The day I gave birth, I was in labor for three days and three nights, and Nolan Vasquez stood outside the door the entire time.

I thought he was there, concerned for my well-being, watching over me.

But later, when I hemorrhaged after delivering our pup and needed the rare medicinal herb to save my life, Nolan took it from my attendant’s hands in the chaos.

“You’ve already given birth,” he said, his voice dismissive. “You don’t need this herb anymore. I’m taking it to Ruth—she might not survive without it!”

“I’ll make it up to you later with something better. Don’t be petty about this.”

I watched, my heart shattering, as he walked away without a second thought, the herb in his hands, destined for Ruth Cooper.

Three years of marking, three years of giving everything to him, and I had just risked my life to bring our pup into the world. Yet, it all meant nothing compared to her discomfort.

Fine. If that’s how it is, I’ll leave. Let someone else take the title of Luna of the Blue Moon Pack.

==============================

“It’s just an herb,” Nolan said, his voice sharp as he stood at the doorway, wrinkling his nose at the metallic scent of blood in the room. “You’re in charge of the pack’s resources—you can buy whatever you need.”

But the rare medicinal herb was priceless, not something that could simply be purchased.

I struggled to sit up, my body weak from the lack of care. “Ruth’s sick? What’s wrong with her?”

“Don’t act like you care,” he snapped, his tone icy. “You probably wish she were dead.”

“She needs to recover in peace. Don’t you dare go near her.”

With that, Nolan turned on his heel and left my quarters.

I stared at his retreating figure, my vision blurring as tears threatened to spill. My body gave out, and I collapsed onto the bed.

Before I lost consciousness, I thought I saw him pause, just for a moment. But he didn’t look back. Not even a glance.

When I woke, my attendant, Abby, was sitting by my bed, tears streaming down her face.

“Where’s Nolan?” I asked, my voice hoarse.

My gaze drifted to the small bundle beside me—our pup. My heart felt hollow.

“The Alpha went to the front wing,” Abby said, her voice trembling. “That woman… she’s staying in his den.”

His den?

When I first joined the Blue Moon Pack, Nolan had made it clear that his den was off-limits, a sacred space for pack business.

And now, she was living there. What did that make me? What did these three years of marking mean?

With Abby’s help, I made my way to the front wing. The window of the den was slightly ajar, and through it, I heard the sound of soft laughter.

“Nolan, really, it’s just a minor illness. I don’t need such precious herbs. What if your Luna gets upset with you?”

Ruth’s voice was sweet, almost mocking. She leaned into him, her tone dripping with false humility.

“Stay here and recover,” Nolan replied, his voice tender. “She won’t dare touch you. Ruth, you deserve the best this world has to offer.”

His words cut through me like claws, each one carving deeper into my heart. I turned away, my footsteps heavy as I returned to my quarters.

I sat down and began writing a letter to my father, asking him to come and take me home.

I was born into the prestigious Chapman family. My father had never approved of Nolan, but I had been so infatuated with him that my father reluctantly agreed to the marking.

Now, I remembered the way Nolan had walked away without a backward glance, indifferent to me and our pup.

I remembered the first time I saw him, at a pack gathering under the full moon. The crowd had been thick, and I had nearly stumbled. He had been there, tall and commanding, steadying me with a firm hand.

That brief moment had been enough to ignite my love for him. I had been determined to be his mate.

After our marking ceremony, I had devoted myself to him, managing the pack’s affairs, ensuring everything ran smoothly. On his days off, we would take long runs through the forest or explore nearby towns. He would bring me small gifts—sweets or trinkets that reminded him of me.

Those days had felt like a dream, a perfect union of two souls. His eyes had been full of warmth, and mine had been full of him.

But everything changed when Ruth arrived.

She had come to him, seeking refuge after being cast out of her pack.

I saw the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her, the way he held back his feelings but couldn’t hide them completely.

Seeing the way he loved her made me realize how shallow his affection for me had been.

“Ruth deserves the best,” he had said, “and I’ll give it to her gladly.”

That rare herb—it should have been mine, my lifeline. But for her, it was willingly surrendered.

“When you marked me,” I had once asked him, tears in my eyes, “you promised me forever. What happened to that?”

But all I received in return was silence, his gaze cold and distant.

The eyes that had once looked at me with shy affection now held only disdain.

The love I had poured into him, the devotion I had given him—it had all been extinguished, piece by piece, by his own hand.

I think I’m done loving Nolan Vasquez. After all, there’s only so much disappointment a heart can take.

The next morning, just as I rose from bed, I saw a figure approaching from outside, her scent carrying a faint floral fragrance mixed with a subtle hint of mockery.

She was dressed casually, her demeanor completely devoid of the despair she once had when she was cast out. Meanwhile, I was pale and frail from the toll of childbirth, looking as though I hadn’t eaten in days, so weak that even a gust of wind could knock me over.

She looked at me with the air of a victor, her lips curling into a sly smile as she said, “Luna, that healing herb you gave me worked wonders. My fever is completely gone now.” She paused, her tone dripping with mockery, “Though, I can’t help but wonder if such a precious herb was wasted on someone like me.”

I sat up in bed, my gaze cold and unyielding, summoning the authority of the Luna as I replied, “Yes, it was a waste. After all, it was mine to begin with. But you can steal my herbs—can you steal everything else from me too?”

