I married Emory, my fated mate. But he never loved me.

His first love, Ophelia, was stricken with the Lunar Blight. Her dying wish, she said, was to have a mating ceremony with Emory, to become his Luna.

I refused.

From that day on, to Emory and our son Leo, I was nothing but a selfish, cruel woman.

Leo would intentionally feed me things I was allergic to. He’d pretend to get lost during the winter hunt, leaving me to search for him in a blizzard for a day and a night until I nearly died…

It was all to keep me from disturbing Emory and Ophelia.

So when he started crying and throwing a tantrum, demanding I go catch him a Silver-Frost Rabbit from the dangerous depths of the forest at night, I finally said no.

“You don’t have to keep making me sick anymore,” I told him. “I won’t bother your father and Ophelia again.”

Because I’m terminally ill. My wolf is fading. I’m going to die soon.

"No! I want Mommy to catch me a Silver-Frost Rabbit!" Five-year-old Leo slammed his cup to the floor and screamed at me. "If you don't, you're a bad mommy!"

A Silver-Frost Rabbit. A rare creature that only appears deep in the forest at night.

As weak as I am now, hunting one would leave me with a fever for at least three days.

But the old me would have gone.

Because I loved this child, the only one Emory and I would ever have.

But now, I coolly set down my teacup. "I'm not going."

Leo froze.

"What did you say?" He stared at me in disbelief.

"I said, I'm not going," I repeated calmly. "And you don't have to intentionally make me sick anymore. I won't bother your father and Ophelia again."

A flicker of joy in his eyes sent a chill down my spine.

"Do you really mean it?" he asked, tilting his head with a child's innocence, as if studying a fascinating new toy.

"I do."

"Yay!" He laughed and ran off.

I knew exactly why he hated me so much.

It was because Emory's old flame, Ophelia, had the Lunar Blight—a terminal illness that slowly drains a werewolf of their life force.

And her only wish before she died was to have a mating ceremony with Emory, to become his Luna.

I refused.

I even offered to use my healing abilities to help Ophelia, to extend her life. But to Emory and Leo, I was still a selfish, vicious woman.

So for the past three months, Leo has done everything he can to torment me.

The first time, he fed me food laced with peanuts. The allergic reaction was so severe I was unconscious for three days, forcing me to miss his parent-teacher conference. Ophelia and Emory went in my place. When I woke up, he cried and said he didn't do it on purpose. I forgave him.

The second time, he "accidentally" ripped my ceremonial robe for the Moonlight Festival, saying, "Just let Auntie Ophelia go. Everyone likes her better anyway."

The worst was just a few days ago, during the winter hunt. Leo deliberately hid, making me think he was lost. I searched for him in a blizzard for a whole day and night, my body frozen stiff. I tried to reach Emory through our mind-link for help, but he never answered. When they finally found me, I was half-dead from the cold. Leo, however, had returned home perfectly safe. "It was just a joke, Mommy," he'd said.

The ordeal left a scar on my soul. Now, the mere sight of snow is enough to make me tremble uncontrollably.

The main door burst open, and a blast of cold air and snow rushed in. Emory strode in, carrying a sweet scent on him. Not his. Ophelia's. His Alpha scent was erratic, and there was a smear of blood on his left arm. I knew it was from climbing the cliffs to pick healing flowers for Ophelia. In the ten years I’ve been his Luna, he has never once done something like that for me.

"Here's your medicine." Emory tossed a vial onto the table without looking at me. "Since you're sick, just rest. Ophelia will attend Leo's birthday banquet in your place tomorrow..."

His gaze finally landed on me then, taking in my calm expression. "You're... not sick?" He frowned.

I saw the clear surprise and confusion in his eyes. I picked up the invitation from the table. The gilded script read, "Celebrating Young Master Leo's Fifth Birthday." Below, three names were printed. Mine wasn't one of them. There was a photo of the three of them, too. Emory and Ophelia stood side-by-side, looking so close. Not like us. Even on the day of our mating ceremony, he kept his distance. He even replaced the traditional kiss with a brief hug. He never wanted to be close to me.

He saw me looking at the invitation, and his tone stiffened. "You've been so weak these past few days, so I... The invitations are already printed. If you want to go, you can enter after us..."

