(Moira’s POV)

Daciana’s face instantly brightened with happiness as she gently placed a hand over her stomach.

“The pack healer confirmed it,” she said softly. “I’m carrying your pup. I was so excited that I rushed here to tell you myself.”

Then she lowered her head pitifully.

“Please don’t be angry, my Alpha. You’re frightening me.”

Axton froze completely.

A long silence passed before his voice finally softened.

“You’re pregnant?”

His eyes immediately fell to her stomach.

“Then why did you leave the manor instead of resting properly?” he scolded in a gentler tone. “What if something happens to you or the pup?”

Daciana lifted her watery eyes toward him while pouting sweetly.

“I only wanted to share the news with you first.” Her voice turned softer. “Will you stay with me today, darling? Please?”

Axton frowned slightly before shaking his head.

“I already promised Moira I would spend today with her.”

But Daciana clearly had no intention of giving up.

Her cheeks slowly flushed red as she stepped closer and whispered softly beside his ear.

“Don’t you miss me at all?”

The restraint inside Axton finally shattered.

He suddenly pulled her into his arms and pressed her body tightly against his chest, letting out a low laugh filled with desire.

“You little troublemaker.”

Then he lowered his voice near her ear.

“Same as before. Don’t leave marks on me.”

I watched everything clearly.

Every shameless moment felt like claws tearing deeper into my chest.

During all our years together, Axton had always appeared calm and noble before me.

The powerful Alpha everyone feared was always controlled and restrained, even during our most intimate moments.

I had never seen him lose control like this before.

Axton carefully helped Daciana into the back seat of the black carriage as though she were the most precious thing in the world.

The carriage moved away from the castle.

But before it traveled far, it suddenly stopped at the end of the street.

The windows slowly fogged over from the inside.

They could not even wait.

I did not know how much time passed before the carriage finally started moving again and blended into the crowded roads of the capital.

I followed them silently the entire way.

I watched Axton gently slide a golden moonstone pin into Daciana’s messy hair before fixing it carefully in place.

I watched them walk together through the old district of the kingdom, passing taverns, bakeries, and gathering halls while pack members lowered their heads and pretended not to notice them.

I watched them sit together inside a small restaurant beneath glowing moon lanterns, sharing food from the same plate while his large hand covered hers atop the table.

Finally, they returned to the carriage while laughing softly together.

Soon, the road began leading toward the outer borders of the capital.

Toward the hidden manor.

So Axton was capable of being this gentle and caring toward another woman after all.

I stared until my eyes burned painfully before finally looking away.

“Take me back to the castle. And no one speaks about today. Not a single word,” I ordered quietly.

During the ride home, my mind remained trapped on one image.

Daciana’s hand resting protectively over her stomach.

That glowing smile on her face.

Then I remembered the moonroot poison Axton had secretly fed me for three entire years while pretending it was medicine meant to protect me.

The grief inside me became so overwhelming I could barely breathe.

Until today, part of me had still been deceiving itself.

Even if Axton lied about the tonic, maybe he still loved me in some way.

Maybe he simply did not want pups.

But the way he looked at Daciana’s stomach just now…

The warmth in his voice…

He cared deeply about that pup.

Suddenly, I remembered something he once told me before our mating ceremony.

“Only mates who truly love each other should bring a pup into this world.”

So that was the truth.

He never loved me from the very beginning.

That was why he had done everything possible to stop me from carrying his heir.

But if he truly felt nothing for me, why continue this lie for so many years?

I returned to our chambers like a wandering spirit.

Without hesitation, I threw every object connected to him into the fireplace.

The moonbird folding screen he once gifted me.

The rare ancient books he searched for across every Alpha territory because he knew I loved reading them.

The countless letters we exchanged during the early years when I still believed every word he said.

I watched the flames slowly consume everything until nothing remained except ashes.

Only then did the suffocating pressure inside my chest lessen slightly.

