Theo froze. The worst he'd imagined was not having his wolf—he had never thought his family might fall apart.

But he quickly came to his senses. His voice trembled with fear as he asked, "Mom, you're not going to leave me, are you?"

"My silly pup, I would never leave you," I thought.

I pulled his small body into my arms, my voice strained. "If you want to live with your dad, maybe life will be easier."

Theo looked at the picture of the toy. He whispered, "Mom, let's just wait a bit longer. Half a month… No, just one more week. Please?"

I understood. He was still hoping Ethan would keep his promise, even if just once.

I nodded. I couldn't bring myself to say no.

…

The next day, after dropping him off at school, I went to work as usual.

That award-winning restaurant never got back to me. When I followed up, the position had already been filled.

With no other choice, I started working at a small diner. Since I was a part-timer, the pay was low.

I wasn't without ability—my first job out of school paid me well.

But after getting pregnant, I stepped away for several years. When I returned, the world had changed faster than I ever expected.

I was an orphan. Without a family to lean on, my life had ended up scraping by in poverty.

"Cheryl, there are customers at table six. Go take a look."

Snapping out of it, I gave a quick reply and walked over. The moment I reached the table, I met Ethan's eyes.

His expression stiffened immediately. Sitting beside him was Mira Alstone, his childhood sweetheart. She was dressed head-to-toe in designer brands, looking poised and elegant.

Although we were the same age, I looked utterly worn out compared to her. My clothes were old, my face pale, and there were dark circles under my eyes.

However, I wasn't sad at all. On the contrary, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Sitting next to Ethan was the toy Theo had been dreaming of for weeks.

Was he finally keeping his promise?

Mira glanced at the menu and ordered several dishes.

I noted them down. Just as I was about to leave, Ethan suddenly called out to me.

He looked at me with a hint of concern, though his tone carried a hint of helplessness.

"The full moon's coming soon. Mira's been having trouble sleeping lately, so she can't have coffee. You can have the coffee from the set menu. No need to serve it."

Mira pouted playfully. "Alright, let's do what he says. He's always fussing over little things. He's been like that since we were kids."

She made it sound like a complaint, but the sweetness and reliance beneath were unmistakable.

My grip on the menu tightened. It felt like a slap across the face.

Mira noticed the way I forced back my emotions. She raised a brow and asked if something was wrong.

I didn't answer. Flustered, I turned away as I saw her provocative gaze.

She clearly knew who I was, and she was doing this on purpose to humiliate me.

My steps faltered. Lost in thought, I walked right into a coworker carrying a tray. The food spilled all over me.

The very next second, the boss's furious voice rang out. "Cheryl, are you blind? If it weren't for your pup, I would've fired you long ago!"

Ethan stood up at once, frowning as he walked toward me.

But just then, Mira suddenly clutched her head and cried out.

Ethan froze in his tracks. He quickly turned back and scooped her into his arms. Panic was written all over his face as he rushed out.

I stood there, watching them. The two of them had grown up together. Every little interaction between them was natural and full of quiet understanding. It was like a bond weathered by time.

Mira clung to Ethan's arm. Over his shoulder, she gave me a smug, triumphant smile.

In this silent battle, I had lost completely.

Ever since I politely shut my boss down after he made inappropriate comments toward me, he had always treated me horribly.

Even when I was drenched in soup, he refused to let me take a break and insisted I keep working.

My coworkers looked at me with sympathy, but I no longer cared.

After a long, hazy afternoon of nonstop work, I went home covered in stains.

As soon as I stepped through the door, Theo ran toward me. He was still little, but he'd already learned how to read people. The second he saw the state I was in, worry flooded his golden eyes.

I didn't comfort him. Instead, I scooped him up in excitement.

"Theo, your dad actually got you a present this time! I saw it!" I exclaimed.

But instead of lighting up with joy, Theo gently touched my cheek with his small hand. His voice was full of concern as he asked, "Mom, did someone bully you? What happened to your clothes? Are you hurt?"

My heart clenched. I held back the sting in my chest and forced a sheepish smile.

"No, sweetie. I was just clumsy and bumped into someone."

That seemed to ease his worry a little.

He wanted to say something else. But before he could, we heard the front door open.

Ethan was home.

I straightened instinctively. Theo quietly gripped my hand. His palm was damp with sweat.

