What had driven him to turn his back on me?
Were the promises he made six cycles ago nothing but a lie?
Or had he simply tired of the she-wolf he finally won, chasing after a fresher, more thrilling one?
Those thoughts haunted me even as Aldric whispered against my ear, “Thank you, little wolf, you make me feel alive again.”
When he finally fell asleep, I slipped from the bed, washed away his scent from my skin and stepped onto the balcony.
The Celestdawn Crest night sky, once felt enchanted to me, turned into a taunting snarl that night—a bitter reminder of the evidence I had dug up.
A low murmur slipped out of me. “Just days until our fourth mating anniversary. Such a fine offering you’ve given me, Aldric. Don’t worry—I’ll repay you.”
***
The next morning, we returned to the Wolfpine Forest earlier than planned—Aldric claimed the pack needed him back.
Over the morning meal on the skycraft, I made up my mind to test him.
“Mate,” I said casually, cutting into my moon-baked pastry, “What do you think of the male lead in the lore-book I’m reading?”
“He betrayed his mate even though he once adored her. They’d shared a den since their pup days, but another she-wolf appeared and… I guess her fire tempted him.”
Aldric huffed out a laugh. “That’s the weakest excuse I’ve ever heard.”
“Seraphina, you’ve always been the she-wolf who made me work the hardest to win you over. Think back— how many times you turn me down six cycles ago, till you say yes.”
I clenched the moonsteel knife harder, wishing it cutting into something other than my moon-baked pastry.
“Right,” I said, pulling a smile over my fangs. “You chased me so hard back then. I can’t picture you doing what that male lead did.”
Aldric swallowed hard, sensing something beneath my tone, then pinched a bit of pastry from my moonsteel plate and stuffed it into my mouth.
“Mate, stop imagining such foolish things. I’d never betray you,” he murmured, brushing away a smear of jam with his thumb—then licking it the way he always had.
It struck me like a claw to the chest, how many she-wolves had melted under that same teasing charm?
“Such a smooth-tongued wolf,” I growled under my breath.
“Hm? What did you say?” he asked, looking at me.
“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering where they got this pastry, taste so good,” I answered calmly.
“I’ll ask the attendant. You can have it every dawn if you want.”
I kissed his cheek sweetly, acting to be the doting Luna. “You’re so thoughtful.”
To any outsider, we appeared the ideal mated wolves—Aldric, the charming Alpha and me, his loyal Luna.
But that harmony was only a mask and even the most “perfect” Alphas could betray his mate.
At the skyport, Aldric said he had urgent matter and rushed to the pack alliance.
But secretly I followed him and saw him slip into the parking grounds where Mirael waited in a dark carriage.
They exchanged a close, intimate kiss before riding off together.
I didn’t waste a heartbeat—I headed straight to the moon tribunal to have the severance scroll prepared.
I sought neither his wealth nor his territories, nor the privileges of his bloodline. The scroll itself plainly marked me as the injured party of his infidelity.
“This will be my gift for both our anniversary and our goodbye,” I whispered, my written-name marking the end of the life I once cherished.
Thus, I spent my time in a peaceful moonbrew den, choosing not to set foot in the manor after we returned from Celestdawn Crest.
The idea of returning to that den, once filled with our memories and then with his betrayal, was more than I could bear.
Still, as dusk settled, Aldric called, his voice a blend of confusion and concern.
“Where are you? The butler said you haven’t come back since this morning. And when the driver reached the skyport, he said you’d already gone.”
I kept my voice light, smoothing over the irritation coiling beneath my ribs. “Oh, I went shopping with a friend. Sorry, I forgot to tell you. She’s the one who picked me up at the skyport.”
There was a pause on the line before Aldric let out a low chuckle. “So that’s it. You must not have been satisfied with the shopping in Celestdwan Crest last night. No wonder you only picked a few pieces.”
“No,” I answered, keeping my tone warm and even. “The pieces in Celestdwan Crest were beautiful. I just found some lunar ornaments to go with them.”
"I see. It's a good timing then, I want to take you to my inner packmates' evening gathering," he said, his voice warm and cheerful as if everything in our lives was picture-perfect, "Go back to the manor now, I've sent someone to get your dress and hair ready."
“Alright,” I answered simply.
Even though I agreed, a heaviness coiled in my chest. None of Anthony’s packmates ever cared for me. No matter how hard I tried to be polite and respectful, I could always feel their hostility simmering beneath the surface.
In their eyes, I was merely an ordinary outsider who had somehow been the Luna of Aldric Wolfsbane. Their envy was thinly veiled—some wolves didn’t bother veiling it at all, dressing their insults as humor.
Even worse, I knew some of them were actively pushing other she-wolves toward him.
Was Mirael one of them? I asked myself bitterly.
And it didn’t take long before the truth revealed.
As soon as I arrived at the evening gathering, the truth hit instantly.
Every one of Aldric's packmates already knew Mirael well. Their easy chatter about her “running late because of the crowd on the northern trail” told me everything.
They were too casual, too close to her, how to exchanging glances, chattering and laughing as if she had long been part of them.
It struck me like a claw across the face—every one of them knew about his affair.
I fixed my gaze on him, my jaw clenched, my voice gentle but carrying the unmistakable bite beneath.
"So ... Mirael is part of your packmates too, Aldric?"
