Lyanna practically fled from my home.

She claimed that she could not be held responsible for me breaking up with Damon, but she still told me to go to her if I got into any trouble.

I walked with her out of the neighborhood, but then I turned and saw a car parked in the dark.

"Are you going to the bar?"

The car window purred down slowly. Damon's eyes were lowered, and he cast a hungry glance at me.

I pulled my coat open to show Damon the lingerie I was wearing inside. "Yes! Since you can't satisfy me, you're not going to stop me from going to other male wolves, are you?"

There was a flash of rage in Damon's eyes, and I found myself hoping that he would get jealous, or that he would kiss me in fury and tell me that I could only be his.

However, he did not. He took a deep breath and lit a cigarette as he said, "Pull that coat tighter around yourself, and let me take you there. Don't catch a cold, as the wind is strong at night."

"Catch a cold?" Sasha snorted. "Is that all Damon can say?"

I immediately felt frustrated.

If a male wolf didn't feel any possessiveness at all when their mate was going to a bar, was there any point in maintaining the marriage?

Besides, there was no physical intimacy in my marriage with Damon.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine."

I opened the car door and shut it with a bang, then headed home without looking back.

Late that night, I began feeling more and more uncomfortable. My body was protesting at the lack of release.

My claws ripped the sheets, and just as they were about to pierce my palms, a pair of warm hands entwined themselves with mine and stopped it from happening.

He freed a hand and began rubbing my stomach gently, as if he were handling a precious treasure.

"Don't resist if you feel uncomfortable. If the effects of the scent of my possession weaken, then tell me. Now, relax. Take some more restorative medicine, alright?"

My discomfort had been transmitted through our mate bond, and Damon had come to me as soon as he sensed it.

When I thought of how cold and distant he was to me in bed, his gentle actions just seemed like an act.

I refused coldly. "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm fine."

"What do you mean? We're mates, and taking care of you is my duty. How can you refrain from contact with me when you need comfort?"

Damon continued nagging me as he took off my clothes. He pressed himself tightly against me as he held a bottle of medicine to my lips. "Open your mouth, darling."

I pressed my lips together tightly and ignored Damon.

He sighed in resignation in my ear. After five seconds, he kissed me.

He pressed my chin down and pried my mouth open to pour warm medicine into my mouth.

He then grabbed my waist and deepened the kiss.

I could feel his warm chest and broad arms against me, and I felt my face burning as my discomfort was alleviated, and desire rose up in me.

I did not notice that Damon was already aroused just from hugging me.

I moved sideways and actually hoped that Damon would take the next step.

I had asked Helena Craw about this many times, as she was a witch. She always said that it was very difficult for fated mates to resist that innate attraction.

That was why the elders in the pack all thought that it was my fault that Damon and I did not have any pups. They would send people from time to time to pressure me.

This made me feel defiant, and I would try very hard to feel his emotions through our mate bond. However, his emotions were always restrained.

I could sense slight ups and downs in his emotions, but he would immediately suppress them until I could not feel them at all.

However, a minute passed, then another. Damon did not do anything.

After a long time, he finally said hoarsely in a humble tone, "When you feel better, shall we try again? I—"

I felt a lump in my throat and turned over at once to sleep.

However, I felt even more determined to leave.

Since I did not mean anything to him, why should I remain fixated on someone who would not respond to me? I might as well divorce him so that we would both be happy.

…

Early the next day, Damon began getting frisky before I was even awake.

His hand crept under my shirt and rubbed my stomach before slowly moving upward and cupping my chest.

"Does it still hurt?"

I shook my head groggily, and Damon blew on my earlobe.

I immediately felt myself tingling all over, and I wriggled involuntarily. "What are you doing?"

"If it doesn't hurt anymore, shall we go and run under the moon tonight? I'll be free."

I immediately felt much more alert when I heard this.

If Damon had invited me in the past, I would have kissed him in delight.

As my fated mate, Damon attracted me like metal to a magnet.

When I looked into his eyes, which were hazy with desire, my heart fluttered involuntarily.

However, I did not want to keep doing this anymore. Therefore, I buried my head in the blankets to express my stance.

When Damon saw that I was firm, he gave in and planted a respectful kiss on my forehead.

When I got up the next day, the lingerie that Lyanna had bought me was gone.

Damon was only in a towel, which revealed his muscled chest and defined abs. He was actually walking around casually in the living room, which was very unusual for him, as he was almost always in a suit.

I was shocked. I felt desire rise up in me, and I felt as if I was burning up.

Was he seducing me?

Unexpectedly, Damon pushed me against the wall. He was holding a piece of toast, and there was a look of inscrutable satisfaction in his eyes.

"Are you hungry, darling? Should I feed you?"

