I felt as if moon magic had frozen my whole body in place.
In my ear crystal, the voices of the backstage warriors came low and tight. Several kept asking what went wrong, yet no one dared rush onto the stage to stop it.
The crowd went silent for one breath.
Then anger exploded like a storm.
“Where is the star we came for?”
“Who is she? Did she walk onto the wrong stage?”
“Get down!”
Marielle gripped the moon mic. Her voice trembled. The moment she tried to sing, she lost the tone.
Her weak singing completely fell apart under pressure. Each line sounded worse than the last.
My head buzzed. Ignoring all rules, I almost rushed backstage and ordered them to cut the music.
But someone stepped in front of me. His face was tense.
“Luna… this was Alpha Ronan’s arrangement.”
His men blocked me from going onstage.
Meanwhile, Marielle forced the song to the end. The shouting grew louder.
According to the schedule, Ronan was next to speak.Under countless floating cameras, he began calmly.
“In these past years, for Moonbond to reach today, we must thank someone. Marielle Evergrove.”
“Because if it’s not for her livestream support, Moonbond would not have grown so fast. Today’s success belongs partly to her.”
The audience erupted again.
I closed my eyes. My chest tightened again and again. My communicator shook nonstop in my hand. The public relations team. Investors from other Alpha kingdoms. Trade partners. Core elders.
Calls came without pause. Yet Ronan stood proudly on that stage, openly shielding his mistress. He used everyone’s hard work as a gift to please her.
After he finished, the host almost ran out to fix the disaster, quickly bringing back the planned program and inviting the famous young wolf actor we had paid heavily to attend.
Only then did the atmosphere calm a little.
But the rest of the event felt rushed and broken.
Offstage, Ronan stood beside Marielle, speaking softly. Her eyes were red as she whispered.
“It is all my fault. If I had not sung poorly, they would not shout at you.”
Ronan answered gently, almost indulgent.
“It is fine. Wolves forget quickly. This will pass.”
I could not bear it any longer. I stepped forward and raised my communicator before him.
On the screen, the top trending tags glowed.
#MoonbondFiveYearAnniversaryDisaster
#AlphaVallorenBringsMistressOnStage
I looked at him and spoke each word clearly, “You think it’s not serious? Alpha, tell me. Who will repay the losses from tonight?”
He clearly did not expect such backlash from the online packs.
The livestream channel was flooded with mocking comments and anger. The backstage message box was exploding.
I held the screen toward him. Within seconds, more partner calls came in.
He only frowned slightly. “Is it truly that severe? Players only want comfort. Give them some free spirit skins and limited outfits. They will forget.”
He continued speaking lightly, “I will cover tonight’s losses. Stop making a scene.”
As soon as he finished, several partners hurried over and pulled him aside to deal with the chaos.
After Ronan left, the quiet and obedient mask on Marielle disappeared. The fear on her face faded, replaced by a faint smug smile.
“Luna, even if you carry a pup, what does it change? You still cannot keep your Alpha.”
“You are already being pushed aside. Why not step down yourself? If you wait to be cast out, it will look worse.”
I looked at her calmly, then said, “Who do you think you are, speaking to me this way?”
Her face stiffened. Anger flashed in her eyes as she opened her mouth.
I did not let her continue. My hand struck her across the face. The sound was clear in the tight backstage room.
“Being a mistress is shameful enough. But someone as low as you, this is the first time I have ever seen.”
She covered her cheek, stunned. Then tears poured down.
Almost at once, Ronan rushed back in. He shoved me aside without restraint and pulled Marielle into his arms.
“What happened? Marielle, who hurt you?”
Curled against him, Marielle cried harder.
“Alpha… I only wanted to explain things to Luna Valea… But she called me low and suddenly struck me…”
Her lies flowed smoothly.
Ronan had pushed me so hard I stumbled backward. My back hit a metal camera stand, sharp pain shooting through me.
My stomach tightened painfully. But Ronan’s eyes were already cold as he looked at me.
“Valea, have you caused enough trouble?”
“Look at yourself. What part of you still resembles Luna of Valloren? You look like a jealous and loud woman.”
“What proper she wolf behaves like this, bullying an ordinary girl?”
“How did you become so cruel? We have been mated for five years. How did you turn into this? Where is the gentle Valea from before?”
I held my belly. My fingers were cold. I fought back the sting in my nose.
“So what?”
“Is kindness only when I endure everything, hide and cry, stay silent, and never fight back? Is that your meaning of gentle?”
“Like before, staying in the den feeling pain alone, pretending not to see anything, only then am I a good Luna in your eyes?”
I lifted my head and looked at him. My voice trembled.
“I am not the same as five years ago.”
“And you, Alpha Ronan… You bring your mistress into our territory more boldly each day. Are you still the same Ronan who once swore he loved only me?”
