The day my mother became critically ill, my Alpha husband, Ronan Blackthorn, refused to lend me even a single dollar. He said coldly, “The pack already has enough projects draining its funds. Try the black-market lenders. Figure it out yourself.” Then he lifted the phone back to his ear. His voice softened immediately. “The five million in seed money is already in your account. Consider it a trial run. If you lose it, you lose it.” On the other end of the call was Selene Vale, a young Omega who had recently joined his investment firm. I gripped the medical bill so tightly that my nails dug into my palm. I didn’t cry. I didn’t argue. And I didn’t beg him again. He nodded in satisfaction. “You’re my Luna. You should know how to control your emotions. Stop acting like a helpless pup and expecting everyone else to clean up after you.” I gave a quiet hum and said nothing.Maybe it was time to end our mate bond. He still did not know that I was carrying his pup. By the time we finally severed our mate bond, the once-untouchable Alpha was on his knees before me, his eyes red as he begged, “Evelyn, please don’t do this. My wolf is going feral without you.” … It was nearly one in the morning when Ronan returned to the estate. I sat in the living room with the medical center’s invoice and my mother’s critical-condition notice spread out before me. Beside them lay the petition to dissolve our mate bond, already bearing my signature. He frowned when he saw me. “Why are you still awake?” His calm expression dragged me back to that afternoon, when I had begged him to save my mother. He had refused to pay for the treatment that could keep her alive, then turned around and wired Selene five million dollars. I had thought I was already numb. But seeing him come home as though nothing had happened still sent a silver needle straight through my chest. Ronan’s gaze fell on the table. “What is all this?” “A petition to dissolve our mate bond.” He stopped moving. A few seconds later, he looked as though he had heard an absurd joke. “Evelyn, What are you pulling this time?” I pushed the papers toward him. “I’ve already signed them.” He did not pick them up. He merely stared down at the words as his expression slowly hardened. Alpha authority edged his voice. “Because I refused to lend you money?” “No.” My voice was quiet. “Because today I finally realized that it isn’t that you have no money or that you refuse to help people. You simply refuse to help me.” Ronan’s face darkened. “I reviewed Selene’s proposal. It is a pack investment, not a personal favor. If it succeeds, it will generate substantial returns for the pack.” I looked at him. “The money came from your private account. You personally guaranteed it, and you agreed to absorb every loss. You call that a pack investment?” Six years ago, the first time Ronan caught my scent, his wolf had roared one word inside him: Mate. I was the fated mate chosen for him by the Moon Goddess. We had once believed the bond between fated mates was strong enough to withstand any betrayal. Only later did I understand that the Moon Goddess could arrange for two wolves to meet, but she could not force either of them to cherish what fate had given them. Now he had almost no patience left for me. “You went through my things?” I gave a faint laugh. His first instinct was not to explain. It was to blame me for discovering the truth. Ronan set his glass down hard on the table. “Evelyn, you’re emotional right now. I’m not discussing this with you.” “I understand that you’re under pressure because of your mother, but you don’t get to take your anger out on me.” I looked at him. “She is your family too.” Ronan looked away. “I never said I would do nothing.” “I simply don’t believe we should keep pouring money into a treatment plan with no foreseeable result.” As though realizing how cruel that sounded, he added, “I can help you contact better werewolf physicians and ask around for healing resources.” “But you will have to find the money yourself.” Ronan had not become the youngest Alpha in Nightfall Pack history because he was merciful. No matter who stood before him, he judged only results and value. Every decision was as precise as a business transaction. The pack praised him for his rationality. But he had not always treated me this way. Once, he had listened patiently to every word I said. If I so much as frowned, he would immediately ask what was wrong. I had believed I was the one exception to all his rules. Now even my mother’s life had become, in his words, a loss “not worth further investment.” I forced down the nausea twisting in my stomach, rose, and slipped the petition into its folder. “Be at the council hall at ten tomorrow morning. We’ll begin the bond-dissolution process.” Ronan stared at me for a long moment, clearly taking none of it seriously. “Evelyn, once you leave me, how will you pay for your mother’s treatment?” My fingers clenched the instant the words left his mouth. He knew exactly what terrified me most. He also knew exactly what I needed. So he was using it to force me to bow my head. I met his gaze. “I’ll find a way.” My answer seemed to offend him. His face grew colder. “Then you had better not come crawling back to me.” I knew he thought I was bluffing again. During past arguments, I had threatened to leave many times, but our mate bond had never truly been severed. This time was different. I turned and walked back to the bedroom. Before closing the door, I heard him answer a call in the living room. As if afraid I might overhear, he lowered his voice, but he could not hide the tenderness in it. “Selene, I reviewed the materials.” “Don’t be nervous. I’ll attend tomorrow’s pack pitch with you.” I closed the door and slowly sank against it. A dull ache pulsed low in my abdomen. I had been so consumed by my mother’s condition that I had not gone back for my follow-up appointment. A reminder from the medical center still waited on my communicator: [Ms. Evelyn Hart, you are seven weeks pregnant with a pup. Please attend your scheduled fetal-vitality examination.] I stared at the message for a long time before silently darkening the screen.
