Chapter 1 Chapter 1

I was about to push open the door to freedom when Cain's voice coiled around my neck like a chain. "Lupita. Stop." I froze but did not turn around. He stepped in front of me, his tall frame casting me entirely into shadow. His gray eyes held nothing but cold contempt. "The Heart of the Moon," he commanded, his gaze dropping to the heirloom necklace on my chest. "Take it off. Elias needs it to complement her gown." That necklace was the symbol of the Knight family's matriarch, placed around my neck by his own father during our mating ceremony. A bitter smile touched my lips. I didn't argue. I just lifted my hands, unclasped the chain, and cupped the cool moonstone in my palm. I walked toward Elias. She was surrounded by a gaggle of fawning socialites, a victor's smile playing on her lips. I held out the necklace. Just as her fingertips were about to brush against it, she snatched her hand back as if burned. "Ah!" The Heart of the Moon slipped from my grasp and shattered on the marble floor. The main stone split with a sickening crack, and a shard flew out, scoring a thin, red line across Elias's wrist. Cain rushed to Elias's side in an instant, cradling her "injured" wrist, his eyes swimming with anguish. "Get the healer! Now!" he roared at a nearby guard. The sight was a dagger to my heart. Just last week, overwhelmed by stress, a sharp pain had seized my chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe. I had collapsed at the door to his study just as Cain was leaving to see Elias. He glanced at me coldly before dragging me inside. He didn't say a word in the enclosed space, but the sheer force of his Alpha presence was suffocating. He shoved me roughly against the wall, his voice dripping with scorn. “Are you pulling these pathetic stunts now just to keep me from seeing Elias? You had the gall to betray me, Lupita. Can’t you handle being betrayed in return?” I was too weak to fight back. I clutched his sleeve, pleading, “No, Cain, I’m not faking it, and I never betrayed you… Please, take me to the healer.”“Take you to the healer? Fine. Strip naked, get on your knees, and beg me. Do that, and I’ll take you.” At Cain's familiar litany of humiliation, the explanations died on my lips. To survive, I began to undress under his loathing gaze. The cold air raised goosebumps on my bare skin. Right before I passed out, I heard him say: "You disgust me, Lupita." Clutching my purse, I turned to leave the ballroom, but Cain's hand clamped around my wrist. "Apologize.""What—" Before I could finish, he hauled me to my knees at Elias's feet. My knees landed on the shards of the moonstone, and blood instantly blossomed on the hem of my white gown. Seeing the blood, Cain released me with a look of revulsion. "You pulled this little stunt to break the family heirloom and hurt her. Don't you think you owe her an apology?" Ever since that incident, "I'm sorry" had become my mantra. My clothes weren't pretty enough—I'm sorry. I worried about his health and reminded him to see the healer; he found me annoying—I'm sorry. I accidentally saw a text from Elias asking him to a hotel, invading his privacy—I am truly sorry... I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood, resigned myself to my fate, and straightened up. After bowing deeply to Elias and apologizing three times, I looked at Cain, my face a mask of indifference. I asked him softly, "Is that enough?" His chest heaved as he stared at the blood on my lip. “Lupita, who are you putting on this pathetic act for? Do you think I’ll go soft on you like before? Dream on!” Before I could answer, the pack healer arrived in a flurry. Shoving me aside, Cain led the healer to Elias. This was my chance. I strode from the ballroom and saw the familiar flash of a black car's headlights. But just as I was about to reach for freedom, two guards in black suits materialized and seized my arms.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

The two guards marched me back to the penthouse suite. They tossed me onto the living room sofa without a word. The pack healer spoke cautiously, "Alpha, Miss Sinclair isn't seriously injured. It's just a superficial scratch, there's no need...""No need?" Cain cut her off, his voice glacial. "I need to be absolutely certain. The shards of the Heart of the Moon are tainted with Lupita's scent. Only her purest Luna blood can cleanse this contamination. Now, draw her blood." His command left no room for argument. The healer's face tightened. She tried to reason with him. "But, Alpha, the Luna is already very weak. Forcibly drawing a large amount of blood could cause irreversible damage to her wolf."