Jade left the conference without delay, claiming that she wasn’t feeling well. Her red eyes were enough to convince them.

When she got home, Felix wasn’t there yet. That was good. She needed to prepare herself mentally for his presence after everything she had just heard.

A few minutes later, Felix walked in with a smile on his face. Jade didn't move from where she sat chatting with Rowan about their plans for the mating ceremony.

There was a moment of silence as Felix stared at Jade in surprise. That was strange. Whenever he came back, she always rushed to the door to greet him, and welcome him warmly. But now, she hadn't even said a simple hello to him.

“Jade?”

She raised her head slowly, “Yeah?” She replied, lifting an eyebrow coolly.

He was even more confused. There was no warmth in her eyes, just an unfamiliar cold look in her gaze.

“Jade?” He called her name again, with confusion in his voice. “What’s going on? You look... off.”

Jade shrugged, turning her attention back to her phone.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice was flat. “I'm just tired from the conference.” She forced herself to smile.

Felix sighed in relief. For a moment, he thought she had heard about his mating ceremony with Bella, but that wasn't possible because he had ordered the people that were aware to make sure she never heard of it.

“Oh, by the way, I have something to talk to you about.” Jade said casually.

Felix furrowed his eyebrows. “Talk to me? About what?”

Jade shrugged nonchalantly, as if what she was about to say wasn't a big deal. “Oh, nothing too important. Just that I've been thinking about my responsibilities here. I’ve been doing a lot of the Alpha duties, but I realized I should be focusing more on my own tasks in the pack clinic from now on."

She said it so casually, like it wasn't anything important.

Felix’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘What do you mean, ‘your own tasks’? Are you planning on stepping back from our duties to this pack? From me? You know how important your help is to me”

Jade almost scoffed at that.

“I don’t see why it should be a big deal," Jade replied, still typing on her phone. “I’m sure you can handle things on your own. Maybe Bella can help out.”

Felix froze at the mention of Bella, and his expression darkened slightly.

“Bella?” He stepped forward, clenching his jaw. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh, nothing,” Jade said, giving him a sweet smile. “I just heard that she's been a great help to you since I left for the conference.”

A strange expression crossed his face at her words.

“Come on, Jade. Don't tell me that you're jealous or something. You know that there's nothing between us. She was just—”

“Look, I’m not paying that any mind.” Jade glanced at her watch nonchalantly. “Anyway, I’m going to freshen up. You should rest too. It looks like you’ve had a long day.”

Felix watched her, slightly surprised by the way she was acting. But before he could respond, Jade had already turned her attention back to her phone to her chat with Alpha Rowan as if Felix wasn’t even there.

Felix almost rolled his eyes. She was just jealous. She must have heard that Bella had been close to him when she was gone, that was why she was acting this way. He sighed, preparing to comfort her as he normally did.

“Jade, I—”

But Jade wasn’t listening anymore. She was already walking away.

“Not now, Felix. We’ll talk later, maybe when I’m feeling better.” She said with an indifferent tone, leaving him in the living room, still holding his bag.

He frowned in annoyance. Why was she being petty because of jealousy?

He groaned. This meant that he would need to buy her something to calm her down. Whatever the issue was, he was sure that when he bought her a gift, she would calm down and start acting normal again.

Jade kept her eyes closed when she heard Felix enter the room, pretending to be asleep.

“Jade?” Felix called. She didn’t move. She did not want to talk to him.

“Jade, are you awake?” He called again. No response.

Felix scoffed. “She’s asleep.”

Jade realized that he was on the phone with someone.

“Can you get me a necklace from that cheap store? I need something to appease Jade. I think she’s feeling jealous about Bella.” He murmured so that she wouldn’t wake.

The person on the other line said something.

“No, she doesn’t know anything about the ceremony. She just heard that I and Bella were close during her time at the conference.” he replied.

Then he scoffed. “Don’t go to the other store. The necklaces there are expensive and have more quality. Bella loves that store, but I’m not wasting that kind of money on Jade,” Felix said with a short laugh. “Just get something shiny enough to distract her. She’ll fall in love with it like always.”

Jade clenched her jaw under the blankets. The urge to scream was overwhelming, but she held it back.

Felix chuckled again. “Honestly, I don’t even know why I kept her around this long. She’s convenient, loyal and a good healer, that’s great. But she’s just so damn boring.”

There was a pause.

“Yeah, Bella’s the one. She has a strong bloodline, and she makes me look like the powerful Alpha I’m supposed to be. Jade’s just… comfortable.”

Comfortable. That word burned like acid through Jade’s chest.

“She doesn’t even fight back,” Felix continued. “That’s what makes her perfect for now. No drama, no tantrums. She worships the ground I walk on.”

Tears filled Jade’s eyes, and she struggled to keep herself from crying.

Felix yawned. “Alright, get the necklace for me, and write up one of those heartfelt messages you normally help me write, so I’ll drop the necklace on her nightstand. She’ll probably wake up tomorrow thinking I’m the sweetest mate ever. I need her in her best mood so that she can represent me at the conference coming up next week.”

She sneered. It explained why he was trying to make an effort to ‘placate’ her. Previously, he never made much effort to placate her, but because he needed her for something, that was why he was trying to make an effort.

