She linked her arm with mine affectionately as we entered the elevator. “I was worried you might get lost, honey. You’ve never been here before, right?”
That was true. This was my first time inside the Jade Palace.
We ascended and Anya guided me into a large private room divided by an ornate Chinese-style screen standing in the center.
I noticed several people on the other side of the screen, but Anya didn’t lead me there. Instead, she took me to a side where only one person sat-a woman who looked vaguely familiar. I recognized her as the girlfriend of one of Xavien’s friends.
She seemed to recognize me too, her expression awkward, though she managed a small, uneasy smile.
After I removed my coat and settled into the chair, Anya slipped away again.
I took a slow sip of the drink placed before me, and gradually, the loud conversation from the other side of the screen drifted to my ears. As they talked, their words turned to me.
“When it comes to this, Xavien hasn’t brought that human to the party lately,” a voice sneered.
“It’s obvious. Cira has purebred Alpha blood-young, beautiful, and the real deal. Xavien parades her around every event like a prize. He doesn’t even bother hiding his human wife anymore.” Another voice chimed in.
“I finally understand. After eight years, Xavien finally realizes the importance of bloodline.”
“No matter how beautiful a human is, she’s just a plaything. Eight years-tsk, that’s patience. What can human women offer? They can’t even mark him.”
“And she’s so stupid, fooled all these years, kept in the dark. She thinks she can be Luna? She’s been useless for so long, except for a pretty face and a good figure.”
Someone laughed. “I want to say that when Xavien tires of her completely, I wouldn’t mind stepping in to comfort her. I’ve been coveting that slim waist for ages.”
“Be careful, human women can’t withstand the power of our werewolves,” another voice teased, dripping with malice.
I stood just out of sight, my eyes cold and hard. I knew these voices well-they were all Xavien’s friends, and when they saw me, they mockingly called me “Luna.” Now that his true colors were showing, he treated me like a joke in their circle.
The woman sitting with me looked so uncomfortable she couldn’t even meet my gaze. When I stood, she probably thought I’d flee in humiliation.
Instead, I cleared my throat, lifted my drink, and walked toward the screen. Leaning casually against it, I joined their conversation with a relaxed tone.
“Gentlemen, I couldn’t help overhearing-and I think you’ve got the story all wrong.”
Their laughter abruptly stopped.
“When Xavien first got together with me,” I continued, tilting my head with mock sweetness, “he was just a sweet, awkward little virgin Alpha-clumsy hands and wide-eyed promises. If anyone’s been using anyone for the past eight years… wouldn’t that be me?”
Silence.
Complete, stunned silence.
Everyone on the couch stared at me in horror.
Then-
Two tall figures stepped into the room behind me.
I didn’t turn around. I didn’t have to.
Their presence said everything.
Judging by the looks on the others’ faces, they understood the message loud and clear.
Damn.
Celina
At exactly 11:40 a.m., my shadow appeared at the grand entrance of the Grimm family mansion-the stronghold of the Blood Moon Clan. The crisp scent of pine trees mixed with the rich earth beneath my feet filled my nostrils, a familiarity that was both comforting and deeply unsettling.
This place had once felt like a second home to me. Yet now, every step I took here reminded me painfully that I no longer belonged. The werewolf steward of the pack narrowed his eyes sharply when he spotted me standing at the door, his pupils contracting in shock.
“Lu… Luna Celina,” he stammered, his voice trembling as his gaze darted nervously. It was clear he had been expecting a visitor, but not me. A cold sweat beaded on his forehead, trickling down his front as if he were bracing for a storm.
Within the wolf community, our registered marriage in the human world was treated like a secret best left unspoken. The marriage certificate was carefully hidden away, as if it were something shameful, known only to my parents, Beta Henric, and a handful of trusted inner circle members.
Among the wolves, acceptance only came after a formal mate ceremony. For the past eight years, I had been nothing more than an oddity-a human woman tolerated barely at best. Each time I attended a wolf gathering, the disdainful glances I received reminded me sharply: I was an outsider, a fragile anomaly who could be discarded without a second thought.
“Please… come with me,” the butler said, his face drawn tight with reluctance, as if leading me to some form of punishment.
Before we even reached the living room foyer, a sharp voice cut through the air like a blade-a teasing, triumphant laugh. “I win again! Xavien, are you just going to let me off the hook?”
My feet froze involuntarily. For a moment, my mind blanked, but then all the pieces snapped into place with brutal clarity. This was the reason he had canceled our weekend plans-the so-called “business trip to Hong Kong.” A cold, bitter laugh escaped from the corner of my mouth as I forced myself to move forward.
Xavien’s pupils shrank violently when he looked up and saw me standing there. “What are you doing here?” His tone was sharp, edged with surprise and something darker.
“Your mother invited me,” I replied, my voice icy, a sneer flickering in my eyes. “Funny, isn’t it? Shouldn’t you be in Hong Kong right now? When did you suddenly develop teleportation powers?” His lashes fluttered rapidly-a guilty micro-expression I had come to recognize all too well in our years together.
On the couch, the Shadow Pack she-wolf, Cira Wynn, slid deliberately toward me, her movements calculated. The mingling scent of her and Xavien filled the room, making my stomach churn with nausea. “Hi~ I’m Cira!” she said, flashing a fake smile that showed far too many teeth-a clear provocation.
