Before I could answer, the office door opened again.

Seraphina glided in, walking straight to Bruce’s side and leaning affectionately against his arm.

She was wearing a light purple dress, a silk scarf artfully draped to half-conceal the mating mark on her neck. She looked fragile and lovely.

“Sorry to interrupt, Bruce,” she said with a sweet smile. “I brought breakfast for everyone.”

Bruce’s expression softened instantly. He wrapped an arm around her waist. “Are you feeling better?”

“Much better. With you by my side, I’m not afraid of anything,” Seraphina murmured, pressing against him.

I watched them, a familiar sting piercing my heart.

Just then, the other core pack members started trickling in. Bruce looked around the room and cleared his throat.

“Since everyone is here, I have an official announcement.” His arm tightened, pulling Seraphina closer. “Seraphina will soon be my Luna.”

The room erupted in applause and congratulations.

“Congratulations, Alpha!”

“An Alpha and a true Alpha heiress! A power match made in heaven!”

“Our pack is going to be stronger than ever!”

Seraphina beamed. “Thank you, everyone. Bruce and I will have our official mating ceremony soon. I hope you can all be there.”

“Of course! We’ll be there to celebrate!”

Everyone crowded around them, offering their best wishes. The atmosphere was electric.

I stood in the corner like an outsider, silently gathering my things from my desk.

That’s when Seraphina noticed me. She walked over gracefully, a gentle smile on her face.

“Isadora, you’re here. I’ve heard you’ve always been Bruce’s most capable assistant. Thank you so much for taking care of him all these years.”

Her voice was sweet as honey, but her eyes held a flicker of contempt that only I could see.

“I’ll be the lady of the pack now,” she continued, her voice as soft as a whisper. “Could you tell me some of Bruce’s preferences? I want to take the best possible care of him.”

I looked up at her.

She was playing the part of the gracious Luna, but every word was a declaration of ownership, every glance a mockery of my low status.

Before I could answer, Bruce walked over. He draped a possessive arm around Seraphina’s shoulders, his voice tender.

“Darling, I’ll tell you everything you need to know. You don’t need to ask an outsider.”

Outsider.

The word struck me like lightning, and I froze.

Eight years of partnership, eight years of devotion, and to him, I was just an “outsider.”

Seraphina snuggled closer to him. “You always know how to take care of me. Can we go see your office? I want to see where you work.”

“Of course.” Bruce kissed her temple. “I’ll give you a tour.”

They walked away, leaving me standing there alone.

The others eventually dispersed, returning to their work. Only Sarah remained, looking at me with concern.

“Isadora, are you okay? You look terrible.”

I shook my head and continued packing.

My heart was being torn to shreds, but I couldn’t break down here.

Ten minutes later, I had all the handover documents ready. I took my signed resignation and walked to Bruce’s office.

Through the glass door, I could see Bruce showing Seraphina the things in his office. She listened intently, letting out a silvery laugh now and then. They looked so perfect together, so in love.

I took a deep breath and knocked.

“Come in,” Bruce’s voice called.

“Isadora? What is it?” He frowned, clearly annoyed by the interruption.

Without hesitating, I placed the resignation letter on his desk.

The moment Bruce saw the letter, he snapped, “What do you think you’re doing, Isadora?” He slammed the letter on the desk, his voice filled with an Alpha’s authority. “Do you think quitting is a game?”

Seraphina stood beside him, gently rubbing his back. “Bruce, don’t be upset. Maybe Isadora is just going through something.”

She turned to me, a flash of triumph in her eyes, though her expression was kind. “Isadora, are you in some kind of trouble? You can talk to us about it.”

Her words made me sick.

She was standing there playing the part of the perfect mate, as if she were already the true Luna of this pack.

“My decision is final,” I said evenly. “It’s all explained in the letter.”

My response only seemed to make Bruce angrier.

He stood up, towering over me.

“Isadora, I made you Beta out of pity. Don’t forget your place.” His voice was ice. “Without me, where would a wolf who doesn’t even know her own parents be?”

His words stabbed me like a knife.

My hands began to shake, but I forced myself to stay calm.

“That’s exactly why I should leave. So I won’t be a burden to you anymore.”

My coldness seemed to infuriate him. I could practically feel his Alpha aura pressing down on me.

“Fine. If you insist on leaving, I accept your resignation,” he said coldly. “But before you officially leave, you have one last duty to perform.”

My stomach tightened. I knew he wouldn’t let me go that easily.

“Tomorrow, you will accompany us to choose the gown for the Luna ceremony.” Bruce issued the order as my Alpha, his voice leaving no room for argument. “This is your final task.”

I knew he was doing it to humiliate me—to make me witness their happiness and drive one last knife into my heart.

But as his subordinate, I had to obey my Alpha’s command.

“I understand,” I said, lowering my head.

Seraphina watched it all, a flicker of jealous hatred in her eyes.

The next day, I went to the custom gown shop as ordered.

The boutique catered exclusively to werewolf nobility. Every gown was priceless.

Bruce and Seraphina were already there, discussing the ceremony gown with the head designer. When she saw me, Seraphina immediately took Bruce’s arm and walked over.

“Isadora, you’re here!” she chirped. “I’m having such a hard time choosing a gown.”

