I was consumed by an overwhelming sense of trepidation and anxiety as Aldrake approached us with a gaze that seemed to pierce through my very soul. His strides were swift and purposeful, and I could feel my breath catching in my throat as I anticipated the worst.

"A-Aldrake... help me" Amber's plaintive cry echoed through the air as she clutched her foot in pain.

Aldrake's response was immediate, his concern for her well-being evident in the way he knelt beside her and asked.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt?". His eyes, filled with a deep-seated worry, locked onto hers as he tenderly examined her foot.

I felt a pang of resentment as he quickly helped her to her feet and handed her over to his friend, his attention and care lavished upon her.

When he turned to me, his expression darkened, and I felt a chill run down my spine as he slapped me across the cheek with a force that sent my head spinning.

The sound of gasps and whispers from the surrounding crowd only added to my humiliation as I stumbled backward, tears streaming down my face.

"What did you do to her, huh?!" Aldrake's voice was like thunder, his grip on my arms bruising as he pulled me towards him.

"A-Aldrake... you're hurting me. Please let me go" I begged, trying to pry his fingers loose from my arms, but he wouldn't budge.

The pressure of his grasp is suffocating, threatening to snap my arm in two. His fingers seem to be digging deep into my skin, leaving me to wonder if I'll ever be free from his grasp.

"It hurts... please let go!" I cried out, but he just gave me a piercing stare, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Does it hurt? That's nothing compared to what you did to Amber! What did you do this time to her, huh?" He asked again.

"I didn't mean to do that--" I started to explain, but Amber interrupted me.

"She pushed me, Aldrake, you saw that" She said.

"What made her push you? Tell me". Aldrake asked, his tone gentle and concerned, as if he was more willing to listen to Amber than me.

Amber looked at me, and I could see the triumph in her eyes, knowing she could manipulate Aldrake. I felt a sense of dread at what she might say. I know Amber, and I know the lies she'll tell in front of my husband.

"Aldrake--" I tried to call him, but Amber spoke up, tears in her voice.

"She pushed me because she's angry that I'm spending time with you, and that you're introducing me to your friends. She's angry because you prioritize me over her, even though she's your wife. She's jealous because she thinks I'm taking everything away from her. You know I wouldn't do that to her, don't you, Aldrake? She's my sister, why would I take away what's hers? I don't know what I've done wrong, and why she's angry with me like this. She even said she'd hurt me worse if I continued to approach you". After saying that, she burst into tears again.

I was left stunned by her lies. I quickly turned to Aldrake to explain. "No, no, no. Aldrake, please listen to me. I didn't do anything. It wasn't intentional. And... I didn't say anything like that to her. She's just making up stories to twist what happened. She was the one who approached me, and she's saying that--" But before I could finish my words, Aldrake's grip on my arm tightened, causing me to wince in pain. I started to cry again, but he seemed not to care.

"You're really this desperate, huh!!" He spat.

"I'm warning you, Livia, don't you ever hurt your sister again! If you're jealous of her, you should try to be like her. That way, you could have what she has!. You're nothing but a disgrace to my pack!!". His words cut deep into my psyche.

I tried to explain, to tell him that it was all a misunderstanding, but he wouldn't listen. Instead, he hurled accusations at me, his words dripping with venom.

After that warning, he released me with a shove, sending me crashing to the floor. As I looked up, I saw him carrying Amber in his arms, his face a picture of concern and devotion.

He didn't even glance at me, didn't acknowledge my presence in any way. I was left shattered, my heart heavy with the weight of his rejection.

The whispers and murmurs from the crowd only added to my pain, their judgments and assumptions about me and my relationship with Aldrake cutting deep into my soul.

"Isn't she the wife of that Alpha?". Someone whispered.

"Yes, that's her. I've heard their marriage is just an arranged one". Another person replied.

"No wonder her husband treats her like that".

"Do you know who the Alpha's carrying?".

"Yes, it's her stepsister. There are rumors that she's jealous of her, which is why she always hurts and bullies her"

"Amber seems like a kind and cheerful person, maybe she's jealous of her because she gets everyone's attention, unlike her".

The whispers and murmurs from the crowd only made me feel more defeated, and I buried my face in my hands, tears streaming down my face. To everyone else, it seemed like I was the one at fault, and Amber was the victim.

They saw me as the bad one, and Amber as the good one. Why was it that people could judge so quickly based on what they saw, without knowing the truth?.

"She doesn't deserve the title of Luna. Her sister is more deserving of that role". Someone said, and the words cut deep into my heart.

After the crowd dispersed, having judged me without mercy, the hallway was filled with the sound of my sobs as I sat on the floor, my head bowed onto my knees. I cried uncontrollably, until I felt a strong presence approaching.

