“Scarlett! Stop being childish. She didn’t do it on purpose. Can’t you see that her eyesight is still not good? Maybe it fell to the floor, and she didn’t see it, thus she accidentally stepped on the bracelet.” Ryan’s voice was tinged with annoyance. His lips pulled into a thin line, and I could see that his patience was dwindling down.
I stayed silent, my eyes telling him that I was still angry and not convinced.
He took a deep breath and then continued, “I already explained to you that I did it to save her from those people. Once someone claims that they are mates with her, even I cannot save her.”
Yes, I already knew that there was such a rule between the werewolf community. However, has it to be him who kissed her? I suddenly had the urge to throw up.
“She is also a savior of our pack. She told us beforehand about the rogue attack so that we could be prepared. Without her, our losses would have been greater, with many pack members dead. Don’t you feel sad for them?” he continued, seeing that my breathing wasn’t as erratic as before. He probably thought that I had calmed down.
Inwardly, I smiled bitterly. I stood up and turned around, then told him. “Then I will be the one getting out of here, Ryan.”
He growled in frustration. Anger evident in his voice as he told me arrogantly. “You can try it. Go out and I will cut the funds to Miracle Shelter.”
I stopped, turned my body around to face him. My face painted with shock and disbelief. Did I hear it, right?
He actually used the Miracle Shelter to threaten me, his own mate, for the sake of Violet!
Because of frequent rogue attacks, my brother and I lost our parents early. We grew up in Miracle Shelter, where the werewolves, who had nowhere to go, stayed. There were a lot of kids and elderly there.
The place became a haven for werewolves who had no pack. They formed a close relationship with each other, like a family that the bond managed to keep us sane. We were not like rogue werewolves, where they succumbed to their wolf's side and acted primarily on instinct.
Although I joined Ryan to regain his place as the rightful heir of the Red Moon pack’s Alpha and later became his Luna, it was still my dream to see those kids and elderly get their stomach full and always warm during the winter. So, we also worked hard in order to make our business successful along with handling the pack.
I never guessed that out of anyone, Ryan would be the one dared to actually use this to threaten me.
My own mate, who was supposed to be the one protecting me, was making me feel threatened instead.
I closed my eyes in silent agony. For the sake of those kids and elderly, I could only compromise with him. I stayed silent, and he seemed to take it as an acquiescence that I no longer objected to Violet living here.
When I opened my eyes again, his pair of blue eyes had become calmer. His anger dissipated at my compliance.
Until his phone rang, and without looking back at me, Ryan exited the room. He went to Violet, who was complaining that her eyesight had gotten worse after I slapped her. With my hearing, I could still hear a bit of their conversation.
After he was gone, a familiar furry figure in his majestic black night color walked in. It was Lupin, my wolf companion whom I had raised since he was a pup.
“Lupin.” I trudged toward him, cradling his head, and he licked my face affectionately.
Lupin was a normal wolf, but he possessed intelligence better than his peers. However, no matter how smart he was, Lupin was still ultimately an ordinary wolf. It has been thirteen years since we took care of him.
He was already old and wasn’t as strong as before. Worse, his left front paw was injured when he tried to save us and that left him disabled ever since. Still, my love for him didn’t change.
When I had a fight with Ryan and spent my days outside, the staff had taken care of him. He was a docile wolf and a lot of people liked him.
Lupin seemed to sense my misery. He nudged me with his snout, as if telling me that he was here for me. I nearly burst into tears. A lot of things here hadn’t changed, only him…
I stroked Lupin’s black, silky fur and whispered in anguish. “Lupin, do you know? He had changed. Now, I don’t know if he is still the same person at all.”
He nudged me again, rubbing his head against my cheek. I took a deep breath and finally couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. They burst out like waterfalls.
After I felt a bit calmer, I guided him back to his room. Tonight was a sleepless night for me, and when I fell asleep, I sunk into a nightmare.
It happened when I was still a teenager. Ryan, who grew up without parents, found his mother again. However, she didn’t seem sane and only instinct had taken over.
Since he was yet an adult, Ryan couldn’t hold back the full force of an adult werewolf. Worse, it was a rogue werewolf who had gone feral. Panicking upon the situation, I jumped in front of him, taking the claw that embedded itself in my stomach.
I coughed a lot of blood at that time, thinking that I was going to die. It was also the first time that he looked so desperate. “You are not allowed to die! What does life mean without you? If you die, I will join you. Do you hear me, Scarlett?”
I jolted awake, feeling like a thousand needles pierced my nerves. I took a deep breath to control the dizziness, then I got up. The dream really bothered me that I was no longer interested in sleeping.
I got out of the room and at the same time chanced upon Violet, who was in her wolf form and tearing at Lupin. She hurled him into the air and I panicked.
