Chapter 3

My mother’s resuscitation lasted four hours.

When the attending physician came out, he said, “We have stabilized your mother for now, but there can be no further interruption in her treatment.”

I nodded, my throat too dry to produce a sound.

The sale contract for my apartment was signed that same evening.

Because I had priced it for an urgent sale, the buyer had barely hesitated.

The moment I received the deposit, I went straight to the medical center to pay the bill.

The woman at the payment desk glanced at me.

“Are you her only family member here?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“Where is your mate?”

I did not respond.

In that moment, humiliation washed over me.

I had an Alpha mate, yet I looked like a lone wolf with no family protection at all.

I had even overheard people whispering about me. “She must be the most pitiful Luna in the pack. Her Alpha husband won’t even come to the medical center with her.”

“Exactly. She looks like she might be carrying a pup too. A she-wolf is at her most vulnerable then.”

...

That evening, I returned to the estate to collect my documents.

The moment I opened the door, a woman’s bright laughter drifted from the living room.

Selene sat on the sofa with a celebration cake in front of her.

Ronan was cutting it for her.

The moment she saw me, Selene stood. “Luna, you’re back.”

Her tone was sweet and obedient, while the moonstone-and-diamond necklace around her throat glittered beneath the lights.

I recognized it. On my birthday the previous month, I had fallen in love with that necklace the moment I saw it in the jeweler’s display.

Ronan had said at the time, “The brand markup is ridiculous. It’s impractical and doesn’t suit you.”

Now it hung around Selene’s neck.

Ronan frowned at me. “Why are you back?”

I looked at him. “This is my home. Why shouldn’t I be here?”

Selene’s expression stiffened.

Ronan set down the cake knife, his voice devoid of emotion.

“Selene’s presentation went well today. I brought her back to pick up some documents.”

“We decided to celebrate while we were here.”

While they were here?

My mother was still lying in the medical center with tubes running through her body.

I had sold the only property I owned to raise money, while he celebrated another young Omega in our home.

Selene lowered her head, her voice gentle.

“Luna, please don’t misunderstand. Alpha only thought it was brave of me to start a business that could generate income for the pack, so he bought a cake to encourage me.”

As she spoke, she touched the necklace at her throat.

“This was a team reward too. It isn’t what you think.”

I glanced at the cake box on the table.

Written across it were the words: [Congratulations on a brilliant first victory, Selene. Your future is limitless.]

Ronan had written them himself.

He had once called even a birthday cake for me a waste of money and said gestures like that were meaningless.

I had argued with him then, and the fight had ended, as always, with me giving in.

This time, I still said nothing.

I simply returned to the bedroom, opened a drawer, and began gathering my documents.

Ronan followed me in. “Who are you putting on this attitude for now?”

I slipped our mate-registration certificate into my bag. “Move.”

He blocked the doorway. “Evelyn, you’re becoming more unreasonable by the day.”

“Selene is much younger than you. She only recently completed her first shift, and she came to Nightfall territory alone as an Omega.”

“I am her Alpha and her employer. What is wrong with looking after her a little?”

I looked up at him. “My mother is lying alone in intensive care. Have you ever looked after her?”

For a moment, he had no answer. Then his expression hardened again. “Your mother’s situation is different.”

“How?”

“Selene is still young. With support, she can have a bright future. Your mother’s illness cannot be cured.”

The room went completely silent.

Regret flickered through Ronan’s eyes, and his tone finally softened. “Evelyn, that isn’t what I meant.”

He pulled me into his arms. “Don’t look at me like that. I hate it when you look at me that way.”

“What I mean is that investments have to be judged by their returns. Your mother’s medical bills could become a bottomless pit...”

It felt as though someone had carved my heart from my chest. I pushed him away.

Looking at the calm composure on his face, I could only find it ridiculous. In the end, my mother’s life was something he could measure by its value.

And dismiss as unnecessary.

I picked up my bag and walked past him.

...

In the living room, Selene was eating cake with a fork.

When she saw me, she seemed to summon her courage before speaking softly.

“Luna, you should learn to be more independent too. You can’t expect your Alpha to solve everything for you.”

Ronan stood behind me and made no attempt to stop her. The approval in his eyes was unmistakable.

I looked at Selene and suddenly smiled. “Did he teach you to say that?”

The smile at the corner of her mouth froze.

I smiled again. “Then remember it well. One day, when he decides you no longer offer a worthwhile return, he’ll say the same thing to you.”

Selene’s eyes immediately reddened with grievance.

Ronan spoke coldly. “Enough, Evelyn. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don’t target her.”

I did not turn around.

As I went downstairs, a sudden dragging pain seized my lower abdomen. I caught the railing weakly.

Ronan frowned. “What’s wrong with your stomach?”

As though a thought had struck him, joy flashed in his eyes. “Are you carrying my—”

“No,” I cut him off.

Since I had already decided to end our bond, there was no reason for him to know I was carrying his pup.

Ronan’s expression returned to normal. “As Luna, I expect you to give me a pup soon. The pack needs an Alpha heir.”

The ringing of my communicator interrupted him.

It was the medical center.

“Luna, your mother’s condition has deteriorated again. You need to return immediately.”

My vision went black, and I nearly collapsed inside the elevator.