Chapter 1 Chapter 1

On the day I become Alpha Ethan Sadler's mate, he tells me, "Our mate bond is merely to honor the promise between our elders. You will be my Luna by name. You shall have everything in my name, except my love." For three years, I obediently played the role of his mate in name. Then, a socialite named Sophia Kirk hands me a check for two million dollars, urging me to leave Ethan. "Ethan said your mate bond exists only to repay the debts of the older generation. It's a necessary sacrifice. Now, he needs a real family and a mate who can bear his heir. You've wasted three years of his life. It's time to let go." It turns out Ethan already has a lover. It is indeed inappropriate for me to take the place of his Luna any longer. That night, I approach Ethan, who is going through some documents. "You once promised to give me anything I wanted. Does that promise still hold?" Ethan sets down the documents, removes his metal-rimmed glasses, and loosens his tie. His ashen eyes swirl with emotions, and an eager smile curves his lips. "Of course. Tell me what you want." I tighten my grip on the Bond-Breaking Agreement I am holding and place it before him. "I want you to sign this." ... It had been three years since I became Alpha Ethan Sadler's mate. Everyone had said that it was a mere stroke of luck that I became the Luna of Silvercrest pack. However, no one would ever know that the mate bond between Ethan and me had nothing to do with love. It all began with my grandfather, who had been a reputable Elder within our pack. He had fallen ill due to an accident. By chance, Ethan's grandfather had recognized him when he was visiting an old friend. Ethan's grandfather had been a legendary Alpha and a sworn friend of my grandfather. They had fought alongside each other in a past war. As the two elderly men reminisced about their past, Grandpa sounded choked up when he brought me up in their conversation. His only concern right then was that my stepmother and her family, having burned through our ancestral property, might eventually exchange me for money after he passed. Ethan's grandfather couldn't bear to see him being so devastated, even as his time was coming to an end. Instantly, he decided to take me in as his granddaughter-in-law, so that I was under the protection of the Alpha of Silvercrest pack. The next day, I was informed of the sudden marriage despite having only just met Ethan the day before. On the day after that, we had our bonding ceremony before the Temple of the Moon Goddess. After receiving our Bonding Scroll, Ethan vowed, "We are to be mates only nominally, and no bodily contact will occur between us. As long as you carry out your role as the Luna dutifully, I can give you anything you want, save for my affection." I was rather relieved after listening to him. After all, it was just impossible for me to wholeheartedly accept a wolf whom I'd only known for three days to be my mate. Just like that, we started living together, interacting with polite distance. I was initially cautious, but Ethan turned out to be an Alpha with no faults. In my everyday life, the butler, Marcus Lowell, and the household staff took great care of me. Financially, Ethan established a trust fund for me that was worth an unimaginable amount and also gave me a black credit card with no spending limit. He also displayed his loyalty toward me as my mate. I'd never seen news of him interacting with other she-wolves on social media, even though… no one in the pack knew he'd already had a Luna. As time went by, I gradually lost myself in this stable and dignified relationship. In fact, I even naively thought we could spend the rest of our lives peacefully together. I forgot that he'd never loved me, so naturally, there was no way he would allow me to be his Luna forever. Last night, Ethan didn't come back. He would spend the night outside occasionally when an emergency cropped up at work. It was supposed to be nothing out of the ordinary. However, it was different this time. I watched a video that was circulating on social media, one that portrayed Ethan gently putting his coat over a healer, Sophia Kirk, during a banquet. Sophia was a charismatic healer with a gentle voice. She had lustrous hair and a smile as captivating as starlight on still water. In the video, she gazed at him bashfully, her radiant eyes shining ever so brightly. It was just like how the movies portrayed a she-wolf falling head over heels in love. In the three years Ethan and I shared a mate bond, it was the first time that a video of him interacting with another she-wolf had hit the public eye so relentlessly. The entertainment news industry was in a frenzy. "The Alpha of Silvercrest Pack Dates Well-Known Healer Sophia—Could This Be the Rise of a New Luna?" Praises flooded the comments section, saying they were a "match made in heaven" and were like "a perfect couple". Without realizing it, I ran my finger across Ethan's gentle side profile on the screen. A nagging, long-ignored pain throbbed in my heart. They were right. Ethan and Sophia looked like they were made for each other.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

