After being demoted to Omega by Kobe Robinson, the Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, for the fifth time this month, I finally realized something was wrong.

He had chosen to take his Beta, Reina Jimenez, on a pack run to her hometown, leaving me behind to handle pack duties. When they returned, Kobe’s expression was unreadable as he approached me.

He quickly called his Beta: "Alice found out I took Reina on the pack run to her hometown, and she didn’t make a fuss about it?"

Reina’s voice crackled through the mind link, clearly puzzled: "Alpha, did you forget? You approved Chozen Hunt’s transfer to another pack yourself, and Alice left the mate bond dissolution agreement when she left."

Kobe’s face turned pale as he recalled hiding that pack run from me. His aura, usually dominant and commanding, flickered with something I couldn’t quite place—guilt, perhaps? But it was gone as quickly as it came.

On the pack’s communication channel, my usually aloof mate was showcasing his alpha tone during a pack gathering, impressing every wolf with his strength and leadership. The caption read: "Our Alpha made us proud in front of the visiting Lycan Prince!"

I liked and commented: "A perfect fit for your talents."

A second later, Kobe’s voice echoed through the mind link, sharp and accusing: "Why did you comment like that? How is Reina supposed to handle this in front of the pack?"

"As her Luna, it’s normal for me to support her when she feels undermined. If you keep causing unnecessary trouble and embarrassing me, then we’re done!"

I let out a cold laugh and severed the mind link. As if I were eager to continue with him.

I glanced at the calendar; in two days, the waiting period for the mate bond dissolution would be over.

This was the first time I actively cut off communication with Kobe. During our five years as mates, he always relied on my love for him to make me compromise. If I showed even a hint of resistance, he would never let it go.

Sure enough, as soon as I severed the link, Kobe tried to reach out again. His alpha tone pressed against my mind, demanding a response.

I didn’t even bother to acknowledge it and blocked his attempts, setting my mind link to private.

I looked at the pair of tickets I had just received for the annual Howling Moon Festival and asked the young she-wolf selling them, "Can I exchange these for a single ticket?"

She looked puzzled, "The discount for two tickets is quite significant. Is your mate not coming?"

I smiled, "He’s not coming because he just... passed away."

The ticket seller paused for a moment, a mix of sympathy and curiosity as she helped me exchange the ticket.

As I was scrolling through the pack’s communication channel, I suddenly saw a message from Reina in the general chat:

"Beta Reina Jimenez @everyone: My recent post about the pack run was just a joke. Thanks to Alpha Kobe for being gracious and not holding it against me. If I offended anyone, I’m truly sorry."

Offended who? That sarcastic apology was a clear provocation!

I chuckled coldly.

Just as I was about to put down my phone, I saw Kobe’s quick reply in the chat, his alpha tone cutting through the messages:

"Everyone can see it was a joke. It’s good for you young wolves to keep the pack lively; no need to apologize. Only a few narrow-minded individuals would take offense."

With the Alpha backing Reina, the pack members stopped lurking and started fawning:

"Yeah, yeah, that post was obviously a joke. You don’t need to apologize specially."

"Thanks to Beta Reina, we got to witness Alpha Kobe’s brilliant leadership. He’s amazing! I need to study his every word!"

"Bet that narrow-minded wolf is watching the chat now. Honestly, some wolves are just so petty!"

My packmates, eager to please the Alpha and his Beta, joined in criticizing me and praising Reina. The ones I personally trained as warriors were the quickest to turn against me.

After all, Kobe was the Alpha, and Reina was his favorite.

To them, I, who invested everything to help Kobe establish the Silver Moon Pack, was just a clueless mate who didn’t realize how foolish I looked.

I took a deep breath and left the group chat. It was a rare day off, and I didn’t want them ruining my mood.

Little did I know, just as I was about to line up for the Moonlit Chase—a thrilling pack run—River Gutierrez, a young Delta, called with a voice full of reproach:

"Alice, why aren’t you at the packhouse? The visiting pack from the Northern Howlers will be here in two days. Where’s your preparation? When are you submitting it? You know how important this alliance is!"

His words left me a bit bewildered, and I frowned, "What alliance?"

Before my vacation, I had worked tirelessly for more than half a month without rest, just to free up these days for a pack run with Kobe. I was certain I had no duties during this time.

