As I threw on a shirt and leggings, I couldn’t help but ask this: Why would he mark me if he already had a mate? I chuckled bitterly. Of course it was because of LunaSkin. I was the mind behind his empire, the hidden pulse that made his name shine among the packs. It was his way of keeping me close, tying his fortune to the hand that built it. And bonds forged for protection didn’t always awaken the mate’s pain. If he had marked me, it would register as a business claim, not a fated one. Besides, if he marked me first, he could claim me later without his other mate suffering. The law of dual claim recognized the first mark as “legal,” as long as it was done for alliance.
When I opened my wardrobe, I chose only the things I had bought with my own money. I packed them neatly into a suitcase and tucked it away from sight, ready for the day I’d finally walk away.
Then my eyes landed on my jewelry box. Without hesitation, I called the jewelry store and asked them to collect the pieces and return them to Johan on the date I set.
When the jewelry box was gone, I gathered every gift he’d ever given me and carried them behind the manor. The servants stared, puzzled, but no one dared ask questions as I dumped them into the trash.
That night, I tried to sleep, but sleep never came.
By morning, I forced myself to look calm.
I was having breakfast on the patio when Johan returned, looking like someone who had lost the war before it began. He leaned down and kissed my cheek, but I didn’t feel the flutter I once did.
Before, I would’ve thrown myself into his arms. Now, I just sat still.
“Are you okay?” Johan asked casually. “Did you sleep well?”
I didn’t sleep at all. “Yes, I’m fine,” I said instead.
He sat across from me and reached out to touch my face. I nearly slapped his hand away but stopped myself. I couldn’t stand being touched by a man who was already mated.
“You seem pale,” he said. “What’s wrong, Jessica ?” He paused, then chuckled lightly. “Oh, I know what it is. Our night didn’t finish, did it? I was supposed to mark you for our tenth anniversary.” His lips curled into a mischievous smile. “We can resume it tonight. What do you think?”
I smiled politely. “I don’t think I’m in the right shape, Johan.”
He frowned. “Oh, I must’ve made you upset. Okay, if you don’t want that, how about this. Tomorrow is the launch of our newest beauty line, LunaVeil Essentials. Why don’t you come with me? They will finally meet the Alchemist, the genius behind LunaPharma’s cosmetic and fragrance line.”
I paused, my attention caught completely. Was he really serious? He had never invited me before to any launching.
“Are you sure?” I asked quietly. “You’re finally revealing me?”
Before he could answer, my phone buzzed. I frowned at the unknown number, and Johan’s brow furrowed when he noticed.
“Who’s calling you?” he asked.
Jessica’s POV
I froze, my heart dropping when I saw the number flashing on my screen. The digits belonged to the Dark Spirit Healer, a man no one in their right mind wanted to deal with, not even Seer Dahlia. He was the one who’d helped Johan survive three years ago. But why was he calling me now? Our deal had ended long ago.
“Probably some werewolves pretending to be seers trying to sell charms,” I shrugged.
Johan looked up from his tea, unconcerned. “I’ll have my Beta change your number tomorrow. I’m sick and tired of people pretending to be real, but the truth is, they’re fake,”
I stared at him. Coming from you, really?
Before I could reply, his eyes glazed slightly, the sign of a mindlink connection.
His aura shifted, distant and private, and his jaw tensed. “I’ll… speak with my Beta,” he muttered quickly, standing from his seat. “Give me a moment.”
He walked toward the terrace, pretending calm, his mind still locked in conversation.
I reached for my moonstone mirror, a relic Dahlia had once gifted me. Through it, I could capture and relive anything I saw or heard beyond myself.
I activated the mirror, and the enchanted glass began to record everything I was hearing now.
“Johan,” Suzette’s voice purred through the invisible thread. “Tomorrow’s the LunaSkin Bloom launch, right? Can I come? I heard that you’re the alchemist behind it, the creator of the perfect formula.”
Johan glanced in my direction as if guilty, then quickly looked away and gave a shy, uneasy laugh. “Actually-“
“Oh, come on,” Suzette teased. “No one else could craft something that perfectly complements your company’s vision. Every masterpiece there has your mark.”
I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood. LunaSkin was my damn formula. After Johan rescued me and brought me to his manor, I forced myself to learn everything about his world. I observed how his company worked, the markets, the formulas because I never wanted to be a burden. I wanted to be better, to help him grow his empire. Every formula, every potion, every scent I had bled, worked, and poured my soul into those creations.
And LunaSkin became their breakthrough product.
“But you know what, love…?” Suzette’s voice turned coy. “I’ve always wanted to be known for something great, as well. Since my illness is in the terminal stage, I want to achieve something before I die.”
Johan frowned from afar. “What do you mean, love?”
“I mean, can you introduce me as the creator of LunaSkin?”
I was taken off guard when I heard Suzette’s bold request. I didn’t see that one coming.
How could she even think of that? My hands trembled around the moonstone mirror as I stared at Johan from afar.
