I grew up alongside Griffith, the Alpha of the Avalora Pack. Everyone said I was the luckiest woman in the entire kingdom of Mycintia.

Griffith rejected the mate bond arranged for him by the Moon Goddess to be with me. He declared to the world that I was his one and only love.

But after my miscarriage, I accidentally overheard him speaking to the healer, "Find a way to drug the Luna and remove her womb. Make sure she can never bear children again."

Then, I saw him gently caressing another woman's stomach and saying, "Give her the best prenatal medicine. I want her to give birth to the strongest and most intelligent child."

I knew that woman. She was Giselle, the fated mate the Moon Goddess had originally chosen for him.

Griffith's voice turned grave as he issued his next command. "The Luna must never find out about this. And you must take care of her health at all costs. Otherwise, you'll suffer the consequences."

Pain sliced through me. I had never imagined that the man who once swore he loved me more than life itself could betray me so cruelly.

In the end, I left without a word. Since they wanted to be together so much, I stepped aside to let him and his destined mate be together.

Yet, he told me later that after losing me, he lost the ability to love.

On the way back to the castle, I accidentally bumped into someone, but I was too dazed to even offer an apology. My legs carried me forward, but my mind was trapped in the scene I had just witnessed. Griffith who once held me like the most precious treasure was now planning to cut my womb out of my body.

But he knew—he had always known—that my greatest wish was to have a child of my own.

A group of young women by the roadside cast envious glances my way.

"That's our Luna," one of them whispered. "The Alpha chose her over his fated mate. I heard that when she fell ill, the Alpha gathered the best healers from across the kingdom to care for her day and night. And when he needed a rare herb to heal her, he climbed a volcano on the verge of eruption without hesitation."

There was a time when I would have been thrilled to hear such words. But now, my throat felt like it was closing around a hard lump, and shame threatened to bring me to tears.

Before I even stepped inside the castle, I heard Griffith's furious voice echoing from within.

"You useless fools! She disappeared right under your noses, and none of you noticed? If anything happens to Ellia, I swear, I'll have every last one of you buried!"

Griffith was usually refined and composed. It was rare to see him lose his temper. The last time he had been this angry was when I burned my arm during the ritual sacrifice. He had nearly canceled Avalora Pack's most sacred annual festival because of it.

Back then, his fury had made me feel cherished. But now, watching him in this state—so anxious, so distraught—I found no joy in it.

"I'm back, Griffith."

At the sound of my voice, he turned sharply, and the anger on his face melted into a radiant smile.

He strode over and pulled me into a tight embrace. "Ellia, where have you been? I was worried sick about you."

I had gone to bring him lunch. Instead, I had stumbled upon the truth—that he wanted to take my womb.

I opened my mouth, the confession trembling on the tip of my tongue, but in the end, I swallowed it down. "I just went to the lake to get some sun."

His smile remained, warm and gentle, but the worry in his eyes did not fade.

With a subtle glance, he signaled to the healer standing behind him. The healer, understanding immediately, handed him a small glass vial.

"It's time for your medicine, Ellia."

I took the vial in my hands, turning it slightly under the light. "This looks different from what I usually take."

Griffith's expression flickered—just for a second. "The healer adjusted the formula. This one will help you recover even faster."

And in that moment, I knew. This was the drug meant to knock me unconscious.

"I don't need it," I said. "I feel much better already."

"Ellia, be good now. You need your treatment."

"I said no."

The resistance in my voice made his expression shift, his patience thinning. The air between us turned still, heavy. Then, after a long pause, he let out a soft sigh and gave me a gentle smile.

"Alright, if you don't want to drink it, you don't have to."

Just as I thought I had escaped, a strange fragrance drifted through the air. My vision swayed. My legs lost their strength. And then—darkness.

…

When I opened my eyes again, it was the third morning.

I was lying in the healer's treatment room. A dull, aching pain throbbed in my abdomen.

