Alice POV

Leander seemed to be hurt by those words and frowned slightly, but he did not get angry. He just looked at me deeply.

Then he stood up, turned and left the room without saying a word.

I looked at his back as he left and my fingers began to throb in pain.

I picked up the new disinfectant and applied it to the wound.

I thought he would at least give me an explanation, even if it was just a perfunctory one, which would make me feel better, but he did not.

He did not even ask me why I was drunk or why I came home so late, he just left.

“Alice, he doesn't care about us at all," my wolf whimpered in pain.

“Yeah, he cares about other people."

There were footsteps.

Leander opened the door and came in with a Band-Aid in his hand.

His brows were still frowned and he pulled my hand roughly.

There was a sharp pain and I could not help but frown and make a sound.

“Sorry.” His voice was low, with an imperceptible tenderness.

My expression suddenly froze.

He stopped what he was doing, looked up at me and an apology flashed in his deep blue eyes.

That was the first time he said "sorry” to me.

In the past, as an Alpha, he was strong and domineering and never thought he was wrong.

The last time I was injured during training, he was on his way to the hospital, but after receiving a call from Rosalyn, he dropped me off on the way and asked me to take a taxi to the hospital by myself.

In the past, he never said “I'm sorry.”

But that moment, he apologized to me for hurting me.

A complex emotion suddenly surged in my heart, confusion, puzzlement and a hint of indescribable bitterness.

His sudden tenderness made me feel a little at a loss.

I could not help but want to test him, “What happened to you today?”

He leaned over, his warm breath spraying on my neck, with a faint smell of pine.

I could feel his eyelashes brushing against my skin, like feathers, itchy.

His lips were only a few centimeters away from my cheek.

I could even see the tiny lines on his lips.

I subconsciously held my breath and my heart beat so fast that it seemed like it was going to jump out of my chest.

Leander smelled the scent of my neck and frowned.

Just as I was daydreaming, Leander spoke, but in a reproachful tone. “Drink less alcohol. Rosalyn's house is being renovated recently, so let her stay for a few days.”

‘I see,’ I muttered in my heart.

He was worried that I would not agree, so he suddenly behaved so abnormally

As if it was premeditated, he gave the key to Rosalyn, cleaned the second bedroom and did not let her go home until late at night.

A wave of pain surged in my heart, drowning me like a tide.

“It's up to you.”

I suppressed the pain in my heart but put on a calm face.

Leander looked straight at me, his blue eyes becoming deeper and deeper, as if he had seen through my heart.

“Are you...jealous?” Leander suddenly asked, with a playful look on his face.

I laughed, but it was a forced laugh.

“She is your guest, why should I be jealous?” I asked him back. Actually, I wanted him to affirm my position in the family, but I did not get his answer.

Leander was silent and my agreement seemed to make him swallow back his series of excuses.

“Remember, you are Luna of Green Track Falls, don't be rude to Rosalyn.”

The tone was cold, with warnings and commands.

He was actually worried that I would hurt Rosalyn out of jealousy.

In his eyes, was I such a narrow-minded woman?

"Rosalyn is downstairs alone now. I have to go and keep her company. You should go to bed first tonight.”

Leander left with those words before he left, completely shattering the last bit of fantasy in my heart.

I was the only one left in the room.

I curled up in bed, hugged my knees, tears streaming down my face.

Over the past three years, I have been carefully trying to please him.

I thought I had entered his heart, but then it seemed that it was all my wishful thinking.

His heart had always been with his childhood sweetheart, Rosalyn and had never been with me.

I loved him like a fool, fantasizing that one day he would fall in love with me.

But then, the dream was over.

Alice POV

The laughter of Leander and Rosalyn came from outside the door.

I covered my head tightly with the quilt, trying to block out the sounds, but to no avail.

In my mind, the images of Leander and Rosalyn together, their intimate behavior and their ambiguous eyes kept flashing.

And so, I fell into a deep sleep in pain.

The early morning sun shone through the gaps in the curtains.

Leander was no longer in the room.

However, the moment I opened the cloakroom, I was stunned.

Rosalyn was standing in front of the mirror, wearing my favorite red dress, a gift from Leander.

He said that the color of the skirt was as passionate and dazzling as my hair.

I had never been willing to wear it and had kept it carefully.

But then, it was worn by Rosalyn.

"Rosalyn, these are my clothes, take them off!” My wolf and I almost roared.

Rosalyn was still looking at the mirror, not even turning back to look at me, "Oh, Alice, are you awake? This dress is so beautiful, Leander gave it to me. I love it so much."

"He said you rarely wear it and it would be a waste to keep it in the closet, so he gave it to me."

Had he forgotten what the dress meant to me?

"Besides, I look much better in this dress than you do. Alice, you only deserve to wear cheap clothes that match your inferior bloodline!"

She swayed her waist and walked towards me, no longer hiding her hypocrisy and purity. “Alice, you really have the nerve to live here. You have occupied Luna's place for three years. Isn't that enough? Go back to your stinking ditch."

"I am the partner chosen by the Moon Goddess for Leander, Rosalyn. You have no right to tell me what to do!"

"Do you think anyone in the pack really cares? Only my noble bloodline is worthy of being an alpha!" she roared. "Besides, Leander doesn't care about you at all. He takes me home today and tomorrow he can drive you away for me!"

