Chapter 4

I sighed, feeling an overwhelming exhaustion wash over me.

"You don't need to explain. I understand perfectly."

Before Ethan could say another word, I walked past him into the kitchen. I hadn't eaten since noon, and my stomach was burning with hunger.

I pulled some leftover beef stew from the fridge, heated it up, and sat down to eat by myself.

Ethan stood there, frowning as he watched me.

"Is that what you're eating?"

"Forget it. Today is our anniversary. I don't want to fight with you. Put that away. I'll cook us a proper meal."

I was starving and didn't want to wait an hour for him to start from scratch.

"This is fine. You don't have to—"

Before I could finish, Ethan reached out to grab the bowl from my hands.

"I said, don't eat that garbage!"

Instinctively, I pulled back to protect my food. In the scuffle, the boiling hot stew splashed over the back of my hand.

A blistering pain flared up instantly, and tears welled in my eyes.

Ethan panicked.

"I didn't mean to. Let’s get you to the Healer right now."

He grabbed my wrist, trying to pull me toward the door.

I was about to tell him I could go by myself when his phone rang.

The screen lit up with the name "Olivia."

"Alpha... I think there's something outside my window... I heard noises in the woods. Could it be rogues? I'm so scared!"

Hearing Olivia's trembling voice, Ethan went rigid with tension.

"Stay in your room. Lock the doors and windows. I'm on my way."

Ethan looked back at me, torn.

I gently pulled my hand from his grip.

"Go. There have been reports of rogue sightings near the border. Her cottage is right next to the outer boundary. It's dangerous. As the Alpha, it's your duty to protect your pack members."

Ethan let out a sigh of relief, clearly glad to be let off the hook.

"I'm glad you understand. Go see the Healer. I'll check on Olivia and meet you there."

I walked alone to the medical wing in the east wing of the manor. Since the Healer lived on the estate, they were available 24/7. No appointment needed.

By the time my burns were treated and bandaged, it was already past midnight.

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my bandaged hand, then at the empty, quiet room.

I pulled out my phone and texted Ethan, asking when he would be back.

His reply came instantly.

"Almost there."

So, I sat by the window and waited.

Half an hour passed.

An hour passed.

Still, there was no sign of him.

My stomach started to cramp from hunger again. I had to curl up on the chair just to dull the pain.

I opened my phone again, intending to ask where he was, but my finger slipped, and I clicked on the pack's private SnapChat story.

Olivia had posted an update forty minutes ago.

The photo was dark, but you could clearly make out the sharp silhouette of a man's jawline sleeping beside her bed.

Her caption: *Alpha was worried about my safety, so he stayed to guard my room tonight. How did I get so lucky to have such an amazing Alpha?*

I let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.

I was such a fool. How could I keep putting my faith in a man who had broken his promises a thousand times?

I tapped the screen, liked her post, and left a comment:

"The Alpha and his devoted pack member. A match made in heaven."

When I refreshed the page a minute later, the post was deleted.

Then came a direct message from Olivia:

"I'm so sorry, Luna Emily! I forgot to hide my story from you."

"Alpha is only staying here because of the rogue threat. Nothing happened between us, please don't be mad at him."

I had dealt with this pathetic game for years.

She probably expected me to do what I always did—call Ethan, scream at him, and demand he come back to the main house immediately.

But this time, I simply blocked her number, turned off my phone, and went to bed.

Whether they slept together or not didn't matter to me anymore.