On Valentine’s Day, I was shopping alone at the mall. Across the street, a motel was on fire. Through the rising black smoke, I saw Damon—my mate, my Alpha, the man who told me he was out patrolling our borders—running out of the building. He was shirtless, holding a strange woman tightly in his arms. The woman clung to his neck, her voice dripping with mock worry. “Aren’t you afraid your Luna will find out about us?” Damon let out a low, husky chuckle. “We’re miles away from the Packhouse. Even her wolf can’t feel a thing out here. I’m not done with you yet. Let’s find another motel.” The next second, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Damon on Snapchat: *“Sweetheart, some urgent pack business came up at the border. I’ll be home late.”* At that exact moment, the bond in my heart went completely cold. I finally let him go. The moment I stepped back into the Packhouse, my phone rang. It was Damon. “Babe, why didn’t you reply to my snap?” In the past, I would reply to his messages within seconds. Now, just a few minutes of silence made him call me directly. I remembered all the times I had called him, only for him to ignore me or decline my calls whenever he pleased. I had been too submissive, too accommodating. “I was busy,” I replied, my voice completely flat. On the other end of the line, I heard a faint, muffled whisper. *“Did your mate find out?”* Even though Damon tried to cover the microphone, I could still hear his low murmur: *“Impossible. She trusts me blindly.”* Then came the creaking of bed springs, followed by his heavy, ragged breathing. *“Slow down… I’ll feed you soon, don’t worry.”* A wave of disgust washed over me. “Do you need anything else?” Damon tried to steady his breathing, forcing his voice to sound normal. “I left some fresh steaks in the freezer for you. Grill them if you’re hungry.” “Also, don’t overwork yourself with the pack duties lately. Take a rest.” The background noises grew more intense. Damon practically trembled as he gasped out, “Clara, wait for me to come home—” before the phone apparently dropped to the floor. *“Aren’t you afraid she’ll catch us?”* the woman’s voice mocked. Damon’s voice instantly went cold. *“You and I are just having fun. If you dare let her know, we are over!”* I didn’t want to hear another word of his lies. I hung up the phone and walked into the main hall. I had been his Luna for six years. I had given him all my respect, my strength, and my unwavering support. Looking up at the giant pack portrait hanging on the wall, I felt nothing but a sharp, mocking irony. When Damon finally returned to the Packhouse, I was in the middle of taking that portrait down. The flush on his cheeks hadn’t fully faded. Seeing me holding the frame, he paused for a fraction of a second. Then, with perfect ease, he said, “Yeah, I was thinking that photo looks a bit old anyway. It’s time for a new one.” He walked over, wrapping his arms around my waist. His eyes were bright, filled with a warmth that now felt completely fake. “I know a great photographer in the city. Let’s go take a new one together.” Without giving me a chance to reject, he headed straight to the kitchen to grill the steaks for me. In the past, if he had mentioned a new name, I would have questioned him immediately. But this time, I said nothing. My silence made him uneasy. “Aren’t you going to ask me who the photographer is?” My hand paused as I sorted through some pack documents. I didn’t even look up. “It’s not surprising for an Alpha to know people. It’s just a photo anyway.” That was the exact line Damon used to use on me. Now that I was throwing it back at him, he actually looked relieved. “Right. By the way, Clara, don’t go to the training grounds today. Just take a break.” I didn’t argue. There was no point in torturing myself. Just then, his phone on the table lit up with a Snapchat notification. *“Baby, was she satisfied with the little show we put on for her?”* My heart turned to ice. So, all of Damon’s sudden care and attention today was just a calculated act to keep me unsuspecting. Before I could even move my eyes away, Damon rushed over and snatched the phone. “Clara! We agreed to trust each other. You shouldn’t be looking at my phone!” In his haste, the metal tray in his hand scraped hard against my forearm. It didn’t break the skin, but it bruised. I frowned. I took a step back, turning to walk away and tend to it. Damon, sensing the tension, quickly grabbed my shoulder. “Let’s go for a walk in the city. I know a new boutique that opened up. You’ll love it.” I stared into his eyes. He quickly averted his gaze, unable to look at me directly. I clenched my fists, suppressing the urge to tear his throat out. “Fine. Let’s go.”
