That night, Zack did not come home. I, on the other hand, did not bother asking where he had been.

Asking was pointless anyway.

Nancy had already flaunted the pictures all over social media.

Zack had gone back with Nancy to her pack. Her grandmother was grinning as she held Zack's hand.

His other hand rested on Nancy's belly, his eyes brimming with deep affection.

I could barely look at the photo.

For five years, Zack had given me that same loving gaze time and again.

I had reveled in every moment.

It was only at this moment that I came to understand the love I thought was mine could just as easily belong to someone else.

"Zack, do you ever feel guilty?"

My tears blurred the image of Zack's smiling face on my phone screen, and the words just spilled out of me.

In all our five years together, Zack had met my family just once. He had claimed he was not comfortable around older folks, that it made him feel stiff.

However, he did not smile, not even once, during that visit.

I inhaled sharply, frustration boiling over, and chucked my phone onto the bed.

The truth hit me hard: It was not about his discomfort with elders at all. He simply did not want anything to do with my family.

The following day, I met up with my friends to break the news about the Bonding Ceremony being called off.

All the while, the wolf inside me was pacing and growling with restless anxiety.

I clutched at my chest, feeling sick, my face ghostly pale.

The truth was, Zack had never wanted the Bonding Ceremony. I had to beg him to even consider it.

My friends were in shock when I told them.

"After all the trouble to get Zack on board with the Bonding Ceremony, why cancel it now?"

"You're so in love with him. How can you stand to leave?"

I could only offer a wry smile in response.

Let him go? Impossible.

'Years of love aren't easily cast aside,' I thought bitterly.

However, that relationship... it was never mine to demand.

I had tried so hard to be close to him, to be his one and only. Then Nancy came along, and everything shifted.

He gave her all the patience and smiles that used to be mine while he grew distant toward me by the day.

I lied to myself, saying she was his lifesaver, that he was just repaying a debt.

However, when she mentioned wanting a child to remember him by, he did not hesitate.

He had always said he would consider my feelings, but behind my back, he had gone ahead with the Breeding Ceremony.

In that moment, it was crystal clear: Zack and I were over.

Sometimes, the hardest thing was walking away, even when it tore me apart. Still, I had to do it.

I kept my reasons to myself.

All I told anyone was that I was heading to Northwood to dive into herbal research, and I would not be easy to reach for a few years.

After a night out with friends that stretched into the wee hours, I stumbled home to find Zack, fresh from his own late return.

He caught a whiff of my night out, his expression darkening as he recoiled.

However, then, as if a thought struck him, he composed himself and pulled me into a hug. "My dearest Maggie, hitting the bottle."

His eyes shone with affection as he grinned and caressed my forehead.

"Not exactly the behavior of a good Omega, leaving your Alpha to drink the night away."

Zack's attempt at humor fell flat, and I just stood there, mute.

Once, that look in his eyes would have had me spellbound. Now, it just made my stomach turn.

"Maggie, make me a promise, will you? Once we're bonded, no more booze." Zack laid it on thick, playing the part of the concerned fiance.

"Omegas are delicate, you know? Too much drink is rough on your inner wolf."

He deserved an Oscar for that act. If I had not known better, I might have fallen for it.

I let out an icy laugh and shoved him away. "Why don't you hit the showers? You reek of some other Omega."

Zack stood there, dumbstruck.

He opened his mouth to protest, but I was already heading into the bathroom.

When I emerged, he was all smiles, texting away on his phone, the earlier confusion wiped clean, replaced by sheer bliss.

'Probably sweet-talking Nancy,' I figured.

A sharp pang hit the wolf inside me.

I was not Zack's Luna yet, but three days ago, he had marked me as his own, if only for a moment. Even if he strayed, the sting of betrayal would still cut deep.

I kept silent, turning to head into the room.

Then Zack's voice broke the silence.

"Maggie, we need to talk."

I stopped dead in my tracks.

He seldom used that grave tone with me.

The last time he did, a month ago, he had talked about having kids with Nancy. Then she got pregnant. What more could he possibly have to say?

Tears threatened, but I fought them back, striving for composure.

"What's up?"

Zack seemed to struggle with himself, then finally blurted, "Can we skip the photo session tomorrow?"

His uneasy look reminded me that tomorrow was the day for our ritual photo, a symbol of our bond. I had not intended to renew our bond, and there was no point in holding onto memories.

"Sure, I'll call and cancel first thing in the morning."

I nodded.

Zack stared at me, surprised and then wounded. "Maggie, why don't you even ask why?

"Don't you love me anymore?"

He closed the distance between us, his hands gripping my shoulders with a force that made me wince.

"Are you hurting too, Zack? Inside?"

I met his gaze.

A flush of embarrassment washed over his face.

"Maggie, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you..."

I shrugged off his hands, tired of his excuses.

"You know, Zack… I felt a sharp pain today. It was random.

"Is it because of Nancy? Did you cheat?"

My voice was steady. His reaction, however, was a complete mess. He froze, his words tumbling out in a jumble.

"... How could you think that?" He stammered, "Maggie, you know you're the one I love. How could I ever betray what we have?"

I could not help but let out a bitter laugh, turning to grab my phone, ready to cancel the photo shoot.

However, before I could even speak, Zack swiped the phone from my hand.