In my eyes, Rosalyn was a poisonous snake and every word she said was filled with deep malice.

"Rosalyn, get out of here! I need to change my clothes."

Rosalyn passed by me and looked at me with deliberate contempt with her golden eyes.

She lowered her voice in my ear, "Alice, be smart and leave on your own. Don't wait until Leander asks you to do it. If you do, you won't even have the last bit of your dignity left."

After she left, I could not control my emotions anymore and my tears kept flowing.

"Alice, we should teach her a lesson!” My wolf was very angry.

"I can't be impulsive. I have to tolerate Rosalyn as usual before she leaves."

Finally, Leander had taken Rosalyn back home. 

However, I was aware that the place was no longer a place for me. Every second I spent there made me feel suffocated.

Suddenly, the phone rang, it was Beta Owen.

"Alice, the application form is due in one day. Has Alpha Leander agreed?"

"Owen, he has agreed. I will go to the office to talk to you later."

After hanging up the phone, my wolf gave me a good idea and asked me to get Leander's consent.

Alice POV

After putting on my training clothes, I went downstairs and saw Leander sitting on the sofa in the living room.

I walked up to him, my heart filled with disappointment, while deliberately stomping my shoes angrily, making loud noises.

He did not look up at me, still working on the Wolf Pack's paperwork as he asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"I am angry.”

“Rosalyn said she just wore your clothes for a moment, are you so stingy?" he asked in a calm tone.

“How can you give it to someone else?” I questioned him loudly.

Leander started to become annoyed by my temperament and said, "It's just a piece of clothing, what's the big deal? If you want, I can buy you another one."

It turned out that in his eyes, everything I cherish was just a piece of clothing.

I suddenly realized that there was an insurmountable gap between him and me.

"I recently heard that the benefits for applying for Border Warriors are very good. I know a lot of orphans who are werewolves with this intention. Do you have any inside information?"

Cautiously testing Leander, I observed his reaction.

Leander's face suddenly darkened. “Nonsense! Why are you, a warrior from Green Track Falls, joining in the fun? 

“Everything is just a gimmick, many of them didn’t come back alive. I advise you not to target them!"

Leander's voice rose a few notches and it was clear that he had misunderstood me.

"Isn't it good to stay in the wolf pack and live a stable life?"

Leander’s misunderstanding and accusations completely chilled me to the bone.

His so-called “stability” was such a cage to me. I was bullied by Rosalyn, looked down upon by the wolf pack and even could not get Leander’s love.

“That's not what I meant." I tried to explain, “I just thought this might be a way out for those orphans who have no parents. They can rely on their own strength to fight for a better life.”

“You don’t need to depend on anyone.”

Leander stood up, walked in front of me and looked down at me.

Such quarrels and misunderstandings happened between us again and again.

Last time on my birthday, I just stopped him from going to see Rosalyn, but Rosalyn sprained her ankle for unknown reasons.

When Leander came back, he slapped me in the face without asking any questions.

He roared and asked me why I could not be as gentle and sensible as Rosalyn.

That was the first time he hit me. His blue eyes were as cold as the water in the Green Track Falls’ lake in winter.

In the cold war of the next few days, it was Leander who bowed his head first. He signed a pledge not to hit me again.

It seemed that as long as the signature was given, all the harm could be treated as if it never happened.

“Alice, you can't rely on him anymore. Let him sign a letter of commitment.” My wolf gave me a good way to leave.

"Leander, I want you to sign a letter of commitment.”

I took out a piece of paper from my bag and handed it to him.

“Letter of commitment?”

“Write that I, Leander Adams, promise to no longer interfere with Alice Santoro's decisions from now on and that she will take full responsibility for everything she does.”

"Alice, do you think you are capable of living on your own? Don't be silly, you can't survive without me.”

Leander laughed; his expression full of sarcasm.

“This is my business. You don't need to worry about it.”

I would never stay living in his and Rosalyn’s shadow for the rest of my life anymore.

I did not want to live like that anymore!

"Leander, will you write?”

"Alice, you really have to play it this way, don't you?”

He seemed to think that I was playing hard to get and looked at me teasingly, not noticing my true thoughts.

“Of course,” I answered firmly.

“Okay, I'll write it.”

He finally compromised.

I took the letter of commitment, held it tightly in my hand, held my breath and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That was my amulet and also my freedom contract.

"Alice, don't end up asking me to clean up your mess for you.”

"I will take responsibility for the decisions I make,” I directly said.

Finally, I was free.

Finally, I could leave that mutually tortuous relationship that had happened for three years.

After eating the sandwich I made for breakfast, I went downstairs to get ready for work.

The sunshine shone on my face and my mood became brighter.

I walked toward Leander’s car

In the past, he would always send me to training camp first.

When I approached, Rosalyn was sitting in the passenger seat, touching up her makeup in front of the vanity mirror.

She looked up in surprise. “Oh, Alice, you're here. I feel carsick. Let me sit in the front.”

Rosalyn was lying. She did not get carsick at all. It was me who got carsick, so Leander always told me to sit in the passenger seat.

Rosalyn was just trying to take up her place next to Leander and embarrass me.

Leander walked out of the mansion, frowning impatiently, “Why are you still here? Get in the car!”

He glanced at Rosalyn in the passenger seat and chided me, as if I were still being unreasonable.

I suppressed the sadness in my heart and said, “No, I'll go by myself.”