Every time he left me for Aria, he would return with a house full of moon-roses to soothe me.
And every time, I allowed myself to fall into that false tenderness, pretending nothing had happened.
But this time, I was truly tired.
That night, when I walked out of the Clan Affairs Tower after work, I saw him standing outside.
He wore a dark Alpha ceremonial uniform—broad-shouldered, long-legged, tall and imposing—his presence so commanding that many people turned to look.
Passing werewolves instinctively stepped aside from his aura.
That oppressive force was something only high-tier Alphas possessed.
If it were any other day, I might have walked up to him, urging him softly to get in the car so the clan wouldn’t stare.
But today, I simply wanted to pretend I didn’t see him.
I headed alone toward the Moon-Mark subway station.
It didn’t take long for James to catch up.
He didn’t mention my leaving, didn’t bring up the contract at all—he merely said, lightly:
“Tonight is Vito’s birthday feast. He invited us.”
I stopped walking and looked at him.
“Of course.”
We boarded his vehicle together.
The cabin was silent—so silent that even the faint ripples of the mind-link felt like winter wind, cold and biting.
A breeze slipped through the window seam, carrying the chill of night mixed with a faint jasmine scent.
Aria’s scent.
As an Omega, her natural fragrance was soft, soothing—something that instinctively pleased an Alpha.
It wasn’t overwhelming, just familiar enough to make my chest tighten with cold.
Casually, I asked, “Do you like the smell of jasmine?”
James’s eyes flickered ever so slightly—an involuntary emotional reaction common to Alphas.
“It’s fine,” he said flatly.
“Really?”
I laughed inwardly.
“Then why have you always carried that scent on you for the past few years?”
I didn’t press further.
In wolf-clan customs, scent transfer meant deep emotional closeness.
But he had never once explained it.
We arrived at the Moon-Mark Hotel where we were meeting.
Vito and Aria had clearly been waiting.
When Aria saw James and me appear side by side, she froze for a moment.
“Good evening, James… Blair. We’ve been waiting a while.”
Her voice was soft, tinged with the Omega’s natural gentleness and deference.
I smiled faintly, without warmth, and turned to Vito.
“Apologies. I came in a rush and didn’t prepare a gift.”
Vito had been James and Aria’s childhood companion—
the three of them had grown up together in the same training camp since they were pups.
James had brought me to their clan gatherings back when we first bonded,
which was how I became familiar with them at all.
“I sent one for you,” James said calmly.
Then he guided me toward the seating area.
Two seats were left—directly opposite each other.
Whether the arrangement was intentional or not, I no longer cared.
I released his hand and walked straight to the opposite seat.
James’s expression shifted slightly, but he said nothing.
He simply sat in the empty seat beside Aria.
His choice—guided by territory instincts—felt more like a declaration than etiquette.
I knew what his friends were thinking.
They had never approved of our mate contract,
and had always treated me with a polite, distant frost.
In the past, I had tried to fit into their circle, choosing thoughtful gifts for every holiday.
But those gifts were never used—
the packaging had never even been opened.
They had never considered me one of them.
Thinking back, those symbolic efforts felt laughably naïve.
I said nothing and quietly lowered my head to eat.
The table was lively, filled with fragrances and chatter,
yet I felt as if I were sitting alone on a distant island.
James chatted easily with them,
and while talking, he began peeling the Moon-Bay shrimp on his plate.
According to his habit, he never touched such sea-creature delicacies unless someone else peeled them for him.
Even then, he would only take a symbolic bite—
for a high-tier Alpha, peeling the shells himself was a bothersome task.
But now, he didn’t seem bothered at all.