The next morning, I met Ethan in the dining room. I didn't know when he returned. Not that he was obligated to inform me of his whereabouts. "Have you seen the news online?" he asked. As his clear voice reached my ears, I paused in the midst of sipping my milk and looked up at him. "What news?" I pretended to be unaware. His gaze lingered scrutinizingly on my expression. Then, he said nonchalantly, "It's nothing. Just some boring, baseless news." I let out a soft hum in response. As I lowered my eyes, my eyelashes cast a shadow over my eyes, hiding the swirling emotions within. I continued having my breakfast. After some time, Ethan spoke again. "I guess it's a good thing that you didn't see them." His deep voice seemed to be tinged with mixed feelings, which I had difficulty distinguishing. He seemed relieved yet somehow disappointed. My heart clenched. Perhaps he was hoping I would cause a fuss over the incident so that he could go with the flow and suggest that we break our mate bond. With that, he could then get rid of me, a burden cast onto him by the older generation. I thought that by being silent and submissive, I'd be able to stay by his side for a bit longer. Yet, I forgot that no matter how hard I strived, I could never keep what wasn't mine in the first place. … "Thanks for meeting me today." Across from me sat the highly sought-after healer as of now, Sophia. When the butler informed me that she was here, I instinctively wanted to turn down her request for a meeting. However, I knew avoiding her wouldn't get me anywhere. For how long could I refuse to meet her? I went straight to the point. "Is there anything you want to talk to me about?" Sophia gracefully picked up the cup of coffee before her. Her smile was outrageously sweet. In the presence of her radiance, I felt like I was as dull as a rock by the roadside.. "Ethan and I were classmates at the Werewolf Academy. I don't think he has told you about it, has he?" she asked with a chuckle, as though that bit of the past was nothing worth mentioning. My chest tightened as I nodded. "No, he hasn't.""However, Ethan told me about you," Sophia said. Her tone changed, now carrying a hint of sympathy as she asked, "You're the Luna forced onto him by the Elders three years ago, aren't you?" Forced onto him… So, that was the phrase he used when he described our relationship to Sophia. Although that was a fact, a sharp pain still pierced my heart, as though a knife was slicing clean through it. "That's right." I remained expressionless, and my voice was calm. I was undoubtedly in pain, but I didn't want to respond in any way that might give her a sense of satisfaction. Sophia smiled, feeling pleased. She slowly retrieved a check from her branded purse and slid it over to me. The check had two million dollars written on it. Her fingers didn't leave the check immediately. Instead, she gently clicked her polished nails against the table. She was so composed, it was as though she had all the time in the world. "I'm not sure if you've seen a check before, but I guarantee you it's real. I hope you can leave Ethan's side.""... Was he the one who sent you?" I hated how my voice sounded raspy as I asked that question. Sophia shook her head as she leaned closer. With a lowered voice, as though she was whispering, she tried to stab me where it hurt most. "Ethan told me your mate bond was purely a dutiful cause, a step taken to mend the political rifts left behind by the Elders decades ago. "Now, he needs to live life to the fullest and be with a proper Luna, someone with whom he could build a future. Someone he chooses to be with." Then, she sat back calmly, as though she hadn't been trying to break me with a smile on her face just seconds ago. "Elena, you've hindered him long enough. Give him back his freedom."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I didn't accept Sophia's check. I'd taken her rightful place as Luna for so long, and I had no right to take her money. A year ago, Grandpa passed. I thought Ethan would break our mate bond instantly, but he didn't. A grand funeral was held for Grandpa, and Ethan single-handedly handled it. Meanwhile, my so-called father, my stepmother, and her family had given up their rights of guardianship and custody of me ever since they found out Grandpa's treatment would cost a staggering amount. They disappeared from my life thereafter. The very reason I agreed to the marriage was because Ethan promised to shoulder all of Grandpa's treatment expenses. During the darkest time of my life, which was filled with despair, Ethan stayed by me through it all. Whenever I cried silently under the covers in the dead of night, without a word, he would enter the bedroom. He would sit on the edge of the bed, only leaving after I fell asleep from all the crying. When all food tasted bland to me, he would head into the kitchen and make me a steaming hot meal of macaroni. When I felt lonely and abandoned, he even gifted me a pot of exotic Moonshine Lily. Its bluish glow lit up the dark, as though it was trying to tell me I was no longer alone. I shouldn't have lied to myself… I'd since long been helplessly in love with Ethan. However, I wasn't the person he loved. He was such a remarkable person. How could I selfishly keep him by my side and keep him from achieving happiness? That night, I went to the study. Ethan, seated behind the huge desk, seemed more distant than ever. I slowly walked up to him and took a deep breath. "You said once that I could ask for anything I wanted. Is that promise still valid?" Ethan paused. Then, he slowly put down the document he was holding. He removed the metal-rimmed glasses from the bridge of his nose. Anticipation gleamed in his eyes. There was even a hint of a smile on his lips. "Of course, it is. Come, tell me what you want." He looked so expectant, as though he had been waiting for this very moment for a long time. It turned out that he could wait no longer. My fingers clenched tighter