I lifted my head to see who it was, and my eyes met a familiar face. The person stopped beside me, looking at me with an unreadable expression, and I gazed back at him. Even though my vision was blurry from tears, I knew I had seen his face before.

"You alright?" He asked, with his deep and cold tone.

I shook my head, and looked up at him. "I want to go home. Please help me get out of this place" I begged, not caring that I was asking for help from a stranger.

All I wanted was to leave and get away from the people at this event.

"Let's go" He said, and I nodded.

I tried to stand up, but my legs felt weak and trembling, and I almost fell, if he hadn't caught my hand.

"I don't think I can walk" I said, looking down. He didn't say anything, but suddenly I felt myself being lifted off the ground. I realized that he was carrying me, the same man I had seen at the bar counter earlier.

"Where are you taking me? This isn't the way out" I asked, noticing that we were heading towards the end of the hallway where the comfort room was.

"There's a way out this way" He replied. I fell silent, letting him lead the way.

We eventually made our way outside, and I saw that we were at the back of the house. There were two gates, one at the front and one at the back, and it seemed like the back gate led to a vast forest.

"You can put me down. Thank you" I said, still sniffling from crying earlier.

"When you exit the gate, you'll see a vast forest. Just walk straight, and you'll see a high wall covered in vines. Follow it, and you'll find a hole big enough to fit through. You'll see a small hut there, and you can ask the person where the road is, so you can go home" He explained.

I nodded, surprised that he could speak at such length. He didn't seem like the type to talk much, but I guess you can't judge a book by its cover.

"Thank you again" I said.

As I turned to leave, he asked. "What's your name?"

I turned back to him, smiling slightly. "Livia. That's my name. How about you?" I asked, curious. He had helped me, so it was only fair to ask his name, right?.

"Aldus" He replied, looking into my eyes. The name seemed familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Okay. Thank you again, Aldus" I said, before turning and walking out the gate.

The forest was too vast, so Livia wouldn't be surprised if it took her until dawn to get back to the pack house. As she walked through the dark forest, with only the faint light of the moon illuminating her way, she couldn't help but cry as she thought about what had happened earlier.

Her image had been tarnished by her sister's actions, and she didn't know how she could face everyone anymore.

Everyone seemed to think she was the bad one, thanks to Amber's manipulation. Livia didn't know what to do. Aldrake was even more angry with her now.

She was trying her best not to engage with Amber anymore, hoping to improve her image and get Aldrake's attention, but it seemed like Amber was determined to ruin everything.

It hurt to think that Aldrake wasn't listening to her, that his mind was closed off to her. She didn't have any other intentions; all she wanted was for him to notice her and show her some love. That's all.

> "I told you, Livia, leave him! We don't deserve a bastard like him! We can still find a man who can love you back, and that's not him, Livia". Her wolf, Lilly, growled inside her head.

"But I love him--".

> "And he doesn't love you, Livia! Come on, don't be so desperate! Leave him and let's find our happiness! He's not the only man destined for you, Livia. Our Moon Goddess has another plan for you, and I know that".

"It's easy to say "leave him", Lilly, but it's hard to do, especially when I love him so much".

> "St*pid--" Lilly's words were cut off by a wolf suddenly appearing in front of Livia.

A rogue! F*ck! Why now, when she's not in the right state to fight?.

> "Unleash me, Livia! Let me handle that dog. I want to release my burning anger toward that bastard you call husband!". Lilly's growl echoed in Livia's mind. Her wolf can't control the anger, so she growls loudly in her mind.

"You're not in a good condition to fight, Lilly!" Livia firmly told her, studying the rogue's every move.

Its teeth were razor-sharp, and it was drooling like it was ready to devour her.

> "Trust me, Livia. My burning anger would help me k*ll that sh*tty dog!! Just unleash me, NOW!!" Livia was taken aback by Lilly's loud shout, which made her close her eyes.

She had no choice but to let Lilly take control of her body. "Take care" Were the last words Livia said before they shifted forms.

A loud howl came from Lilly after she took over Livia's body. Lilly was a large white wolf with gentle, deep-set blue eyes. She was a trained wolf. When Livia's best friend was still alive, she would often take them to train with the pack members.

Livia used to be one of the pack warriors, to make her body stronger and more resilient. But after Kleo d*ed, Livia stopped training. She wasn't close to the pack members anyway, since they preferred Amber's company.

So, after her friend's passing, Lilly and Livia would train at midnight. But because the mating bond with her mate, Aldrake wasn't complete, even if they train a hundred times, it won't make them stranger like other Luna.

> "It's nice to be in control. Now, show me what you got, sh*tty dog!".