We both turned toward the door and froze.

Ethan had actually come home empty-handed. Yes, there was nothing in his hand.

Just like that, my heart plummeted from soaring hope into a freezing abyss. I instinctively looked at Theo.

A flicker of disappointment flashed across his face, but he didn't burst into tears like he did last time.

And somehow, that quiet acceptance hurt even more. It meant he'd already stopped expecting anything from his father.

I swallowed my bitterness and was about to speak when Ethan suddenly pulled me into the bedroom.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice low and concerned. "I think you might have hit your shoulder earlier."

Before I could respond, he went to the closet, took out the first aid kit, and reached for my shirt to check for injuries.

I gently brushed his hand away. The movement was small, but the rejection in it was unmistakable.

"Where's the toy?" I asked.

He froze. "What do you mean?"

I bit my lip. My eyes stung with tears.

My voice trembled as I continued, "The toy car you promised Theo. When you were having lunch with Mira, I saw it right there by your left hand."

His eyes flickered. He rubbed his nose and lowered his voice.

"Mira was the one who invited me out today. I didn't buy that toy, and I had no right to give it away. I'll buy one for Theo tomorrow."

It was another promise of tomorrow again.

I forced down the wave of emotion and turned away from him, heading straight into the bathroom.

To save on bills, I only ever took quick cold showers. The water was icy, but it still didn't compare to the chill inside my heart.

A few minutes later, I turned off the tap in a daze and wrapped a towel loosely around myself.

Just then, my phone lit up. It was a friend request from an unfamiliar number.

I stared at it for a couple of seconds, and an odd sense of unease crept over me. Before I knew it, I had accepted the request.

Soon, a profile picture popped up—it was Mira.

She didn't send a message. But somehow, I already knew what this was. My fingers trembled as I opened her profile.

She had just posted an update.

"Thank you to the richest, strongest werewolf in the world. Liam and I both love the gifts from Ethan."

The photo showed the limited-edition remote-control car Theo had been dreaming of for months. Alongside it were high-end skincare products I didn't even dare to think about owning.

I stood there frozen, like I'd been nailed to the floor. I even forgot to breathe.

I slowly looked up at this cramped, run-down bathroom.

A discount shampoo sat by the mirror. A bar of soap worn down to scraps lay on the rack. And beside it was Theo's old toy pup—its paint was chipped, but he refused to throw it away.

Grief came crashing over me like a tide. I could no longer hold myself up. My body gave out, and I slid down the wall.

Tears fell silently on the floor, drop by drop.

I didn't know how long had passed before Ethan finally realized something was off. He came over and knocked on the bathroom door.

"Cheryl, what's going on? Why are you still in there?" he asked.

I didn't answer. He pushed the door open in a panic and saw my swollen eyes.

Expressionless, I walked right past him. I heard him sigh in frustration behind me.

"Don't be like this, darling. It was just a toy. I swear I'll buy another one tomorrow. Please don't look at me like that. I can't take it."

No, this wasn't about a toy anymore, but I didn't say a word.

…

Dinner was unusually quiet—the suffocating silence lingered like a thick fog.

Ethan glanced at me, then at Theo, who kept his head down and hadn't said a word.

After a moment's hesitation, he picked up a piece of roasted chicken and placed it on Theo's plate.

Theo's eyes lit up immediately, a flash of surprise blooming across his little face.

My chest tightened, and I almost cried. To a pup who'd never truly been loved, even the smallest kindness felt like a blessing.

Ethan's gesture seemed to give Theo a bit of courage.

He looked up at Ethan cautiously and asked in a barely audible whisper, "Dad, tomorrow's Father's Day. The teacher is hosting a handmade gift competition. We have to bring something we made, and the dads vote for their favorite... Will you come?”

Ethan was stunned—not because of the question, but because of the way Theo looked at him.

He remembered a time when Theo had been a cheerful, fearless little boy. Now, he looked more like a nervous animal, ready to be rejected at any moment.

It made something twist in Ethan's chest.

He swallowed down the complicated emotions and reached out, gently patting Theo's shoulder.

"Don't worry. I will be there," he promised.

Theo's demeanor lit up. He dragged me out that evening to buy craft supplies. But just as I was about to pay, he proudly pulled out a handful of coins.