Before he could finish, I cut him off. "Then let's leave it at that. Thank Ophelia for me. She's a better fit for the role anyway." After all, she was the ideal Luna in Emory's heart, the mother Leo adored.

But Emory didn't look satisfied. He stared at me, incredulous. "That's it? You have nothing else to say?"

A bitter smile touched my lips. "What did you want to hear? That I'd beg and cry for you not to replace me? Or that I'd scream and break things like a hysterical madwoman?"

Emory's face flushed, then paled, as if I’d read his mind. "What is your problem? Are you still angry that I missed your call for help during the hunt? I already explained—Ophelia was having a bad episode, so I was distracted. I made it up to you afterward. What more do you want?"

"Making it up to me" meant the expensive jewelry he'd tossed my way. But he would never understand that no amount of jewels could mend my shattered body and heart. I was too tired to argue with him.

Emory's expression grew colder. "Liliana, your Moon-Glow Pack is gone. There's no one left to indulge your whims."

His words struck us both silent. That was my deepest wound, one I never wanted anyone to touch. Emory seemed to realize he'd gone too far. He opened his mouth to say something else, but his phone rang. It was Ophelia. "Emory, I feel so sick. Can you come be with me?" His expression softened instantly. "Don't be scared. I'm on my way."

He strode towards the door without another glance at me. The door slammed shut, plunging the room back into silence.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my head. I bit back a cry, my hands trembling as I pulled a vial of medicine from my bag. Forcing down the foul-smelling liquid, I fought the urge to vomit. My own phone rang. I answered.

"Lady Liliana, are you certain about this?" an old witch's voice asked from the other end.

I steadied my breathing. "I'm certain. I was already dying from my fading wolf," I said, my voice hoarse. "To offer up my wolf spirit before I go... at least it will be worth something."

"There's no one left to indulge your whims."

Emory’s words reminded me of something else he’d once spat at me: "You're nothing but a parasite."

It was our wedding night. I was dressed in the most beautiful gown, my heart full of hope as I waited for him. The Blackwood Pack had just survived a near-total collapse, and I was the one who proposed the alliance, offering the strength of my Moon-Glow Pack to help them rebuild. I thought he would at least be kind to me for that. I thought we could learn to love each other. After all, we were fated mates, chosen by the Moon Goddess herself.

But on our wedding night, I learned how wrong I was.

"Even if you are my Luna, I will never love you," Emory had said, his eyes cold as he looked at my ornate gown. "When the Moon-Glow Pack weakens, what will you have left to lean on?" "You're a useless parasite."

And his words turned out to be a curse.

Three years later, the Sacred Moonstone of my pack began to dim, its power fading. My parents stood vigil by it day and night, pouring their own life force into it to sustain its last glimmer of light. Desperate for Emory’s help, I drugged him. That night, Leo was conceived.

Finally, for the sake of his child, Emory agreed to help. But when I rushed back to my pack lands, ecstatic to tell my parents the news, I was met with a sight that would haunt me for the rest of my life. My parents stood hand in hand before the dying Moonstone. They poured the last of their life force into it, their bodies turning translucent until they dissolved into motes of moonlight.

"Liliana," my mother's voice whispered on the wind, "you have to live on."

I collapsed before the empty altar and sobbed, the baby in my womb kicking as if it could feel my sorrow. The grief nearly broke my mind. I needed intensive treatment, but for the baby's sake, I refused any medication, choosing instead to suppress my own wolf to endure the pain.

Ten months later, Leo was born healthy. I held him with a joyful heart, thinking I finally had a family again, someone who was part of me, someone who would finally love me. But the first full sentence he ever learned was a mimicry of Emory's voice: "Mommy is a parasite who lives off Daddy."

Then Ophelia appeared, and just like Emory, he always chose her side. He always abandoned me. When I was trapped in the snow, slowly losing consciousness, I finally understood. The child I had fought so hard to bring into this world wasn't my safe harbor. He was another knife in my heart.

So I made my decision. Emory and Leo—I was done with them both.

"Why don't you tell your family about your illness?" the witch had asked me once.

"My family is already dead," I had replied calmly.