But then I suddenly remembered something else.

Not enough. Still not enough.

Like a madwoman, I rushed toward Axton’s private study and found it resting exactly where it always had been.

The journal.

He began writing in it the day we first met.

Every little thing I liked. Every habit. Every preference.

Year after year, page after page, until the journal had grown thick.

My trembling fingers opened the worn pages.

Every sentence made my eyes sting painfully.

“Moira loves sweet desserts and dislikes sour flavors. Every meal must include something sweet for her.”

“Moira fears the cold. The fireplaces inside her chambers must be lit before autumn arrives.”

“Moira dislikes sleeping alone in darkness. She falls asleep easier in my arms.”

Then the final line appeared before my eyes.

“I love Moira more than my own life.”

“Never make her cry.”

(Moira’s POV)

People always said written words could never lie.

So how could the love filling every page of that journal possibly be fake?

I tore through the pages one after another, ripping them apart without mercy.

Then my eyes suddenly landed on an elegant wooden box resting nearby. Something inside me urged me to open it.

Hidden carefully within a secret compartment was a delicate portrait of a woman. She had soft features and beautiful, charming eyes.

Along the edge of the portrait were several small handwritten words.

“I wish to become the sparrow beneath the roof, so we may stay together morning and night.”

“The fifth day of the Frost Moon.”

“The year we became mates.”

My body slowly collapsed onto the floor.

My vision blurred before I could stop the tears from falling.

That date was only one month after our mating ceremony.

His heart had already belonged to someone else back then.

I truly was a fool. A complete fool.

The food on the dining table had already been reheated many times.

I waved tiredly toward Rietta.

“Clear everything away. I want to rest,” I said softly.

Rietta stared at me in shock.

“My Luna, are you not waiting for Alpha Axton?” she asked carefully. “He promised to return and take you to the blossom valley today. The moon cherry flowers are finally blooming.”

I quietly shook my head and began removing my outer robe.

Axton would not return tonight.

The next morning, the first thing I saw after opening my eyes was Axton kneeling beside the bed.

Guilt filled his handsome face.

“Moira, forgive me,” he said hoarsely. “I lost track of time yesterday. I broke my promise.”

I stared at him silently for a very long time.

Who would believe it?

The mighty Alpha Graveclaw who controlled the northern territories without fear, the ruler who could decide life or death with a single order, was kneeling before me over a missed promise.

A mate like him made it impossible for anyone to stay angry.

When I remained silent, Axton grabbed my hand and pressed it against his chest.

“If you’re upset, then punish me,” he coaxed gently. “Hit me if it makes you feel better.”

I slowly shook my head.

“I’m not angry,” I replied calmly. “I only think it’s unfortunate. The moon cherry blossoms were in full bloom, but I never got to see them.”

Relief instantly appeared on his face.

He lifted my fingers and pressed a long kiss against them.

“Silly girl,” he murmured softly. “There will be many more chances. I promise I’ll take you there next time.”

Then he hurried away toward the main castle hall.

There was always pack business waiting for him.

Always meetings with warriors and Alphas that could not be delayed.

Soon the castle doors closed behind him while two guards followed closely at his side.

I watched his tall figure disappear slowly down the stone pathway and sat there motionless for a long while.

Axton.

There will not be another chance for us anymore.

After Axton left, I ordered someone to bring Daciana from the hidden manor.

She arrived not long later, one hand resting lightly against her lower back while walking slowly across the hall.

The warrior escorting her remained outside until I nodded for him to leave.

The moment Daciana stood before me, she met my eyes calmly without even a trace of fear.

“So you recognized me yesterday after all, Luna Moira?” she said lightly.

I silently looked her over.

She had a slender body and a beautiful southern appearance delicate enough to fit inside one hand.

Earlier, I had secretly investigated her background.

Only three days after our mating ceremony, Axton had traveled south on behalf of the Graveclaw Pack to assist territories destroyed by violent storm magic and floods.

