A moment later, Ethan seemed to remember something.
"Ryan Walker is hosting a gathering at the Moonlake Territory the day after tomorrow. Several neighboring packs will be attending. Do you want to come?"
I looked at him quietly.
"How long?"
"Three days."
The answer made me smile inwardly.
I could tell from his expression that he did not truly want me there.
Perhaps Lily Sinclair and the others would be attending as well.
That suited me perfectly.
I had plans of my own.
I lowered my gaze to my swollen stomach and smiled faintly.
"I'm carrying four pups. Traveling is too inconvenient. You should go enjoy yourself with them."
Ethan visibly relaxed.
"All right. Stay home and rest."
The following evening, Ethan left with Ryan and the others.
Before stepping through the pack gates, he suddenly paused and looked back.
For a brief moment, something unreadable flashed across his eyes.
As though some instinct was warning him.
As though he sensed something slipping beyond his grasp.
I stood beneath the stone archway and calmly watched him leave.
I never called him back.
Many pack members attended the gathering.
Though they were far away, I still learned about everything through the pack's communication crystals and shared memory recordings.
That night, someone uploaded a memory orb to the group channel.
Curious wolves gathered around it.
Another betting game had begun.
This time, they were wagering on which pup would be born first.
"I'll wager ten million moonstones on Olivia Hayes's pup. She was the most beautiful she-wolf in our generation."
"Then I'll put ten million on Chloe Morgan's."
"I'll wager fifty million on mine."
The female voice that spoke last sounded smug and confident.
Then she turned toward someone beside her.
"Brother, this time I won't lose. Your pup and Sister Sisi's pup can be younger siblings to mine."
The recording crystal was dim, but I recognized her instantly.
Emma Carter.
My fingers tightened around the crystal.
A bitter metallic taste filled my mouth.
The fourth pup belonged to Emma.
Ethan's own sister.
Ever since I entered the Carter Pack as Luna, Emma had made my life miserable whenever she could. We had never gotten along.
Never in my wildest imagination had I thought that one of the pups inside my womb belonged to her.
A sharp ache spread through my chest.
Ethan Carter.
How could you be this cruel?
Laughter echoed through the recording.
Then Ethan's familiar voice sounded.
"I'll wager one hundred million moonstones."
The crowd immediately grew excited.
"On whose pup?"
Ethan chuckled.
"The first one born will definitely be mine and Sisi's."
The gathering erupted into cheers.
"I'll put fifty million on Alpha Ethan."
"Me too."
"Count me in."
The voices rose and fell around him.
Every single person there knew the truth.
Only I had been kept in the dark.
Only I had been treated like a fool.
Emma's voice rang out once more through the noise.
"I really want to see Sophia's expression when she learns she carried my pup all this time and gave birth to it herself. That will be quite a spectacle."
More laughter followed.
I could not see her face clearly.
Yet I could easily imagine the smug satisfaction in her eyes.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
My bloodshot eyes reflected in the crystal's surface.
Then I smiled.
A cold smile.
Since they were all placing wagers...
Then I would place one too.
I wagered that every one of them would lose.
Setting the crystal aside, I activated a private mindlink.
The connection was accepted almost immediately.
"Is everything prepared?" I asked quietly.
"Yes, Luna. Everything is ready."
The pain of the separation ritual exceeded anything I had imagined.
It felt as though my entire body was being torn apart.
Yet even that agony could not compare to the pain Ethan had left inside my heart.
When I finally opened my eyes again, I was lying in the healer's chambers.
The ritual was over.
The four pups were gone.
I did not ask to see them.
Nor did I spare them a single glance.
Instead, I handed several sealed packages to a messenger wolf.
"Deliver these personally."
The messenger bowed and departed.
Three days later, the gathering came to an end.
Ethan, Lily Sinclair, Emma Carter, and the others returned to the territory together.
The group was still laughing and talking as they crossed through the main gates, reminiscing about the festivities of the previous days.
One of the warriors suddenly spoke.
"I heard something strange today. A pregnant she-wolf from a neighboring territory suffered a carriage accident. They said she was carrying quadruplets."
The moment the words left his mouth, Ethan's expression darkened.
His brows immediately furrowed.
Emma laughed.
"Brother, why are you so tense? Don't tell me you're thinking about Sophia—"
"It is Sophia."
The words came from a messenger who had just arrived.
Everyone turned.
The messenger carried several sealed wooden boxes.
After consulting a list, he stepped forward.
"Lady Hayes. Lady Morgan. Lady Carter."
"You each have a package."
Then he turned toward Ethan.
"And one for Alpha Ethan."
"Please accept it."