I swallowed. I felt that he was implying something else.

Sasha reminded me. "He is tempting you, and yet he's not moving forward to the next step. It's like looking at meat and not being able to eat it. That's worse than not having any!"

Sasha was right.

I looked away and rejected him impassively. "I'm not very hungry. You can eat."

I did not see the look of disappointment in Damon's eyes as I asked, "Where are the clothes I was wearing yesterday? Did you give them to the butler to wash?"

There was a flash of uneasiness on Damon's face. He looked away quickly. "I don't know. Maybe there was a thief."

A thief?

Would anyone in the Bloodlune pack be bold enough to steal anything from Damon's home when he was the Alpha?

However, it was a minor matter, and I could not be bothered to think about it. In any case, Damon could not possibly have been the one who took it.

"Remember to have it dealt with. Losing my clothes isn't a big deal, but there would be trouble if pack secrets were stolen."

I did not ask about my missing clothes after that.

I went straight out and headed to Helena's home.

…

"Luna Raeya, have you really thought this through?" Helena asked, trying to dissuade me.

"Once you drink this potion, your mate bond with Alpha Damon will be dissolved. You may feel a lot of pain."

I scoffed. No matter how painful it was, it couldn't be worse than how I felt whenever Damon rejected my pleas for love.

"Perhaps this is just a misunderstanding and that Alpha Damon has his reasons."

"His reasons?" I snorted. "Do you know what his reasons are?"

Helena shut up, and I did not comment further. I booked my flight tickets and decided to go home and drink the potion. I would leave after that.

Right before I got home, I bumped into Damon, who seemed to be in a hurry to get home.

Something black and lacy peeked out of his briefcase.

It looked like the lingerie I had worn yesterday.

Damon stuffed it guiltily back into his briefcase before he said, "I-I'm done with all my work today, so I thought I'd come home to keep you company."

Damon took out a strawberry-flavored finger cot from his pocket and put it in my hand. "I remembered that you liked strawberries. I'm going to have a shower. Can you wait for me in bed?"

Sasha was furious. "What does Alpha Damon mean by this? Is he going to start pretending and seduce you again?"

I looked at the finger cot and felt that it was ridiculous. He should have at least given me a condom.

I turned aside and said coldly, "I'm not in the mood right now. Maybe some other day."

Damon looked slightly startled. He could tell from our mate bond that I wasn't in a good mood, but he slid his arm around my waist to try to persuade me.

He might have sensed something and was trying to win me back, but after 99 rejections, I could no longer trust him.

I turned around and undid his belt, then slid my hand inside.

As soon as I touched him, he backed away instinctively. His wariness stung me.

"You're not even ready, are you? Or do you just want to help me while you don't need anything?"

Damon sighed at my accusations. He gripped my shoulders and tried to explain himself, but ended up saying nothing in the end.

He just hugged me tightly and turned around. "I'm sorry."

If apologies were of any use, why would my heart still ache so much?

I gripped the bottle of potion tightly. Once I stepped out through the front door, I told myself firmly that I would no longer love Damon.

I went to a hotel nearby and told Lyanna that I was determined to dissolve my mate bond with Damon.

She called me immediately. "Maybe Alpha Damon only did that to try to make you stay. He might not know how to express himself."

"Stop trying to comfort me, Lyanna."

I sighed.

She changed tack at once. "Alright. Since you've already decided, I will support you! Look at our chat!"

I exited the call and tapped on my chat with her. I saw several photos of handsome male wolves, who all had eight-packs.

"I've selected the best male wolves from the years I've spent frequenting nightclubs. Choose a few that you like, and I'll send you their contact numbers. You can talk to them and see how it goes."

I had to admit that all the male wolves looked very tempting.

However, they could not compare with Damon.

"Forget it. I'm not interested right now."

Lyanna sounded surprised. "Huh? You're not even interested in male wolves anymore? Raeya, have you been getting a lot of zits recently? Has your period been irregular?"

My expression darkened at once. I thought of how awkward it had been when I'd disguised myself by wearing a face mask to go and see the pack doctor, only to be told to get a wolf friend with better sexual prowess.

It was all Damon's fault!

"How did you know that?"

She cleared her throat. "Don't worry about that. The last male model in those photos is now drunk at the bar. Go and pick him up for me."

Before I could answer, Lyanna hung up. She was forcing me to go.

I had no choice but to get a cab to the bar, but I bumped into someone unexpected there.

Sasha frowned. "Isn't that the male wolf who works with Damon? Why is he here?"

The male wolf in question was slightly tipsy and was on the phone with someone. He appeared very respectful, as if he were on the phone with Damon.

Without thinking, I leaned over to eavesdrop.

"What? You still haven't made love to Luna Raeya because you think that your size is going to hurt her?"