I was the mate Ashton Sullivan chose at random after his heartbreak with Isabela Johnson.

For seven years, Ashton, the future Lycan King, had poured all his affection into Isabela. But she, driven by her desire for freedom, repeatedly used and hurt him, even defying his authority to flee to the borderlands. Heartbroken, Ashton gave up.

Among the many noble candidates for his Luna, he randomly selected my portrait.

On our mark ceremony day, Isabela suddenly regretted her decision and rushed back from the borderlands. The moment she appeared, Ashton abandoned me without hesitation.

“If Isabela wants it, she will be my only Luna,” he said coldly, his Alpha tone cutting through the air. “Don’t even think of causing trouble, or you’ll regret it.”

Even my own brother, Brady Carpenter, the Beta of our pack, warned me.

“Isabela is pure-hearted. You’d better behave, or it wouldn’t be a big deal if the Carpenter family lost a daughter.”

But when I really died, they were the ones who regretted it.

Brady knelt at the pack’s gates, crying until he went blind.

Ashton aged overnight, his once commanding aura shattered.

---

Brady watched as Ashton and Isabela left, his expression somber. But with so many pack members around, he dared not reveal too much of his feelings. After coldly warning me, he left as well.

I stood there, the ceremonial veil still covering my face, abandoned by my future mate in front of everyone. My only brother, who had grown up with me, had publicly told me to know my place.

It was clear to everyone that both Ashton, my future mate, and Brady, my own flesh and blood, shared the same sentiment.

As long as Isabela was happy, my pain and heartache didn’t matter.

Shelby Mitchell, my caretaker since childhood, helped me up, her heart aching for me. She didn’t dare lift my veil, fearing Ashton’s wrath. The ceremony wasn’t complete, and with Ashton’s attention entirely on Isabela, he likely wouldn’t care.

But I didn’t want to see the smug, pitying looks of the pack members either, so I let Shelby lead me away.

Though I couldn’t see, I could hear their whispers.

“The Lycan Prince only chose her to make Isabela jealous. Otherwise, he’d never have picked her.”

“I heard she had her brother, the Beta, use his influence to replace the original candidate’s portrait with hers.”

“How shameless, to chase after such a humiliating match. Serves her right to be abandoned at her own mark ceremony.”

“Even her own brother thinks she’s an embarrassment. He just left.”

I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears, but the bitterness was overwhelming.

Ashton had left me halfway through the ceremony, so I wasn’t officially recognized as his Luna. And now that Isabela was back, there was no guarantee Ashton would even acknowledge me.

The pack members, quick to follow the wind, closed the doors of the Lycan King’s estate, refusing to let me in. Shelby trembled with anger, but I had expected this.

“Let’s go home,” I said wearily. “I’m tired.”

Shelby, hearing the exhaustion in my voice, didn’t want me to suffer further humiliation, so she carefully helped me into the car.

But when we returned to the Carpenter estate, I saw Ashton and Brady playing with Isabela in the garden.

My parents had died early, leaving just Brady and me to rely on each other. Brady was a prodigy, the youngest Beta in the pack. But no one would believe that this powerful Beta, second only to the Alpha, would personally cook for a woman.

Once, when Brady spent days in his study, refusing to eat, I worried for his health and, with Shelby, prepared a meal for him.

But he coldly knocked it aside, scolding me.

“You’re the daughter of the Carpenter family, the future Luna of the pack. How can you act like a common housekeeper?”

“We have chefs for a reason. Are they just decorations?”

The Carpenter estate naturally had top chefs, and anything I made couldn’t compare. But I thought that something I made with my own hands would make him happy, encourage him to eat more.

Seeing the disdain in Brady’s eyes, I swallowed my hurt and retreated to my room.

But now, the same Brady who had once said, “A Beta has no business in the kitchen,” was personally cooking a beauty-enhancing soup for Isabela.

The usually composed Beta now looked like a nervous teenager, eagerly and anxiously holding the bowl of soup.

His eyes flickered to me, still in my mark ceremony dress, and he paused.

I instinctively wanted to hide the tray in my hands, but seeing that I had already been noticed, I decided to face the situation head-on.

"Why are you back here on your mark ceremony day, when you’ve already marked the future Lycan King?" Brady accused me, his voice sharp with disapproval.

From inside the room, the sounds of laughter between Isabela and Ashton reached my ears.

Yes, my mark ceremony day.

Here I was, witnessing my mate flirt with another woman, while my own brother not only turned a blind eye but also blamed me for not staying at the palace.

