At the annual full - moon gathering ceremony of the Silver Moon Pack,

A fellow werewolf sauntered up to Alpha Gorge with a playful grin.

"Hey, Alpha Gorge! Word has it that someone spotted you at the jewelry store recently, poring over diamond rings. The brilliance of those gems was said to be blinding. Have you found a Luna?" he jested.

At this, the surrounding werewolves swiveled their heads.

Alpha Gorge responded with a warm smile.

"Indeed. A girl has dedicated her entire youth to me. I made a promise to marry her before she turns twenty - five. She'll reach that age, and I don't want to make her wait a moment longer."

His words rippled through the crowd.

I once playfully teased Alpha Gorge, saying, "I'll only wait for you until I'm twenty - five. After that, if you still haven't married me, I'm going to leave you high and dry... "

Unbeknownst to everyone, the girl Alpha Gorge was about to marry wasn't me.​

Alpha Gorge and I had been childhood sweethearts.

Everyone in the pack knew just how head - over - heels I was for him. I had chased after him relentlessly since we were kids.​

Today, I spent hours at the laundromat, carefully getting all our clothes dry - cleaned.

My arms were filled with neatly folded piles of freshly cleaned garments as I made my way home.

I was exhausted, but the thought of seeing Alpha Gorge gave me the strength to keep going.​

As I reached the doorstep of our shared home and was about to insert the key into the lock, Alpha Gorge's voice drifted out from inside.

The door wasn't fully shut.

I froze in my tracks, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

Inside the bedroom, Salina lay sprawled across the silk sheets, her fingers idly tracing circles on Alpha Gorge's bare chest.

"So, my love," she purred, her voice dripping with honey, "when are we going to make this official? I can't wait to be your Luna."​

Alpha Gorge let out a low chuckle, pulling Salina closer.

"Soon, my sweet. "

"But what about Lora? She's been with you for so long. Won't she cause trouble?"​

Alpha Gorge scoffed.

"Lora? She's nothing but a pathetic little puppy, following me around, begging for scraps of attention. After all these years, she's done so much for me, all because she's desperate to stay by my side. She has no backbone. A few sweet words, and she'll be eating out of my hand."

Salina let out a soft, contented sigh as she snuggled closer to Alpha Gorge, her fingers still lazily playing with the hair on his chest.​

It was only when a gentle draft from the slightly ajar door tickled my heated skin that Alpha Gorge finally seemed to sense something was wrong.

He lifted his head, and his eyes, which had been soft and warm just a moment ago, turned sharp as they landed on me standing there.​

Salina let out a startled yelp.

Without a word, she scrambled off the bed.

She shot a panicked look at Alpha Gorge. And then, still half - dressed, she bolted out of the room.​

I stood there, my arms still full of the clean clothes I had worked so hard to wash.

Alpha Gorge sat up slowly, " Make me some coffee. I'm parched,"

"Make it yourself. I'm not your slave!" I retorted irritably.

I bit my lower lip, my eyes already red - rimmed.​

Suddenly, Alpha Gorge took a step forward, placing his hands on either side of me, trapping me against the wall.

He leaned in slightly, and his warm breath fanned across my ear as he spoke in a low, seductive voice, "What's wrong? Are you angry? Stop being childish. You know I can't live without you."

As he spoke, his lips gently grazed my cheek, as if that could somehow soothe the gaping wound in my heart.​

Once, I would have melted at his touch, been infinitely greedy for his closeness.

But at this moment, I felt nothing but revulsion.

I forcefully pushed him away.

"Don't touch me!"

My mind involuntarily drifted back to the darkest chapter of Alpha Gorge's life.

His family, once a paragon of wealth and prestige within our pack, had been maliciously framed by their rivals.

I remember the day the news broke as if it were yesterday.

The entire pack was abuzz with rumors and speculation. But for Gorge, it was the beginning of a nightmare.

Overnight, their fortune evaporated into thin air. Their grand mansion was seized, and all their possessions were sold off to pay their mounting debts. Their reputation, which had been built over generations,plummeted to the depths of disgrace.

Friends who had once flocked around him like moths to a flame now vanished without a trace.

Relatives, too, turned their backs on him.

He was left alone, with no one to turn to.

I defied my parents' desperate pleas.

They begged me to stay away from him. But I couldn't abandon him.

We ended up sheltering under a bridge.

