That night, I slept fitfully, drenched in sweat. At dawn, Liam dragged me out of bed.

I groaned, swatting him away, but he only chuckled and leaned in to kiss me.

Whatever drowsiness I had left me in that instant. My inner wolf nearly lashed out at him, but I forced it back down. Thankfully, he only gave me a quick peck before pulling away.

"Awake yet, my sleeping beauty?"

I turned my head away, wiping my mouth in disgust.

Liam seemed exasperated. "Did you know you had a fever last night? Get up. I'm taking you to see the Healer."

At the hospital, we ran into Nina in the hallway. She seemed to have hurt her foot and was struggling to hop forward on one leg.

Liam, who had been all calm and gentle just moments ago, instantly tensed up, his brows knitting tightly together.

He seemed to have completely forgotten that I was there. Without hesitation, he rushed to Nina's side, holding her up with concern.

"What happened to you?"

Nina smiled at him before shifting her gaze past him, zooming in on me. "It's just a little sprain. What a coincidence. Are you guys here for a checkup too?"

Liam hesitated for a moment before finally glancing back at me, his expression flickering with guilt. "Uh… yeah. My little sister had a fever, so I brought her in for a check-up."

I was long used to him referring to me as his little sister. From the moment Liam decided to keep our relationship a secret, he introduced me to everyone as his best friend's little sister he helped take care of.

Nina smiled at him warmly. "Then you should take good care of her."

As she tried to limp away, Liam didn't even think twice before scooping her up in his arms.

"I'll take you to the doctor first. Maya, wait here for me."

Quickly, without looking back, he carried her off into the VIP treatment area reserved for the Alphas.

I let out a bitter chuckle and turned toward the general ward for regular patients.

Liam was usually so good at acting, but the moment Nina showed up, he would immediately forget about me, his secret girlfriend.

After my check-up, I was notified that my temperature was at 106.3℉.

The burn on my arm hadn't been properly treated, and my emotional stress had weakened my immune system, allowing an infection to take hold. I was told I needed an IV drip.

Out of habit, I reached for my phone to call Liam, but before I could press the dial button, I hesitated. Habit sure was a scary thing.

Scoffing at myself, I put my phone away, collected my medication, and made my way to the infusion area alone.

After the IV, my head felt even dizzier. I took a few steps and nearly collapsed.

Liam had told me to wait for him, but he never came back. There wasn't even a single call or message from him.

I didn't want to overthink things, so I gave in and dialed him first. When he picked up and heard I was still at the hospital, he sounded surprised.

"Shit! Maya, I'm so sorry. I meant to come back right after dropping Nina off, but her stomach problems acted up, so—"

Before he could finish, I heard a voice in the background.

"Ms. Nina, your fiance is so sweet, proposing to you with a ten-carat diamond ring! You might not know this, but it's the only one of its kind in the entire pack!"

Even though Liam quickly tried to cover it up with a fit of awkward coughs, it was too late. I had heard it clearly. They were shopping for wedding rings.

Liam quickly tried to recover. "Maya, just go home first. I'll explain everything later."

"No need. I can take care of myself. Goodbye, Liam. Make sure you take good care of Nina!"

I wasn't just saying it to him. I was also reminding myself.

Hanging up, I hailed a taxi and went home.

That night, Liam never came back. Fireworks crackled outside my window, keeping me awake. I picked up my tablet and distracted myself with work.

But then, by accident, I tapped the Instagram app in the corner of the screen. A post, updated just an hour ago, appeared before my eyes.

It was from Nina, with a picture of her holding someone's hand, and her ring finger adorned with a matching couple's ring.

"Moon goddess, thank you for sending me the love of my life!"

I stared at it in a daze for some time. It was only when I exited the app that I realized I was logged into Liam's account.

I no longer had any interest in digging through their secrets, so I logged out without hesitation.

The next day, I felt much better. When my friends heard that I was returning to Silver Snow Pack to get married, they insisted I treat them to a meal.

I booked a table at the restaurant Liam and I used to frequent. The food there was good.

Midway through our meal, I excused myself to the restroom. I hadn't expected to run into Nina again.

She smiled at me warmly and said, "Maya, what a coincidence! I didn't expect to see you here. You know, Liam first brought me to this restaurant back when we were in school."

She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "Back then, we used to ditch class together. We'd go home first for some intimate fun, then come here for dinner. After we ate, we'd go back to his place for the night. We could do it seven times in one night."

She spoke as if we were close friends, casually sharing intimate details of her relationship.

I gave her a small smile and turned to leave. After all, I didn't consider us close enough to talk about such things. However, she seemed to think otherwise, blocking my path again.

"Do you not like me? We actually have a lot in common. I noticed it last time, like how we both dip our chicken in vinegar."

And just like that, a long-held question of mine was finally answered.

I had always wondered why Liam insisted on dipping my chicken in vinegar before giving it to me. He once told me it tasted better that way, but I had never liked it.

