The bridal shower wasn't all fun and love. Although the pack's house was filled with laughter, my friends showered me with gifts and good wishes. Yet, one call from the police station changed everything. David, my fiancé, needed to bail out.

Confusion quickly turned to dread as I rushed to the station. When I arrived, David was sitting on a bench, his arm draped around Carol. Their heads were so close, that it was as if they were sharing secrets meant for lovers, not siblings.

Carol wasn’t just any sister—she was adopted, but the bond between her and David had always felt... different.

Even my friends have noticed it and showed me evidence such as photos, screenshots, and even videos. But I ignored everything because the marriage is for alliance and not for love.

“Miss Elina Hale?” The guard called out, breaking my thoughts.

“Yes, I’m here to bail them out.”

David and Carol didn’t even flinch, their intimate bubble unbroken while I was signing the necessary paperwork. When I was done, they walked past me without so much as a glance.

That night, I couldn’t sleep. I had to talk to David and figure things out to make our future marriage work. I knocked on his door but there was no answer. So, I decided to go to the kitchen to grab some water. There, I heard faint voices.

Carol’s voice was soft but insistent. “David, you can’t go through with this wedding. You know it’s not what you want. It’s not what we want.”

David’s response was hesitant but laced with affection. “Carol, I can’t just call it off. Elina's the Alpha's daughter. You know we can't just say no to the Alpha.”

“Then convince Elina! She’ll understand,” Carol stepped closer to him. “She doesn’t have what we have.”

I was about to show myself and confront them when Carol saw me and cupped David’s face to kiss him.

I froze. My world crumbled as I turned and fled. My tears blur the path back to my room.

The Moon Goddess had always been my guide, my beacon in times of doubt. That night, I prayed fervently for a sign, for some indication of whether I should go through with the wedding. But the Moon Goddess remained silent.

The wedding day arrived. I sat in my quarters, staring at my reflection in the mirror. The dress I was wearing was a flowing white gown that shimmered like moonlight.

A familiar scent wafted into the room, and my body stiffened.

“What are you doing here?” I asked without turning around.

“Just checking on the bride,” the man replied smoothly, stepping into the room. It was Harry, my childhood friend, and Beta's son.

“You can't be here. I thought you left the pack to live with the humans,” I asked.

“I did. But the human world is empty without you,” Harry said, staring at me intensely.

“What we have in the past is in the past. You left and now I am marrying someone.”

“You sure about this, Elina?”

I swallowed hard, my wolf stirring uneasily. “I’m sure.”

*Liar* my wolf responded.

Elina swallowed hard. “Why are you here and doing this?”

Harry’s gaze lingered, his expression unreadable. “You don’t have to do this,” he said softly.

“Stop. Go back to the human world.”

Although I said that, I can't deny the feelings I have for him, my one true mate.

“I will. But I want you to come with me.” Harry knelt in front of me and held out a diamond ring. Then he asked, “Elina Hale, will you leave the Redwolf pack and live with me, as your husband?”

I stared at Harry as if he’d lost his mind. His hopeful expression only fueled my disbelief.

“What are you doing?” I asked, stepping back, away from the diamond ring he was holding out. My hand instinctively went to my stomach, shielding the secret I’d been carrying for weeks.

“I'm serious… please come with me,” he said.

“No,” I said firmly, although I could sense my wolf's hesitation in rejecting him.

Harry’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t give up. He stepped closer, closing the distance between us. “Elina…” But the moment shattered when the door burst open.

Carol stood there, her face twisted in rage. Her sharp eyes darted between Harry and me, and I knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Unbelievable!” she spat. “You’re cheating on David? On your wedding day?”

The accusation stung, not because it was true, but because it came from her.

Before I could respond, Carol turned on her heel and stormed out, no doubt heading straight to David. Panic surged through me. I couldn’t let her twist the truth any further.

“Carol!” I called out, breaking free of Harry’s grip. He grabbed my arm to stop me, but I pulled away.

My wolf growled inside me while I ran after Carol. By the time I reached the main hall, it was too late. She was already there, her voice carrying over the murmurs of the guests.

“She’s been cheating on David!” Carol announced, her finger pointing toward me as I entered the room. Gasps filled the air, and a wave of whispers rippled through the crowd.

“Elina?” My mother’s voice cut through the chaos. She stepped forward, her face pale and full of concern.

“What is going on?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but David’s voice silenced me.

“Is it true?” he asked, his tone cold and accusing. His eyes bore into mine, full of betrayal.

My wolf snarled inside me, furious at his hypocrisy. My pain turned to anger as I realized how little he truly cared.

“You really believe her?” I asked, my voice was low but steady.

The murmurs grew louder, the weight of everyone’s judgment pressing down on me.

“What an embarrassment from the Alpha's daughter…” murmurs from the allied pack.

David's dad stood in the middle and called for my father. “Mr. Hale, if this disrespect is true, I cannot let my pack allied with liars.”

“I assure you, this is a misunderstanding. My father pulled me away from them and slapped me in front of the public.

“Stop with this nonsense. Whatever you do, the alliance between our pack and David’s will happen. Stay still and be a good daughter. That's all you can do as a woman anyway,” my father told me.

