Chapter 2

At 8:00 AM the next day, David's call came right on time.

"Luna Emily, there is a meeting today that you must attend. It concerns your mother's belongings."

Two years ago, my mother was terminally ill.

Suddenly, she called me to her bedside and handed me an agreement.

"Emily, sign this. Once you do, no one will dare to touch you again."

Looking at the name *Alpha Jack* on the contract, I was filled with confusion.

What was the connection between my mother and the Moonstone Pack?

What had she sacrificed to secure this deal?

She told me nothing.

I only knew the basic terms:

I would receive the protection of the Moonstone Pack under the status of his Luna, and the mate bond would be dissolved after two years.

Upon dissolution, Jack would pay me a sum of money large enough to guarantee my financial independence.

During the agreement, neither party was allowed to have offspring.

Two years.

Once the contract expired, we would go our separate ways, completely untangled.

I had asked her why.

She had only stared at me, her eyes heavy with a deep, crushing exhaustion.

"Don't ask, Emily. Just promise me."

When I signed my name, I thought I was being perfectly rational.

Only later did I realize that the one who falls in love first is always the biggest fool in a contract.

At 10:00 AM, I pushed open the door to the top-floor conference room of the Moonstone Pack headquarters.

Three Elders sat around the long conference table.

At the head of the table sat Alpha Jack.

To his right was Olivia Vance, the Beta of the Moonstone Pack.

She was also the woman Jack had held an umbrella for on the day of my mother's death anniversary.

Dressed in a pristine, stark white suit, Olivia spoke with a subtle sneer.

"Luna Emily, please sit. This is just standard procedure. No need to be nervous."

I took my seat.

A thick folder was placed in front of me.

*Risk Assessment Report on the Termination of Relationship with Emily Foster.*

An Elder opened the file.

"Alpha Jack, monitoring from this month shows that Luna Emily’s emotional dependency levels spiked abnormally three times."

"Does she currently meet the criteria for a complete detachment?"

Coldness seeped into my veins, inch by inch.

Their conversation made me feel like an asset that was about to be liquidated and cleared from the books.

I turned to look at Jack.

He wore a dark gray suit. His expression was cold and composed, his fingers resting casually on the table.

Olivia flipped open the report, her voice ruthlessly clinical.

"I'd like to add a point. Luna Emily, many women mistake protective protocols for love."

"The Moonstone Pack is helping you complete this detachment now so you can regain your independence and freedom."

My stomach cramped painfully.

I instinctively clutched my lower abdomen.

It had been less than two weeks since my miscarriage, and the raw pain hadn't fully faded.

Jack's gaze fell on my trembling hand.

Frowning, he interrupted Olivia.

"Get her a warm drink."

Soon, a warm cup of tea was placed in front of me.

He was always like this—giving me a hand just as I was about to collapse, only to push me back into the abyss a moment later.

The Elder continued questioning.

"Regarding Luna Emily's emotional breakdown due to her accidental miscarriage last month, will this pose a potential risk to the pack in the future?"

My entire body went rigid.

Jack's face darkened instantly.

I thought he would lose his temper.

But he simply tapped his fingers on the table.

"Skip this section."

"Alpha Jack, a risk assessment must be complete—"

"I said, skip it."

His voice was ice-cold and unyielding.

I picked up the warm drink and forced myself to take a sip.

When the meeting ended, I signed the final confirmation document.

One by one, people left the room.

Soon, only Jack and I were left.

I capped my pen and stood up.

"Jack."

His hand, which had been adjusting his cufflinks, paused.

I stared at him.

"Over the past two years... was there ever a single moment where I wasn't just a clause in that contract to you?"

Jack remained silent for a long time.

Finally, he raised his eyes, his tone completely controlled.

"Don't dwell on meaningless things, Emily."

In that instant, my breath caught in my throat.

It turned out that every single day of pain I had endured was completely meaningless to him.