I didn’t even glance at her outstretched hand. Despite being human, I was still, at least in name, the Luna of the Shadow Pack-though it was a hollow title.
There was no reason to stoop to her level.
Just then, Daria Grant, the elder Luna of the Blood Moon Pack, appeared at the doorway. She greeted Cira with a warm, intimate smile, but when her eyes landed on me, they turned cold and dismissive.
“Did you have a good time, dear? Make yourself at home,” she cooed sweetly to Cira, her voice dripping with honeyed affection.
Then, turning to me, her tone shifted instantly to ice. “This is the manager of our company, Celina, here on official business.” The room already knew who I was, but she deliberately reduced me to nothing more than an ordinary employee.
It was a clear message: for Xavien and Cira’s possible union, I-the human wife-was not even a minor obstacle.
Cira lifted her chin, triumphant. “Oh, so she’s just an employee.” Each word carried the weight of a wolf marking her territory.
I ignored their hostile gazes and fixed my eyes on Xavien, searching for any sign of defense or acknowledgment from him. But his expression was cold and unyielding, like marble, not even a flicker of emotion crossing his face.
He didn’t care that his mother had just humiliated me in front of everyone. Did he not even realize the insult?
No, he knew perfectly well. The bond between us-never truly strong to begin with-was crumbling faster than I had imagined.
“Luna Daria,” I said calmly, meeting her gaze directly, “since you called me here on purpose, why don’t you just say what you want to discuss?”
She waved me off arrogantly, as if dismissing a servant. “Another day. Since you’re here, stay for lunch.” She didn’t even spare me a glance, as though I were hardly worth the courtesy.
“No, thank you. I have another appointment,” I replied, a dull ache settling in my chest. But I straightened my spine. After eight years, I had learned to mask their contempt in this house.
“The elders want you to stay and eat. What’s your attitude?” Daria Grant shouted from behind me, her voice laced with scorn and derision.
I paused, silently counting the days in my mind. Twenty days left to file the divorce papers. Twenty more days of this humiliation.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” I said with a sneer, turning to meet her eyes. I walked to the table and chose a seat far from the others.
But Daria wasn’t finished. She looked around the room with a triumphant smirk and suddenly said, “Since you’re here, why don’t you warm up the tea and pour for everyone?”
A few chuckles rippled through the room. My fists clenched tightly. This was her true intention-to keep me there, to humiliate me in front of them all, to use me like a servant.
“Why? Don’t you even want to do this?” she mocked. “Humans are so unreliable. They don’t even understand the most basic etiquette.”
Slowly, I rose from my seat, picked up the teapot, and smiled sweetly as I approached her. To the astonishment of everyone present, I poured the scalding tea over her perfectly styled hair.
“I’m sorry, Luna Daria,” I said softly, setting the teapot down with deliberate calmness. “My human hands just aren’t steady enough. I hope you enjoy this cup of ‘tea.’”
The room fell into stunned silence, broken only by the sound of hot liquid dripping down Daria’s rigid cheeks.
Celina
By the time I finally pulled away from the estate, the rain had ceased, leaving the world outside damp and glistening. Glancing into the rearview mirror, I watched as the imposing gates of the Blood Moon Pack gradually disappeared from view, swallowed by the misty horizon.
For the first time in eight long years, a genuine sense of relief washed over me, lightening the weight I had carried for so long.
I reached for my phone and quickly typed out a message to Daria: “Dear Daria, I trust you’ve seen that survey by now. Remember our deal-the five million must be transferred into my account by noon tomorrow. If not, I won’t hesitate to reveal how Luna of the Blood Moon Pack resorted to underhanded tactics against her human daughter-in-law.”
Almost instantly, my phone vibrated with a reply. Daria’s response was blunt and fiery: “You b***h!”
A soft chuckle escaped me as I typed back, teasing, “Is the tea warm enough for you? If not, I’m more than happy to return and pour you a fresh cup.”
Switching off my phone, I exhaled deeply, feeling a fierce determination settle within me. I might be the underdog in this tangled game with the wolves, but I was far from defeated. Xavien had betrayed me, Daria had humiliated me, and now it was my turn to make them pay the price they so richly deserved.
Money meant little to them, but to me, it was a tool-a means to make the proud and untouchable Luna suffer, and to expose the true nature of the man who had betrayed me by revealing the ugly truth about his mother.
“Goodbye, Blood Moon Pack,” I whispered under my breath, pressing harder on the accelerator.
…
The road stretched endlessly ahead, slick and shimmering from the renewed rain that began to fall again, heavier this time. The rhythmic patter of droplets against my windshield mirrored the chaos in my mind-memories of eight years filled with neglect, false hopes for a mating ceremony that never arrived, and the constant feeling of being less than.
Suddenly, a flash of yellow caught my eye. A motorcycle swerved dangerously in front of my car, cutting sharply across my path. My heart pounded wildly as I slammed on the brakes, panic flooding my veins.
Bang-
A sudden, jarring impact struck from behind, throwing me forward violently. My forehead slammed against the steering wheel with a sickening crack, sharp pain radiating across my temple. When I blinked through the blur, the world outside had turned a horrifying shade of crimson.
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