Evelyn’s POV
That night, I fell asleep clutching the small glass vial of wolfsbane as though it were a lifeline. The cool glass pressed against my palm, a cruel comfort. I wasn’t foolish enough to drink it, not yet, but keeping it close was like keeping a door open, an escape, if everything became unbearable.
The silence of my room felt too heavy. I looked around, half-expecting to see him again—the younger version of Alpha Leo, the one who had appeared the night before, reaching for me with eyes that were not yet filled with betrayal. But the room was empty. Just shadows and dust, and me.
I sighed and forced myself to focus on packing. My hands moved over worn clothes, books, and scraps of a life I had once thought was permanent. I folded them into the luggage I had dragged from the closet, each item a reminder that I was leaving—not because I wanted to, but because he did.
As I zipped one of the bags shut, a strange shimmer caught my eye. My wrist. A faint green light pulsed along the vein there, glowing just beneath the skin. I froze, staring at it, my wolf perking up inside me. But before I could truly make sense of it, it vanished.
I blinked, shook my head, and tried to shrug it off. Maybe I was just tired. Maybe grief was playing tricks on me.
“Days,” I whispered to myself. “Just give me days and I’ll be gone from this hell. Just like he wanted.”
The words were bitter on my tongue, but saying them aloud grounded me.
That weekend, there was a gathering for wolves in the city. Normally, I would’ve avoided it—too many eyes, too many questions. But Anna, an old friend, insisted I come. I didn’t want to appear weak, so I agreed.
The train ride was long, the rhythmic clatter of wheels on the tracks almost enough to lull me to sleep. But halfway through, a heaviness spread through my limbs. My chest felt hollow, my body weakening. My wolf whimpered faintly inside me.
Something was wrong.
I pulled out my phone, checked my bank account, and my stomach dropped. The numbers were gone. Completely gone. The access I had for years as Luna, the allowance, the joint account with Alpha Leo—wiped clean.
Tears pricked my eyes as I stared at the empty balance.
Again, the faint green glow shimmered across my wrist. It was gone in a blink, but this time it left a strange echo in my chest. I squeezed my hand tight, trying to push the sensation away.
I closed my eyes, and when I did, he appeared again. The younger Alpha Leo. His hair shorter, his smile softer, his eyes so blue they seemed to burn. My breath hitched, and before I realized it, tears were streaking down my cheeks.
“Why are you here?” I asked the vision, my voice cracking. “Why now? After everything?”
But his lips curved into that same gentle smile from years ago. “Because you need me,” he said simply, his voice like an old memory replaying itself.
And then, he was gone.
I gasped and opened my eyes. The train rumbled on, people around me talking quietly, unaware that my world was unraveling in silence.
By the time I arrived, I was drained. I rented a small room at an inn near the venue, just enough to keep me upright until the event ended.
The gathering was a commemoration of achievements across wolf kind in the past year. The ballroom was lit with golden chandeliers, glittering like stars. Wolves in fine clothes mingled, laughed, boasted. I tugged at the dress I had borrowed, it barely fit, clinging in places it shouldn’t. When I caught my reflection in the mirror-lined walls, I sighed. I looked like I didn’t belong.
“Evelyn!” a familiar voice called.
I turned to see Anna rushing toward me, her smile warm, her arms open. Relief washed over me.
But then, my gaze shifted beyond her shoulder.
Alpha Leo. And beside him, Sophia Thompson.
She was radiant in a golden body-hugging gown that shimmered under the lights. Her hair fell in perfect waves, her lips painted red. She clung to Leo’s arm as though she had always belonged there. His hand rested on her waist with such ease it made my stomach twist.
I lowered my eyes quickly, but not before I saw the smirk tug at Sophia’s mouth.
The event continued. Speeches were given, achievements celebrated. Then it was Sophia’s turn. She stepped onto the stage, announced as a healer-doctor recognized for her service. My wolf bristled at the applause that filled the room.
“I’d like to show a slideshow of my achievements the entire year,” Sophia announced, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
The lights dimmed, the projector hummed, and images began to play. But instead of her achievements, the screen filled with something else—medical records. My medical records.
The room went silent.
The words glared at me in cold, clinical letters: Patient: Evelyn Lockheart. Diagnosis: miscarriage.
Gasps rippled through the audience. My breath caught in my throat.
Then the whispers began.
“Lockheart?” someone hissed. “Is she really from the Lockheart line?”
“Wasn’t that family banished?” another muttered.
“Cursed. That’s what they were. No wonder.”
“The Moon Goddess must have taken her baby to end the bloodline completely.”
Laughter, disgust, pity, it all blurred together until it was just noise clawing at my ears. My wolf whimpered, retreating deep inside me.
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move.
I ran.
I pushed through the crowd, ignoring the stares, the whispers, the pitying looks. My chest burned with every breath as I stumbled into the cold night air. My vision blurred with tears, but I didn’t stop until I reached the parking lot.
And there he was. Alpha Leo, leaning casually against his car as though nothing in the world had shifted.
I stopped, trembling. “Alpha.” My voice broke as I stepped closer. “Why? Why would you let them—why would you let her—” My throat closed, unable to finish.
His eyes met mine, cold and unfamiliar. “It was an honest mistake on Sophia’s part,” he said flatly.
My knees weakened. “You knew too well that is a lie. After everything… after five years…”
“You’re no longer my Luna, Evelyn.” His tone was final, cutting. “Don’t question. And before I forget, you have no share of my money or my properties anymore. And as of last week, I signed the documents. Every debt you owe to Sunray Pack, every coin you spent while here—we will ask for repayment. You are indebted to my pack.”
The words slammed into me like claws to the chest.
I stumbled back, my hand clutching my stomach as if it could hold me together. “Debt?” I whispered. “Are you kidding me? You vowed to give me a comfortable life! I worked hard to be your Luna for years! Isn’t that enough—”
His eyes narrowed, sharp as ice. “Don’t bother arguing with me. We’re done here.”
I searched his face for the man I once loved. The man who promised to fight for me. But he wasn’t there. He had vanished long ago, leaving only this stranger in his place.
And for the first time, I realized—I could no longer recognize him at all.