"Isabela just returned from the borderlands, and she must be exhausted from the journey. She’s delicate, Emmy. Be the bigger person and let her have her way," Brady said, his brow furrowing as he noticed my gaze fixed on the room.

I remained silent, stepping forward and pushing the door open.

Inside, Isabela sat gracefully on the sofa, pouting slightly as she looked up at the cold, imposing figure of Ashton.

Ashton knelt before her, his hands cradling her ankles, his eyes filled with concern and tenderness.

I felt my breath catch.

To see Ashton, the future Lycan King, willingly kneel before someone—something I could never make him do.

Ashton’s eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for a brief moment, I caught a flicker of disdain, as if he were annoyed by my intrusion into his moment with Isabela.

My eyes swept across the room, taking in the chaos.

The tapestry I had spent nearly a year on, straining my eyes until they nearly gave out, was torn to shreds, trampled and dirtied.

Ashton cleared his throat, a hint of guilt in the gesture.

Brady followed me into the room, his eyes widening at the mess. For once, he offered an explanation.

"Isabela wanted to see the tapestry you made, so I brought her here with the Prince," he said, his gaze softening as it landed on Isabela, who looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes.

"It’s just a tapestry, Emmy. If Isabela likes it, why not make another one for her? It’s not like you have much else to do," Brady added, his tone dismissive.

Creating a tapestry was no small task. It strained the eyes and consumed every ounce of focus. Most crafters went blind before they even reached thirty. For nearly a year, I had poured my heart into this piece, hoping for just a single word of praise from Ashton.

But clearly, he didn’t care.

Ignoring the disapproving looks from Ashton and Brady, I refused outright.

"I don’t have the time."

Isabela shrank back behind Ashton, her eyes wide and teary as she looked at me.

"Does the future Luna not like me? I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault. I didn’t mean to ruin your beautiful work," she said, her voice trembling as if she were on the verge of tears.

"I’ve just always heard how lovely tapestries are, and I was curious."

Ashton’s heart ached at her pitiful expression, and he shot me a cold glare.

"The mark ceremony hasn’t been completed yet. She’s not the Luna."

Ashton ordered me, his voice cold and commanding, his Alpha tone leaving no room for defiance.

“Isabela has taken a liking to something of yours. Consider it an honor. Be grateful and accept it.”

“Until you’ve finished embroidering it, you’ll stay at the Beta’s residence. Don’t come back to the Lycan Palace. When you’ve learned to obey, then you may return to see me.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I kept my head bowed, refusing to show any sign of weakness. Ashton didn’t spare me another glance. He scooped Isabela into his arms—she had twisted her ankle—and strode away without a word.

The moment Isabela left, Brady’s attention followed. He hurried after them, clutching a bowl of protein-packed smoothie he had personally prepared. Before disappearing, he barked at the servants, “Lock her up! She doesn’t leave until Isabela is satisfied!”

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled over. “Brady!” I called out, my voice trembling.

I had already witnessed Ashton’s unwavering devotion to Isabela. I wasn’t foolish enough to cling to the title of Luna, nor would I humiliate myself by causing trouble for Isabela. All I wanted in that moment was the comfort of family—just one person to stand by my side, to offer a word of solace.

Brady paused, his brow furrowed as he shot me a disdainful look. “This is your own doing. You insisted on becoming the mate of the future Lycan King, competing with Isabela for the position of Luna. Now you’re reaping what you sowed. Don’t blame anyone else.”

With that, he turned and left, his steps hurried as if chasing after Isabela.

Shelby, my loyal caretaker, wrapped her arms around me, her heart breaking for me. I laughed through my tears. “Yes, it’s my fault. I insisted on becoming his mate.”

Everyone in the pack knew Ashton’s heart belonged to Isabela Johnson. When Isabela had defied the Lycan King’s decree and fled to the rogue territories, Ashton had been devastated. In his despair, he had chosen his mate through a random selection from the eligible females of the pack. It was a humiliating, careless gesture, and no one but me had been willing to accept it.

Ashton had pined for Isabela for nine years, while I had silently loved him for ten. Even if there was only the slightest chance, I wanted to stand by his side. Even if his heart never held a place for me, I thought I could care for him, support him, and use my status as a Beta’s sister to aid him in some small way.

But now Isabela had returned. I felt like a fraud, a thief who had stolen a position that was never meant to be mine. Even my own brother thought I deserved this pain.