Chapter 3

The next morning, I went to the Pack nursery as usual.

I was in charge of taking care of the Pack's pups—feeding them, cleaning, and teaching them how to control their shifts.

It was the job I had done since joining the Pack, and my only source of income.

The moment I pushed the door open, I saw several she-wolves whispering in a circle.

They stopped talking the second they saw me.

One of them, Maya, who used to bow to me respectfully, smirked. She looked me up and down. "Well, if it isn't the almost-Luna. Oh wait, my bad. The ex-almost-Luna."

Another one chimed in, "I heard she made a total fool of herself in the assembly hall yesterday. Getting dumped by the Alpha in front of everyone, and she still had the nerve to argue."

I ignored them and walked straight to the play area.

A little pup trotted toward me, and I bent down to pick him up.

But Maya snatched him away before I could touch him. "Oh, we can't trouble you with this kind of work anymore. You're not the future Luna, so stop acting like you care."

She carried the pup to the other side of the room, giggling with the other girls while keeping her back turned to me.

I stood there, my arms still frozen in mid-air.

Then, I lowered my hands and walked over to clean the empty playpens.

As soon as I crouched down, a burst of laughter erupted behind me.

"Look at her. She still thinks she's somebody."

"Once the Alpha gets tired of you and throws you out, you should really have the decency to leave the Pack."

I didn't turn around. I just kept cleaning.

At lunchtime, I went to the Pack dining hall.

The moment I sat down at a table, the two wolves sitting across from me immediately picked up their trays and moved away.

I kept my head down and ate my food.

From the next table, someone spoke loudly on purpose. "So, Rose is already helping with the expansion plan as the future Luna? Alpha Marcus is so sweet to her."

"Of course. She’s the real deal. Unlike some people who just cling on to what isn't theirs."

I chewed my food and swallowed it, bite by bite.

After finishing, I cleaned up my tray and walked out of the dining hall.

At the exit, a young male wolf glanced at me and spat on the ground.

I stepped around it and kept walking.

Back in my cabin, I locked the door and leaned against it for a long moment.

Then, I walked over to the window. The herbs on my windowsill—rosemary, thyme, and mint—which I had planted in the spring, were growing beautifully.

I watered them and checked on my small backyard garden. The tomatoes were turning green, and the green beans were climbing up the trellis.

I knelt down and pulled a few weeds, getting dirt all over my fingers.

As the sun began to set, I went to the Pack well to fetch water.

A few wolves were gossiping nearby. When they saw me, one of the older women dumped her bucket of dirty water right at my feet, soaking my pants.

"Oh, my bad," she said with a laugh that didn't reach her eyes.

I looked down at my wet clothes, then looked up at her. "It's fine."

I filled my bucket and walked back.

Behind me, I heard them whispering. "She sure has a meek temper. Too bad the Alpha didn't want her."

I didn't look back.

Back inside, I changed my pants, washed the wet ones, and hung them up to dry.

Then I made dinner. I picked some fresh greens from my garden, sliced some cured meat, and boiled a pot of soup.

The fire crackled, and the pot bubbled with warm steam.

I sat alone at my table and finished my meal slowly.

Outside, the sky turned dark.

I washed the dishes, wiped the stove, and sat by the window, reading a book on herbal medicine by the fading light.

I had borrowed it from Agnes, the Pack’s old Healer. I wanted to learn more about herbs. Maybe it would be useful one day.

The night breeze blew through the cracks of the window, carrying the scent of fresh soil.

I turned a page, my fingers tracing the hand-drawn illustrations of the plants.

Marcus and Rose were probably together in the Packhouse right now.

But I didn't care anymore.

I had my cabin, my garden, and my herbs.

And I had myself.

That was enough.