Chapter 1 Chapter 1

In the empty temple, I knelt before the statue of the Moon Goddess, praying with all my heart. "That's right. I pray to you so that my mate bond with Alex can be removed, and all information regarding me erased.""Know this. Once this is done, Alex will be unable to find you. All traces of your presence in this world will fade.""I'll take it. I can only leave him when that's the case." I knew that if I only severed our mate bond, Alex would find me eventually. If that was the case, I might as well remove myself directly from his world. "Very well. I'll give you my word." Holy light began to glow, and I saw the name Sophia slowly disappear from the pack register, and a silver-white potion appeared before me. "Drink this potion. The mate bond you share with Alex will be undone after three days.""Alright," I grabbed the potion and gulped it down without any hesitation. After everything was done, I returned home. The moment I stepped in, I saw the wedding photo framed on the wall. That time, I simply said I wanted to see the aurora borealis, and Alex easily bought me an island on the Northern Ocean. We took our wedding photo as the vibrant aurora rippled across the sky. Once the news went back to the pack, everyone was stunned. He also spread the news that five years ago, during the war with the other packs, he had shielded me from an attack. Everyone became so jealous of me. Alex loved me to the core, to the point that he could sacrifice his own life. But now, this wedding photo and our promise were nothing but a cruel joke. Alex and I grew up together. We had known each other since I was three years old. When I was still little, I saw how my father ran away with his mistress. After my mother committed suicide due to depression, I swore during her funeral that I would never sacrifice myself for love. Back then, only Alex would hug me tightly despite being a child himself. He told me that he would protect me, that he would never let me suffer any injury. I didn't care about his promise. I continued to walk my own path. But for a full decade and more, he had always been with me. He warmed my heart with all his actions. And then, that war came. He broke both his arms trying to protect me, but he still stood right in front of me as my shield. I guarded next to him on the hospital bed, all I could remember was how he was dying with blood all over him. When he woke up, the first thing he said was, "See, Sophia? I can finally protect you." My heart was wrenching. I was still hesitating if I should be with him. The bonds between werewolves were predetermined. When we were eighteen, the Moon Goddess would arrange it for us. If Alex and I weren't destined to be mates, we would be forced to separate and be engulfed by that pain. That was why I didn't agree to be with him. However, Alex didn't rush things through. After he recovered, he continued to accompany me patiently and gently as usual. His elders and family had a lot of complaints about what he was doing. To them, his future Luna was going to be a much better candidate compared to an orphan like me. But before me, he would always be sympathetic and patient. When I was eighteen, the Moon Goddess revealed to me that I was going to be Alex's Luna. He happily said, "See? I know we're destined to be together." He was so excited that he almost cried as he put on a ruby ring that represented love on my finger. "This is great, Sophia! I know that you're my Luna!" And before the entire pack, he swore… "I love you, Sophia. I swear that I will love you and protect you forever. You will be my only Luna in this life." My eyes became red. "I love you too. But you have to promise me something. Promise me that you'll never betray me. If you betray me, I will immediately walk away. You'll never be able to find me ever again, understand?""I promise you. If I betray you, let me suffer for eternity." After our marriage, Alex was loyal to his vow. He would put me first in everything. The entire pack knew that no one else was more important to Alex than me. I was his most precious treasure. At least… Until last month. The mind link between us allowed me to sense that he had cheated on me.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Our mate bond would only be removed in three days. In these three days, I had to make preparations for my departure. Once I was home, I saw Alex had already moved the dinner to the dinner table. Ever since we lived together, he would personally cook for me. I recommended him to hire a personal chef, seeing that he had to work every day. However, he refused my suggestion. "No. I don't trust others enough. I think it's best for me to cook for you." I was so touched back then. I never expected that he would end up with another woman in the same bed. When he saw me come home, he immediately cleaned his hand and gave me a kiss on my face. "You're a little late. It's cold today, so you should have asked the driver to drive you. What if you're sick?" He held my hand in his hands before turning to the other servants and saying, "Your hands are so cold… Go and get a hand warmer for my Luna.""Of course." I calmly looked at him, my heart still. "It's fine. I'm not that delicate." Once my fingers were finally warmer, he pulled the chair out and ushered me to sit in front of the dinner table. "Honey," he said to me excitedly as he put some salad on my plate. "I've prepared something special for your birthday. Do you want to guess what it is?" I answered him without a hint of being amazed. "A mine?" Every time I would show interest in something, Alex would give me everything that was related to it to me. Last week, I was playing with my phone and I saw some jewelry. I said that the gems on them look pretty. As expected, Alex said with a smile. "I didn't expect you'd manage to guess it. Looks like I have to prepare something even more surprising next time." No matter how tasty the cream of mushroom was, it no longer tasted good. I put down my spoon and raised my head. "Alex, you've always given me presents when we are together. I've also prepared a gift for you three days later. You should look forward to it.""Really?" His eyes were filled with disbelief, and he hugged me