The rogue in front of them didn't waste any time and attacked immediately, and Lilly did the same.

While fighting, they were taken aback by three more rogues emerging from the darkness.

> "Sh*t! They've planned this!" Lilly said.

They became alert after being surrounded by the rogues.

"Look at that, a Luna who got lost in our territory" One of the rogues said.

Livia fell silent at what she heard. She stared at him, and that's when she noticed he was bigger than his companions. At this point, it seemed like they were in trouble, especially since Lilly wasn't in top condition. It looked like the one in front of them was the leader.

"Lilly, we better run than feel sorry. You aren't in a good condition, so we better run before they k*ll us!!" Livia warned Lilly, but she was stubborn.

> "Ain't my forte to run, Livia. I'm Luna's wolf, so I'm not going to run like a scared kitten. So be ready!".

"Lilly, this isn't the time to be proud! You're not in a good condition, so----Lilly!!" It was too late to warn her, as she charged at the rogues.

Her body was weak due to the lack of communication with her mated wolf, and the same went for Livia.

They weren't bonded to their mate, which is why they experienced weakness at times. The third full moon was approaching, and they still hadn't had their mating session, which would have strengthened their bodies and wolf forms. And now, their fate is to fight until their ends come without any shared help with their mates.

One against four. They were at a disadvantage because the rogues were attacking them simultaneously. They didn't have eyes in the back of their heads, so Lilly couldn't avoid getting hurt.

"Lilly, let's just run!!" Livia shouted, but Lilly wasn't listening.

> "Argh!!" Lilly growled in pain as one of the rogues bit into her leg, while she was also wounded on her face due to the rogue's long claws.

Livia called out to her, "Lilly," but she didn't respond.

Livia was scared to death, thinking that this was the end for both of them, but to her surprise, a large wolf attacked the leader of the rogues. It bit into his neck before throwing him far away.

The rogue's body even hit the tree trunk, which was the cause of its death. Then, it attacked the rogue's companions, and in almost a minute, it had killed all the rogues.

Lilly collapsed to the ground due to the extreme weakness of her body from the wounds she had sustained. And because she couldn't control her body anymore, Livia slowly shifted back to her human form.

After transforming back into my human form, I felt a wave of weakness wash over me due to the injuries Lilly sustained during the fight. I coughed up blood while lying on the dirty ground.

I had no strength left to investigate who helped us, all I knew was that we were safe and would make it back to the pack house in one piece. I waited for half a minute to gather some strength and lift myself up from the ground.

I leaned against a large tree trunk and tried to mind-link with my wolf, Lilly, but she didn't respond, which worried me.

"Lilly, are you alright?".

A faint growl was the only sound I heard from my mind. She's wounded, and now she's gotten even more injuries. I couldn't help but tear up thinking about Lilly's condition. I was worried about my only friend who understood me.

"Lilly."

I breathed a sigh of relief when I heard her weak voice. > "Don't worry... I'm alright."

"I told you not to fight, and we should have just run away. But you didn't listen. Look at you now, you're even weaker." I said, trying to hide my concern for my friend. Lilly wasn't just a friend to me; she was like a sister.

> "We're not taught to run away from battles, Livia." She said, and I fell silent. She was right; Kleo taught us to fight to the end when we can.

"But you got hurt."

> "Getting hurt is part of our life, Livia. Don't be sad; I can take care of myself. But I think I'll need to rest for a few days."

"Alright, take care of yourself, Lilly." After talking to her, I adjusted my sitting position and closed my eyes tightly as I felt the pain in my side and back. But after a few seconds, I opened my eyes when I heard some rustling sounds.

"Good to see you're still alive." A man stood in front of me, and I furrowed my brows at his sudden appearance.

"Who are you?" I asked, puzzled.

"I'm Beta." He replied, and I looked him up and down.

I noticed he wasn't wearing shirts, and his body was covered in scratches. I remembered the large wolf that helped us, and I wondered if it was him.

"You are the one who helped us?" I asked. "Thank you so much. If you hadn't shown up, we would've been done for--" I was about to continue, but he cut me off.

"I was just following orders." His response made me frown.

It wasn't out of kindness that he helped us, but because he was ordered to. But who would order someone to help me? Could it be...my husband? But that's unlikely.

Helping me isn't in Aldrake's vocabulary, even if I'm on the brink of death. If it were Amber, he would've saved her without hesitation. Thinking about this is giving me heartache.

"Who ordered you to help me?" I asked him.

"You'll find out soon enough. Stand up; I'll accompany you out of this forest." He said, offering me a t-shirt.

