Chapter 6

Alison POV

I stood up, my tone calm: "I'm not feeling well. I'm going to bed."

As I turned, Ethan suddenly reached out and gripped my wrist.

"Alison, you're not thinking of leaving me, are you?"

I hadn't expected his intuition to be so sharp. Since he'd already sensed it, I'd planned to just be honest and dissolve the mate bond with dignity.

However, Ethan stepped forward, his gaze locking onto mine intensely: "We've been bonded as mates for four years. The entire pack is used to you as their Luna, and I'm used to having you by my side. You won't leave me, right?"

So it turned out his anxiety about my leaving was only because he was "used to" my presence, used to having a tool who could help him manage pack affairs.

We'd been together all these years, but he'd never once said the word "love" to me.

Thinking about it now, maybe he never mentioned "love" because there was someone else he truly loved in his heart.

And for me, I was just a habit.

I pulled my lips into a smile, restraining the emotions in my eyes: "You're right."

I was indeed used to his presence too.

It's just that this kind of habit—I figured if I could just endure through it, I could eventually break it.

Perhaps my recent "excessive calmness" had made Ethan uneasy. He simply pushed all his territory patrol duties to the Beta and took several days off specifically to stay at the Packhouse with me.

He personally cooked my favorite foods and even accompanied me during training in the backyard. Everything seemed to return to when we first married and fought rogues side by side.

But some things had fundamentally changed forever.

Within a few days, Olivia's call came.

When her special ringtone sounded in the living room, I was on the balcony trimming a precious moonlight herb.

I heard Ethan answer, his voice unconsciously softening: "Olivia?"

My hand paused, scissors frozen in mid-air.

After a few low murmurs, Ethan hung up and walked toward me: "Alison, there's a pack alliance reception tomorrow. Olivia said her father just passed away, and as the former Beta's daughter, she'll be looked down on if she attends that kind of event alone... She hopes I can accompany her."

Before I could speak, Ethan gripped my shoulder, his eyes seemingly candid: "I already agreed. But I hope you can come with me tomorrow."

I looked into his eyes, understanding his subtext—he acknowledged my position as Luna, but he equally couldn't refuse any of Olivia's requests.

I set down the scissors, my voice completely flat: "Sure, I haven't been out in a long time anyway."

The next day, when Ethan and I arrived at the reception, an elaborately dressed Olivia was already waiting at the banquet hall entrance.

"Ethan! You're here!"

She hurried forward, completely ignoring my existence, very naturally reaching out to link her arm through Ethan's.

Ethan's body stiffened slightly, his peripheral vision instinctively glancing toward me.

I didn't even spare them an extra glance and stepped into the banquet hall first.

Behind me came Olivia's soft murmuring: "The setup for this reception is the same as always. Ethan, do you remember when Alpha training camp ended that year, we were also here..."

The hall was brilliantly lit. I was too lazy to listen to them reminisce about their past romance and walked alone to the exhibition area to browse.

"Watch out—!"

The moment the cry rang out, the sharp sound of snapping steel cables came from overhead.

I jerked my head up to see the crystal chandelier above lose its balance and topple toward our location.

Everything happened too fast.

Without any hesitation, without even glancing back at me, Ethan lunged toward Olivia on the right, holding her tightly in his arms as they rolled together toward the safe area nearby.

And I only had time to raise my arms to protect my head and face.

"Crash—!"

The enormous shattering sound was deafening. The falling crystal shards viciously sliced through my left shoulder, bringing sharp, piercing pain.

I staggered backward, my foot caught by a broken cable, and my entire body pitched backward.

The back of my head slammed hard against the edge of the marble display platform. Blood immediately gushed out, quickly soaking through the fabric of my dress.

I lay on the cold floor, ears ringing, vision beginning to blur.

I used the last of my strength to turn my head.

Ethan was helping Olivia to her feet. His back had been cut by shards and was bleeding, but he seemed completely unaware, first looking down to cup Olivia's face and check her condition.

"Olivia! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Where are you injured?"

His voice carried a panic and fear I'd never heard in four years.

Even when we'd been surrounded by dozens of rogues on the battlefield years ago, he'd never shown such an out-of-control expression.

Olivia leaned against him, her face pale, tears pooling in her eyes as she gently shook her head.

I quietly watched this scene.

As I thought—he truly still loved Olivia.