A saying had always been passed down in the Fendon Pack.

Every male wolf in this world might betray his mate.

However, Damon was the exception.

As the current Alpha of the Fendon Pack, Damon was known for his cold discipline, absolute self-control, and unmatched strength.

Everyone also knew that when he was young, he had already given his whole heart to his fated mate, Yuna.

But five years after they completed their mating mark ceremony, Yuna received photos of him cheating.

The moment she saw them, her entire body went rigid.

In the photo, Damon was draping his coat over another woman’s shoulders.

However, the woman beside him wasn't a noble-blooded she-wolf. She wasn't one of the pack’s powerful warriors either.

Vera was just a divorced human who ran a small flower shop in the Neutral Zone.

Yet the way Damon looked at her held a love and tenderness that ran deep into his bones.

At nine that night, the front door of the main house opened.

Damon stepped inside, the chill of the night wind still clinging to his long black coat.

He looked the same as always, controlled and untouchable. His collar perfectly straight, his expression cold enough to freeze the air.

Yuna sat in the dark living room.

She waited until he walked closer, then suddenly hurled the stack of photos at him.

"Damon. Explain."

The photos scattered across the floor.

Damon went still for a moment before bending down to pick them up.

The Alpha who had never tolerated even a speck of dust now bent over the photo, gently brushing the dirt off Vera's cheek with the edge of his sleeve.

Yuna's chest went numb as she watched.

Damon straightened and finally looked at her. When he spoke, his voice was cruelly calm.

"There's nothing to explain. Yes, I fell in love with her."

Yuna's voice trembled. "Fell in love with her?"

"Yes."

That one word felt like a blade cutting through her chest.

"Damon."

Yuna rose to her feet, her eyes redrimmed and shining with unshed tears. "When we were sixteen, you stood under the moon and told me I was the only one you would ever love. You said you would always stand by my side."

Damon looked at her, but the familiar softness in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep, bone-weary exhaustion he could no longer hide.

"I did say that," he replied after a pause, his voice low. "But Yuna, I'm tired after loving you all these years.

"Whenever you threw a tantrum, I was the one calming you down. If you didn't like a she-wolf getting too close to me, I cut ties with her immediately. When you felt upset in the middle of the night, I ran with you all the way to the forest boundary until sunrise.

"When you wanted that Moonstone necklace from the Southern Territory, I had someone bring it back from the auction overnight."

He recounted each and every incident. All those moments she had once believed were proof of his devotion and indulgence. Now he laid them out like evidence against her, proof that she had been spoiled and demanding.

"But I'm tired," he repeated quietly.

Yuna's throat tightened, and she couldn't force out a single word.

"Three months ago," he said, his eyes unfocused, staring off into nothing, "I forgot to buy you flowers, and you wouldn't see me for an entire day. I waited outside the main house all night. The next morning, I went to the Neutral Zone to get flowers and apologize, but my stomach hurt so badly I couldn't even stand, and I collapsed outside the shop.

"Vera was the one who helped me inside her little flower shop. She even shared roasted venison and broth with me and sat by the fireplace, taking care of me all morning."

As he spoke, the hard edge in his voice slowly softened, turning into a warmth Yuna hadn't heard from him in years.

"At her place, I felt a kind of comfort I'd never known with you. That day was the most relaxed, easiest day I've had in nine years. For the first time, I wasn't an Alpha or the leader of a pack. I was just a wolf, aching and tired like any other."

Yuna felt the pain in her chest tighten with every breath. "So just because of some roasted venison and broth, you threw away nine years of us?"

Damon was silent for a moment. He looked at Yuna, his gaze calm but complicated.

"Yuna, you're beautiful. In all these years, I've never seen a female more beautiful than you. You come from the Frostveil Pack, the pack that once ruled the Northlands. Your bloodline is noble. Your wolf's coat is as white as fresh snow. The pack needs a Luna like you.

"Vera is ordinary. She isn't exceptional. She isn't beautiful. But she worries about me. She takes care of me when I'm exhausted. With her, I feel a peace and a sense of belonging I never knew before."

A sense of belonging.

Yuna's chest tightened painfully at those words.

Then what about the home they built together for nine years?

"Don't worry," Damon added calmly. "I won't break our bond. You'll still be my mate. I promised your parents I would take care of you for the rest of your life."

He paused, slicing away the last shred of pretense.

