to lift a finger. Her body shook, and her lips quivered when she saw the huge brown wolf open his disgusting mouth; his sharp fangs were pointed at her like daggers.

"AHHHH," Lily shrieked, tightly closed her eyes, and covered her face with her arms.

Lily waited for the pain, but when she didn't feel anything, she slowly opened her eyes and sprang back in horror as she saw the wolf's head on the ground, eyes wide open. Terrified, she turned to the side and noticed its body had been tossed away. She gulped as she backed away from the lifeless head.

Meanwhile, the two brothers were looking around, growling and snarling. Lily screamed in terror once more as the black wolf swung its head at her and growled, "You did this, didn't you? I'm going to kill you, you bitch!"

Lily frantically shook her head. "I-I didn't, I-I swe-swear," but the wolf came straight towards her, gritting his teeth. As he leaped into the air with his mouth open and ready to attack her, a figure suddenly appeared and struck the wolf in the face, sending it flying back into a tree.

Lily stood there frozen in shock and bewildered by the sudden turn of events. When the second wolf howled and charged toward the figure, his head was severed from his body and hurled into a tree. Lily shuddered. The red wolf tossed his head, howled, and glared at the person while rocking back and forth on his four legs. Without hesitation, he attacked the figure with all his might, growling loudly and baring his filthy, rotten teeth. The figure remained still as if waiting for death.

Then, with his jaws wide open and his claws extended, the wolf leaped into the air. Unexpectedly, a hand holding the dagger was faster than him, which stabbed into his eyes and caused him to collapse to the ground with a thud. Lily gasped and screamed in horror. The figure bent down to the wolf's height and mercilessly twisted its neck. Lily closed her eyes tightly, choosing not to witness such a gruesome scene.

Except for her labored breathing and whole body drenched with sweat, the forest restored its peace as if nothing had happened. Lily slowly opened her eyes and didn't see anyone. She quickly stood up and hissed in pain, remembering her swollen leg. She whipped her head around, trying to see where the person who saved her life went.

"Up here, kid," a voice spoke. Lily instantly snapped her head up at the tree and see the exact figure sitting there with an apple in her hand, looking at her in boredom. After jumping down, the figure approached Lily and threw the apple away.

Oddly enough, Lily felt safe with her around. She stared into her savior's eyes, her eyes scanning her features. Her savior was beautiful with her golden eyes glowing, her long hair so silky with a scarlet-fiery color streak on her locks, giving her a vibrant look. Now, standing in front of her, Lily realized that she was taller than her.

"T-thank you for saving m-me," Lily stuttered, her cheeks blushing from being scrutinized by this mesmerizing woman.

"What are you doing here alone in the middle of the woods? Don't you know how dangerous this area is?" she asked calmly, but her face was still emotionless.

Lily gulped and looked away, her tears blurring her eyesight, remembering why she was here."I-I r-ran away," She answered, her voice breaking.

"Why?" her savior asked bluntly.

Lily looked down at her fingers and played with them, feeling nervous. "M-my fa-family doesn't l-like me," Lily sadly admitted.

"Hmm," the beautiful woman hummed. Lily looked at her and saw her eyes softening, but she quickly covered them with a cold stare.

"How old are you, kid?" she asked.

"I'm 12," Lily responded.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked, looking at Lily's wounded leg.

Lily frowned but then looked down in sadness, understanding her question. Lily sniffled, wiping her nose. "A lot... T-they s-said I'm w-weak a-and t-that I d-don't d-deserve to h-have h-happiness," her voice stuttered.

"And why's that?" her savior asked and shrugged off her small jacket while keeping her eyes on Lily.

"Because I d-don't h-have a wolf," Lily answered and cried, her heart churning with nervousness as she awaited her savior's response.

Lily apprehensively looked at her, knowing the latter would leave her to die or might even kill her for being abnormal. Her savior raised her hand towards Lily's face, making her immediately shut her eyes and flinch. When the pain didn't come, Lily slowly opened her eyes and saw how the latter softly gazed at her.

Her beautiful savior then bent down, making Lily flinch again, but the former rolled her eyes and ripped her jacket, wrapping the fabric around Lily's bleeding leg.

"Next time, read before wandering off," she said, standing up and pointing towards a signboard that said: [TURN BACK!] Knowing how she almost died tonight, Lily gulped and nodded frantically.

Lily looked at her savior's attire. She wore soiled cargo pants, a pair of black boots, and a black tank top. For a moment, Lily wondered why her clothes were dirty, yet her hair was kept clean, smooth, and silky. Lily snapped back from her thoughts when her savior turned around and started to walk away. Lily hurriedly ran after her, in fear of being left alone.

"W-where are you going?" Lily asked as she limped behind.

"None of your business, kid," Her savior spoke with a cold voice.

"W-where...where will I go then?" Lily pitifully asked, her bottom lip quivering as she walked, supported by a tree branch.

"You should have considered that before running away, kid," Her savior coldly said.

"C-can I stay with you...p-please?" Lily croaked. She didn't want to be alone again. What if she saw other vicious wolves? Though she looked only a bit older than Lily, she felt safe being with her.

She suddenly came to a halt, looked over at Lily, and stared at her with an unknown expression. "No," she muttered, making Lily's heart lurch.

However, Lily followed her once more, pleaded, "Please? I promise I will be good," and flashed those adorable puppy eyes.

Her savior stopped again and huffed. "Those puppy eyes won't work on me," she pointed at Lily's eyes with an irritated look.

Lily mentally giggled. "Please? Pretty please? I promise I won't be a bother to you," Lily begged, fluttering her eyelashes.

Her savior sighed helplessly and ran her hand through her silky hair, warning her, "One complaint, and I will throw you back to those wolves." She then glared at Lily, pointing her finger at the latter's face.

Lily grinned broadly and pounced at her, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you so much," Lily squealed, wrapping her arms around her savior's waist. The latter just patted Lily's back and walked away nonchalantly. Lily smiled at her and for a moment, her savior smiled back at her before displaying a cold expression again. Lily quickly held her hand, causing her savior to stare at their intertwined hands.

"Can this get any better?" her savior muttered dryly, making Lily's smile widen.

The two then started walking away from that area. Lily was now safe with her savior, and Lily pledged to always be with her, never leaving her side. When Lily grew older, she would protect her from all kinds of evil, like how she protected her from those vicious wolves.

"What's your name, kid?" Her savior suddenly asked Lily while looking ahead.

"My name is Lily," Lily responded, to which her savior only nodded.

"You?" Lily tilted her head and looked at her, asking.

She looked down at Lily, her bangs obscuring her eyes before responding with a beautiful name, "Lunaire."