A sense of dread gripped me as I pulled up my clothes, my fingers trembling. There, on my lower stomach, was an ugly scar.

Before I could fully register what I was seeing, Griffith leaned in, his face lighting up with relief. "Ellia, you're awake."

His voice was gentle and soothing—as if he hadn't just destroyed me.

"You collapsed from a sudden illness two days ago," he explained. "The healer examined you and found severe internal bleeding in your womb. There was no other choice... They had to remove it."

I stared at him, my heart tearing apart, piece by piece.

Seeing my despair, he pulled me into his arms. "Don't be sad, Ellia," he murmured. "I know how much you've always wanted a child. We can adopt an orphan. I'll raise them as my own, I promise."

For days, I wept. Even within the cold walls of the castle, there was no escaping my grief.

Griffith, in an effort to console me, abandoned all his work, staying by my side every moment.

Then, just when I had gathered enough strength to finally confront him, Giselle came looking for me.

Giselle stood before us, cradling a bouquet of fresh flowers in her arms. With a voice as composed as still water, she said, "Alpha, Luna, I've brought some fresh flowers."

As I looked at her, my thoughts drifted back to three years ago.

Back then, Griffith and I had just come of age. We had grown up together, loved each other with the certainty of fate, and so, with hearts full of anticipation, we sought out the Moon Goddess to receive her blessing.

But fate had a different script in mind. The Moon Goddess did not bless our bond. Instead, she pointed to another woman—Giselle—as Griffith's true mate.

Griffith erupted in fury. He rejected the mate bond outright, seized my hand, and turned to leave. But Giselle knelt before us, blocking our path.

"I have no family," she pleaded. "I know I can never be the Alpha's mate. I ask for nothing but a place to stay."

My heart wavered. I persuaded Griffith to let her stay, even arranging for her to work in the city's greenhouse.

Over the years, Griffith never once softened toward her. Whenever she came to deliver flowers, he would make a point of avoiding her presence. I had taken his coldness as proof of his loyalty, even going so far as to ask him not to be so harsh on her.

I accepted the bouquet from Giselle and turned away, placing the flowers into a bronze vase.

In the polished surface of the vase, I saw it.

Giselle's hands—pale, boneless as a serpent—slithered around Griffith's neck. Before I could react, she pressed a quick kiss to his face.

And Griffith did not push her away.

Instead, he flicked his gaze toward me before lightly shoving Giselle aside, not with anger, but with familiarity. As if to chastise her, his hand lingered on her bottom, giving it a squeeze.

The two of them had been entangled all along.

The realization struck like a knife to the gut, and I laughed at my own foolishness.

Feigning exhaustion, I told them I would retire to my room. Instead, I slipped into the corridor and activated the spell my father had once taught me—a sight spell. A scrying crystal bloomed in my palm, revealing the greenhouse beyond.

I had used this spell to spy on enemies before. Now, I was using it to confirm my own lover's betrayal.

The moment I left, Griffith shoved Giselle onto a table, his voice low and seething. "Haven't I told you to restrain yourself in front of Ellia?"

Giselle only giggled as she tugged at the buttons of his shirt. "I missed you," she murmured. "You've been spending so many nights with her."

She exhaled against his ear, but her gaze drifted toward me—as if she knew I was watching.

"Sir," she whispered, "isn't this place special? You built this greenhouse just for your wife. Every flower here is one she adores. Doesn't it make things more… thrilling?"

With that, she pulled apart her dress, revealing the delicate lace beneath.

Griffith's eyes darkened. The hunger in them swallowed him whole. He kissed her with an urgency I had once believed was meant only for me.

I listened as their breaths tangled, as the room filled with sounds of longing, of betrayal. My own breath grew ragged. A cold sweat broke over my skin. Pain, sharp and relentless, skewered my heart.

This man—this man who had sworn he would love only me, who had vowed he would never betray me—was now devouring another woman in the space he had built for me.