Ronan did not appear at the council hall the next day. I waited for him for two hours. I called him repeatedly, but he never answered. At eleven thirty, he finally sent a message. [Selene is presenting her project today. I can’t leave.] Another message appeared immediately afterward. [If you truly want to dissolve the bond, file a petition with the Werewolf Tribunal.] I stood outside the council hall with my appointment number still in my hand. The winter wind swept up the stone steps, stinging my eyes. I did not reply. I went straight to the medical center. The physician told me my mother’s condition was critical. Because yesterday’s bill had not been paid in time, several expensive healing medications had been suspended, leaving them no choice but to continue with the basic treatment plan. “Her family should settle the balance as soon as possible.” “The longer this goes on, the weaker her wolf spirit will become, and the greater the risk.” I quietly said I understood. I listed the studio apartment I had bought before the mating for sale and dropped the price almost as low as it could go so it would sell quickly. The real-estate agent fell silent for several seconds after hearing my price. “Ms. Hart, this is far below market value.” “Can it sell today?” “Yes, but are you absolutely sure?” “I’m sure.” After ending the call, I crouched in the stairwell of the medical center, my palms slick with cold sweat. A social-media notification appeared on my communicator. Selene had posted an update. In the photograph, she stood on the presentation stage in a white suit, the silver-moon emblem of Nightfall Pack pinned to her chest. Ronan sat in the front row, his gaze fixed directly on her. In his eyes was a patience I had not seen in a very long time. Her caption read: [Starting my first company, and someone is already willing to catch me if I fall. So this is what it feels like to be chosen without hesitation.] Someone commented: [I’m so jealous! Your Alpha spoils you!] Selene replied: [Not at all. He only wanted to help because I’m here on my own.] My fingertips trembled as I stared at the words. That afternoon, Ronan came to the medical center. He stood in the corridor in an immaculate black suit, holding a file. “My assistant compiled a list of lenders.” “You’re a Luna, after all. If you appeal to them, one of them might lend you enough to cover the immediate costs.” “And stop talking about dissolving our mate bond whenever you’re angry. You are the fated mate the Moon Goddess chose for me.” Yes. Even though I was his fated mate, he still would not spend a single dollar to save my mother. How absurd. I stared at the file without taking it. He shoved it into my hands. “What you do about the money is your decision.” Then he turned and left. I looked down at the loan documents, tore them apart one page at a time, and dropped them into the trash. A few minutes later, a nurse hurried toward me. “Luna, Ms. Maeve’s blood pressure has suddenly dropped. The physician needs you to come sign the consent forms.” My knees buckled, and I caught myself against the wall. The pain in my lower abdomen returned, sharper than it had been the night before. I was in terrible condition, and my pup was becoming increasingly unstable too.