The designer showed her several gorgeous dresses, each one sparkling with precious gems that shimmered like moonlight.

“What about this one?” Seraphina asked, pointing to a silver-white gown. “I think it’s perfect for the Luna ceremony.”

“Absolutely perfect, miss,” the designer gushed. “This is one of our signature designs, made for a Luna.”

“But I’d like to see how it looks on someone,” Seraphina said, turning to me with a malicious glint in her eyes. “Isadora, could you try it on for me? I want to see the overall effect.”

I froze. The dress was custom-made for her. There was no point in me trying it on.

“I don’t think that’s necessary…” I started to refuse.

“Isadora, that is a request from my Luna,” Bruce’s voice cut in, sharp and cold. “You will cooperate.”

I had no choice but to agree.

A sales assistant led me to the fitting room. I robotically changed into the magnificent gown.

It was made for Seraphina’s measurements, and on me, it was a disaster.

The bust was too tight, the waist too narrow. I looked ridiculous and pathetic.

And a cruel realization hit me.

Bruce had never once considered my measurements.

In his mind, I was never the one who would wear the Luna gown.

When I stepped out of the fitting room, Seraphina watched my humiliation with a satisfied smile.

She stepped closer, her voice a venomous whisper only I could hear.

“See? A gown this beautiful will never be yours. Because you’re not worthy.”

The shame of the past eight years, all the little insults and humiliations, boiled over. I couldn’t take her taunting anymore.

“I don’t want this stupid dress anyway.”

I reached behind me to unzip the gown that felt like a cage, but as I did, a loud ripping sound tore through the air.

A seam in the back, which should have been strong, had split wide open.

Seraphina let out a sharp gasp, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

She looked at me with a wounded, innocent expression.

“Isadora, I just wanted you to try it on… How could you? Did you want to ruin our ceremony that badly?”

Faced with Seraphina’s accusation, I tried to explain. “I didn’t do it on purpose. The dress didn’t fit—”

But whispers were already spreading around the shop.

“Oh my god, she ripped the gown on purpose!”

“Do you know how much that costs? How could she ever pay for it?”

“That’s just evil, ruining the future Luna’s gown…”

Trapped under their accusing glares, I felt helpless.

Just then, Bruce rushed over. He saw Seraphina standing there with tears in her eyes and me in the torn gown, and his face turned to thunder.

“What happened?” he demanded, immediately going to Seraphina and pulling her into his arms.

“Bruce…” Seraphina sobbed. “I just asked Isadora to try on the gown for me to see how it looked, but she… she ripped it on purpose.”

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Bruce whirled on me.

His eyes were burning with rage. Without asking a single question, he slapped me hard across the face.

Crack!

The sharp sound echoed in the silent shop.

My cheek stung, a fiery pain spreading across my face, my ears ringing.

“Isadora! How could you do something like this?” Bruce roared, while gently stroking Seraphina’s back to comfort her. “Are you insane?”

I clutched my burning cheek, the pain in my heart far worse than the physical sting.

In eight years, he had never laid a hand on me. But today, for another woman, he hit me without a second thought.

The force of the slap knocked my purse from my shoulder, its contents spilling onto the floor.

Two small, beautifully carved wooden wolves rolled out.

He had carved them for us when we first got together, a symbol of our eternal bond.

I had treasured them for eight years, carrying them with me everywhere.

But now, when Bruce saw them, a flash of panic crossed his face.

As if desperate to erase any connection to me, he raised his foot and brought it down, crushing the small carvings into splinters.

Crunch!

The wood shattered beneath his boot.

“Isadora, you will pay for this gown,” Bruce commanded, his voice like ice. “This custom dress is worth three million dollars.”

Three million.

In eight years of working day and night for him, I had only managed to save one million.

I looked up, trying one last time to explain. “I told you, I didn’t rip it on purpose…”

“I am so disappointed in you, Isadora,” Bruce cut me off. “I know why you did this. You just wanted to be my Luna, didn’t you?”

“Well, let me tell you something. Right now, you’re acting like a jealous, crazy bitch. You can’t even compare to Seraphina. I guess trash blood will always be trash blood.”

Of course. Because of my birth, he’d always looked down on me.

That was the real reason he’d never made our relationship public.

I gave up trying to make him believe me. “I demand to see the security footage to prove my innocence.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would the daughter of a top-tier pack need to frame you?” Bruce refused without a moment’s hesitation.

He turned and wrapped Seraphina in a gentle embrace, his voice softening. “Baby, don’t cry. I’ll have them make you an even more beautiful gown to make up for this.”

“As for you,” he said, his cold gaze returning to me, “after a mistake this big, you can no longer hold any position in this pack. Your resignation is approved. Get out.”

Just like that, my choice to resign was twisted into a humiliating dismissal.

I stared at the shattered remains of the wooden wolves, and the last shred of feeling I had for him died.

I reached up and tore the wolf-fang necklace from my neck. It was the first gift he’d ever given me, a treasure I’d worn for eight years.

As Bruce watched in shock, I threw the symbol of our bond into a nearby trash can.

Clang!

The sound was deafening.

Then I turned and walked away without looking back.

Behind me, I thought I heard him call my name, but in the end, he didn’t follow.