“You know it’s risky, Suzette. But… fine,” Johan finally said. “Tomorrow, before the Council and the packs, I’ll tell them you’re the controversial chemist blessed by moonlight itself. That should please your wolf’s pride, right?”
Suzette’s delighted laugh rang through the link. “I knew you wouldn’t say no to me. I love you, Johan.”
My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. I let out a quiet, bitter laugh that hardly sounded human. Suzette had already taken everything from me, She and her mother took my father, and my pack.
And now she was stealing the only thing I had left: my talent. How greedy of her, of them both!
Johan walked back to me.
“Jessica , I’m sorry, but you can’t attend the launch tomorrow.”
“Why not?” I acted as though I was surprised. “Your identity has to stay secret. My beta said the rival companies will attend and it will be dangerous for you to come out.” he said. “Please understand.
I looked at him for seconds and until I exhaled nonchalantly. “Okay.”
He blinked, clearly not expecting my cold reaction. But then he said with a forced smile, “After tomorrow, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
I smiled faintly. What I wanted now wasn’t his affection.
The day of the event finally arrived.
I dressed in a moon-white gown, bound my hair, and left for the LunaSkin launch.
The hall was crowded with pack leaders, nobles, and journalists.
And there Suzette was, clinging to Johan’s arm, radiant and smug. The mark of their bond glowed proudly on her neck.
Johan looked at her the way he used to look at me.
I smiled coldly and lifted my chin. “Traitors.”
Heads tilted, eyes widening as I passed by as my moon-white gown shimmered under the lantern light, hugging every graceful line of me. My hair framed my face like liquid gold, and even the nobles’ mates paused in their conversation, watching the woman who walked like she owned the moon itself.
Johan’s head snapped toward me, shock flashing across his face, the exact reaction I expected. His eyes widened, mouth parting slightly as if words failed him. The sight almost made me smile; after all, it was satisfying to watch guilt and surprise war in his expression.
He tore his arm from Suzette’s grasp and strode over, while my stepsister’s face flushed crimson with embarrassment as whispers rippled through the hall.
When Johan was in front of me, he grabbed my wrist and steered me toward a shadowed corner of the hall, away from the curious eyes and murmuring crowd.
“Jessica , Why in the moon are you here?”
Jessica’s POV
Johan’s grip tightened on my wrist as he dragged me into the corner of the grand hall.
He had never grabbed me this roughly before, not even during our worst arguments. For the first time, his composure cracked, and I caught the flash of panic hiding behind the silver in his eyes.
And all because I showed up.
I raised my face to him. “Is that fear I smell, Alpha?” Then I saw the realization hit him first. His nostrils flared. His chest rose sharply as his wolf stirred awake, smelling the LunaSkin Bloom perfume in my skin.
“Jessica,” he warned, hissing in my ear, “What are you trying to do? Why are you wearing that scent?”
I leaned in slightly, letting the perfume coat him like memory. “Why not? This is my creation. LunaSkin isn’t just a perfume. It’s me.”
He clenched his jaw and looked toward the stage, where Suzette was speaking to the crowd, then turned his gaze back to me. “You’re not supposed to be here. This is Suzette’s night. You’ll only humiliate yourself.”
“Then why do you look like you’re about to fall apart?” I asked softly.
He turned his head slightly, and I knew he was going to mindlink someone the way his eyes glazed over for a second.
“Beta Kain, get her out of here, quietly. Send her home before anyone notices.”
My smile vanished. “Don’t you dare send me home,” I said aloud, cutting through his thoughts. “This is my event.”
He froze. The shock in his eyes told me he knew I’d heard everything.
And that was when Suzette noticed.
My stepsister glided down from the stage in her silver gown. Her arm looped through his as if she were claiming him in front of the world. Watching the two of them together made my chest ache, and my wolf snarled softly beneath my skin.
“Jessica, I didn’t expect you here. You should’ve let the guards know you were visiting, so they could escort you back to whatever corner of obscurity you crawled out of,” she cooed, tilting her head. “Showing up uninvited just proves how desperate you are to cling to relevance.”
I didn’t respond to her insults. I knew they were coming afterall.
And now, my perfume has reached her too. Her nose twitched, her pupils constricted slightly, and then she glared at me, her lips curling. “Wait, why are you wearing that perfume? Why are you using my creation?”
I chuckled bitterly. “You mean my creation?”
Suzette’s eyes flashed as she sneered. “Darling, I think you’re confused. LunaSkin Bloom is mine. And you’re stealing it.”
“I will never steal something that belongs to me,” I whispered, raising a brow.
Suzette chuckled, staring at me from head to toe. “Pathetic little thing, pretending to be a creator when all you ever did was steal!”
The crowd turned toward us, murmuring as whispers spread through the hall, the sound undercut by low growls and restless rustles as wolves fought their instincts to bare teeth or bow.
“What did she say?”
“Stole it?”
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