(Moira’s POV)
After I finished the blood tonic, Axton leaned down and kissed away the tears clinging to my lashes.
Then he dismissed the servants personally before helping me remove my clothes and preparing my bath with skilled hands.
He had cared for me this way countless times over the years without ever showing impatience.
At first, I used to grow embarrassed and tried asking the servant wolves to help instead.
But Axton would always stare at me with shameless affection.
“My Luna is too beautiful,” he would murmur against my ear. “I will never allow another wolf to lay eyes on you.”
“You belong only to me.”
No matter how small the task was, he insisted on handling everything himself. From brushing my hair to fastening my cloak, he enjoyed caring for me as though it were his greatest joy.
What made it even rarer was the fact that during our three years as mates, he never kept another woman near him.
Every servant inside the castle was male. Not a single she wolf was allowed within the inner grounds.
Axton was young, powerful, and stood at the top of the northern Alpha Kingdoms.
Even Alpha Zyon Riverfang once tried gifting him two beautiful she wolves after a successful alliance gathering between packs.
Axton rejected them immediately in front of every Alpha seated in the council hall.
The humiliation nearly caused war between their territories.
Later that night, several of Alpha Zyon’s warriors cornered Axton near the underground passage beneath the city and beat him brutally before his guards arrived.
I still remembered seeing him afterward.
His white shirt had been drenched in blood. Nearly every rib in his body had been cracked.
I cried while cursing him for acting recklessly.
Yet even while injured, he only smiled and pulled me tightly into his arms.
“Don’t cry, Moira,” he whispered gently. “I would rather betray the entire world than betray you.”
Back then, I truly believed I was the happiest Luna alive.
Every wolf in the kingdom knew Alpha Graveclaw treasured his mate more than his own life. Countless noblewomen envied me.
But Daciana Frostvein had shattered everything.
For the first time, the mate I had loved for years suddenly felt unfamiliar to me.
Every gentle touch, every loving gaze, every sweet promise now felt like part of a carefully crafted lie.
By the time I returned to my senses, I was already wrapped in soft silk robes and sitting in Axton’s lap.
He buried his face against my neck affectionately, clearly wanting more.
Instinctively, I turned away.
“I’m tired tonight,” I whispered softly. “Not today.”
Axton looked surprised for a moment before his expression softened again.
He rubbed my head gently before laying me carefully onto the bed and tucking the blankets around my body himself.
Only after his breathing became slow and steady did I open my eyes in the darkness.
Even in sleep, his arms remained tightly wrapped around me as though he feared losing me.
He loved me so deeply.
So how could all of it possibly be fake?
The next morning, Axton seemed unusually happy.
He spoke excitedly about taking me to the moonvine vineyards outside the capital. The land belonged secretly to the Graveclaw Pack, hidden far away from warriors and political matters.
Before I could answer, someone appeared outside the study requesting an audience.
The messenger had barely spoken before Axton frowned coldly.
“Today is my rest day,” he snapped. “I already ordered everyone not to disturb us inside the castle.”
I gently tugged on his sleeve.
“Don’t be angry,” I said quietly. “Maybe something urgent happened.”
I allowed the visitor to step closer.
But the moment the figure lifted their head, Axton immediately strode forward and blocked my view completely.
His throat tightened uneasily.
When he looked back at me, guilt flickered across his face.
“I suddenly remembered an important matter I need to handle,” he said quickly. “I’ll return soon. I promise I won’t miss our trip to the vineyards.”
I silently studied him.
The visitor wore the dark uniform of a castle servant, but the figure underneath looked slim and delicate.
Seeing how shaken Axton became, I already knew who it was.
Daciana Frostvein.
My fingers pressed tightly against my ring until the skin around my knuckle hurt.
Still, I kept my expression calm.
“If it’s urgent, then go handle it first,” I replied lightly. “There’s no need to hurry back because of me.”
The moment the words left my mouth, Axton turned and left immediately without another glance.
I watched his figure disappear beyond the castle hall while the warriors guarding the entrance lowered their heads respectfully as he passed.
A bitter feeling slowly spread across my chest.
This was the first time he had ever abandoned me for another she wolf.
The unease inside me grew stronger and stronger until I could no longer endure it.
After hesitating for a long while, I quietly chose an unmarked carriage from the castle stables and followed after him myself.
The moment Axton’s carriage left the road outside the Graveclaw castle, it suddenly stopped.
I watched him yank the hood off the servant beside him.
Long dark hair instantly spilled over slender shoulders.
Axton’s expression darkened.
“Who allowed you to appear anywhere near my Luna?”
The woman shrank back fearfully, looking like a frightened deer caught beneath a hunter’s blade.
“I didn’t mean to,” Daciana said softly, her eyes already wet with tears. “Please don’t be angry with me.”