"No need to cancel, sweetheart!" he said, his grin awkward as he ended the call. "You're aware of Nancy's condition. She'll never get to make a bond in her lifetime. She just wants one photo with me, something to hold onto."

Zack watched me cautiously as he spoke, "Don't worry! Once we're bonded, I'll make it up to you!"

My obvious disappointment must have pierced through Zack's heart. He came to me in a flurry, pulling me into a tight hug.

"I just can't bear the thought of my lifesaver passing away with regrets.

"Maggie, trust me, you're the one I love the most.

"Don't ever leave me. I'd be lost without you."

I did not say a word. I just gave a small nod.

That seemed to lift his spirits instantly, and he twirled me in a joyous embrace.

I watched his elated face and snorted inwardly.

'The future? We won't be having one. You'll regret what you've done, Zack,' I thought bitterly.

Zack looked like he had more to say, but his phone buzzed to life again.

He stroked my head, then with phone in hand, he turned and walked away.

I stayed put, silently watching his retreat.

That tender smile I knew so well spread across Zack's face.

Nancy's name flowed from his lips like a mantra.

My heart felt empty. The pain from the wolf within me surged, but it was less sharp this time.

The temporary mark was fading, Zack's hold on me weakening.

He seemed to sense my gaze. Turning, he waved at me, his smile still soft with thoughts of Nancy.

"Zack, do you truly love me?"

If not, why seek to bond with me at all?

"Why do you claim to love me, yet you father a child with another Omega, letting her steal my whole world?"

My voice was barely above a whisper, lost to the wind.

Zack stared at me, his gestures a silent plea for understanding. "What's that, Maggie?"

I just turned and walked back into the room. Having his answer would not change anything, anyway.

His love, or lack thereof, did not matter anymore—he had betrayed me.

His actions spoke louder than any words, showing me I did not matter to him then.

'If Nancy wanted me gone, he'd probably let her have her way,' I mused bitterly.

Zack stood there, stunned, not even snapping out of it when Nancy called his name.

At that moment, his inner wolf let out an uncontrollable, mournful howl.

"Why does it hurt so much when Maggie hasn't betrayed me?"

He clutched at his chest, lost, as he watched me walk away.

However, no one had the answer for him.

Even Nancy ended the call on him.

I was oblivious to Zack's turmoil as I drifted off to sleep.

Waking up the next day, I found Zack, all suited up, standing by me, looking uncomfortable.

"I'm off to make the pledge, and then I'll be with Nancy at the edge of the Northwood tundra, by Moonshadow Lake.

"She says it's her last wish."

I could not help but snicker at Nancy's audacity.

She sure had a lot of last wishes—and so ridiculously specific, too.

"Go, then."

Zack lingered, his gaze filled with uncertainty.

"Could we keep your Luna crowning a bit more low-key this time?"

I stopped for a beat. "Why?"

'Of course, we could. No grand pledges, no Elders to impress, no crowd to please. We could even do without the bride,' I thought sarcastically.

"I'm worried it might... upset Nancy."

Zack's smile broke into a warm embrace. "Sweetheart, Maggie, Nancy's got just one month left. Can you cut her some slack, please?"

I could not help but chuckle at his expectant face.

"She's been 'one month away' for the past year. How is she still kicking after all this time?"

Crack!

Zack's hand landed a stinging slap across my cheek.

"How dare you say that!"

He looked at me, his face a mix of shock and disbelief, as if I had crossed a line.

The pain was sharp and immediate, my cheek puffing up with each throbbing heartbeat.

Zack was shaken too, standing there with tears brimming, on the verge of breaking.

"Maggie, I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"

He reached out to touch my swelling cheek, but I pulled away.

"You've fallen for Nancy, haven't you?"

"No, I haven't!" Zack stumbled over his words, desperate to convince me. "I swear, I haven't fallen for her!

"Maggie, you know you're the only one in my heart, my one and only Luna!"

He got to his feet, looking as though confused. "But you can't speak ill of Nancy. She contracted Argentosis while saving my life.

"Without her, I'd be dead. We wouldn't be here together."

I gave no response, and after a moment of hesitation, Zack's voice softened.

"Once Nancy's gone, we could go to Southwood. Remember? You wanted to stargaze there."

I just stared back, silent.

Our bond was broken. There was no point in dreaming of journeys then.

Zack did not press on. He glanced at the clock and stood up quickly.

"I need to go for the oath photo. Let's talk when I get back, okay?"

I reached for the calendar on the nightstand and struck a big X over the date I once eagerly awaited.

Just 12 days remained.

After finishing my meal, I started to pack up my belongings.

Five years had woven a tapestry of memories into the fabric of that home. Photo albums bursting with smiles, the stone plaque Zack had chiseled with his own hands—those were the relics of our love.

I used to believe I was Zack's number one. However, the truth hit hard: Zack's heart belonged to himself first, and Nancy, a close second. Why else would he swipe my research, the work of my soul?

Staring at my manuscript, locked away in Zack's safe, I could not help but laugh—a bitter, hollow sound. "He doesn't love you," I whispered to the empty room.

To Zack, the Alpha, I was just an Omega to be dominated, my talents mere extensions of his will. What was left there for me to hold onto?

One by one, I fed the flames with our photographs, watching as the fire consumed what used to be 'us.'