That young woman planted a sweet kiss on Carlen's cheek. Something shiny glinted on her left ring finger.

I looked closely. It turned out she was wearing a moonstone ring on her ring finger.

"Alpha Carlen, the ring you've given me is so beautiful. I believe our pup can already feel how much you love me."

Carlen gently draped his coat over her shoulders and bent to stroke her rounded bump.

"I'm looking forward to meeting our pup too," he said tenderly.

I watched them and laughed. But somehow, tears silently slipped down my face.

For seven years, Carlen had maintained an appropriate distance from other women. At one point, there were even rumors in the pack that he was averse to the opposite sex.

He never cared about these gossips, saying only that it was out of respect for his Luna.

Later, he even asked a professor for advice on how to be a better Alpha mate.

I used to tease him for taking it so seriously, but he always said it was to give me a sense of security.

Carlen once told me that his heart would only belong to me.

Yet now, he had given that unique love to the woman carrying his pup.

I watched silently until Carlen felt my gaze.

The moment our eyes met, he straightened up as if the woman in his arms had suddenly turned scalding hot.

He rushed over and took my hands in his.

Carlen's eyes were filled with concern as he asked, "Irene, why are your hands so cold? And why are you crying? You're making me so worried."

The concern in his eyes was so real that it made me waver for a moment.

However, behind him, the woman carrying his pup was watching me like a victor.

She was supporting her belly with one hand, while the other gently rubbed it in slow circles. Her gaze was provocative.

I pulled my hand from Carlen's and took two steps back.

"Who is she? Is the pup she's carrying… yours?" I asked with my last ounce of strength.

At that moment, I staked our seven-year marriage and all my courage on this question. As long as he denied it and said that pup wasn't his, I was willing to believe him and forget all the pain.

However, the woman suddenly let out a sob, as if mocking my naivety.

A flicker of guilt crossed Carlen's eyes.

He closed them in agony. And when he opened them again, he gave me the cruelest answer. "It's mine."

My legs instantly gave out, and I fell heavily to the ground. My palms scraped against the rough surface as I tried to brace myself.

Carlen immediately kneeled before me, his eyes filled with anxiety. "Irene, punish me if you want, but please don't hurt yourself."

He reached for my hands to check the injuries, but he suddenly froze. "Where's your wedding ring?"

Pulling my hand away, I smiled bitterly as I pointed in the other woman's direction. "Isn't it already on her finger? You only need one wedding ring."

When Carlen heard this, a panicked look filled his eyes. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't.

Suddenly, he raised his hand and slapped himself twice. The force was so great that red marks immediately appeared on his cheeks.

That woman immediately rushed over and shielded him with her body.

Her voice trembled, but she flashed a provocative look as she stared at me. "Irene, I'm Lily Chalvez. Alpha Carlen and I were forced to be together. Please don't blame him!"

Carlen's face instantly darkened, and his voice turned cold. "Do you think you have the right to call her name? You should address her as Luna Irene!"

Lily flinched slightly, but still raised her head and spoke again. "Luna Irene, please believe me, I'm still so young. If it wasn't for Alpha's mom, I never would have kept this pup!"

The moment those words escaped her lips, Carlen abruptly turned to her and shouted, "Don't!"

In that instant, I knew it would be impossible to save our marriage.

I didn't question Carlen further. I simply let him drive me home.

On the way, he explained everything about that incident.

Nine months ago, while negotiating a business deal, someone had spiked his drink with a strong aphrodisiac. In a haze, he was taken home by a waitress named Lily.

After that incident, he punished the establishment and gave Lily a sum of money as compensation. He told her to leave the Silvermoon Pack's territory.

However, he never expected her to end up being bred.

Carlen's mother, Judy Moran, found out about this incident. She brought Lily back to the pack and insisted on keeping what might be a future heir.

I knew how obsessed Judy was with heirs.

Right after our wedding seven years ago, Carlen and I were ambushed by rogues on our honeymoon.

During the escape, he was shot with a bullet laced with silver nitrate while protecting me.