excitedly. "I'm touched!""Since it's from you, I'll treasure it. This is the proof of your love for me. When we're in love, we'll show it to our children and grandchildren. We'll let our love become a legend. How romantic is that?" I didn't hug him back like I usually did in the past. I simply smiled at him with scorn deep in my heart. After dinner, he took out the Deed of Assignment for the mine and gave it to me. All I needed to do was to sign it and the wealth would be mine to use as I see fit. "Honey, I've already asked the miners to save the world's best unpolished ruby stone. I also booked a meeting with a designer. We can start designing your unique necklace tomorrow," he said as he replied to messages on his phone, completely missing the coldness in my eyes. "Alex, I don't need anything so expensive…""No," He immediately cut me off. "I'm giving you this willingly. All you need to do is to receive it. You're my only Luna. You deserve the best things in this world. Not to mention that it's just a mine… It's nothing. I love you and I'm willing to give you everything." I could see the passionate love in his eyes, and I looked at the deep scars on his arms. Those were scars from when he saved me. But I only wanted loyal love. He had gathered all the world's treasures for me but lost his heart. After he finished saying that, he quickly typed on his phone again. I forced a faint smile. "Are you busy lately?" He paused, a flash of guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have neglected you." He then planted a kiss on my forehead as he said, "I'm almost done. Maybe you can go to bed first? Good night, my love." He thought I didn't notice it. When he said he loved me, the screen on his phone showed he was chatting with another woman. The other person even sent him a photo of her scantily clothed. "You like it?" And he even answered, "Of course, babe."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

I pretended not to see it all. I went back to my bedroom and clicked on Lily's profile, who was a minor celebrity. Half an hour ago, she had just posted a new photo. She was wearing a pair of brilliant ruby earrings, and they were glittering under the light. The text accompanying it was: "The world's best gemstones for the world's prettiest. Me." All the netizens were suspicious of her. "How can an unknown celebrity like you afford such an expensive pair of earrings? You better take them off and give them back to the jewelry store. Stop pretending you're a noble lady." She defiantly replied to each and every one of them. "All of you are jealous of me! This is from my boyfriend! Don't make things up just because you've never seen something like this!" The netizens didn't back down. "Boyfriend? You mean your sugar daddy. You think you're Sophia? Why don't you look into the mirror!" Very quickly, she posted another picture. It was the appraisal report and owner of the earrings. It was clearly written that the ruby came from the mine that Alex had given to me. And she was the owner of the earrings. I switched off my phone with a thorn in my heart. I got up and poured myself a glass of water, but I heard Alex was making a call from the balcony. "What's your PR department doing? Delete all those negative comments! Lily is with me. If you make things difficult for her, you're making things difficult for me, understand? I don't want to see any of those comments tomorrow." I once again checked Lily's page. As expected, all the comments that doubted and cursed her had disappeared. I could feel my heart wrenched, and the glass in my hand fell on the ground, shattering into pieces. Bitter tears rolled down from my eyes. I was still standing there, too stunned to speak when Alex was standing right in front of me. My tears continued to roll in silence. "By the Moon Goddess, honey! What happened?" He immediately hugged me in shock. "Be careful with the shards! Are you hurt? I'll take you to the hospital right now!""I'm fine," I waved my hand and told her to let me down. "The… The water is a little too hot." He put me on the bed carefully before telling the servants to clean up the glass shards. Only then did he put his face on my shoulder. "Don't be so careless again. You can tell the maid to do something like this, alright? You're my treasure. If you hurt yourself, it will hurt me inside too." Alex then helped me lie down on the bed and he didn't forget to tuck me in as well. However, in the next second, his phone started ringing again. The notification bell didn't stop ringing. I looked at the time. It was already 11 at night. He gave me an awkward smile. "It's fine. My assistant sent me a document. I just need a minute to give it a read." I closed my eyes. After some time, I heard the sound of a door opening and closing. I buried my face in my pillow. I couldn't stop the tears welling in my eyes. I didn't even need to ask who he was meeting at this time. I switched on my phone and found Lily's alternate account that she used to share her daily life. As expected, she had just posted a new picture. In the picture, she was wearing a sexy tight dress with slits, and a man's face was placed on her thigh. While his face wasn't shown, I recognized the watch that he was wearing. It was the present that I had given Alex last year. Tears rolled down from my eyes and made my pillow wet. I could still feel pain in my heart that I thought was already numb. I stared at the ceiling with my eyes wide open until the sky outside slowly lit up. Alex only came home when it was morning, with the cheesecake that I loved to eat in his hands. "You're awake?" He said as he bent over and kissed my forehead. "There's something urgent in the company last night, but I'll accompany you the whole day today. I've already made an appointment with the designer. I'm going to get him to make the world's most beautiful necklace in this world." I sat in front of the vanity table. I covered my black eyes using makeup. I then went out together with him after I had finished changing. This was going to be the last time I received a gift from him, after all. Once we were there, he took my purse for me and even prepared my snacks and drinks, as if doting a child. But maybe I didn't have enough sleep, I could feel pain thumping in my head. I couldn't eat anything he bought for me. I put it aside after two bites. "What is it, honey? You're feeling sore?""It's fine," I said as I leaned back onto the sofa as I closed my eyes. "I probably caught a cold last night since the window wasn't shut." Alex slammed his fist on his own thigh in frustration. "It's my fault. If I wasn't so busy with work, I would have been able to take better care of you." I sneered inside my mind as I listened to his lies. 