Everyone said I was very fortunate to become the Luna of Alpha Lucius Blackthorn.

He once swore a deadly oath never to bond with anyone, yet for me alone, a wolf-less Omega, he chose to break it.

“Rosalie, you are the one I chose as my mate. I will protect you all my life.”

He said it and proved it. Over five years of our bond, he treasured me and fulfilled everything I asked.

My adoptive father suffered from wolf poison and used up all his wealth to seek a healer.

Yet on the very day he was close to death.

I contacted the healer, begging in pain for life-saving aid, but Lucius scoffed. “She is mine to please me. Don’t make trouble.”

——

Everyone said Alpha Lucius would be cursed by the Moon Goddess for falling in love with me.

Only since he had just come into age, his destined mate rejected him, and he swore at the altar that he would never form a mate bond in this life.

From that moment, he took an interest in girls close to turning eighteen, sought pleasure with them, and then quickly ended things once they came of age.

Until he came across me, an Omega without a wolf. I could not claim a mate of my own, yet I was lucky that Lucius fell for me at first sight.

From then on, everyone in the pack said Lucius had changed from his reckless ways.

For my sake, he ended all ties with other she-wolves, opposed the pack’s voices to declare me as the pack’s Luna, and even broke his sworn vow at the Moon Goddess’s altar to claim me as his mate.

“Rosalie, you are the mate I personally chose, and the only Luna of my life. I will keep you safe forever.”

He said it and proved it. For five years of our mate bond, I was held dear in his hands, and he answered my every wish.

Three months ago, my adoptive father was poisoned by wolf poison, and Lucius did not hesitate to use his family’s treasures to find a healer.

I waited with great expectation for today’s surgery, only to discover the healer had disappeared, along with Lucius.

“No, no, no, I’m begging you, answer the phone!”

Still, there was no response from the other end. I sank to my knees, finally hearing a voice from the other side.

It was the healer Wisteria Grimwood, but her voice was a little different and a bit charming.

“I’m busy at the moment. I can’t make it.”

“My father is already close to death, the poison has spread into his blood. I beg you!”

“I told you I have something important… hmm… dear, don’t start yet…”

Just as I understood what those strange sounds meant, the next second I heard a man’s voice I knew all too well.

“You even had the mind to answer the phone; it looks like I didn’t use enough force.”

The phone fell from my hand and hit the ground with a noise.

That was Lucius, my Alpha, my mate.

“Alright, I’m hanging up now.”

Wisteria spoke in a teasing tone, yet she did not truly hang up.

From the other side of the phone came painful moans and that man's soft laugh.

"Get on your knees, hold it with your mouth."

“But, her father seems really about to not make it, should I really go over…”

"Don't worry, wolves hit by wolf toxin are not just him. Bear with it, and he will make it through."

“And you, still distracted by other men under me? Right now, your task is to please your Alpha. Understand?”

Wisteria’s breath and the sounds around her were like a knife stabbing through my broken heart.

I stood there in shock, my thoughts blank and unable to react.

The healer’s deep voice sounded from behind me.

“Luna, your father passed away a moment ago due to wolf poison reaching his heart. Please control your emotions…”

“Dad!” I cried out and rushed into the operating room.

What I saw was just my father lying on the bed, his body not yet completely cold.

My adoptive father, the one who, in hard times, would save the last piece of food for me.

He once had a chance to live, yet now he passed alone in pain like this.

I numbly signed, took care of the matters that followed, and when I returned home, it was already three days later.

For three days, Lucius did not appear, not even a single call, and even the mind link between us had been blocked by him.

The house held traces of our past affection, now all of it looked like a bitter joke.

When had everything begun to go wrong?

Maybe it began when he stopped attending pack meetings, traveled with Wisteria, and even brought her Alpha-exclusive balls.

Maybe it was when he spent a huge amount to buy the former queen’s moonstone necklace for her birthday, yet forgot our wedding anniversary.

Little by little, I had already begun to sense the feelings growing between them.

But Lucius would always smile and pinch my nose, saying I was being jealous for no reason.

“Baby, I’m only being nice to her so your father gets better treatment, right?”

I used to believe him, but now I have woken up.

Looking around, I stood up and called Lucius’s mother.

“Ma’am Ingrid, please tell me, how do I break the mate bond?”

A moment of silence came from the other side, then Ingrid’s voice rang out, cold and lacking any surprise.

“So you’ve finally understood? Good, it saves me five more years of separating you.”

“However, even though I don’t like you, I still need to remind you that you are an Omega without a wolf. The price of ending the contract yourself, are you ready to face it?”

I lightly laughed. “Ma’am, my father died three days ago. The former Rosalie died with him. The Rosalie now is not afraid of anything.”

“Good, you have courage. On the next full moon night, go to the altar where you formed the bond. A priest will be waiting there.”

I answered calmly, then ended the call and looked out the window, where a crescent moon hung in the sky.

Lucius, after the next full moon night, there will be nothing left between us.

I kept an expressionless face as I walked into the pack meeting hall.

Since Wisteria arrived, Lucius had grown careless with pack matters, leaving me no choice but to step in.

From when no one believed in me at first, to now, when every Beta there treated me with respect, only heaven knew how much work I had put in.

I walked straight to Alpha’s seat and sat down, beginning to host the meeting.

A Beta said respectfully, “Luna, the northern defenses have been reinforced following your command, however…”

He paused for a moment, lowering his voice.

“Alpha sent word that he plans to use a large portion of the funds to purchase something for Wisteria…”

“Not permitted.”

I replied with two cold words, and he gave a knowing nod before withdrawing.

“Next, I have something to tell everyone. Starting today, I will no longer handle pack matters.”

Everyone gasped, then exchanged looks. I stayed calm, rose to my feet, and got ready to leave.