He used the last of his strength to push me to safety so I could run. But how could I leave my mate behind?

I chose to stay, using my wolf's power to heal him and prevent him from dying from the silver poison.

By the time reinforcements from the pack arrived, I had drained nearly all of my wolf.

Carlen recovered quickly, but I lost the pup I'd been carrying during that incident. My wolf was also severely wounded. From that day on, I could no longer conceive.

After that, Carlen grew even more devoted to me. He said our souls were completely bonded, swearing that he would never leave me, no matter what.

However, Judy was extremely displeased with my inability to bear them an heir.

When Lily unexpectedly conceived Carlen's pup, it was no surprise how vehemently she would protect it.

…

In the car, Carlen held my hand tightly, guilt written all over his face. Through our mind-link, he spoke with deep remorse. "Irene, it was really just an accident… I'll give you a grand wedding to make it up to you."

Staring into his golden eyes, I held back the pain rising in my chest and asked, "Who do you choose—me or the pup?"

He fell silent, but I already had my answer.

That night, an invisible yet thick wall seemed to separate us. His embrace was still warm and familiar, but I had never felt so far away from him.

The next morning, Carlen was already gone. All he left behind was a note on the bedside table.

"There's an emergency in the pack. I've gone ahead. I made you breakfast. Don't forget to eat."

In fact, I'd heard Lily call him before dawn. She was the one who called him away.

Looking at the breakfast on the table, I suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

A thought rose in my mind. I went to the obstetrics and gynecology department in the pack's healing center.

When I saw the words "Pregnancy Confirmed" on the report in my hand, I laughed through tears.

The healer looked at me with pity and asked gently, "Have you decided what to do with the pup? Given your condition, you may never be able to conceive again if you give up this pup."

I thought for a long time before quietly giving my answer.

After leaving the healer center, I went to the luxurious estate Carlen had gifted me.

It was named after me.

My name was carved into the stone at the entrance of the estate. And just below it, there was a vow handwritten by Carlen.

"Together with my Luna, for eternity."

Looking at that, all I felt was a bitter irony.

This was Carlen's gift to me, our exclusive love nest. No other woman was allowed inside, except for the maids.

Yet now, I saw Lily in the estate.

She looked at me smugly, her tone full of provocation. "So this is the legendary Irene Estate that only the Alpha and Luna are allowed to enter. It doesn't seem that special. I got in without much trouble.

"I heard this place was your exclusive love nest. But Judy said it's perfect for pregnancy, so Carlen let me move in. You're not mad, are you? He didn't want anything in here to hurt the baby. That's why he replaced all the furniture with my favorite styles."

I looked around at the estate that had been completely transformed. The bitterness in my chest nearly choked me.

Memories flooded in like a tide, vivid before my eyes.

On our third mate-bond anniversary, Carlen had gone down on one knee and handed me the keys to this place. "Irene, I won't let anyone else step foot in here. This place carries the mark of our bond. It belongs to us, and only us."

This had once been the sanctuary of our love. Now, he had personally given it to another woman.

I felt as if all strength had been drained from my body. I could barely stand.

This place, once filled with love, had become a testament to my heartbreak.

"So how long do you plan to keep hogging the Luna title? Can't you see how much Carlen favors me and the pup?" Lily's words were filled with malice.

Hogging? Only when one occupied something that didn't belong to them was called hogging.

Perhaps in others' eyes, I truly didn't deserve the Luna position anymore.

I smiled wryly, and a sense of helplessness washed over me.

Suddenly, my gaze fell on an empty corner of the living room. Our wedding photo had once been there, but now it was gone.

"Where's my wedding photo with Carlen?" My voice trembled, rising without warning. Disbelief burned in my eyes.

"It upset me when I looked at it, so I asked Carlen to put it away," Lily said dismissively, as if discussing a trivial matter.

I glared at her. Reluctantly, she went to retrieve the wedding photo.

Right after that, a wicked smile curled on her lips. She directly set the photo on fire in front of me.