I started to clear out my things. The gorgeous gowns in my closet, all of them—gone. The pearl necklace in my jewelry box, the first gift Emory ever gave me—tossed out. In my desk drawer was a fox-fur cloak I had woven myself, meant as a gift for our tenth anniversary. It was clear now that anniversary would never come. I threw it all into the fireplace.

Last was the painting of our mating ceremony, commissioned from my favorite artist. In it, Emory looked handsome and powerful, while I smiled, my face radiant with happiness. It was all a lie. I had destroyed this painting countless times, tearing it to shreds after every fight, only to secretly piece it back together in the dead of night. The servants were used to it.

"Here we go again," I heard one whisper outside the door. "The Luna is destroying the painting to get the Alpha's attention."

"Just ignore her. She'll glue it back together herself anyway."

I was used to their scorn. I took the canvas from the wall and, without a moment's hesitation, tossed it into the hearth. The flames instantly devoured it, the paint releasing a bitter, acrid smell.

"My Goddess!" the servants gasped. "If it burns, it's gone for good!"

"What's gone for good?" A familiar voice cut through the air.

I turned to see Emory standing in the doorway, his face a thunderous mask.

Behind Emory stood Leo and Ophelia. All three were dressed in matching shades of deep blue, looking for all the world like a real family. Ophelia clung to Emory’s arm, her other hand stroking Leo’s hair. A triumphant smile played on her lips, her eyes full of challenge as she looked at me.

"Sister Liliana," she cooed sweetly. "Leo's birthday wish is for me to stay in the main house tonight. You don't mind, do you?"

Leo bounced on his feet. "Yeah! I want to sleep with Daddy and Auntie Ophelia! Like a real family!"

Emory looked uncomfortable, but he didn't stop them.

"I don't mind," I said flatly.

Leo clapped his hands in delight. "Great! Our family of three can all sleep together!"

Ophelia feigned a shy glance downward. "Oh, Liliana, he's just a child. You can't be mad at him for speaking his mind, can you?"

But Emory didn't look pleased. He had expected me to scream and protest, giving him the chance to accuse me of "ruining our son's birthday."

I forced a smile. "Of course not. Make yourselves at home."

I couldn't stand the sight of their happy little charade any longer and turned to leave.

"Aren't you staying with us, Mommy?" Leo’s voice was probing.

"Didn't you say a family of three?" I said, looking back at him. "I'd only be in the way." With that, I went upstairs to the guest room.

Later that night, I stepped onto the balcony for some air. It was adjacent to the master bedroom's balcony, and I could see inside through the glass doors. Ophelia, dressed in a flimsy silk nightgown, was deliberately parading in front of Emory. Leo played his part, asking for a glass of water. As Ophelia bent over to pour it, the neckline of her gown gaped open.

"Leo, go get Auntie Ophelia a blanket," Emory's voice was tight.

Leo nodded obediently, then "accidentally" bumped into Ophelia. She stumbled right into Emory's arms, the thin silk strap sliding off her shoulder as her body pressed against his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm so unsteady," she murmured, looking up at him with misty eyes. "It must be a side effect of the medicine." Her hand slid up to his chest, releasing a subtle, inviting scent.

Emory’s throat bobbed. His eyes darkened with heat.

I had no interest in watching their little show, but as I turned to leave, Emory caught my reflection in the glass door. He shoved Ophelia away and stormed onto the balcony.

"Liliana!" He grabbed my arm, his voice thick with shame and anger. "It's not what you think!"

"I'm not thinking anything," I said calmly. "What you do is none of my business."

"Stop pretending!" he snarled, his embarrassment turning to rage. "You were spying on us!"

"Emory, don't blame Sister Liliana," Ophelia cried, following him out with tears in her eyes. "It's all my fault, I shouldn't have..." She grabbed my hand. "I'll do anything, just please forgive me!"

"Bad mommy!" Leo rushed out too, shoving me hard. "Why are you bullying Auntie Ophelia? Go away!"

I was standing on the edge of the balcony. His push sent me stumbling backward. At that exact moment, Ophelia, who was still clinging to my hand, let her body go limp and fell with me.

"Emory, save me!" she shrieked in terror.

The second-floor balcony wasn't fatally high, but the fall would still cause serious injury. Without a second of hesitation, Emory bypassed me—the one closer to him—and lunged with an Alpha's speed to grab Ophelia's hand.

And I fell.