“Wait! The Alpha has returned! In the study room!”

Returned?

For three full days, he had sealed off the mind link and cut all contact.

Now that he had come back, instead of going straight to the treatment center to see his father-in-law or heading to the meeting room to take control, what was he doing hiding in the study?

I walked down the long hallway and pushed open the study door. A heavy, sweet scent rushed toward me; it was the smell of Wisteria.

The one carrying that scent sat sideways on Lucius’s lap, her hands lightly moving over his chest.

The instant I opened the door, they both turned their heads toward me, and the room fell into silence.

“Luna, you misunderstood. I only accidentally…” Wisteria quickly rose from Lucius.

I curled my lips slightly. “Misunderstood? Misunderstood you accidentally ending up on his lap?”

I had neither the interest nor the time to get involved in their little game.

Lucius’s gaze moved to the documents in my hand. “I heard you’re planning to withdraw from the pack meeting? You’re Luna, that goes against the rules.”

“As Alpha, failing to check on the pack or even your own wife for three days did not seem to follow the rules either,” I replied calmly.

Lucius’s brows drew together, though he quickly hid his feelings. “Never mind, you have been working hard these past few days. Come with me.”

He rose and casually placed his arm around Wisteria, then tipped his head, signaling for me to follow.

I quietly followed behind them and reached the pack’s private horse grounds.

“Newly delivered snowfield breed, its nature is very wild.” Lucius brought out a fully white young horse. “Didn’t you say before you wanted to give one to your father?”

My father was already dead.

Lucius did not meet him for the last time, nor did he know he had already become ashes, only using these external displays to preserve his fake dignity.

But I said nothing and simply nodded without any expression.

Lucius did not notice my cold reaction at all. He got onto his horse, then extended his hand toward Wisteria.

Wisteria, feeling honored, placed her hand in his and used his help to jump up and sit in front of him.

Her small figure was fully tucked into Lucius’s wide arms, her face turning red.

A faint smile formed on Lucius’s lips as his chin rested near her neck, murmuring something softly.

I quietly stood beyond the fence, like someone not involved.

“Alpha treated me so kindly, Luna, you would not feel jealous, right?” Wisteria looked at me nervously, yet her eyes were slightly provoking. “Do not take it the wrong way, this was all to help my strength recover faster, so I could treat the old man sooner…”

“Hmm, I understood.” I interrupted her.

In the end, Lucius got an urgent call, so he told me to bring Wisteria back home.

Soon after he turned away, Wisteria laughed sharply. “Luna, you were truly generous.”

I ignored her.

But she kept laughing softly, then leaned near my ear and lowered her voice.

“That day when you called me, pleading for me to go to the treatment center, you already knew who I was with and what I was doing, didn’t you?”

I felt the look on my face shake along with my heart.

But I drew a deep breath, calmly looked at her, then turned my head and kept walking.

Wisteria would not give up and ran after me, still talking next to my ear.

“Alpha told me, you don’t move at all in bed, like a dead fish, just looking at you is boring.”

“Can’t blame him either. After all, what man can bear such a boring mate?”

“Have you talked enough or not!”

I could not take it anymore, and without thinking, I directly reached out my hand, wanting to hit her.

At that moment, however, the ground suddenly shook hard; the stone columns around us were old and worn, and they broke apart at once.

“Ah!”

Wisteria screamed, tightly holding my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

Several big rocks fell down, just blocking our only way out, trapping us in a small gap.

“Help! Lucius! Hurry and save me!” Wisteria wildly hit the rocks.

And a broken stone pillar pressed against my leg, I only felt stabbing pain.

Soon after, Lucius’s worried shout came through the stones.

“Wisteria! Rosalie! Can you hear me?”

“Lucius! I’m trapped!” Wisteria seemed to catch a last hope, crying out in fear. “It’s about to fall here, save me!”

Then, a Beta’s frightened voice sounded. “Alpha! There’s no time left! We can only pull one person out before everything falls down; it must be fast!”

The air seemed to turn still at that moment.

I leaned against the stone wall, listening to Wisteria’s broken pleading, listening to my Alpha husband’s silence at that moment.

“Save Wisteria first.”

Just a few words, clear, cold, cutting off the last bit of love I had for him.

When Wisteria was pulled out, she turned back and gave me a mocking look.

Then the place where I was fully fell apart, and I was swallowed by darkness.

At the moment I fully lost consciousness, I prayed to the Moon Goddess.

Moon Goddess, if you permit it, please let me see my father’s spirit again. I was too tired.

When I opened my eyes once more, my whole body ached, and my leg was covered in thick plaster.

A man sat by the bed, his eyes dark, his face tired; it was Lucius, who had once been full of spirit.

When he saw me wake, he suddenly grabbed my hand, his voice rough. “Awake?”

I pulled my hand away with dislike and turned my head aside.

“Don’t touch me.”

His hand stayed in the air, stiff as he said, “Wisteria is young, and she is a healer. I must first make sure she is safe. And, we need her; only then can we save your father’s life, right?”

I listened to his big reasons, only feeling my stomach turn.

“Lucius, if she were not a healer, would you save me first or her?”

Lucius paused, then hesitated and said, “Of course you…”

“Do you dare to swear in the name of the Moon Goddess that what you say next is true?”

The room became terribly quiet.

He said nothing.

This brief moment of pause made me feel more sick than anything else.

At that time, the room door was pushed open, and Wisteria, wrapped in a light shawl, weakly leaned by the doorway.

“Alpha… I think I am pregnant.”

Pregnant?

Lucius, who had promised he would love me for his whole life, let this woman, who watched my father die without helping, become pregnant.

I softly closed my eyes, and the tears at the corners of my eyes finally could not be stopped and fell down.