I took it, still frowning, and realized I was naked. I quickly put on the shirt and stood up, holding onto the tree for support. My leg hurt, probably from the bite in Lilly's leg. I felt dizzy, and my body ached all over.

"Can you walk?" he asked.

"Yes, I can manage." I replied.

As we walked, I remembered he was a Beta, which meant he was likely ordered by an Alpha?. I wondered who that Alpha could be.

*****

After a long while, we finally reached the wall the man had pointed out as the exit from this forest. My companion pushed aside the branches, revealing a hole just large enough for one person to fit through.

He went out first, and I followed. I almost stumbled due to the pain in my leg, but he quickly caught me.

"T-thank you," I said softly before he let me go.

We walked a short distance, and soon we saw the cabin the man from the party had mentioned. It was a small, old cabin, and a black car was parked beside it. I furrowed my brows, wondering if the car's owner lived in the cabin, until I saw a familiar face.

It was the man who had helped me at the party, the same one who had shown me the way out of this forest. But what was he doing here? Could he be the one who had ordered the other man to help me?.

The man approached him and bowed his head in respect, confirming my suspicion about his status. Based on his appearance, demeanor, and presence, it's clear he's a leader.

"You survived," he stated, rather than asked.

I slowly approached him, and he was leaning against his car, parked right in front of the cabin door. I wonder who owns this cabin and why they're not coming out despite people being right outside.

"We almost d*ed if not for your man's help. Thanks again. I'll make it back to the pack house alive. I'll head out now," I said, planning to turn around, but he spoke up.

"You need medical attention. Your wolf's injuries from the fight look severe, and so do your human form's injuries." He pushed off from the car and headed into the cabin without another word.

I stood there for a few seconds, stunned, before deciding to follow him. Upon entering, I realized this was likely a healer's or a witch's home. Based on the items here, I couldn't be mistaken.

I sat down in an empty chair directly across from the man named Aldus. He was busy with his phone, so I couldn't help but stare at his face. He undeniably possesses a handsome face and a fit physique.

"Stop staring at me, woman." I was startled by his sudden comment, which made me quickly avert my gaze.

He put down his phone and looked at me, which made me feel self-conscious.

"Hmm... w-who owns this cabin?" I asked, trying to change the subject to avoid the awkwardness I felt around him.

"An old witch. She'll be able to help you with the injuries you and your wolf sustained." He replied, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took one out and lit it, bringing it to his lips.

"May I ask, why are you helping me? I mean, you don't even know me--" My words were cut off when he spoke after blowing on his cigarette.

"And who doesn't know the Luna of the Moonlight Pack?" His response surprised me. He knows me? He knows where I'm from? But how?.

"How did you know I'm the Luna of the Moonlight Pack?" I asked curiously. He didn't answer, just shrugged slightly and took another drag on his cigarette.

After a few minutes of sitting, the old woman he mentioned arrived.

"A Luna? This is the first time I've had a Luna step foot in my home." The old crone's words made me swallow hard.

Her appearance was intimidating. Her skin was wrinkled, her long nails were black, and her round eyes were the same color. Not to mention her long nose. She wore a black dress and carried a cane.

I jumped slightly in my seat when she suddenly appeared in front of me, holding my wrist and seemingly examining it.

"An unaccepted Luna." After saying those words, I felt a pang in my heart. She knew. Just by holding my wrist, she knew I was an unaccepted Luna. The old woman let go of my wrist and looked at Aldus, who was watching me.

"Why did you bring her here, Your Highness?" the old woman asked Aldus respectfully.

"They need medical attention."

"Is that so?" The old woman walked away from us, went to the other side of the cabin, and retrieved something. When she returned, she was holding a bottle and an old, thick book.

"Luna, can you transform into your wolf form, even if it's just for a few seconds?" she asked me. I was puzzled about why this was necessary, but Aldus spoke up.

"She needs to see the state of your wolf and give it the proper treatment." I nodded slightly.

I tried to mind-link with Lilly, but she immediately refused.

"I don't think I can transform anymore, Livia. Sorry." I sighed and nodded. "My wolf is too weak. She can't take over anymore".

The old woman nodded. "That's alright. Let's begin." After saying that, she sat beside me and started working on her task. After a few minutes, she finished, and I thanked her.

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Luna " she said with a smile.

We stayed there for a few more minutes before Aldus decided it was time to leave, and I followed suit. As we were saying our goodbyes, the old woman suddenly leaned in and whispered.

"You're a Luna, but you don't have a mark proving you're unaccepted by your mate. You're close to the third full moon, and you still haven't completed the ceremony to bond with your partner. This will cause your wolf and your body to weaken severely. Worse, it will lead to your wolf's d*ath. While there's still time, find your true partner."