Jakob had only cut the dessert halfway through when he suddenly received a call.

He whispered something to the other side before telling me that his car that was parked outside had been scratched. He wanted to take a look.

Jakob frowned, looking genuinely troubled.

"Go ahead and eat, Cynthia. I'll look at the car. I'll be quick. You can order a drink too, but don't drink anything cold or alcoholic though. Your cycle is coming in three days and I don't want to see you suffer, alright?"

His words made the nearby customers in the dessert shop envious.

"Alpha Jakob is so considerate! He even remembers his Luna's cycle!"

"I can't imagine it. If I were Cynthia, how happy would I be?"

The shop owner gave me a warm smile and said, "You're so lucky to be with a man who cherishes and is loyal to you, Luna Cynthia. That is something very rare."

I smiled bitterly. "True. It's very rare."

So rare, in fact, that this so-called legendary love that everyone envied was just a performance. So rare that in fact, I had never actually found it.

I didn't want to continue this topic, so I turned my head and looked out the window.

Jakob quickly walked out of the dessert shop and passed by the luxury car we'd come in and climbed into another pink Ferrari parked next to it.

The car looked familiar. If I wasn't mistaken, Molly arrived at the last gathering in that car.

I heard it was a welcome-home gift from Jakob that was worth several million dollars. It was around the same price as my Bugatti.

Jakob was such a master of balancing acts.

Molly and I. First love and mate. He didn't want to offend either. He kept everything between us delicately balanced.

I couldn't see what was happening inside the car, but that familiar number sent another provoking text to me again.

I didn't even need to unlock my phone. I already know that Jakob and Molly had yet again slipped into another private and intimate moment.

With my hands trembling, I shoved my phone into the bottom of my bag. I looked at the dessert in front of me that was losing its freshness, and I could feel my stomach twist in dull pain.

A heart wouldn't break with a loud bang. Instead, it would quietly splinter into countless pieces.

The wolf within me growled. Angry, confused, disbelief, all mixed. But I forced it back inside.

When I came to, I realized I had already destroyed the words written using chocolate on my cake with my fork. "Happy 5th Mate Bond Anniversary", all messed up.

Half an hour later, Jakob finally returned.

He looked at the cake that had barely been touched and my pale face before quickly asking in concern. "What is it, honey? You don't look well. Are you feeling sick? Should I take you to the healer?"

His voice was full of concern, but I looked away. I couldn't bear to look at the face I once loved.

"I ran into something disgusting. I lost my appetite," I answered.

"What happened? Do you need me to deal with it?" Jakob asked, becoming even more anxious.

I looked at him with tears welling up in my eyes. "You wouldn't want to know."

Because the one who needed to be dealt with was him.

Jakob couldn't understand why I was so upset. He wanted to give me a hug, but I moved away.

I wiped my tears and walked straight out of the Dessert Oasis, hailing for a cab to go home.

Jakob was still showing behind me. "Where are you going, Cynthia? Wait for me!"

He then chased after me in his luxury car. Right behind him was the pink Ferrari.

How laughable. We were like characters playing in a tragic comedy.

As soon as I got out of the cab once I was home, I fell right into Jakob's arms.

I struggled to break free, but he clung to me and refused to let go.

He anxiously asked, "Why are you angry, Cynthia? Is it because I didn't stay and eat dessert with you when I went to check on my scratched car?

I stopped struggling and looked him dead in the eyes. I saw the worry, the guilt, but there was no shame at all.

He still didn't think he did anything wrong.

I gave him a bitter smile. "That's right. Only because you didn't eat the cake with me."

Jakob let out a sigh of relief. "It's my fault. I shouldn't have left you alone because of a car. Next time, I'll stay with you even if my car is totaled next time."

Then, he carefully took my hand and asked, "I just received news that something happened to a business partner of mine and I need to check up on him. Is it alright if I leave you for a while?"

He was willing to make such an elaborate lie just for Molly?

I pushed his hand and calmly said, "Go, then. If your business partner is really that important."

He kissed me with joy. "It's a blessing to have a she-wolf like you to be my Luna, Cynthia."

I endured the pain in my heart. 'But Jakob, you're not my blessing.'