I lunged forward, trying to extinguish the flames.

Seizing the opportunity, Lily stumbled to the ground and cried out in pain.

I couldn't hear anything else. All I cared about was putting out the fire.

But Carlen's furious voice suddenly rang in my ears like thunder. "Irene, why did you push her?"

Carlen was furious. Without sparing me a glance, he scooped Lily into his arms and rushed out.

I looked down at my hands, red and swollen from the burns. These seven years of marriage had been nothing but a joke.

After a quick rinse of my wounds, I began to clean up the mess.

Judy suddenly barged in and slapped me hard across the face. "You useless thing who can't carry a pup! If anything happens to my grandson, I'll make sure you pay!"

Before she could go further, Carlen returned and quickly pulled her back.

Finally, he rushed to me and grabbed my hands. He carefully applied ointment and bandages, speeding up the healing.

Seeing Judy still unwilling to back down, Carlen reminded her, "Lily's about to give birth."

With a cold snort, she turned and left to wait for the birth of her grandson.

Once she was gone, Carlen carefully watched my expression.

In the end, he said cautiously, "Irene, Lily's still young. You shouldn't have pushed her even if she upset you."

"I pushed her?" I retorted, disbelief thick in my voice.

"It's fine. I already apologized to her for you. She won't hold it against you," he said.

Just like that, he decided that I was guilty with one dismissive sentence.

Exhaustion and helplessness washed over me. I didn't want to explain anymore. Carlen had already chosen to believe Lily over me.

A seven-year mate bond couldn't compare to someone new that he hadn't even known for a year.

I looked at him tending to my wounds with care, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. I recalled that brief flash of joy in his eyes when he mentioned that Lily's pup was coming.

I gently touched my bump.

Regarding this pup's fate, he had already made the decision for me.

Eventually, Carlen went to the healer center where Lily was to wait for her delivery.

I packed my bags for the following day's departure, erasing every trace of my life at Irene Estate.

I didn't leave a single thing behind for Carlen, only the charred remains of our wedding photos.

Pulling out a flash drive from my bag, I mailed it out along with the signed mate bond dissolution agreement and the medical certificate of abortion.

The recipient was Carlen, and the delivery address was the venue where the wedding would be held the next day.

After doing all this, I pulled out my phone again. Holding back the pain in my chest, I sent a message to Lily. "Lily, you want to be Luna, don't you? I'm giving him and tomorrow's ceremony to you."

The next morning, Carlen called to say the wedding team would send a car for me. He would go straight to the venue from the healing center.

While his call was still connected, my cab arrived. The driver confirmed the address with me.

Carlen heard the voice on the other end and asked in confusion, "Irene, why are you taking a cab?"

"I'm taking a cab to the ceremony," I replied flatly, brushing him off.

After a brief pause, Carlen said solemnly, "Irene, although Lily just gave birth to my pup, you have to believe that I always love you the most."

Once, there had been only one person he loved the most. At some point, it had become more than one.

Did he think his heart was big enough to hold so many people at once?

I didn't believe it.

I ended the call and gave the driver directions to the airport.

As I boarded the plane, I blocked Carlen on every social media platform. I deleted all those photos and posts documenting our love. From this moment on, I would embrace a new life.

Back in the delivery room, Carlen was restless, as if something precious was quietly slipping away from him.

However, he didn't have time to dwell on it. The newborn pup's cries snapped him back to reality.

Carlen felt a flicker of joy at the sight of the pup, but he didn't reach out to hold him. He was afraid that the pup's scent would cling to him and displease me.

At 12:00 pm, the wedding hall was packed with pack members.

Carlen waited on the altar, his face full of smiles.

Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the church doors opened. The bride, dressed in a wedding gown, slowly walked forward to the music.

But when the bride lifted her head, Carlen's smile instantly froze.

The bride wasn't me. It was Lily, cradling their newborn pup in her arms.

The murmurs around the hall grew louder.

Carlen's face darkened instantly. He gripped Lily's wrist tightly and asked, "Why are you here? Where's Irene?"