Caylin’s POV
Today, Zevran had not cared about me at all.
And I was the one who was more seriously ill.
If Breena held a higher place in his heart, then so be it. I would not fight for it.
While Zevran stayed busy taking care of Breena, I swallowed a packet of healing herbs for my cold and went out to sign the investment contract with Riven.
Once an arrow is released beneath the Moon Goddess's gaze, it cannot be taken back.
"Are you certain you don't want to keep your moonstones for the mating den? You really want to invest them in our business instead?"
Riven handed me a pen and asked seriously.
"Yes." I gave a slight nod. "He has the path he wants to follow. I have the path I choose for myself."
Signature written. Blood mark pressed.
Done in one smooth motion.
I trusted Riven as we had trained together at the Moonfang Academy for as long as I could remember.
More than that, he was an investment genius praised even by the elders who taught moon economics.
Back when we were students, he built a trading network between pack territories and opened two small market halls, earning his first fortune from them.
The truth was, he had invited me to become his partner many times before.
But I always refused because I wanted to save my wealth to support Zevran.
Once the contract was completed, Riven looked at me.
"I'll take you to the healer's hall."
"You've been like this since you were a pup. Whenever you catch a cold or fever, you need healing magic and medicine, or you'll stay sick for a whole week."
Zevran knew that too, but he had simply forgotten. He had also forgotten why I always forced myself to work while sick.
I wanted to save a little more wealth in case his pack business failed one day. So we would not lose everything and be forced out of our territory.
That afternoon, Riven took me to see several places.
I liked one of them.
Without hesitation, Riven paid the rent and signed the agreement on the spot, calling it housing for pack officers.
At the same time, he handed me another contract. He wanted me to become the Vice Alpha of the company.
I did not hesitate. Sure, I soon accepted.
Then, by early evening, I had just reached the door of my home when my father suddenly called.
"Sweetheart, your mother and I received a notice saying our sky carriage tickets were canceled. Is it some kind of scam?"
Last week, Zevran and I had chosen a second-hand den and planned to buy it this week so my parents could come stay with us for a while.
I asked them to send me a crystal image of the notice.
The message really had come from the Sky Wing Transport Guild.
To make sure there was no mistake, I contacted the guild myself, but the answer was the same: the tickets had been canceled.
I walked into the house with a frown.
Breena immediately hurried over.
"Caylin, Zevran just booked sky carriage tickets for my parents. They'll arrive tomorrow night. Why don't you reserve a restaurant so we can all have dinner together?"
The words sky carriage tickets struck every sore place in my heart.
I turned toward Zevran.
He was cutting fruit in the kitchen.
"So that's why you canceled my parents' tickets, Zevran?"
Zevran sighed and walked out carrying a plate of fruit.
"Don't make this into something bigger than it is, Caylin. It's hard for Breena's parents to travel across pack territories, so I wanted them to stay here a little longer."
"As for your parents, they've spent their whole lives in a small village pack. They wouldn't enjoy life in the Pinehowl City anyway. They can come when the mating ceremony begins."
"And you know my holdings isn't doing well right now. Breena's family lives closer, so the trip costs a few hundred moonstones less. It's the wiser choice."
As I watched him speak with that expression, as if he had carefully thought everything through, my chest tightened.
I hated that I had ever fallen in love with someone so disappointing.
My parents were kind and understanding people. They knew Zevran struggled to build his business, so they agreed not to ask for any mating gifts.
Instead, they gave us one hundred thousand moonstones to help buy a home.
How many harvests had they worked for?
How much grain had they sold to save one hundred thousand moonstones?
All they wanted was to visit their daughter and future son in law.
It's hard for Breena's parents to travel. And it was easy for mine?
Zevran knew all of this. Yet he still chose Breena's parents first.
So this was what it meant to love a man and everything connected to him as well.