I walked into the villa and looked out the window, toward the parking lot not far away.

Molly's pink Ferrari had already driven away. Even the smoke it left behind felt like a sneer.

I took out my phone and called my mother. "Mom, I'm coming back to the Palemoon Pack in seven days. I want to see you and Dad."

My mom immediately felt the tremble in my voice from the other side. She anxiously asked, "Cynthia, are you coming back alone or with Jakob?"

I said with a hoarse voice. "I'm coming home alone."

I could hear my mother's silence. She quickly understood what I meant from what I hadn't said.

She suppressed her fury and worry and did her best to console me. "Don't be upset. I'll pick you up."

I whispered okay, and tears finally rolled down my cheeks.

Later that night, Jakob finally came home. He woke me up with his burning kiss.

He was all drunk and kissed me again and again as he held my face.

Perhaps he was still uneasy about the anger yesterday, so he kept on whispering words of love into my ears.

"I love you so much, honey.

"You can be angry at me. You can hit me, yell at me. But don't leave me, alright?

"Don't worry, I swear I'll treat you well for the rest of my life."

I said nothing and simply stared at Jakob in silence.

He was so drunk that he forgot to clean the lipstick stain on his neck.

I didn't know how he managed to escape the mate bond's punishment, but I could feel it. His love for me at this moment was real.

I couldn't understand it. If he loved me, why did he treat me like this?

When I woke up in the morning, Jakob had already picked out my clothes. He squeezed some toothpaste onto my toothbrush. He even tied my braids himself.

However, when we were at breakfast, he once again gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Cynthia. I won't be home tonight. There's a gathering I need to attend in the pack."

My hand holding the fork paused mid-air. I knew he was going to accompany Molly again. I couldn't even be bothered to expose him.

I simply said the same word I always did again. "Sure."

Coincidentally, my best friend Tessa invited me for tea in the afternoon. I needed the distraction too, so I went to the cafe.

I had just barely sat down when Tessa patted my arm excitedly. "Look, Cynthia? Isn't that Alpha Jakob? Why is he standing in front of a bridal studio? Is he going to give you another surprise? Maybe shooting you in a new wedding gown?"

I looked outside, and I just realized this cafe was right next to a bridal photo studio.

Before I could even respond, a seductive she-wolf wrapped her arm around Jakob's and walked inside with him.

The studio's employee was so loud that we could even hear it from our table. "You two are finally here? The bridal shoot setup you booked is already ready. By the way, you two look absolutely perfect together!"

Tessa's laughter stopped abruptly. Then, she saw me looking at what was happening with indifference.

Tessa slammed the table and angrily yelled, "What's going on?! Who's that woman next to Jakob?! He wants to take wedding photos with someone else. This is ridiculous!"

I sighed and then told Tessa everything about Jakob and Molly that had happened lately.

Then I showed Molly's provocative messages and pointed to the bridal shop, my voice shaking. "Look at it yourself, Tessa. It's Molly's birthday today. That's why Jakob is taking wedding photos with her."

Inside the bridal studio, Jakob was adjusting Molly's cuff with care.

His expression was gentle, as if he were touching something priceless.

Tessa clenched her jaw. "I can't take it anymore! I'm going over to splash this cup of coffee on their faces!"

Tessa had always had a temper. She picked up the hot coffee and wanted to walk over, but I stopped her first.

"Wait, Tessa. Don't alert them. I want to see what they'll do next."

Half an hour later, Jakob and Molly walked out of the bridal studio.

Jakob was wearing a black suit, sharp and majestic. Molly was wearing a white gown, showing her slender waist. Jakob's name was even intentionally tattooed across her collarbone.

They got into a luxury car hand in hand and headed straight for the lake in the countryside.

The photography crew had been waiting for a long time. A barrier had already been set up, so no other werewolves could interrupt them.

However, Jakob's barrier never blocked me. He would never expect that I was standing behind a tree, watching him and Molly having a wedding photoshoot.

The photographer approached and smiled fawningly. "You two are so good-looking, as if you're from a painting."

Molly held Jakob's arm with a smile. "Well, I have great taste and chose the best man I can see."