The Alpha of the Redwolf pack was never happy to have me as his heir. They believe that she-wolves are always less than any male wolf in the pack. But he never had a son, only three daughters.

“I was being accused of something I didn't do,” I said but he never listened.

“Ms. Walter, if you have seen anything, can you tell us who the man was? Or at least point him out in the public and we can ask him directly.”

Carol looked scared when the Alpha of their pack was waiting for her answer. She glanced around but didn't see the guy earlier.

“I swear to my dead body, I saw her with another man. But he’s not here,” she said, her head down apologetically.

“Then there is no problem. Let's continue the pack union. What do you think, Mr. Walter?”

David's father nodded. He's clearly not happy with what had happened, but since the issue has no evidence, he can't reject my father or the union will fail and war will start.

My mother guided me back to my dressing room to fix my hair and makeup.

But I feel nauseous. I quickly went to the bathroom and vomited.

My mom followed me to the bathroom and asked, “Are you pregnant?”

I didn't answer. I couldn't be. My mother left to inform my father that I wasn't feeling well and needed a few minutes to calm down.

Through my blurry vision, I noticed something shining on the table.

It was Harry's ring.

After seeing it, I couldn’t stay here any longer and lie to myself.

If the Moon Goddess's answer is having a life inside my womb, then, I will follow her.

“I’ll leave,” I whispered, clutching Harry's ring tightly. “I’ll run, and hide in the human world just like Harry. I’ll raise my child far away from all of this.”

Five years have passed since I left the Redwolf pack. I'm living among humans, hiding from the Alpha, and everything that tied me to my old life.

I lived with my twins in a modest apartment on the outskirts of the city. The chaos of the pack was behind me, replaced by the simple rhythms of human life. Humans were different—fragile, yes, but also kind in ways that wolves rarely were. There were no fights over Alpha duties, no political manipulation, and no looming fear of rogue attacks.

I worked as a baker in a large, bustling bakery downtown. It was far from the life I’d imagined for myself, but that was the point. If the Alpha or anyone from the pack ever came looking for me, they’d never think to find me here, rolling dough and decorating cakes.

It was a quiet existence, but I felt more alive.

I had just finished tidying up the kitchen when I spotted a magazine left on the counter by my babysitter. The headline boasted about the city’s richest man, and curiosity got the better of me. I picked it up, flipping to the cover story.

My heart stopped.

*Mate!* My wolf screamed excitedly.

Harry’s face stared back at me. Older, sharper, but unmistakably him. He had a new name now—Harrison Gold, a tycoon in the human world.

Of course, he’d changed his name. Just like me, he’d severed all ties to the pack, shutting the mind link and disappearing without a trace.

I flipped through the pages, scanning the article for details. The man in the glossy photos wasn’t just the Harry I had known. He was larger than life, powerful, and untouchable.

“Mommy, why are you smiling?”

I jumped, startled by the tiny arms wrapping around my waist. My twins, their bright eyes full of curiosity, stared up at me.

“Nothing, my loves,” I said, bent down to kiss their foreheads. “Just remembering something silly.”

“Who are you looking at?” The other one asked, looking at Harry's photo as well.

“Oh, nothing in particular. I was just checking this magazine Jasmine left,” I said.

But my mind was spinning. They had no idea that the man on the cover wasn’t just some stranger. He was their father.

I wanted to tell them. My wolf growled softly, urging me to share the truth. But I couldn’t. What Harry and I had was beautiful once, but it ended the moment I chose to walk away and choose to be politically married to David, but that didn't end well either.

I tried to forget about him and move on with my life.

The next day, I arrived at the bakery before sunrise. The streets were still dark. I enjoyed these quiet hours, the solitude of kneading dough and the hum of ovens warming up.

But something felt... Off.

A strange sound pricked my ears—soft, rapid footsteps, almost like dogs running. I paused, glancing toward the glass wall at the front of the bakery. It was normal to see dogs in the city, but something about the noise set my nerves on the edge.

Before I could think further, the bakery's window glass shattered.

I froze as a hulking form lunged through the broken pieces. Its yellow eyes glowed, and its saliva dripped from its snarling jaws.

“Rogue,” I whispered, my instincts flaring.

It growled, stalking toward me with feral intensity. My wolf clawed at me, desperate to fight, but I couldn’t shift—not here, not with human cameras everywhere.

So, I ran.

The rogue gave chase, its heavy paws pounding against the pavement as I darted through the narrow alleyways behind the bakery. I had to find a safe place to shift, somewhere hidden from human eyes.

Finally, I reached a secluded corner and let my wolf take over. My body contorted, the familiar sensation of fur and claws replacing my human form. I turned to face the rogue, ready for a fight.

It lunged at me, faster and more aggressively than I anticipated. I barely dodged its snapping jaws. It lunged again, and this time I wasn’t fast enough. I braced myself for the bite, for the pain that would surely follow.

But it never came.

Instead, the rogue crumpled to the ground, a long silver tube embedded in its side. I stared in shock as the beast stopped moving.

Then I smelled it.

That scent.

Familiar, intoxicating, and impossible to forget.

I turned, my heart racing, and there he was.

Harry—no, Harrison Gold—stood a few feet away, his stance protective, the silver weapon still clutched in his hand. His eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, it was as if the five years apart had never happened.