'Alex… Were you really busy with work?' I heaved his hand aside and said with a calm voice, "It's fine. It's not your fault." The designer and his staff all enviously said, "I heard the pack leader and his wife share a close bond. It's really something that we have to see to believe. You two are really making us envious!" The designer showed me a few samples for me to choose, and Alex naturally bent over to put the necklaces on me. All the staff looked at us enviously. The brilliant diamonds seemed to shine on my neck, but I was in no mood to admire them at all. "As expected of my Luna. No matter how you do it, you're always so pretty," he said lovingly as he played with my hair. He then looked at my reflection in the mirror and said, "Why don't we make one of each? They're all yours anyway." Before I could refuse, his phone rang. When he saw who was calling, he immediately left me and walked out the door with his expression completely changed.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

When Alex saw me, there was nervousness on his face. "Why are you out here already? Quickly, go back inside and have some rest. What if your cold worsens?" I took down the necklace and gave it back to him and said, "It's fine. I'm not in the mood today, and it looks like you're not free anyway. I'm going back now." I turned around and left, completely ignoring him as he asked me to stay. When he wasn't paying attention, I slipped into the café on the opposite side. Through the glass, I saw him go back to the shop and made a call. After a while, an inconspicuous black car stopped in front of the shop and Lily came down. And in front of everyone, the two of them hugged each other and shared a deep kiss. The kiss was so deep that Lily's face became red. However, the staff were seemingly unsurprised, as if something like this had already happened countless times. The designer, who said he was envious of me and Alex, smiled flatteringly, "I have to say. Lily has such a great body. She's shaped like an hourglass… No man can say no to her." Alex didn't avert his gaze at all as he saw Lily's revealed skin on her chest. "Of course." The designer then sleazily stroked his chin. "Hehe… When I'm rich, I'll get a few of these for myself too. But if you ask me, Sophia looks quite good too. She's prettier than any werewolves that I have ever seen." Alex's expression instantly turned cold. "You think you can speak her name without respect like that? If Sophia hears anything, I will make sure that you can't stay in the pack at all!""I… I'm sorry!" The designer apologized continuously under the threat of the Alpha. He swore that he would forget everything that had happened and wouldn't let me know. My hands holding the coffee cup couldn't stop shaking as I felt like cold water had just washed over me. I escaped back home. Then, I immediately received a string of messages. It was from Lily. "You must be Sophia. I heard about your love story with Alex. It's so romantic! But now I have the same mate as you. Can you guess who he is?" She then sent me a few pictures of her and Alex. One of them was when they were holding each other in front of the mirror. Another one was of them making passionate love in the car. "See it? It's Alex! I'm telling you right now that I'm the woman he truly loves now. He told me that you're already outdated. You should leave him soon." She then sent a large number of pictures before she even finished mocking me. They were all presents that Alex had sent to her. I switched my phone off, with my expression cold. I stood on the balcony for a long time, thinking about my past with Alex. How could he act like he loved me so much when he was already sleeping with another woman? Who was the one who truly had his heart? "Sophia?" Alex's surprised voice came from behind. "Why are you standing here alone? It's getting cold. Don't catch a cold again." He then held me in his arms, and I could smell an unfamiliar rose perfume on him. "Alex…" I started as I looked into his eyes. "If one day, when you no longer love me. You have to tell me and not lie to me, alright?" He smiled, confused. "How's that possible? Why will I not love you? Don't overthink things again. What do you want to eat tonight? I'll make it for you." He smiled as he removed his jacket. I saw the red lipstick mark right under his collar. I sneered, but right at myself. How could he manage it? How could he say he loved me while sleeping with someone else? "Cream cheese mushroom soup, then," I said. "You still remember it? That's the first ever dish you made for me." At the time, he was still not the leader of the pack. He was just a young, inexperienced werewolf. But at the time, Alex loved me wholeheartedly and wouldn't care about other women. We should end where we begin, I thought to myself. "Sure," Alex said as he played with my hair. "I'll make it for you right now. I guarantee that it will be exactly the same as last time." However, he was paying full attention over his phone that whole night with a faint smile on his face. I couldn't taste the food anymore. I had just wanted to put down my spoon when he suddenly stood up anxiously. "I'm sorry, honey. Something happened at the company, and I need to go over it right now. It might take a very long time, so you should rest after you finish. Don't wait for me." He quickly rushed out. It wasn't long until Lily sent me new photos. In the photo, Alex was wearing a bathrobe. There was no need to explain what was going to happen between them soon. "See? Your Alpha is going to sleep with me soon. You've lost, Sophia." I ignored it. I removed the SIM card and threw it into the bin. I left the house with my luggage. 'Goodbye, Alex.'