"But from now on, I will never love you even a little. My life with Vera is none of your business. Sorry, I know I broke our vows, but I can't help it. I loved you for many years. If you're going to blame someone, blame me. It has nothing to do with Vera."

After saying that, he didn't even look at Yuna's pale face again. He turned and walked out of the house without hesitation.

Yuna collapsed onto the floor, and the only sound filling the room was her ragged breathing.

Nine years ago, she was just an orphan brought to the Frostfang Pack after her own pack had fallen.

Back then, she had been proud, sharp-edged, and slow to trust.

But Damon had spent four full years slowly working his way into her world.

At the time, she didn't know how to express herself. She refused to show weakness. Whenever she was injured, she gritted her teeth and endured it alone.

Whenever she saw other she-wolves getting close to Damon, she simply turned away with a cold face and walked off.

The moment she truly let her guard down happened when she was eighteen.

That year, she went alone to the Northlands to visit the newly raised memorial for the fallen Frostveil Pack.

But while she was there, a group of Rogues ambushed her.

Damon had just returned from training in the Southern Territory when he heard what happened. He rushed to the Northlands with a group of warriors and found her lying in a pool of blood.

She still remembered that night clearly. Damon had been covered in blood himself. His eyes were bloodshot, wild with fury and fear. When he gathered her into his arms, he held her so tightly it hurt.

"Yuna, when you're with me, you don't have to keep pretending you're strong all the time. You can rely on me. You can throw tantrums. You can give me every grievance, every bit of pain you're carrying.

"Because I will always come to you."

It was from that moment on that Yuna finally learned how to be a she-wolf who was cherished. She started letting herself sulk in front of him, making unreasonable demands, and showing the fragile parts of herself she had always hidden from everyone else.

But now, he said he was tired.

That night, Yuna cried in the darkness until her whole body shook, as if someone had torn half her soul out of her chest.

Even so, she still refused to give up.

The next day, she went to the Neutral Zone and found the small flower shop that Vera owned.

It wasn't a large place.

Bundles of wild roses, camellias, and silverleaf herbs were arranged outside the door. The scent of flowers drifted through the air, mixed with a faint trace of wood.

Yuna looked at that busy, ordinary, almost plain woman as she slid a check, filled with an eye-watering sum, across the table.

"Ms. Vera, stay away from Damon," she said, her voice icy. "This money will be enough for you to live out the rest of your life."

Vera stared at the check and froze. Then her eyes slowly turned red, but she didn't reach out to take it.

"Ms. Yuna," she said softly, shaking her head, her eyes glistening with tears. "I'll leave. Please don't make things difficult for Damon."

After saying that, she didn't even dare look at Yuna again. She hurriedly turned away and began packing her things.

Yuna stood there without moving. But instead of feeling relief, her chest felt heavier than ever.

That night, she received the news.

Vera had been in a car accident while leaving the Neutral Zone.

She survived, but the pup in her womb, Damon's child, didn't.

Yuna stood frozen in place, her hands and feet turning ice cold.

She didn't know if the sudden car accident shocked her more, or the fact that Vera had been carrying Damon's pup.

Yuna and Damon had been mates for five years. Because he had never felt ready to become a father, they had always avoided her heat cycles. They had never tried for a pup.

But Vera had only appeared a few months ago, and she had already been pregnant with his child.

-

A week later, Damon returned to the main house.

He didn't question Yuna or explode in anger. He simply stood in the hall and looked at her for a long time.

His gaze was intense and overwhelming.

Yuna felt a chill spread through her chest under that look.

She had just opened her mouth to speak when he suddenly strode forward and dragged her into his arms.

That night, he was almost feral. There was no tenderness or comfort, and none of the soft words he used to murmur to calm her.

There was only raw possession and a relentless hunger that felt almost like punishment.

For the next month, Damon seemed like a completely different man. He rarely left the main house anymore or handled pack affairs.

Instead, he kept her beside him day and night, claiming her over and over again.

Yuna's body was pushed to its limits under his relentless need. Yet somewhere deep inside her heart, a small, foolish hope began to grow.

Maybe he was forcing himself to forget Vera.

Maybe if enough time passed, he would turn back to Yuna.

One morning, Yuna suddenly felt a violent wave of nausea. Her vision swayed, and she could barely stay on her feet.

Quietly, she went to see the pack healer for an examination.

When the results came back, the healer lowered his head respectfully.

