One month ago.

That was exactly when I had been injured and burning with fever, and he had disappeared completely.

My breathing faltered. My mind went blank. My fingers trembled so violently that I could barely hold the communicator.

So he had already been with Seraphine. He was not asking for my consent. He was informing me.

In his vision of the future, I had never been included.

The communicator vibrated again, pulling me back.

It was Eryndor Valerius, my teacher from the Obsidian Pack, the Holy Healer.

"Freya, I heard your Marking Ceremony is approaching. But I want to try one last time. Are you certain you don’t want to come to Obsidian?

"You are the most gifted Healer of this generation. The Healing Order has kept the Chief Healer position for you.

"Even if you become Luna after forming your Mate Bond, the influence of Obsidian’s Healing Sanctum cannot be ignored. If you dedicate yourself to research, your future won’t be inferior to that of a Luna."

He sighed softly. "I’m not asking you to give up being Luna. Only to shift your focus. Your talent shouldn’t be confined to standing beside an Alpha."

Three months ago, he had already extended this invitation. Obsidian’s Healing Sanctum was the sacred place every Healer dreamed of.

However, Raelor had just taken the Alpha position. Internal and external threats surrounded him. All I wanted then was to remain at his side and help stabilize Silvermoon.

So I refused.

I believed that long separation would weaken the Mate Bond we were about to form.

Now, Raelor was already the father of another she-wolf’s pup.

Since he had never valued our future Mate Bond, this ceremony had no reason to exist.

I took a slow breath and suppressed the tightness in my throat. "Master, I’ve changed my mind. I’m willing to join. From now on, I’ll devote myself fully to new healing research."

I did not mention that I would not become Luna. I didn’t want him to feel responsible for my personal matters.

His voice brightened with unmistakable joy. "Really? That’s wonderful! The Order welcomes you at any time. When will you depart? A week after the ceremony? You can settle your affairs first."

My eyes fell to the calendar. The full moon date was circled. It was supposed to be the end of happiness.

Now it was the countdown to my departure.

"No. I will leave on the day of the Marking Ceremony."

On that day, I will sever every connection between Raelor and me.

I will never return.

That night, Raelor did not come back.

The pack forum already displayed a letter of gratitude from Seraphine. It described in detail how Alpha Raelor accompanied her to pray before the statue of the Moon Goddess.

Photos were attached.

Raelor supported Seraphine as she knelt before the Moon Goddess, his expression reverent. Mirella Raven, Seraphine’s mother, held his hand, smiling warmly.

In one image, his hand rested protectively over her barely visible abdomen. His gaze was gentle. They looked like a family.

I thought of the five years Raelor and I had been together. He had accompanied me home to the outer territory only once, even though he used to visit often when we were young, and my parents treated him like their own son. My home was only twenty minutes from the core territory.

After rising in rank, he never once returned. He said he couldn’t stand the mixed scents there because it reminded him of the humiliation of his past.

The day we confirmed our relationship, he was only a Gamma.

On that single visit home, he maintained the restraint of someone climbing upward. He was polite and distant, unlike the humility and warmth he had towards Seraphine’s family, even though her parents were merely Omegas.

I closed my eyes and swallowed the ache rising in my chest.

He was capable of giving warmth. He simply never intended to give it to me.

That day, I gathered several friends I had grown up with and told them the Marking Ceremony was canceled.

Everyone around me knew how obsessed I had been with Raelor. When they heard the news, they were so shocked they nearly dropped the wraps in their hands.

"Freya, haven’t you waited so long for this day? Why would you suddenly give up Alpha Raelor?"

"Is the Council of Elders pressuring you? Or… is this because of Seraphine?"

A bitterness I couldn’t quite put into words spread through me.

How could severing this bond ever be easy?

The truth was that this relationship had been unbalanced from the beginning. Whether Raelor was an ordinary wolf or now the Alpha, I was always the one looking up at him, chasing after him. He had never once truly lowered his head to look at me.

Even this ceremony had been something I asked for. Back then, Raelor had said he disliked complicated rituals. He thought they were nothing more than hypocritical performances for the pack.

It was only because I insisted that he reluctantly agreed to hold a small internal ceremony, inviting only the Council of Elders and close friends.

I once believed that since I could wait for him to nod and agree to form the Mate Bond, I could also warm his heart over the long years ahead.

I was willing to wait for the day he would fully open his territory to me. I believed we would continue walking side by side like that.

However, ever since Theron died three months ago, everything changed.

The hidden, ugly thoughts that had been buried beneath the surface rose up with Theron’s passing.

I finally understood. Raelor was not born cold. In front of Seraphine, he never hesitated to show warmth, but when facing me, I was nothing more than a shadow beneath his scepter.

That wasn’t even the most important part.

The most chilling truth was that, on the surface, he pretended to discuss caring for Seraphine with me. Behind my back, he had already marked her and bred her, and she was carrying his pup.

He treated me like a fool.