“Then draw until you reach her limit,” Cain insisted. “This is the price she pays for destroying a family heirloom and harming Elias.” Cain sneered. “She wouldn’t dare leave the wealth and status of the Knight family. This is just a bit of bloodletting. She won’t actually leave over something so trivial.” One of the guards chimed in quietly, “The Alpha is right. The Luna has been a homemaker for years. Where else could she go?” The other guard nodded. “Exactly. The Luna is so dependent on the Alpha. Even if she’s truly angry, she’ll come back on her own in a couple of days.” I closed my eyes. I didn't argue or beg. I simply extended my arm, exposing my wrist to the light. "Do it," I said numbly. "After you're finished, can I go?" Cain didn't answer. The cold needle pierced my vein. I closed my eyes, my mind drifting back to how the Cain who once loved me more than life itself had twisted into this monster. It was five years ago, at the wolf academy. I was supposed to have my mating ceremony with my childhood friend, an Alpha named Ryder. It was an alliance arranged by our families. I didn’t love Ryder, but I’d never considered defying my family. Just as I’d accepted a quiet life of duty, fate threw Cain Knight in my path. He was the brightest star at the academy—powerful family, immense strength—and he fell for me at first sight. His pursuit was blunt and overwhelming—he did everything he could to get my attention. He’d wait for me on my way to class, book the entire library just so we could be alone, and even went straight to Ryder, using a mix of business deals and threats to make him back off. I resisted, telling him I was already betrothed. He didn’t care. His pursuit only became more aggressive, forcing his way into every corner of my life. But long before he showed any sign of backing down, my own heart began to betray me. The balance was shattered during the border war. A rival pack attacked the academy, and I was trapped in the ruins. It was Cain who fought his way to me, using his own body to shield me from a collapsing beam. When I saw him lying over me, covered in blood and barely breathing, my heart was his completely. “Don’t you die…” I sobbed, clutching him. “Cain, you can’t die…” He gave a weak smile, his hand stroking my face. “Worth it… as long as you’re alive…” From that day on, I loved him. We had our mating ceremony soon after, becoming true mates. The Cain from that time was gentle and attentive, with eyes only for me. But the good times didn’t last. Just three months after we were mated, Ryder was heading abroad to study. He came to see me one last time to say goodbye. I didn’t refuse—we had grown up together, and I didn’t want our friendship to be completely severed because of my choice. We just sat in a coffee shop for an hour, catching up. Ryder wished me well in my marriage, and I wished him the best for his future.As a parting gift, Ryder gave me a moonstone bracelet. But I have no idea who took pictures of the entire meeting. In the photos, we were chatting happily and hugged each other when we said goodbye. However, the angle of the photos made it look like we were very intimate, just like a couple in love about to part. That night, Cain came home with the pictures, the tenderness in his eyes completely gone. “So that’s how it is,” he sneered, throwing the photos down. “And here I was, naive enough to believe you truly loved me.” “Cain, let me explain—” “Explain what? How you two planned it?” He advanced on me, his Alpha presence suffocating. “First, make me fall for you, then use my feelings to let Ryder infiltrate my business empire, and finally, destroy the Knight family from the inside?” “No!” I shook my head desperately. “Ryder and I are just friends, we were just saying goodbye—” “Friends?” he scoffed. Cain seized my wrist, his grip tightening over the bracelet. “Lupita, do you take me for a fool? Did you think I didn’t know about your betrothal? That I didn’t know Ryder’s family has been salivating over the Knight corporation?” He ripped the bracelet from my arm, its moonstones shattering on the floor. From that day on, the gentle lover I knew became a stranger, a demon. He began to torture and humiliate me, doing everything he could to prove that I was nothing more than a traitor, a spy, an enemy unworthy of his trust. "Alpha! She's going into shock!" The healer's cry pulled me from my memories. I felt someone roughly yank the needle from my arm. I struggled to open my eyes and saw Cain's cold, indifferent face. The suite was silent until a delicate cough sounded from the master bedroom. Cain's brow creased instantly. He asked the healer, "Is the dosage enough?""It's enough, it's more than enough, Alpha!" He ignored her and turned toward the bedroom. I watched his retreating back, using my last ounce of strength to speak. "Cain." He paused but didn't turn around. "Now... can I go?" He was silent for a long moment before walking into the room without a backward glance. I slipped back into unconsciousness. When I woke, I struggled to sit up, grabbed my phone, and dialed a number I knew by heart. The call was answered on the first ring. "Lupita? Are you okay? What happened?" The voice on the other end was frantic. "I'm fine," I said quietly. "There was a small incident. The plan is delayed a few days.""I don't care about the plan! You have to leave that place now! Did Cain do something to you?""No," I reassured him. "Just give me a little more time. Trust me, I'll handle it." After hanging up, I deleted the call log. Cain didn't appear for the next few days. He and Elias were all over social media, hailed by the press as the new "power couple of the business world." In one photo, Elias was cradling her stomach while Cain gazed at her with adoration. It reminded me of how, not long after Cain came to believe I’d betrayed him, I discovered I was pregnant with his cub. I thought it was the perfect chance to clear up the misunderstanding. Once the cub was born, he would know where my heart truly lay. But when I told him I was pregnant, Cain was silent for a long moment before a cold sneer twisted his lips. “Lupita, you and your accomplice have played this whole game, and now you expect to cement your position with a bastard? Dream on. Even if you give birth to it, the Knight family will never accept a traitor’s cub as an heir!” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Cain, this is your child! Our child! How could you say that?”“Mine?” He laughed, but the smile never reached his eyes. “Lupita, do you think I’d believe you’d carry my cub for any reason other than your scheme?” After that, Cain grew even colder. I was heartbroken, and my health deteriorated. Even with all the supplements the healer prescribed, I couldn’t save our cub. The day I miscarried, I cried in despair, begging Cain through our mate bond to come back to me, even just for an embrace. It was a long time before he deigned to give me a single sentence: “The cub is gone, so be it. No one wanted it here anyway.” Pulling myself from the memory, I wiped away my tears, planning to slip out of this prison while the guards were absent. But as I was leaving, I saw Cain and Elias in the lobby. My first instinct was to hide, but it was too late. Cain stopped me, his brow creased with his usual mix of scrutiny and impatience. "Stop." I reflexively lowered my head and stammered, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here, I'll go back now..." His frown deepened. "Lupita, the healer said you haven't been taking your medicinal herbs. Are you now daring to disobey a direct command from your Alpha?" Elias, clinging to his arm, wore a triumphant smirk that seemed to falter ever so slightly.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Clinging to Cain's arm, Elias cooed, "Lupita, I can't thank you enough for the blood you gave me. I was so worried about getting an infection. Cain, darling, shall we all go up together?" Cain tapped the tip of her nose affectionately. "Always so considerate." Then, his gaze fell on me. "What are you dawdling for? Let's go." Since I needed to retrieve my passport anyway, I didn’t object to Elias's "kindness." In the private elevator, I saw exactly what Elias wanted me to see: the faint, overlapping love bites on the column of her neck. Our mate bond was still intact, so I knew Cain hadn't truly marked her, yet he continued to let Elias humiliate me. "Ow, it still stings a little," Elias whined, burying herself in Cain's arms and tapping his chest coquettishly. "You can't be so rough next time, Cain." Cain chuckled and murmured an apology, all while his eyes darted to my face. When he saw no trace of anger, a familiar flicker of irritation crossed his features. "Lupita, you've been glued to that phone since you stepped in here." His tone was sharp, laced with jealousy. "Plotting with your old flame again? Scheming to bring down the Knight family?" Having just booked a private jet, I shut off the screen. "Just checking the market." His brow furrowed. Before I could react, he snatched the phone from my hand. "Password?" he demanded. "The date you begged me to be your mate." Cain's fingers flew across the screen, entering five digits. But he paused just before the last one. He never unlocked it. When the elevator doors opened to the penthouse, he simply tossed the phone back to me. Cain wrapped an arm around Elias’s shoulders, led her into the master bedroom, and instructed the housekeeper to prepare all of her favorite dishes. I walked to what was once my walk-in closet. It was now filled with Elias’s belongings. My gowns were crumpled in a corner, some slashed to ribbons. Fortunately, the passport and anonymous bank card I’d hidden in a secret compartment were untouched. Just as I secured my documents and turned to leave, Elias blocked the doorway. She held a crystal decanter of whiskey, her eyes raking over me with contempt. "Lupita, I have to admire your patience. I've moved into your home, made you a laughingstock, and still, you cling to the Knight family, refusing to let go." She smirked. "Then again, that old crone in your family finally kicked the bucket last month. With your biggest backer gone, you have to hold on to Cain for dear life, don't you?" A malicious memory seemed to spark in her eyes. "Do you remember that day? You were sobbing, begging Cain to take the helicopter to see your mother one last time. Do you know why he refused? He’d promised to take me to a Sotheby's auction. See? I still have the picture on my phone." The mention of my mother shattered my composure. I slapped the phone from her hand and, my control finally snapping, lunged for her throat. The decanter slipped from Elias's grasp, whiskey splashing across the floor. In the ensuing struggle, she stumbled back, knocking over a lit scented candle. The high-proof alcohol ignited instantly. Thick smoke and roaring flames consumed the room. Weakened from the blood loss, I was quickly overwhelmed by the smoke and collapsed. Through the roaring in my ears, I heard Cain's voice. "Lupita!" It was followed by the housekeeper's frantic shouts. "Alpha, it's too dangerous! You can't go in! Wait for security to bring extinguishers—""Get out of my way! Lupita's in there!" Heedless of the danger, he burst into the inferno. But he hadn't expected to see Elias there, too. "Cain… save me…" Elias reached a weak hand