That was where he met Daciana.

During the disaster, Axton rescued survivors from collapsing buildings while injured and burning with fever.

In his delirious state, he mistook Daciana for me.

That single reckless night became the beginning of everything.

Afterward, perhaps because she was an orphan with nobody left in the world, he brought her back to the capital.

He hid her inside the secluded manor. Stayed beside her day after day.

When I followed him there before, I noticed how carefully every corner of the manor had been decorated.

Every detail reflected affection and care. Axton must have truly loved her deeply.

A painful bitterness spread through my chest.

Daciana clearly noticed the expression on my face.

Satisfaction slowly appeared in her eyes.

“Moira Vaultere,” she said softly. “Everyone in the Alpha Kingdom believes Axton worships you like the Moon Goddess herself.”

Then her lips curved into a faint smile.

“But from what I see, you are actually the most pitiful Luna alive.”

(Moira’s POV)

“Your own mate has been slipping moonroot poison into your tonic every single day, yet I’m the one carrying his pup.”

Daciana smiled faintly while watching my face carefully.

“Tell me, doesn’t that sound ridiculous?”

“You probably still don’t know this either.” Her voice became softer with hidden pride. “Axton comes to the manor every single day. Every day.”

She stepped closer slowly.

“Have you ever seen what he looks like after losing control?”

“He always tells me the noblewomen in the capital bore him. He says I’m the only woman who truly stirs his wolf.”

A blush appeared across her face.

“Every time, he holds me so fiercely that I end up begging him to stop before he finally lets me rest.”

As she spoke, Daciana slowly loosened the collar of her dress right in front of me without shame.

Her pale skin became visible. Dark bruises and faded marks covered her body layer after layer.

My breathing tightened painfully, and I turned my gaze away.

“Look closely,” she whispered. “These are all marks Axton left on me. Whenever he loses control, I cannot even leave bed the next morning.”

Then she gently touched her stomach again.

“Axton once told me that as long as you could never give him an heir, guilt would slowly consume you sooner or later.”

Her smile deepened.

“He believed eventually you would offer him permission to take a second Luna willingly.”

“All I had to do was wait.”

She spoke endlessly, one sentence after another.

By the end, my emotions had already become numb.

Alpha Axton Graveclaw truly was terrifyingly skilled at manipulation.

I leaned weakly against the chair behind me while pressing my thumb hard against my mating ring.

The silver band suddenly felt more like a burning chain around my finger.

A long silence passed before I finally forced myself to speak.

“If that is truly the case, then the Luna position belongs to you,” I said quietly.

I no longer wanted to remain Luna Graveclaw. And I no longer wanted Axton either.

After Daciana left, Axton sent word back to the castle through one of his warriors.

Urgent council matters had forced him to leave the capital city.

He would not return for at least two weeks.

Perhaps it was fate itself.

I calmly packed my belongings before climbing into the carriage already waiting outside the rear gates of the Graveclaw castle.

Then I left the pack overnight.

The capital slowly disappeared behind me as the carriage traveled farther south beneath the moonlit sky.

Axton…

Perhaps you already forgot the promise I once made to you.

“With the Moon Goddess as my witness, if your heart ever belongs to another woman one day, I will disappear somewhere you can never find me.”

Two weeks later, Axton finally returned to the capital.

The moment he arrived at the Graveclaw castle, he hurried through the castle without even removing his overcoat.

The guards immediately straightened upon seeing him. The servants throughout the hall lowered their heads silently.

Axton strode directly toward our chambers.

Only the Moon Goddess knew how desperately he wished to see the woman he claimed to love more than life itself.

His precious moon.

The mate he once said he wanted carved into his very bones.

But the moment he pushed open the doors, another woman looked back at him instead.

Daciana sat inside the chamber with one hand resting against her stomach while smiling coyly.

The color instantly drained from Axton’s face.

“What are you doing inside Moira’s chambers?”