Chapter 1

Three years into my marriage with Lucas Harrington, the Alpha of the Crimson Pack, Chloe Whitfield returned from Europe.

He started attending elite banquets he used to look down on, just to accompany her. At every Pack gathering, he had her sit right next to him. He even used the Harrington family's immense influence to pave her career path.

Everyone in our circle was whispering that Chloe was the only woman truly worthy of being our Alpha's Luna.

Overnight, I became the biggest joke in the Pack.

They mocked me, saying the title I "stole" was finally going back to its rightful owner. They sneered, questioning how a wolf-less shifter like me had managed to occupy the Luna seat for so long.

But they all chose to forget one thing—I was Lucas’s fated mate.

That very afternoon, I went to Elder Luna Margaret and requested to dissolve our mate bond.

Little did I know, when Lucas found out about my departure, he would completely lose his mind.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to dissolve the mate bond?"

Elder Luna Margaret took a slow sip of her coffee and set the porcelain cup down. Her haughty eyes swept over me, dripping with condescension.

She had always looked down on me. Back then, and still now.

"Yes," I said, my voice steady. "I remember you mentioned before that if I agreed to break the bond, you had a way to make it happen. I refused then, but I’ve changed my mind. I want to sever my mate bond with Lucas as soon as possible. How long will it take?"

"A month," she replied flatly, as if she wanted to say more.

I cut her off before she could. "Don't worry. Once the bond is broken, I won’t take a single dime from the Harrington family."

A flicker of surprise flashed across Margaret's cold eyes.

I didn't give her a chance to speak. I stood up and walked out.

The moment I stepped out of the Harrington estate, a sense of relief I hadn't felt in three years washed over me.

I tapped my phone screen. My lock screen showed a picture of a bright, smiling teenage boy.

*Jay.*

*If you hadn't jumped into that freezing lake to save Lucas back then, would we be the ones living happily together right now?*

But it was fine. Now, everything was finally coming to an end.

My chest ached with bitterness and sorrow. I took a deep breath, locked my phone, and walked forward with long strides.

However, before I could make it very far, the sharp screech of tires echoed nearby. I looked up to see a sleek black Maybach pulling up smoothly right in front of the Harrington estate.

The passenger door opened, and a pair of designer heels stepped out.

It was Chloe.

She walked around to the driver's side and naturally wrapped her arm around Lucas’s.

The two of them walked toward the gates, laughing and talking.

I froze on the spot. It felt like all the blood in my body was rushing backward.

Actually...

Right after Jay died saving him, Lucas had treated me quite well.

Perhaps out of guilt toward Jay, he would stay by my side, trying to make me smile when I was drowning in grief.

During that time, his tenderness toward me exceeded how an Alpha would normally treat an ordinary, wolf-less pack member.

Back then, I foolishly thought it was because he was grieving too, and that we were just two broken souls missing the same person.

But a month later, the truth was revealed—the Moon Goddess had declared me his fated mate.

From that day on, everything changed.

He began to avoid me. His eyes would dodge mine, his voice grew cold, and he would even quicken his pace whenever he passed by me in the hallways.

Perhaps in his eyes, taking care of the surviving friend of a warrior who died for him was an Alpha’s duty.

But it didn't mean he wanted to marry me.

After all, I was a wolf-less shifter—a useless weakling in the eyes of the pack.

And the Luna of a powerful pack could never be a useless weakling.

Unfortunately, the pull of a fated mate bond was not something he could easily run from.

When Elder Luna Margaret found out, she was furious. To her, an Alpha rejecting his fated mate was the ultimate insult to the Moon Goddess.

She forced him to marry me.

On my birthday that year, he ordered a massive fireworks display over the city.

Under the glittering sky, he stood by the window for a long time before finally turning to face me.

He pulled out a velvet ring box, his voice completely devoid of emotion.

"Put it on. It’s what my mother wants."

There was no "I love you." No "Let's give this a try."

Only cold obedience.

I had tried so hard to please him back then.

I studied his preferences, and in an attempt to have something to talk about with him, I forced myself to read dry, complex books on business and economics.

But whenever I nervously tried to start a conversation, he would cut me off with pure impatience.

He had said, "Aria, some things are inborn. You either have it or you don't. Your pathetic attempts at acting only make you look ridiculous."

To this day, I couldn't forget the cold disdain on his face when he said those words, or the stabbing pain that ripped through my heart.

Yet, I still didn't give up hope.

I kept telling myself that he was a born Alpha, and it was only natural for him to be colder than others.

Until Chloe came back.

Until I saw him—a man who hated social events—frequently appearing at parties just to be near her, letting her hold his arm in front of everyone.

Beside Chloe, Lucas was no longer an unreachable iceberg.

The way he looked at her was filled with absolute indulgence.

The entire high society was buzzing, calling them the perfect match made in heaven.

And I, in this marriage, was officially demoted from an unacknowledged Luna to a pathetic piece of background noise.

I had to leave.

I forced myself to look away from the picture-perfect couple and turned to walk away.

Suddenly, a sweet, delicate voice called out from behind me.