Chapter 1

Because I was a human, my werewolf boyfriend, Alpha Ethan, always refused to mark me.

But on our third anniversary, I walked in on him pinning Olivia against his office desk, kissing her passionately.

Ethan only looked up when he heard the door click. When he saw me, his expression barely flickered.

"Why are you back? Didn't you say you were having dinner with your parents tonight?"

At that exact moment, I was suddenly glad I was just a human.

A human who wouldn't feel the agonizing soul-shredding pain of a mate's betrayal.

Ending this relationship wouldn't cost me much.

"Ethan," I said, my voice much calmer than I expected. "We're done."

Ethan's indifferent expression finally cracked.

He let go of Olivia, stood up straight, and frowned at me.

"What did you say?"

"I said, we are done."

Beside him, Olivia let out a soft gasp. She covered her mouth, her eyes wide with simulated shock.

But I saw the triumphant gleam in her eyes perfectly clear.

Ethan stared at me for a few seconds. Then, he let out a scoff—a knowing, impatient laugh.

"Here we go again. Emily, can you stop throwing a tantrum every time you see me talking to another woman? Olivia is the Elder’s daughter. She’s going to inherit her father’s position. We were discussing pack business."

"Does discussing pack business require locking the door? Does it require pinning her against your desk?"

Ethan’s face darkened.

If I were a werewolf, my inner wolf would probably be cowering under his Alpha aura right now.

Too bad I was just a human. I wasn't afraid of him.

The silence stretched, thick and tense.

Then Olivia spoke up, her voice dripping with sweet innocence.

"Luna Emily, you're misunderstanding. I just tripped, and Alpha Ethan was only catching me..."

"Oh? And did you trip out of your shirt buttons too? Is that why they're undone?"

Olivia's face flushed red. She lowered her head and shut up.

Ethan’s expression grew even colder.

"Emily, what do you want from me? I’m exhausted from running the pack all day, and I come home to your constant paranoia. Look at yourself. Do you have even a shred of the grace a Luna should have?"

Hearing his accusations, I almost wanted to laugh.

He seemed to have forgotten that three years ago, when he first became Alpha, I was the one who used my family's trading company resources and connections to open up new markets for him. That was how the pack secured a stable source of income.

He was also the one who used to hold me, complaining that he was too busy with the pack and I was too busy with my family business, leaving him feeling neglected. So, I resigned from my family's company. I dedicated myself entirely to being his Luna, managing every detail of the estate for him.

And now, my sacrifice was just ammunition for him to look down on me.

"I don't need your validation anymore, Ethan. We're over."

With that, I turned and walked out of the study. Behind me, Ethan called out, "Where do you think you're going?"

I didn't answer.

When I got back to our bedroom, the cake and the candlelit dinner I had prepared for our third anniversary were still sitting on the table.

I had planned to celebrate our three years together. Now, it just looked pathetic.

I scooped up a bite of the cake. Leaving it at room temperature for too long had made the cream sour and heavy.

Frowning, I spat it out and threw everything on the table straight into the trash.

There was no point in forcing myself to eat spoiled food.

And there was no point in holding onto a spoiled relationship.