The cold, hard ground was our bed, and our meager bedding offered little protection against the biting cold of the night.

For an entire month, instant noodles became our only sustenance.

Day after day, I watched as we swallowed those dry, tasteless noodles with icy mineral water.

To make matters worse, Alpha Gorge, weighed down by chronic depression and the combined effects of hunger and cold, fell ill.

I scoured every nook and cranny of the area, searching for inexpensive herbs to brew into a remedy.

Day and night, I remained at his side, my eyes never leaving his face, constantly monitoring his condition.

When hunger pangs gnawed at me, I would munch on a few pieces of dry, stale bread.

I didn't care about my own discomfort.Eventually, my body gave out, and I, too, succumbed to illness. ​

Once Alpha Gorge made a spectacular comeback and regained his wealth and status, I, who had been by his side through thick and thin, I remained nothing more than a low - paid nanny in his household.

Now, I was in my room, packing my luggage.

As I folded a shirt that held memories of better times, a knock suddenly echoed through the room.​

"Come in," I continued with my packing, my hands mechanically moving as if on autopilot.

Alpha Gorge pushed the door open and stepped in.

In his hand, he carried an elegant bag.

I didn't look up at him right away.

I just kept folding the clothes in front of me.​

He cleared his throat softly and said, "Well, Lora, I admit my tone was a bit harsh. Here, this is for you as a gift for apology"

As he spoke, he extended the bag towards me.

I paused in my packing and took the bag from him.

When I opened the box, a delicate bracelet lay quietly inside.​

In the past, I would have been overjoyed at receiving a gift from Alpha Gorge.

I knew all too well that this bracelet was merely a freebie when Alpha Gorge purchased an expensive watch.

Previously, in the luxury store, when I accompanied Alpha Gorge to choose a gift for Salina, I had witnessed firsthand the salesperson presenting this very bracelet as an added bonus for high - value purchases. In his eyes, I was only worthy of such a casually - brought - along item.​

I lifted my head and looked straight at Alpha Gorge. "Thank you. I'll take it," I said, my voice flat.

I placed the box with the bracelet on the table beside me and resumed my packing.​

"Oh, right. I'm going back to the countryside these two days," .

Alpha Gorge nodded emphatically.

The truth was, he didn't want me to cross paths with his fiancée.

Alpha Gorge added,, "Come back early. Be careful on the way..."

Without a word, I turned on my heel.

Just then, my phone buzzed with a new post.

I pulled it out.

It was from Salina.​

On her fair hand, a massive diamond ring sparkled brightly, its brilliance almost blinding.

The caption read, "Given by my dear. He bought it at an auction for 500 million. Now, that's what love is. Get it!"​

Beneath the post, comments were flooding in.

"This is an astronomical - priced diamond ring!"

"Such envy! Which wealthy young master has his eyes on her?"​

I stared at the screen, my eyes burning.

I knew all too well who Salina's fiancé was.

Salina, once an outcast abandoned by the Riverside pack, had been taken in by Alpha Gorge during the first year of the Silver Moon pack's establishment.

He had brought her into the Silver Moon pack, trained her in werewolf skills, and arranged various training for her.

However, not long after, Alpha Gorge had simply made her an assistant...

Suddenly, Alpha Gorge's phone rang, and Salina's voice came through the line.

After hanging up, Alpha Gorge continued, "Don't bother cooking dinner for me tonight. I have something to attend to and will be out..."

"Did you hear me?"

I remained silent.

I made my way back to my room and began packing all my belongings. The hours ticked by as I toiled away.

Just as I was about to rise and head out for a meal, my phone suddenly began to vibrate vigorously.

I reached for the device, and my eyes widened as I saw Alpha Gorge's name lighting up the screen.

Before I could utter a single word, Alpha Gorge's voice, laced with a hint of weakness yet still carrying an air of command, crackled through the speaker.

"Lora, I left my stomach medicine at home. You need to bring it to me immediately. I'm at the 101 private room in the 'Finest' bar."​

My first instinct was to refuse.

But then, my mind flashed to a small, precious item that held my childhood memories close - an old photo album filled with pictures of me and my family.

That album was stashed away in a drawer in Alpha Gorge's study, a drawer secured by a special lock.

The only key to that lock was in Alpha Gorge's possession.

If I ever hoped to retrieve that album, I had no choice but to get that key from him.​

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "Alright,"

I ended the call.