Today, I realized that whatever future Raelor and I might have had, it had already been destroyed by that gestation report.

I didn’t tell my friends the truth. I only said that I had received an invitation from the Obsidian Pack and would be leaving to further my healing studies, so we might not see each other for a long time.

To keep the farewell from turning heavy, I stayed with them by the bonfire and drank cheap barley ale until late into the night.

When I returned to our residence, Raelor had just come back as well. The unmistakable scent of Seraphine clung to him.

When he immediately caught the mixed smell of low-grade ale on me, his brows drew together. He stepped back two paces in visible disgust and lifted his sleeve to cover his nose.

"You’ve been fooling around again with those low-ranking friends of yours. Stay away from me, Freya. Don’t bring that stench of ale into the house."

A faint, self-mocking smile curved my lips.

He was probably worried that the scent would cling to him and that Seraphine wouldn’t like it. After all, she was now carrying a noble pup.

I said nothing and turned into the bathroom.

When I came out, Raelor was sitting on the sofa, holding his wolf communicator and replying rapidly to someone. His brows were soft, his gaze full of laughter.

I glanced at the screen where Seraphine’s name was glowing.

While I was bathing, the two of them had been chatting the entire time.

Not wanting to humiliate myself further, I turned toward the bedroom, ready to rest.

Unexpectedly, he called out to me, "Freya, there’s something I need to inform you about."

My steps halted.

The last time I heard the word "inform", it was when he told me he intended to breed Seraphine and leave behind a pup.

What could possibly be more excessive than that now?

"You don’t need to go to tomorrow’s ceremonial robe fitting." Raelor’s voice sounded behind me.

I looked at the calendar on the wall. Under tomorrow’s date was a simple sketch of a long ceremonial robe. It was the day we had scheduled to visit the tailor and try on our ceremonial robes.

I did not know why Raelor suddenly canceled, but it suited me perfectly. I had never planned to attend this ceremony anyway.

I nodded, my tone calm. "Alright."

Raelor paused. He clearly had not expected me to agree so readily.

In the past, even the slightest change would have made me anxious. I would have asked questions immediately, afraid he might be displeased.

He fell silent for a moment. Something unnatural flickered through his eyes before he masked it.

"It’s not canceled." After a brief pause, he continued, "It’s Seraphine. She said since Theron is gone, she may never have another chance in this life to wear ceremonial robes. She wants to try them on with me and take a few keepsakes, so she won’t have regrets."

His tone was flat, as if he were discussing how to divide the evening’s hunt or as if it were the most ordinary suggestion in the world, just like the day he informed me he intended to mark Seraphine.

On the surface, it sounded like a discussion. In truth, the certainty in his voice made it clear he had already decided. My feelings were irrelevant.

Unbeknownst to him, there was no future left for us.

I answered softly, "Alright."

Then I turned and walked into the bedroom to prepare for rest.

If I was no longer meant to be the leading she-wolf of this ceremony, then it no longer mattered who Raelor tried on robes with.

Raelor watched my retreating back. His brows drew together faintly. An inexplicable irritation stirred inside him.

I was too calm. Unnaturally calm. I had not even questioned him.

He had prepared explanations and comforting words. He had even braced himself for an argument.

Instead, I gave him nothing. It felt like throwing a punch into empty air, as though something important was slipping quietly through his fingers.

The next morning, when I woke, Raelor was already dressed for departure.

As he adjusted his bracers, he said, "After the fitting, Seraphine and I plan to spend a few days in human territory. They have professional prenatal guidance there, which will benefit the pup.

"As for the Marking Ceremony, keep it simple. I don’t have time to concern myself with altar arrangements or offerings. Decide everything yourself. There’s no need to consult me."

I continued organizing my belongings and replied lightly, "Alright."

Keep it simple.

There would be no ceremonial robes preserved in memory. No guests. No priestess blessings.

There would not even be a leading she-wolf.

Seeing how compliant I was, Raelor seemed to reconsider something.

After a moment, he added, as if attempting compensation, "After the ceremony, if you want, we can go to human territory and watch a movie. I remember you’ve always wanted to."

In the past, hearing Raelor propose going to a movie would have made me leap with excitement. I would have immediately started checking new releases.

I had asked him many times before to accompany me, but he always refused, claiming he was too busy with pack matters. He said he disliked the clamor of human society.

Now I simply continued sorting through my things without even lifting my eyes.

Raelor watched me pack and found it strange. He was about to say something when his wolf communicator lit up.

Seraphine was urging him.

He merely said, "We’ll talk when I return."

Then he hurried out.

I watched his figure disappear through the doorway.

My gaze drifted to the waste bin. Inside lay the only photograph we ever took together, torn cleanly in half.

It was a pity that in his eyes, there was only Seraphine. He had not even noticed.

I walked to the calendar and picked up a pen. Over the little robe icon marked "fitting", I drew a heavy cross.

Twelve days left.