My mother’s resuscitation lasted four hours. When the attending physician came out, he said, “We have stabilized your mother for now, but there can be no further interruption in her treatment.” I nodded, my throat too dry to produce a sound. The sale contract for my apartment was signed that same evening. Because I had priced it for an urgent sale, the buyer had barely hesitated. The moment I received the deposit, I went straight to the medical center to pay the bill. The woman at the payment desk glanced at me. “Are you her only family member here?” “Yes,” I answered. “Where is your mate?” I did not respond. In that moment, humiliation washed over me. I had an Alpha mate, yet I looked like a lone wolf with no family protection at all. I had even overheard people whispering about me. “She must be the most pitiful Luna in the pack. Her Alpha husband won’t even come to the medical center with her.” “Exactly. She looks like she might be carrying a pup too. A she-wolf is at her most vulnerable then.” … That evening, I returned to the estate to collect my documents. The moment I opened the door, a woman’s bright laughter drifted from the living room. Selene sat on the sofa with a celebration cake in front of her. Ronan was cutting it for her. The moment she saw me, Selene stood. “Luna, you’re back.” Her tone was sweet and obedient, while the moonstone-and-diamond necklace around her throat glittered beneath the lights. I recognized it. On my birthday the previous month, I had fallen in love with that necklace the moment I saw it in the jeweler’s display. Ronan had said at the time, “The brand markup is ridiculous. It’s impractical and doesn’t suit you.” Now it hung around Selene’s neck. Ronan frowned at me. “Why are you back?” I looked at him. “This is my home. Why shouldn’t I be here?” Selene’s expression stiffened. Ronan set down the cake knife, his voice devoid of emotion. “Selene’s presentation went well today. I brought her back to pick up some documents.” “We decided to celebrate while we were here.” While they were here? My mother was still lying in the medical center with tubes running through her body. I had sold the only property I owned to raise money, while he celebrated another young Omega in our home. Selene lowered her head, her voice gentle. “Luna, please don’t misunderstand. Alpha only thought it was brave of me to start a business that could generate income for the pack, so he bought a cake to encourage me.” As she spoke, she touched the necklace at her throat. “This was a team reward too. It isn’t what you think.” I glanced at the cake box on the table. Written across it were the words: [Congratulations on a brilliant first victory, Selene. Your future is limitless.] Ronan had written them himself. He had once called even a birthday cake for me a waste of money and said gestures like that were meaningless. I had argued with him then, and the fight had ended, as always, with me giving in. This time, I still said nothing. I simply returned to the bedroom, opened a drawer, and began gathering my documents. Ronan followed me in. “Who are you putting on this attitude for now?” I slipped our mate-registration certificate into my bag. “Move.” He blocked the doorway. “Evelyn, you’re becoming more unreasonable by the day.” “Selene is much younger than you. She only recently completed her first shift, and she came to Nightfall territory alone as an Omega.” “I am her Alpha and her employer. What is wrong with looking after her a little?” I looked up at him. “My mother is lying alone in intensive care. Have you ever looked after her?” For a moment, he had no answer. Then his expression hardened again. “Your mother’s situation is different.” “How?” “Selene is still young. With support, she can have a bright future. Your mother’s illness cannot be cured.” The room went completely silent. Regret flickered through Ronan’s eyes, and his tone finally softened. “Evelyn, that isn’t what I meant.” He pulled me into his arms. “Don’t look at me like that. I hate it when you look at me that way.” “What I mean is that investments have to be judged by their returns. Your mother’s medical bills could become a bottomless pit…” It felt as though someone had carved my heart from my chest. I pushed him away. Looking at the calm composure on his face, I could only find it ridiculous. In the end, my mother’s life was something he could measure by its value. And dismiss as unnecessary. I picked up my bag and walked past him. … In the living room, Selene was eating cake with a fork. When she saw me, she seemed to summon her courage before speaking softly. “Luna, you should learn to be more independent too. You can’t expect your Alpha to solve everything for you.” Ronan stood behind me and made no attempt to stop her. The approval in his eyes was unmistakable. I looked at Selene and suddenly smiled. “Did he teach you to say that?” The smile at the corner of her mouth froze. I smiled again. “Then remember it well. One day, when he decides you no longer offer a worthwhile return, he’ll say the same thing to you.” Selene’s eyes immediately reddened with grievance. Ronan spoke coldly. “Enough, Evelyn. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t target her.” I did not turn around. As I went downstairs, a sudden dragging pain seized my lower abdomen. I caught the railing weakly. Ronan frowned. “What’s wrong with your stomach?” As though a thought had struck him, joy flashed in his eyes. “Are you carrying my—” “No,” I cut him off. Since I had already decided to end our bond, there was no reason for him to know I was carrying his pup. Ronan’s expression returned to normal. “As Luna, I expect you to give me a pup soon. The pack needs an Alpha heir.” The ringing of my communicator interrupted him. It was the medical center. “Luna, your mother’s condition has deteriorated again. You need to return immediately.” My vision went black, and I nearly collapsed inside the elevator.
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