Her expression twisted with anger, and she snapped, “You… So what if you’re his mate? He loves me!” She stepped closer, her voice lowering to a venomous whisper. “I’ll tell you the truth—I was never even sick. But with just one word from me, he gave me your precious herb without a second thought.”

I let out a cold laugh, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me. “And so what? You think you’ve taken something valuable, but I discarded it because I found it tainted. Keep it, if you think it’s such a treasure.” My eyes bore into hers, unflinching. “But remember, with one word from me, I can have you removed from this pack.”

My words forced her to take a step back, her face flushed with anger as she turned on her heel and stormed away. I could almost picture her rushing back to Nolan, tears streaming down her face as she clung to him, playing the victim.

Once, I might have cared. But not anymore.

The herb, the man—both were tainted. I wanted nothing to do with them.

I coughed lightly, and when I pulled the handkerchief away, there were faint traces of blood. I smirked bitterly. My body was truly falling apart. Just a bit of anger, and I was already coughing up blood.

Later that evening, Nolan came to my room. His face was dark with anger as he tossed a small pouch of herbs onto the table. “I heard from the Omegas that Ruth went back crying today. She said you threatened to have her removed from the pack.” His voice was sharp, accusing. “You’re the Luna. Can’t you show a bit of grace? Don’t worry, she won’t take your place. I’ll still come to see you and the pup. Here, I’ve replaced the herb you gave her.”

I pushed the bowl of food aside and shook my head. “I don’t need it. My health is already improving. Give it to Ruth.”

Nolan looked at me, surprised that I would even mention her. His expression softened slightly, and he said, “It’s fine. You take it. She has her own.”

I smiled faintly. So, it wasn’t meant for me after all. I was just an afterthought.

“Nolan, take it away. I don’t want it.” I looked him straight in the eyes, my tone firm.

He had probably thought that by replacing the herb, he could smooth things over between us. But my refusal clearly caught him off guard. His hand slammed down on the table, his eyes blazing with anger. “You don’t want it? Fine. From now on, you won’t get a single thing from this pack.”

He stood abruptly, sweeping the dishes off the table with a crash before storming out of the room. I sat there, calm and unmoving, watching his retreating figure until he was gone.

I had made my choice. And I would not regret it.

For days, Nolan didn’t set foot in my quarters.

From what I gathered from the Omegas who served me, he had been staying in his office, and Ruth Cooper had already taken over managing the front of the packhouse.

When Ruth came to visit me, she went on and on about how well she treated the Omegas, clearly trying to win over the ones who still served me.

“I’m not as skilled as you are at managing things, so why don’t you take the storage keys and handle everything?”

I instructed Abby to bring the keys and handed them to Ruth. If anything went wrong with the pack’s resources now, it wouldn’t be on me.

“Well, I won’t refuse such an offer!”

Ruth’s eyes lit up as she took the keys, clutching them to her chest as if I might snatch them back.

The next day, Ruth transferred all the Omegas from my quarters to serve at the front, even cutting back on the supplies allocated to my area.

By noon, no one had brought food.

Leslie, the Omega caretaker responsible for nursing Koen, couldn’t produce enough milk because she wasn’t getting enough to eat herself. Koen was hungry and began to cry, soon developing a high fever.

“Go and find the Healer, quickly!”

I paced anxiously, constantly touching Koen’s forehead.

I’d heard stories of pups not surviving high fevers, and we needed the Healer immediately.

But Ruth wouldn’t let the Omegas leave. Abby returned in tears, begging me to do something.

I stormed into the front of the packhouse to confront Ruth. “Koen is sick! I need to get the Healer right now, I can’t wait!”

“Don’t make this about petty jealousy. I’m begging you!”

My eyes pleaded with her. I was willing to do anything if she’d just let me leave to find help.

But she just said, “Pups get sick all the time. Go back and soothe him.”

When I tried to push past her with Abby, the Omegas at the front held me back.

“Alpha Nolan said everything here is under my control. Genevieve, you’ve crossed me. Someone, teach her a lesson!”

At Ruth’s signal, two Omegas stepped forward and slapped me hard across the face.

“Ruth, this is also Nolan’s pup!” I said, my voice trembling.

Ruth replied indifferently, “Just a pup. If he dies, he dies. I’ll give Alpha Nolan a stronger heir soon enough.”

She smiled sweetly and added, “If you still want to leave, why don’t you kneel and beg me properly?”

She looked down at me, her fingers tilting my chin up.

“Please, let me go. I’m begging you, please forgive me!”

Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to kneel and lower my head twice.

“Not hard enough. Do it again!”

Ruth had someone bring her a chair. She lounged in the sunlight, admiring her slender hands while spouting her venom.

I lowered my head again and again, until blood streaked my forehead.

I couldn’t feel the pain anymore. There was only one thought in my mind: I had to save Koen.

“Luna, it’s bad—the pup, he’s…”

An Omega ran over, crying and collapsing to her knees.

Ruth’s face paled for a moment, but she quickly composed herself.

“This isn’t my fault. You were too slow, and now you’ve killed your own pup!”

She turned and fled with her Omegas.

My mind went blank. I stumbled to my feet and ran back to my quarters.