Chapter 1

My Alpha boyfriend looked down on me for being wolfless. Behind my back, he marked someone else.

At his bachelor party, Ethan’s close female friend, Nina, suddenly raised her glass and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

"I never thought you'd get married so early, Ethan. For this first glass, I toast to you for being such a loyal friend. Just because I mentioned wanting to see the Northern Lights, you left Clara behind without a second thought to fly across the world with me."

"For the second glass, I toast to your years of taking care of me. Like that night when my power went out, and you stayed by my side until morning."

The VIP room erupted into deafening applause and cheers.

My mind went completely blank. My ears buzzed.

So, on our fifth anniversary, the "emergency" Ethan had claimed was actually him flying abroad with Nina.

And the night I suffered a miscarriage and lost our pup, he was staying awake all night just to keep Nina company!

Amidst the rowdy crowd, Nina coquettishly coaxed Ethan to feed her a drink.

Before taking a sip, she flashed a sweet, mocking smile at me.

"And this last glass, I toast to Clara’s generosity."

"Thank you, Clara, for letting Ethan mark me. It really helped me win that petty fight against my ex."

*Clatter!* The wine glass slipped from my hand, shattering on the floor.

"Make yourself clear, Nina. What do you mean... you and Ethan..."

My voice shook. My fingers tightly gripped a piece of broken glass, but I barely felt the sharp pain piercing my skin.

During my five years with Ethan, I had begged him to mark me ninety-nine times.

But every single time he was about to do it, Nina would ruin it at the very last second.

Just recently, Ethan had agreed to my hundredth request. He promised he would officially mark me right after our Mate Ceremony, telling the whole world I was his only Luna.

But he had already marked Nina!

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy. Someone quickly stepped in to ease the tension.

"Oh, come on, Clara, don't take it to heart. Nina is just outspoken. Besides, we’re all from the same pack. Helping each other out is totally normal."

"Yeah, Ethan just did me a small favor as a friend. Clara, you’re not going to be petty and jealous over something this minor, right?" Nina added.

Before she could even finish, Ethan laughed and tapped her lightly on the head.

"Shut up. Not even food can keep your mouth closed."

Nina pouted and gave his chest a playful punch.

"Oh, please. Your 'mouth closer' is way too big for me to handle anyway~"

The crowd gasped, followed by a burst of wild, suggestive laughter.

"Damn, Nina, you’ve actually seen Ethan’s? Want to compare it to mine and see whose is bigger?" a guy yelled.

"Go away! Ethan is different from you guys. We grew up together. We’re best friends."

"Is there any part of him I haven't seen?"

As soon as she said that, the rowdy room fell dead silent.

My mind went entirely blank. I didn't even notice the glass shard digging deeper into my fingertip.

Seeing me frozen, she waved her hand and laughed dismissively.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Clara. Honestly, you should be thanking me. If it weren't for my coaching, would Ethan be this good in bed?"

Blood rushed to my head. I couldn't take it anymore. I grabbed another wine glass and hurled it straight at Nina’s face.

Before she could scream, Ethan moved like lightning, pulling her into his protective embrace.

"Clara! Are you crazy? What the hell is wrong with you now?!"

I stared at the red scrape on the back of Ethan's hand. My nails dug deep into my palms.

After a long silence, my voice finally cracked. "You two really are 'best friends.' Best friends who jump into the same bed."

I let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

"Since you love her so much, why don't you just make her your Luna? Honestly, you two deserve each other—one cheap slut, one trashy bastard. You're both disgusting!"

Ethan lost his temper instantly. He raised his hand and slapped me across the face.

"Clara! That's enough! When did you become so vicious?"

"Apologize to Nina. Now!"

Nina hid in Ethan's chest. From an angle the others couldn't see, she flashed me a smug, triumphant smirk.

Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. It was so pathetic.

I grabbed my phone and turned to leave.

But Ethan grabbed my wrist, pinning me in place. "You humiliated Nina in front of everyone today. You embarrassed me."

"If you don't apologize, the Mate Ceremony in three days is cancelled."