"Congratulations, Luna. You're pregnant. It's still very early, less than a month."

Yuna stood there in stunned silence for a long time, then her hand moved instinctively to her flat stomach.

There was no change yet, but she still felt a small, strange sensation in her chest

For a brief moment, she even allowed herself to hope.

Maybe this pup could give her and Damon one last chance to find their way back to each other.

That evening, Yuna placed the examination report in front of Damon.

"I'm pregnant."

Damon looked down and read the paper. However, there was no joy on his face.

The fragile hope inside Yuna slowly sank, little by little.

After a long silence, he finally looked up at her. His voice was low and cold.

"Are you happy?"

"This is our pup," she said, staring at him. "Why wouldn't I be happy?"

Damon suddenly smiled, but it held no warmth, only deep pain and anger.

"Our pup?" he repeated as he stepped closer to her.

"Vera was carrying my pup too. Just like you, she was careful with her belly. She told me that she wanted to keep the baby."

Yuna's face turned pale.

"I didn't arrange that car accident."

Damon stared at her, something wild and terrifying buried deep in his eyes.

"But she left because of you. If you hadn't forced her to leave with that check, she wouldn't have been on that road. She wouldn't have gotten into that accident, and my pup wouldn't have died."

Yuna's throat tightened painfully.

She was about to explain again when footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

Two guards walked in. Their expressions were grim, and neither of them dared lift their heads.

Damon turned toward them. Then he gave the order, each word slow and deliberate.

"Take Luna to the training platform behind the mountain."

Yuna snapped her head toward him.

"Damon. What are you doing?"

He didn't answer.

-

The training platform behind the mountain stood high above the ground. Beneath it was a wide clearing paved with hard stone. It was originally built for pack warriors to train their jumping and landing skills.

When Yuna was brought there, her entire face had turned white.

One of the older guards finally spoke, unable to hold back any longer. "Alpha, Luna is a descendant of the Frostveil Pack and your mate. We can't..."

Damon shot him a cold glance, and the guard immediately fell silent.

"I didn't order you to kill her," Damon said flatly. "I only want her to taste what it feels like to lose a pup."

A chill spread through Yuna's entire body.

She finally understood the reason behind his strange behavior over the past month.

It wasn't regret or lingering love, nor was it even because he still cared about her.

He had only wanted her to get pregnant first, so he could destroy the pup with his own hands.

It was a sacrifice for the child Vera had lost.

"Damon," her voice trembling, eyes redrimmed. "This is still your own blood."

"So what?" He looked at her, his gaze sharp and merciless. "The child Vera lost was my blood too."

Yuna stood frozen. It felt like an invisible hand had reached into her chest and crushed her heart.

In the end, the two guards reluctantly took hold of her arms and guided her to the edge of the platform.

Their movements weren't rough, and there was even a hint of reluctance in it.

"Luna... we're sorry."

The next second, Yuna felt empty air beneath her feet.

Her body plunged from the platform, and pain exploded through her the moment she hit the ground.

She slammed hard against the stone below. Agony ripped through her abdomen as if a set of claws had torn into her flesh. Cold sweat instantly soaked through her back.

Blood slowly ran down her legs, spreading across the stone beneath her.

She curled up on the ground, the pain so intense she couldn't even cry out. In a daze, she saw Damon standing above on the high platform. His black coat whipped violently in the wind. For a moment, he looked just like the sixteen-year-old boy who had once confessed to her under the moon.

"Yuna. I'll love you for the rest of my life."

But now, that same man had destroyed their pup with his own hands.

A single tear finally slipped from the corner of Yuna's eye.

-

When she woke again, she was lying in the pack infirmary.

The healer sat beside her bed, his expression heavy. When he saw her eyes open, he quietly said, "The pup couldn't be saved. Luna, your injuries are serious. You need to rest for a while."

Yuna didn't respond. She simply placed her hand over her stomach, her fingertips trembling with cold. There had never been any visible change. The pup had been too small.

And yet, it felt as if a piece of flesh had been carved out of her body. The emptiness hurt so much she felt hollow with every breath.

She closed her eyes. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

"Call my maid, Amy."

Amy arrived quickly.

Amy came quickly. When she saw Yuna in such a state, her eyes welled up with tears.

Yuna forced a weak smile through the pain.

"I'm going to dissolve the mate bond between Damon and me."