Once we arrived in the city, Damon behaved like the perfect mate. He accompanied me to several stores, holding all my shopping bags. It wasn’t until we walked into a high-end jewelry store that he made an excuse about an urgent pack call and stepped outside. I told him to go ahead while I browsed. But as I walked near the glass exit, I heard his voice from the alleyway. “So, how does it feel, dating me right under her nose? You love the thrill, don’t you?” Ah. No wonder he was so eager to take me shopping today. He had planned to meet his little toy here all along. I turned to leave, but his next words froze me in my tracks. “She won’t find out, right? I don’t want any trouble.” “After all, my heart belongs to her, but my body is yours.” “Just make sure you don’t leave any marks she can see.” So, this was my mate. The man who swore to protect me. My nails dug so deep into my palms that they drew blood. I walked out of the jewelry store in a daze, sitting on a public bench for what felt like hours. When I finally looked up, I saw the woman, Iris, walking out of the jewelry store. Damon was right behind her. Damon walked by her side, looking slightly awkward when he spotted me. “Clara, this is Iris. She… happened to be in the store too.” “Is that so?” I murmured. What was I even supposed to say? I forced a cold smile, unable to utter another word. Damon stood so close to Iris that they looked like the actual couple. Iris took a step forward, pretending to trip over my feet. She let out a soft gasp and stumbled. I frowned and stepped back to avoid her, but Iris gracefully let herself fall to the ground anyway. Damon’s face immediately darkened. In front of the crowd of shoppers, he yelled, “Clara! I know you’re upset, but why would you push a human?” “You’re a Luna! Where is your grace?” Without waiting for my response, he knelt down to help Iris up. His eyes were filled with deep, genuine concern. He used to look at me that way. Now, that gaze belonged to someone else. Watching him cradle her so gently, I let out a mocking laugh. “Damon, I reject you.” He froze, finally registering the coldness in my eyes. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to raise my voice,” he stammered, panic briefly flickering in his eyes. But then he hardened his posture again. “But still, you shouldn’t have pushed her.” I laughed out loud, pointing at the security camera right above us. “Damon, say that again. Did I push her, or did she put on a pathetic show for you?” Iris’s eyes welled with tears. She looked up at Damon, letting a tear fall at the perfect moment. “Damon, please don’t fight because of me. Clara didn’t push me.” “It was… I just lost my footing.” Her crying completely shattered Damon’s remaining logic. His face turned entirely cold. “Clara, enough!” “I brought you out to relax. Iris is just a weak human. Why do you have to keep tormenting her?” Seeing Damon so desperate to defend her, so eager to prove me wrong in public, I felt a strange sense of peace. It was the complete opposite of the boy who once swore to love me forever. I looked at him calmly. “Damon, do you really think I’m blind?” A cold smile touched my lips. “You keep saying she’s just a regular human, yet you have all the time in the world to buy her expensive jewelry?”