toward him. She didn't need to finish. Without a flicker of hesitation, Cain swept her into his arms and raced out, not sparing me a single glance as I lay on the floor. I watched his back disappear through the doorway, my vision blurring with smoke. In that instant, my last illusion burned away to ash. Half an hour later, when security finally extinguished the fire, I was gone. I had used the chaos to slip out the emergency escape on the window ledge, then took the service elevator straight to the underground garage. A familiar pair of black headlights flashed twice. I scrambled to the car, wrenched open the door, and fell inside. The car sped toward a private airfield on the outskirts of the city. On the way, I took out my phone, wiped all call logs and contacts, and powered it off for good. When we arrived, a small private jet was waiting on the tarmac. "Lupita," the person who had come for me said, taking my hand. "Are you sure? Once you go, there's no coming back." I looked into his worried eyes and smiled, a real smile, for the first time in years. "I've never been more certain." Cain, you always believed that while I didn't love you, I would never leave you. You were wrong. This time, even if a part of me will always love you, I'm truly gone. * Meanwhile, after settling Elias down, Cain searched the entire penthouse. He found no trace of me. He took out his phone to call me, only to be met with a dead tone. He tried to reach me through their mate bond, but there was only silence. Just then, his assistant rushed in. "Alpha, the Pack Elder just returned from London! He's calling an emergency pack meeting, effective immediately!" Cain’s brow furrowed, a sense of unease coiling in his gut. He glared at his assistant. "Can't you see I'm looking for the Luna?""But, Alpha, the Luna is probably just blowing off steam. She'll be back in a day or two. The Elder's meeting concerns the entire pack." Cain took one last look at the empty apartment. After a long moment, he said, "Fine. Let's go. And have a twenty-percent equity transfer agreement drawn up. Put it in the Luna's name."

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

"Right away, Alpha. I'll have it drafted now," the assistant replied. Cain stopped him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "When the documents are signed, have them delivered to the first house Lupita and I lived in after we were mated." In his mind, there was nowhere else I could have gone. I would have to take refuge in the one place filled with our happy memories. A week later, late at night, Cain finally wrapped up his project and returned to that house, only to find a slender figure in a silk nightgown curled up on the living room sofa. "Lupita, how many times do I have to tell you? I'll come home when I'm done. You don't have to…" His weary complaint died in his throat as he drew closer and saw that the woman on the sofa was Elias. Elias shivered under his silent gaze, her expression a careful mix of hurt and pity. "Cain… Lupita still hasn't come back. I've sent her so many messages, apologizing… but she won't answer. If… if I'm the reason she's angry, I'll leave. I'll stay away from you." A frown creased Cain's brow at her practiced tears. "I've been busy. You should be managing your own family's business. I'll have my assistant take you home." Ignoring Elias’s protests, he sent her away. Then, clad in a bathrobe, Cain leaned against the railing of the balcony and lit a cigarette. He'd quit years ago, but tonight, the craving was undeniable. As the night wind swept past, Cain tried once again to connect with me through our mate bond. [Lupita, the Black Moon family gathering is tomorrow. I'm warning you, don't pull any stunts. Don't cause trouble for Elias or the new project.] But there was no reply. On the day of the family gathering, Cain made a high-profile entrance with Elias, the very picture of amicable business partners. He didn't release Elias's hand until Alexander Knight himself entered. Only then did Cain move to his father's side to greet the other high-ranking Alphas. "Why didn't Lupita accompany you?" Alexander's question was sharp. Cain's lips thinned, and for once, he offered a defense. "My apologies, Father. Lupita has been busy with some family matters. She was exhausted, so I told her to rest. She'll be along later." Two hours passed. The gathering had moved on to critical pack business, and I still hadn't appeared. A knot of unease tightened in his chest. He tried the mate bond again. Nothing. He stepped into a quiet corner and pulled out his phone. "The number you have dialed is not in service. Please—" He hung up and redialed, again and again, but was met with the same robotic voice. Just then, a courier entered the hall and delivered a package addressed to his father. Under a sea of curious gazes, Alexander opened the box with a grim expression. Inside lay the heirloom passed down through generations of the Knight family, the one I received at my mating ceremony—the Heart of the Moon. The moment they saw the shattered necklace, the entire hall fell silent. Every wolf in the room knew what it meant for a Luna to return the family heirloom. Before Alexander could recover, Cain, his face ashen, clenched his fists. But when he desperately reached for me through our mate bond, his eyes widened in horror.