The other person said something that made Felix laugh.

“Well, that’s how it is done. Every once in a while, I make little heartfelt gestures to make her melt and forget about the past.” He released a mocking laugh.

Jade unconsciously took a deep breath. Felix went silent.

“Hold on.” His voice dropped, she almost didn’t hear him. “I think she moved.”

She froze, keeping her breaths slow and calm. She calmed her heart, and she kept her face blank to mimic sleep.

Felix ended the call, and approached her slowly. She could perceive his scent. It had once been a comforting scent, now it was sour in her nose.

She stayed still, even though she wanted to scream, to see his face when she revealed to his smug face that she knew every ugly truth. But she stayed still.

Felix chuckled in relief after a moment of silence. “Still asleep,” he muttered under his breath. “Perfect.”

He got into bed beside her, and soon after, he fell asleep.

Jade started breathing when she was sure that he was fast asleep.

Tears fell down her face, and on her pillow as she replayed his words over and over.

She made so many sacrifices for him, but he only saw her as a tool. The Healer's Sanctum had seen her potential and offered her a high position in the Sanctum, but because she wanted to be by her mate's side, and help him grow his pack, she had declined.

After the death of his father, Felix had been depressed, and the pack was falling apart. But Jade had pulled everything together, staying beside him through everything. He had promised to mark her as his Luna, but it was all a lie. He paid her back for everything by planning his mating ceremony with Bella behind her back, like she was nothing.

Her phone pinged, it was a message from Rowan. A small smile crossed her lips, and for a moment she forgot about her heartache.

“Hey, Jade!” A familiar voice called from behind her.

Jade took a deep breath, and cleared her face of emotion as she turned to face Bella.

She lifted an eyebrow at her, “Yes? How can I help you?” She asked coolly.

Bella smirked at her, “Oh come on, Jade. Why so cold? I thought we could be friends, or sister-in-laws? Besides, Felix always said that you were like a sister to him.”

Jade barely felt anything at Bella’s words. It might have hurt her before, but now, she was over it. She gave Bella a small smile.

“How is the mating ceremony preparation?” She asked calmly.

Bella paused, that wasn’t the reaction she was expecting at all. “It’s going very well. I can’t believe that in a few days I’ll become the Luna of this pack.”

Jade shrugged, “Good for you,” she said with a flat voice, then she began walking away.

Bella followed her, “Look, see the gorgeous band that Felix got for me. It's pure gold, with diamonds.”

Jade kept walking, completely ignoring her.

But Bella kept talking, “I told him I wanted diamonds this time. I didn't really like the rubies he got me for my birthday last year.”

Jade paused, turning to Bella with surprise on her face. “I'm sorry, what?”

Bella smirked, finally glad that her words got to Jade. “I said that he got me rubies for my last year birthday, but I told him I didn't really like it, so he got me di—”

Jade's hands shook as she ran a hand through her hair. “He got you rubies? For your birthday?” She asked again.

Bella nodded with a smirk. “Yes, why? What did he get you? Some cheap metal necklace?” She taunted.

Jade's heart ached. That was exactly what Felix had gotten for her.

But that wasn't what caused her heart to ache.

Jade remembered Bella’s birthday so well. Her mother had been on her deathbed, but Felix wasn't by her side. Instead, he was out celebrating Bella's birthday.

Her mother had needed a medicine that could save her, but it was rare and expensive. Jade had called Felix desperately in tears.

He didn't pick at first, but when he finally picked, he brushed her off.

“There’s no money right now, Jade,” he had said, “The pack needs money right now. You understand, don’t you?”

She had understood. Or rather, she had forced herself to because of her blind love for him.

She had sold her personal belongings, her late father’s things, some of her mother’s things, just to gather the funds. She had stayed up for nights brewing herbs to sell and get the money.

And now, Bella stood before her, smiling smugly as she boasted about rubies he had bought during that exact week.

Jade took a deep breath to calm herself. There was no use losing control.

“I heard your mother was dying at that time, but you didn't have money to buy her medicine.” Bella added.

Jade clenched her jaw. “Shut up,”

Bella cackled. “He told me you cried like a child, begging for help. That you were so pathetic, he couldn’t even stand to look at you. And all for what? A pathetic dying old woman.”

Jade snapped, and her hand moved so fast, slapping Bella hard.

Bella stumbled backward, gasping as her cheek turned red.

Jade braced herself for Bella's retaliation, but to her surprise, she just smirked, then suddenly, she began to wail and cry at the top of her voice.

“FELIX!” she screamed like she was being murdered. “FELIX, HELP! SHE ATTACKED ME! SHE WANTS TO KILL ME”

Jade gaped in shock at her words. “Wha—”

A few seconds later, Felix burst into the hall, with worry written all over his face.

“What the hell is going on?!” He boomed.

Bella ran to him with tears pouring from her eyes. “She hit me, Felix! I was just trying to be friendly, but she got jealous and began to hit me!”

Felix turned to Jade, eyes blazing. “Is that true?!”

Jade looked him straight in the eye, with a cold look on her face.

“She deserved worse.”

Before she could blink, Felix's fist connected with her face.