I expected him to feel ashamed, but instead, he became defensive and arrogant. “What’s wrong with buying her a gift? Why are you so desperately jealous?” “Clara, just because you see me talking to another woman doesn’t mean something is going on.” “There is nothing between us. If there were, do you really think you’d still be standing here as my Luna?” If I hadn’t seen them holding hands inside the jewelry store with my own eyes, I might have believed him. He had always been so good at acting innocent. A few members of our pack who happened to be nearby started whispering. “The Alpha was nice enough to bring her out, and she’s embarrassing him over a human?” “So jealous. How is she fit to be our Luna?” I took a deep breath. I wasn’t going to fight him in the human territory. But Damon took my silence as a victory. Hearing the pack members take his side, his chest puffed up. He put on a grand show of generosity. “Fine, Clara. I know you’re only acting out because you care about me.” “How about this? Apologize to Iris, and we’ll go home. I’ll let this slide.” He spoke as if he were granting me a royal pardon. He always did this. He took my love for granted, pushing my boundaries over and over. But he forgot that even a Luna’s patience has limits. In the past, I would have let it go to keep the peace. Not today. Iris chimed in, her voice sweet and sickening. “Yes, Clara. Just a quick apology and we can all move on. I won’t hold a grudge.” She looked at me, her eyes filled with triumph. As she reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear, my eyes caught on something shiny around her neck. That necklace… I stared at it, my voice trembling as I looked at Damon. “Is that… my necklace?” That necklace was an heirloom left to me by my grandmother. It was blessed by the Moon Goddess, infused with silver and moonlight to protect the wearer. Years ago, when Damon was gravely injured in an ambush by a rogue pack, I used my own blood to heal him. I gave him that necklace, praying the Goddess would keep him safe. I had given him my heart, my blood, and my family’s legacy. And now, it was hanging around a human’s neck. Damon knew exactly what that necklace meant to me. He had promised me he would never take it off. And yet… Damon choked on his words, his face turning pale before he quickly recovered. “She’s just a human, Clara. She didn’t know any better. She said it looked pretty, so I let her borrow it.” “You’re a strong wolf, you don’t need protection. What’s the big deal if she wears it for a couple of days?” He avoided my eyes. “Surely you aren’t going to throw a tantrum over a piece of jewelry?” I didn’t answer him. Instead, I asked, “What did you promise me, Damon?” I watched the panic finally settle deep into his eyes. I pointed at the necklace around Iris’s neck. “We are done, Damon. I, Clara, reject you as my mate.” I turned my back on them and walked away. I went back to the Packhouse alone. That night, Damon stormed into my bedroom. “I don’t accept your rejection!” he roared, slamming the door as he left. The next morning, I woke up early and took the pack pups to the mountains to play, just like I did every week.
It didn’t take long for Damon to find me. He marched up the mountain path, standing tall and looming over me. “Have you thrown your tantrum yet? Pack your things and come back to the master bedroom.” I stood up, gesturing for the pups to keep playing a little further away. I turned to him. “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I was very clear. We are over.” His eyes darkened with dangerous Alpha aura. “And I said, I don’t accept it.” I looked straight into his eyes, unfazed by his pressure. “You can keep my body here, Damon, but you will never have my heart again.” He let out a cold sneer. “I don’t need your heart. I just need you to perform your duties as Luna.” I remained silent, turning my back on him to return to the children. Damon stared at my back for a long moment before letting out an irritated growl and walking away. Not long after he left, a sharp, burning smell filled the air. I looked up. Thick black smoke was rising rapidly from the southern ridge. Wildfire. “Everyone, gather around! We need to head down the mountain right now!” I yelled, gathering the terrified pups. Meanwhile, halfway down the mountain, Damon’s phone rang. *“Alpha! The southern ridge is on fire! The pups are still up there!”* Damon’s heart stopped. He turned and sprinted back up the mountain. When he reached the tree line, he saw a figure moving through the blazing heat and thick smoke. It was me. I was carrying the last of the pups, shielding them with my own body as I brought them to safety. He immediately ordered the pack warriors to extinguish the fire while he rushed toward the flames. By the time the fire was controlled, all the pups were safe. But I was gone. Damon stood on the charred earth, staring at the empty, blackened slope. He couldn’t speak. A pack warrior approached him, bowing his head. “Alpha… after the Luna pushed the last pup to safety, she… she ran back into the smoke. We couldn’t find her.” The search lasted for three days. On the morning of the fourth day, they found footprints leading across the pack border. Damon stood before those footprints, suddenly remembering my words: *“You will accept it.”* Just then, his phone vibrated. It was a Snapchat from Iris. He didn’t want to look, but he did anyway. *“Damon, if Clara is gone forever, will you finally come back to me?”* Iris’s voice over the audio message sounded frantic, almost guilty. Damon’s mind was blank. “What do you mean?” he texted back. Iris replied instantly: *“I mean, if Clara dies, you can finally accept me, right?”* *“I started the fire on the southern ridge. I knew she would go save those pups, so…”* In the distance, a thunderous crack echoed through the forest. Damon’s hands shook violently, his knuckles turning white. He spun around, slamming his fist into a massive pine tree. The trunk cracked under his Alpha strength.
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