The truth was undeniable. Griffith had betrayed me.

My knees buckled beneath the weight of it all. I clung to the wall, refusing to confront them in my broken state. My pride would not allow it.

When Griffith finally left, Giselle did not. Instead, she stepped toward the corner where I hid.

Towering above me, she looked down with a quiet, triumphant smile.

"Luna," she said, "you saw everything, didn't you? So what if you were his childhood love? So what if you come from noble blood? The one he loves now is me. And," she paused, savoring the moment, "I am already carrying his child."

I lifted my head. "How long have you two been together?"

Giselle smirked, her voice brimming with triumph. "Three years. You know, as Alpha Griffith and I are fated mates, it was only a matter of time before he was drawn to me."

She leaned in, whispering near my ear. "I bet you didn't know this—our first time was in your bed."

I bit down hard on my lip, forcing myself to suppress the wolf's instinct raging within me. If I didn't, I might have lunged at her right then and torn her apart.

Sensing my restraint, she only grew bolder. "Back then, he felt guilty. That's why he handed over all his gold and jewels for you to keep. And you—" she let out a soft laugh, "you actually thought it was proof of his love. How ridiculous.

"Two years ago, when you suffered a miscarriage and nearly bled to death, you sent your maids to search for him everywhere. They couldn't find him, remember?" Her eyes gleamed as she tilted her head. "Guess where he was? In my bed. So if you know what's good for you, you should step aside and return the title of Luna of Avalora Pack to its rightful owner—me."

Her words struck like a blade. Memories flooded back—memories of that day, when the pain of losing my child had been so unbearable I had nearly lost my life. My maids had searched for Griffith everywhere, desperate to bring him back to my side. But he had been nowhere to be found.

Now I knew why.

My vision dimmed.

Giselle, seeing my faltering composure, basked in her victory. Hands on her hips, she announced, "The day after tomorrow, Griffith and I will be standing before Moon Goddess to seal our bond with a new contract. You should come and watch—see how a real fated bond is formed. You never even got the chance for that, did you?"

She left, humming softly, while I crumbled into the shadows of the dimly lit corridor, sobbing until consciousness slipped away.

When I woke up, it was already the next day.

Griffith was sitting beside my bed. The moment I opened my eyes, he pulled me into his arms. "Ellia, you're awake! What happened? Why did you collapse?"

I let out a slow breath and curled my lips into a mocking smile. "Griffith, you know, sometimes… I envy Giselle."

His expression stiffened. "What?"

"At least she gets to have a contract with you. If I had one too, then when you betray me, I would know right away."

Panic flickered across his face. "Why are you saying this all of a sudden? Did someone tell you something ridiculous?"

"You don't need a contract," he hurriedly assured me. "Because I would never betray you!"

I said nothing. Just watched him.

Growing desperate, Griffith shot up from his chair and swung the door open, calling for a guard. "Bring every woman I've interacted with recently. Now!"

Before long, four or five women entered the room.

Griffith turned to them. "Tell your Luna how we met in the past few days."

The first to speak was the town's apothecary. "Three days ago, Alpha Griffith accompanied Luna Ellia to the clinic. That's when I saw him."

The second was a cook from the castle. "A few days ago, Alpha Griffith asked me about Luna Ellia's diet."

The third was a seamstress. "Yesterday, Alpha Griffith summoned me to tailor a new nightgown for Luna Ellia."

One by one, they answered, and as they did, Griffith's shoulders relaxed. Every encounter had been because of me.

He exhaled, as if reassured, as if he had somehow proven himself.

I, on the other hand, simply watched the performance unfold, unmoved.

Then, when silence settled, I finally spoke. "What about Giselle? She was here yesterday too, wasn't she?"

His entire body stiffened. "Giselle? W-Why would you bring her up? You know I don't like her."

His denial came swiftly, but his voice wavered, unnatural and forced.