He froze.
He clearly hadn't expected me to know he'd bought the same gifts for Vesper Duskmere.
He recovered quickly.
"Clara, you're misunderstanding. I genuinely wanted to make it up to you, so I asked Vesper to help me pick things out. When I saw she liked them too, I just went ahead and bought two of everything. Don't get upset over something this small, alright?"
Small.
I was so tired of hearing that word.
I reached out and swept the gift boxes off the table in one motion.
"Gifts can come in multiples. So can your love be split into shares too?"
My voice trembled, beyond my control.
"Kael Blackthorne, the thing I regret most right now is…"
My eyes burned red at the rims.
The rest of the words never made it out.
But he already understood.
His expression shifted. He stood immediately and caught my wrist.
"Clara, you have to believe me. You're the only one in my heart. Otherwise I wouldn't have taken the moon-oath with you. Just give me a few more years. Once I've had my fill, I'll come back to your side. I promise."
I looked at him, and a bone-deep exhaustion settled over me.
The same hollow, empty promises. Over and over.
I had no desire to keep listening.
I pulled my hand free. My voice came out flat, without a single ripple.
"Then let's wait."
Watching my face go calm, Kael probably assumed I'd finally stopped being angry. The tension in his own features eased by a few degrees.
He bent down and picked the scattered bags off the floor one by one, pressing them into my hands.
I knew he hadn't understood what I actually meant.
But I couldn't be bothered to explain.
I took the bags. Turned around. Went upstairs.
What I was waiting for had never been the day he came to his senses.
What I was waiting for was the bond rejection cooling period to end.
My Moon Blessing Day was coming soon.
Theron Sterling and Selene Sterling were far away overseas, yet they still remembered. They'd specially arranged for an exquisite gemstone-set crown to be flown in from across the continent, a piece worth a small fortune.
The delivery address was the Blackthorne Central Den.
When I received word, my first thought was to tell them I'd already signed the bond rejection decree with Kael.
But knowing they were still traveling, not wanting to ruin their good spirits, I held back.
I went to the Blackthorne Central Den.
The Moon Blessing gift had been left in Kael's private den.
He was in a Pack Council session, so I went in alone.
But the moment I pushed open the door, I saw Vesper Duskmere had already torn away the outer wrapping.
That dazzling, radiant crown was sitting on her head.
When she saw me, panic flickered across her face. She immediately arranged her features into that timid, frightened look she wore so well.
"Luna, what are you doing here?"
I was in no mood to watch her perform. I walked straight toward her and reached for the crown.
"I'm here to take what's mine."
Something flashed in Vesper's eyes. Jealousy. Resentment.
Her fingers tightened. She gripped the crown and refused to let go.
Did she want it that badly?
I was about to release my hold when I saw her deliberately press her finger into one of the crown's sharp points.
Bright red blood beaded at her fingertip almost instantly.
The next second, she crumpled onto the settee, whimpering softly.
"Luna, I just thought the crown was beautiful. I only wanted to admire it for a moment. Why would you do this to me?"
Before I could react, a force slammed into me from behind.
I was shoved hard. My whole body crashed into the edge of the low table. My forehead struck the corner with a sickening crack, and pain tore through me, sharp and immediate. Warm blood seeped from my temple.
The color drained from my face. I sucked in a breath through my teeth and looked up at Kael, who had just come through the door.
He wasn't looking at me.
He was cradling Vesper's injured finger, cleaning the wound with painstaking care, pressing a bandage over it with gentle precision.
The tenderness in his eyes was something he couldn't hide even if he tried.
Only then did I finally understand what scene Vesper had just staged.
I pushed myself upright, trembling. I bent down, picked up the blood-stained crown, and held it out in front of Vesper's face.
Kael must have thought I was gloating. Anger surfaced in his gaze instantly.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I was faster.
"You like it? Then it's yours. Take it."
The reaction clearly wasn't what either of them had expected.
Vesper went still. She forgot to keep squeezing out tears.
Kael's brow furrowed tight, as if he couldn't make sense of what I was thinking.
"This is from my parents. For you."
For me?
No.
It was for the Blackthorne Alpha's Luna.
And very soon, I wouldn't be the Blackthorne Alpha's Luna anymore.
I set the crown down. My tone was light, detached.
"I don't keep tainted things. Blood on a gift is bad luck. She can have it."
I didn't look at their faces. I turned and walked out of the den.
Behind me, Kael's gaze stayed fixed on my back. His brow still knotted tight.
After our mating ceremony, I'd had two well-known indulgences. One was acquiring dens. The other was collecting rare adornments.
So every time I was upset, those were the things he used to coax me back.
A collector's piece like that crown, something truly priceless. He probably never imagined I could simply walk away from it.
On my Moon Blessing Day itself, Kael still didn't come home.
At the gathering, everyone kept asking about him, wondering if he'd slipped away to prepare some grand surprise. After all, every year before this one, he'd stayed at my side without fail.
But I didn't care where he was.
I only wanted to celebrate this day properly.
After tonight, I would be twenty-seven.
I was about to step into a brand new life.
So why waste another thought on people and things that belonged to the past?
I didn't answer their questions. I just picked up a bottle of champagne, gave it a gentle shake, and popped it open like a burst of fireworks.
The golden liquid surged out in a rush.
I raised the bottle, laughing.
"Happy Moon Blessing Day to me!"