He'd earned them by running errands for classmates and taking out the neighbors' trash. He'd saved them for a whole year, but now he spent every last cent without a second thought.

That night, he spent three hours making a beautiful cardboard house. Inside, he placed three paper figures holding hands together.

He lay in bed, staring at that house and refusing to close his eyes.

It was a simple, cheap craft. But at the very least, maybe he could earn one vote from Ethan.

With a sweet smile on his face, he drifted off to sleep.

The next afternoon, we waited outside the school early. Theo held his paper house close, chest puffed up with pride. Other parents arrived one after another, but Ethan was nowhere to be seen.

Theo's expression gradually turned uneasy.

Cold sweat broke out on my back. I silently begged Ethan not to disappoint him again.

However, I called him dozens of times in the next half hour, and he didn't answer a single call.

As I watched Theo's little fingers turn pale from how tightly he was gripping the house, I knew I couldn't sit here any longer.

I left him at school and ran straight to the Alpha's office at the pack headquarters.

It was peak hour. I slipped in easily with the crowd and started searching floor by floor. Soaked in sweat, I finally caught Ethan's scent on the top floor.

But before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, the scene before me brought me to a halt.

Through the glass wall, I saw Ethan and Mira gathered around a little boy, celebrating his birthday.

The boy looked about Theo's age. He was fair-skinned, his eyes glowing with happiness. He smiled brightly with nothing to worry about.

Ethan leaned down and ruffled his hair. His gestures were so natural, just like a father.

I couldn't stop myself from thinking of Theo.

They were the same age. But Theo was waiting in the cold, while this boy was celebrating in the warmth of sunlight.

My heart felt like it had been torn open, and my body trembled from the pain.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I stood there like someone who had stepped into the wrong world.

Just as I gathered my strength to call out his name, a hand clamped over my mouth from behind. A guard dragged me back as he covered my mouth.

Just then, Mira turned her head and smiled at me faintly.

She mouthed the words, "Peasant-blooded bitch. You're not worthy to stand here."

I struggled with everything I had, trying to reach Ethan through our mind link.

But the guard slapped me across the face. The blow made me so dazed that I had no strength to summon the link.

In the end, they tossed me out like a stray dog. My knees hit the marble steps hard, stinging with pain. But I couldn't tell what hurt more—my body, or my heart.

Ignoring the scrapes on my arms, I staggered to my feet and yelled, "I'm Ethan's mate! Let me in!"

The guards shoved me back to the ground. Their voices were full of disdain.

"Stop spouting nonsense. Alpha Ethan has never officially acknowledged a Luna. All he has is his childhood sweetheart. Do you think a shabby thing like you can be his Luna? You must be out of your mind."

Luna? I laughed and cried at the same time as I mumbled this title.

As the mate of the Alpha, it was the most revered position in the entire pack.

Maybe my blood really was too worthless. Even after seven years with Ethan and giving birth to his pup, I was still not enough to be Luna.

I laughed silently as tears streamed down my face.

…

I didn't even remember how I got back. All I knew was I had to go back.

Theo was still waiting at school. His father could choose another pup, but I would never leave him behind.

I was out of breath when I got back to the kindergarten, and what I saw nearly shattered me.

Theo stood in the crowd, clutching his cardboard house. He was all alone and lost.

A group of kids pointed at his shoes and laughed.

"Mom, look! He's the pup of that wolfless Omega! His shoes are so weird!"

Theo instinctively curled his toes. Only then did I notice the holes in his shoes.

My mind went blank. I wanted to slap myself.

I rushed forward and pulled him into my arms. Even though I came back alone, he accepted it without a word.

His face showed no sadness or joy. At that moment, he didn't seem like a six-year-old at all.

Theo stared at his paper house for a while. Then, he reached in and quietly removed the tall paper figure of the father.

He looked up at me and gave a bitter smile. "It's okay, Mom. I can still enter the contest like this."

Although Theo didn't say a word, I knew we had reached an understanding.

At the event, every father tried their best to get votes for their child, but Theo ended up with zero votes.

After the contest, I did three things.

First, I withdrew Theo from school and severed his last tie to the pack. Second, I submitted a formal request to the Elder Council to break the mate bond. I even paid extra to expedite it. Third, I packed our bags overnight and took Theo on the next train out.

There was no goodbye or looking back.