So it was just an excuse. The habit was just him trying to project Nina's habits onto me.

"From the first time I met you, I wanted to say… don't you think we look alike?" Nina asked.

At that moment, I had never felt so humiliated, fleeing right before her smug gaze.

"Please excuse me. I have other things to attend to."

My inner wolf threatened to lunge at her if I didn't leave soon.

Back at the table, my friends' laughter and chatter gradually helped me push the encounter to the back of my mind.

But then, a figure suddenly loomed over our table. It was Liam. For some reason, his expression was dark, his eyes filled with barely suppressed anger.

Clenching his fists, he called my name. "Maya Thatcher, come outside."

Confused, I followed him out of the restaurant, where he slapped me out of the blue. It was the first time he had ever hit me.

My inner emerged from within me, shielding me as it ground its claws against the pavement, growling furiously at him.

He looked at my wolf, then at me. Meeting my shocked and confused gaze, his fury remained.

"Why did you push Nina? You knew she injured her foot. Why did you take it out on her when you're mad at me? How could you be so cruel?"

The side of my face burned from the slap.

From a distance, Nina limped toward us, then collapsed onto the ground with a dramatic thud. Her shirt was wrinkled and damp, smeared with stains.

Without any hesitation, Liam shoved me aside, rushing to gather her in his arms. "You shouldn't have come outside. I told you I'd make her apologize to you."

While his words were full of reproach, his tone was gentle, filled with concern.

Nina shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "It's nothing serious. She didn't do it on purpose."

Liam turned back to me, grabbing my arm and yanking me toward Nina.

He commanded, "Apologize to Nina right now! You should be grateful Nina wasn't seriously hurt. If she was, I'd break your legs."

Tears clung to Nina's lashes as she pleaded on my behalf. "Alpha, this isn't Maya's fault. It's mine."

Liam gritted his teeth, glaring at me. "You're only acting like this because you know I dote on you…"

Nina gently tugged on his arm, coaxing him, "Let it go, Alpha. If her brother finds out you hit her, it might cause tension between the two packs."

At the mention of my brother, Liam's gaze flickered with something unreadable. But when he looked back at Nina, his resolve hardened.

"Andrew entrusted me with her care. If she misbehaves, it's my responsibility to discipline her."

A laugh slipped past my lips. I couldn't help but ask, "What exactly did I do? Even criminals need evidence before they're convicted. Yet here you are, punishing without proof. Do you think this is fair? Is this the behavior of an Alpha?"

Liam's fists tightened as he glared at me. "You knew there weren't any cameras in the restroom. That's why dared to make a move in there."

I found it amusing, but also sad at the same time.

"If there are no cameras, then how do you know it was me?"

"You think Nina would falsely accuse you? Why would she? I've known her for years. She doesn't lie."

"So what? Does that make me a liar? With moon goddess as my witness, I swear on my life, I didn't touch her. If I'm lying, let me die of wolfbane poisoning. Would Nina dare to swear the same?"

"Alpha, I…" Nina whimpered.

Liam tightened his hold on her, letting her sob. And then, through gritted teeth, he looked at me and muttered, "Crazy woman."

I didn't want to say another word, so I turned and walked away.

We spent seven years together. I thought no matter what, Liam should at least trust my character. How wrong I was. In front of Nina, none of that mattered.

With a slap mark on my face, I decided not to ruin my friends' mood. So, instead of returning to the table, I went straight to the front desk and paid the bill. Then, I sent them a message and left.

Dragging my exhausted body back to Liam's house, I took my time, really looking at it for the first time in seven years.

Every corner held sweet memories of us that I once cherished.

I used to think this was my happily ever after. I even bragged to my brother, saying that moon goddess led me to my destined mate. I truly believed Liam was the one.

Now, those once beautiful memories felt like daggers stabbing into my heart.

I found a large cardboard box and started erasing every trace of my so-called happiness. Matching slippers, couple mugs, keychains… and an entire box of photographs.

Liam never came back for half a month. During that time, I nearly emptied the entire house.

The furniture I had bought, piece by piece, was either given away or sold. By the time I was done, the house looked just as it had when I first moved in—cold, monochrome, and painfully empty.

The night before I left, I figured I should tell Liam, out of respect for my brother's friendship with him. So, I called him.

However, every time I called, Liam hung up without answering. Then, after a while, he sent me a single text.

"Apologize to Nina, or don't expect me to forgive you."

A bitter laugh slipped from my lips. Fine then. I didn't need his forgiveness.

I left the house keys on the table, grabbed my suitcase, and walked out the door. The home I had once loved so much, the place I had built my dreams around—leaving it behind, all I felt was relief.

My phone buzzed with countless messages.

Some wished me a bright future, some wished me peace and happiness. Others even joked about me giving birth to a litter of wolf pups with the Storm Pack's Alpha.

Smiling, I replied to each and every one of them. With so many people wishing me happiness, I was sure I would find it!