(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?”