The photographer then said, "I'd like to use your wedding photos to advertise our shop if that's-"

Before the photographer could even finish, Jakob quickly cut him off. "No."

The photographer was startled before he apologized, "Alright, sure. I understand."

Molly's expression darkened.

During the rest of the shoot, she kept on saying that the weather was too cold and asked Jakob to help her put on his coat. Then she said she was not in a good enough mood, wanting Jakob to hold her up so she could find her joy.

Jakob was also patient with her. "How about now? Do you need me to do anything else? Just tell me if you want anything."

For the last shot, Jakob dropped down on one knee.

Even the night wind became still as all eyes turned to him.

Then, under Molly's shocking gaze, he pulled out a bouquet of red roses. There was a ring in the center of the roses.

"You kept on saying that wearing the wedding gown is just a dream of yours. While you said you didn't need a proposal, I don't want you to have any regrets. Molly, will you take this ring?"

Molly was stunned, then tears welled in her eyes as she screamed, "Yes! Yes, I will!"

Cheers surrounded them. "Marriage! Marriage!"

Meanwhile, I glared at what was happening from my car behind the tree, feeling a chill in my soul.

Five years ago, when Jakob had proposed to me, he had looked at me with those same devoted eyes.

I still remembered he was also wearing the same sharp black suit, holding a bouquet of blue roses. He then proposed with a ring that was one-of-a-kind in the world.

He was even teary-eyed when he proposed to me.

"Cynthia, I swear I'll only love you. I'll take care of you. No other woman will ever find a place in my heart. So, please. Bond with me and be my mate, alright?"

I let out a bitter laugh. Then, I broke into tears halfway through.

Everything was a lie. The vow was a lie. Taking care of me was also a lie.

Even love could change…

Tessa couldn't bear to look at me as she gently wiped the tears from my face.

"They're gone, Cynthia. Should we still follow them?"

I shook my head. "Let's go."

"I didn't want to stay here for another second.

Tessa originally wanted to send me home, but I refused her. "It's fine. I know you're worried about me, but my mind's a mess. I need some time alone."

Tessa didn't console me anymore. She knew how I felt.

Once she left, I wandered the streets without aim.

It was during deep winter and the temperature had dropped below freezing. I had only come out wearing a light coat.

But compared to the chill I'm feeling on my flesh, my heart was even colder.

I didn't know how long I'd walked before my phone buzzed again.

It was from Jakob's account.

I tapped them open. Three sweet wedding photos entered my eyes, almost blinding me.

One was when they got out of a car. Jakob was holding up the skirt of Molly's wedding gown as she smiled smugly.

Another one was when Molly was in Jakob's arms. The two of them were intimately close together.

The final one was when Jakob went down on one knee, holding out a dazzling diamond ring.

Molly texted, "We took our wedding photos today, and he even prepared a ring for the proposal. I was so touched. He even came and met my parents. They were very happy with Jakob. Other than being unable to form a mate bond, we had already completed all the procedures. To be honest, I don't mind you being a Luna. Since he'll just throw you aside and always come to me. Just you wait."

Molly's sneers were like blades, stabbing straight into my heart. I froze, unable to respond.

After a long while, I finally forwarded the photos and chat record to Mia, along with a message, "Show these at their wedding."

Then I switched my phone off as I walked on the streets with my mind clouded.

My mind was so consumed with everything that had happened that I couldn't even move when I finally realized a car had lost control and came right at me.

There was an explosion of pain. And then, only darkness remained.

I didn't know how long it had passed. When I once again opened my eyes, all I could smell was the sharp smell of antiseptic typical of medical settings.

Jakob was slouching over the hospital bed, gripping my hand. He instantly noticed when I stirred.

He looked at me with frantic eyes, filled with fear and regret.

"You're finally awake, Cynthia! Do you feel pain anywhere? Should I call the healers? I'm so scared…"

I turned my head slightly, my eyes falling on Jakob.

His clothes were all wrinkled and his eyes were red. It was obvious that he had been staying by my side for a long time.

His pain was also genuine, like he wished he were the one suffering the injuries and not me.

But all I felt was disgust.

When I looked at his face, I was reminded of him taking those wedding photos with Molly.

'Jakob… Which is the real you? I can't trust you anymore.'