River, sounding impatient, said: "The alliance with the Northern Howlers."

I bit my lip in confusion: "Wasn’t that negotiation assigned to Reina by the Alpha?"

"It was, but Beta Reina’s dealing with personal matters back home and took leave. Alpha Kobe said you should take over, so get here and prepare immediately."

I chuckled in disbelief. Visiting Alphas from ten packs, including the Black Fang, Moonlight Howl, and Desert Shadow, would be far too much for Reina Jimenez with her subpar negotiation skills. Yet, she was eager to seize this chance to impress the high-ranking Alphas and their Betas, and she pleaded with Alpha Kobe to let her take the lead.

I had already warned Alpha Kobe that Reina couldn’t handle this task, but he, ever indulgent, assigned it to her without hesitation. Now, with the visit fast approaching and Reina utterly unprepared, she expected me to fix her mess! No wonder she suddenly took a leave of absence; she must have realized she was in over her head.

"Luna Alice, did you hear me? Get to the packhouse right away," demanded Delta River Gutierrez, a young warrior who had become bold enough to order me around because Alpha Kobe treated me like his personal assistant in the pack. I replied with a cold laugh and a firm tone, "You’re aware I’m on a pack run too, right? I can’t make it back, and I won’t be taking on this negotiation task. Alpha Kobe can figure it out himself."

I hung up before River could say another word. Seriously, Alpha Kobe runs off with his troublesome Beta to relax in the forest, leaving me to cover for them—it’s downright insulting!

With gritted teeth, I continued my run through the dense woods. To my surprise, five minutes later, I heard a mind link from the pack’s Gamma: "Luna Alice, Alpha Kobe urgently needs to reach you. Please return to the packhouse immediately."

I rolled my eyes; Alpha Kobe was relentless. The mind link repeated until I had no choice but to head back to the packhouse. Picking up the pack’s communication crystal, Alpha Kobe’s furious voice blasted through, threatening to shatter my eardrums: "Luna Alice, have I been too lenient with you?"

"You’ve certainly given me too much grief, letting your Beta walk all over me!" I retorted, finally fed up.

There was a pause, his voice filled with restrained anger. "Luna Alice, what nonsense are you spouting? Such crude language—have you forgotten the respect owed to your Alpha? After all this time as my Luna, is this what you’ve become? I promised to spend time with you next time, and you’re still causing a scene!"

"As for Beta Reina’s Alpha delegation, you’d better start preparing now; if it falls apart, we’re done!"

Clenching my fists, I shot back, "Then let’s be done! I’ve wanted this for a long time!"

But before I could finish, I heard Reina’s voice in the background calling him to dinner, "Alpha Kobe, your parents are asking you to eat."

Alpha Kobe’s voice turned gentle, "I’m just wrapping up a few things, I’ll be right there." Then he shifted back to a cold tone with me, "What did you just say? I didn’t catch that."

I laughed bitterly, "Alpha Kobe, listen carefully. I said you’ve found yourself a new Luna, haven’t you? Better go quickly before she gives you a hard time."

He snapped back, "It’s just me who would notice something like that. Warriors like Beta Reina get bullied in smaller packs, and as her Alpha, I’m obliged to support her. You can’t expect everyone to be as cold-hearted as you, can you?"

"Luna Alice, get back to the packhouse and join the team handling the Alphas’ delegation right now, or don’t blame me if your standing in the pack gets ruined!"

With a few more curses, he ended the link. Sitting in the cramped packhouse, listening to the silence, a heavy loneliness settled in my chest. I had been so wrong; I should have rejected the mate bond long ago when Alpha Kobe first became indifferent and began to ignore my feelings.

I had lost the mood for running and was about to retreat to my quarters. Just then, my mind buzzed relentlessly, messages from everyone demanding I return to the packhouse. They needed my help urgently, yet not a single request was polite.

Two days later, I held the scroll of mate bond dissolution in my hand, and I couldn’t care less about Alpha Kobe’s pack’s mess. I severed the mind links with those opportunistic pack members and opened the pack’s records to submit my resignation. But before I could, I saw a notice of demotion from the pack, accompanied by a document accusing me of inadequate leadership skills and a lack of loyalty.