on the Bond-Breaking Agreement I was holding as I placed it before him, just under the light. "I wish for you to sign this." His smile froze on his face. The silence felt suffocating. The Bond-Breaking Agreement was like a grenade about to go off any moment as it lay between us. Under the light, it glowed a searing white. Tears welled up in my eyes. Before they could trickle down my cheeks, I did my best to finish my statement. "I've signed where I'm supposed to. After you sign it, we can go to the Department of Werewolf Affairs tomorrow to file the paperwork." With that, I immediately turned and left the study. The moment I did, I could no longer hold back my tears. Upon returning to my room, I hid myself under the covers and burst out crying. It was the second time in my entire life that I'd cried so hard. Somehow, I felt worse than the first time, when Grandpa passed away. Loving someone shouldn't have hurt so much that they wound up with swollen eyes and numb limbs. However, that was what I currently felt. I couldn't sleep that night. I stared at myself in the mirror, at my red, swollen eyes and weary expression. Sniffling, I told myself that I should never let Ethan notice that I'd been crying. I plastered on layers of concealer until all the tell-tale signs could no longer be seen before heading out of the bedroom. I thought Ethan would be having breakfast in the dining room. He might avoid looking me in the eye, or perhaps he might pretend that nothing had happened. Perhaps… he'd already signed the agreement gladly and was only too eager to dump me. However, Marcus told me, "Luna Elena, Alpha Ethan has already left the house." Surprised, I looked up. "He has left?""Yes, he left early this morning. He didn't say where he was going." I was confused to hear that. Wasn't Ethan anxious to break our mate bond? Why would he leave so early? And he didn't let anyone know his whereabouts at that. It was as if instead of avoiding me, he was avoiding something else.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Were there any urgent pack affairs that Ethan had to see to? But how pressing could it be for him not even to have time to sign the papers? I waited in the empty villa from dawn till midnight. The next morning, as I went downstairs, I could already tell what Marcus was about to say, judging from the look on his face. "Luna Elena, Alpha Ethan didn't return last night." I couldn't wait any longer. Fingers trembling, I picked up my phone and called Ethan. Once, and again, and again… Every time, the dial tone echoed throughout the silent villa, each tone stinging like a slap. When I called the fourth time, it was the same cold, endless dial tone. The fifth time I redialed Ethan's number, a message flashed across the screen. It read, "The number you're calling is currently in use." What happened? It occurred to me that he'd blocked me. Utterly speechless, the last ridiculous shred of hope inside me died quietly. … Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Silvercrest pack, Ethan glared at his phone with a frosty expression. The dark circles beneath his eyes were daunting. He was like a trapped beast, pacing the office back and forth, exuding a cold yet dangerous air. His phone was placed face down on the table. He almost flung it out of the window twice. When he saw the state his usually level-headed best friend was in, Cameron Duffal—Ethan's Beta—could no longer hold in his laughter. He burst out laughing. "To think the Alpha of Silvercrest pack would end up in this state! It seems Luna Elena is truly the one fated for you—the one who would subdue you. There's no running away from her." A priceless mug flew toward him in a perfect projectile motion. Cameron swiftly caught it, lamenting, "Hey, I'm not the one breaking your heart. Don't let it out on me!" A document folder was flung at him next. Ethan's brooding voice rang out. "You were the one who came up with that crap of an idea, telling me to attend that darned banquet. "You said I had to keep Elena on her toes so that she's aware of how important I am to her! Yet now that she'd watched that video, she shoved the Bond-Breaking Agreement in my face!" Cameron raised his arms in surrender. "Hey, buddy, you were the one who came running to me, complaining that you wanted to know what she felt toward you. All I did was give you a suggestion! Seeing as how she wants to break up, don't you think the answer is clear enough?" Ethan's eyes narrowed. His gaze was so cold it could freeze the burning sun. Cameon felt his hair rise. He was about to slip away when Ethan's following words pinned him to the spot. "If Elena leaves, I'll submit an anonymous article telling of the love story between you and your ex-lover to the publisher and make sure your current lover, Louise, reads it. I guarantee you that 'The Romantic Affairs of a Beta' will be the headline of the year." Cameron inhaled sharply. "Ethan, no! I take back my words, every single one of them!" Before he could further plead for mercy, Ethan's subordinate, Frank Joville, dashed in as though a ghost were after him. "Alpha Ethan, Luna Elena is here!" His words scared Ethan so badly that he almost fell off his chair. Cameron howled. "What? Holy shit! Luna Elena sure is quick to act! "The Department of Werewolf Affairs stipulated that there should be a one-month consideration period before any wolf decides whether or not to terminate their mate bonds. But it seems she's not even going to give you another day to think about it! "You're doomed, Alpha Ethan! Elena's dead-set on leaving you!"