At the other end of the phone, Alpha Darren fell silent. After a long pause, his somewhat awkward voice finally came through. "Sorry, Daniella. Something happened at home, and I came back early. Wait for me; I'll pick you up now." As he spoke, the sound of rustling and faint chatter could be heard between them. Camilla's voice called cheerfully, "Darren, dinner is almost ready! Where are you going?"

Daniella pressed her fingers to her temples, a bitter smile curling on her lips. Camilla could even call the pack leader just by using his name, once again making her a bit envious. "Forget it. Don't bother—I can take care of myself." This time, Alpha Darren hesitated for half a second before agreeing with Daniella's words; deep down in the woman's heart, she wanted her Alpha to oppose her, go home alone, and rush to pick her up, leaving Camilla alone there, but that was impossible.

"Alright, don't rush. I'm cooking something delicious tonight. I will wait for you when you come home." After hanging up the phone, Daniella let out a soft sigh, even though the wound in her heart seemed to deepen more and more. While gently touching the healing request letter in the Sharp Claws pack tucked in her pocket, Daniella wondered again how she could convince Alpha to agree to her departure and end this crazy mate relationship.

Leaning against the wall, Daniella limped out of the house area; fortunately, Uncle Jerremy was resting inside, so he wouldn't scold Daniella. Every step she took sent waves of burning pain to her ankle. After cursing her fate and complaining as if the pain in her foot would last forever, Daniella finally managed to call a taxi.

When she sat in the passenger seat, she realized her clothes were soaked with cold sweat. The taxi driver glanced at his pale passenger's face in the rearview mirror, his voice sounding worried, "Miss, you look unwell. Why don't you call your boyfriend to pick you up?" Leaning back in the chair, Daniella tried to ease her pain and laughed bitterly, more precisely, laughed at her own fate.

"I don't have a boyfriend, but a fiancé."

"If that's the case, call your fiancé. Look at yourself—your face is pale as a ghost. I'm sure he doesn't want anything bad to happen to his future wife." Daniella appreciated the taxi driver's empathy, but in this sensitive situation, for some reason, empathy felt like mockery to her.

"Fiancé?" Daniella snorted softly, staring out the window. "It's a pity he's busy spending time with someone else. He doesn't have time for me." The taxi driver fell silent for a moment before mumbling softly with a slightly awkward tone, "What kind of fiancé is he? He sounds unreliable." Daniella chuckled softly upon hearing his honest words.

"Not reliable?" Daniella pondered it for a moment. "More like indifferent." Alpha Darren cannot be said to be unreliable; as an Alpha, he has saved the pack more than five times until he was finally recognized as the strongest pack. Alpha Darren might just be indifferent towards Daniella, who is not very important to him.

Even when everything about the wedding preparations, from the invitations to the decorations of their future home, was left to Daniella alone. When Daniella asked for input from the Alpha, his response was always indifferent. "The man works outside while the woman takes care of the house. Why do you ask for my opinion on every little thing? Don't you have your own opinion?"

However, when Daniella had finished arranging the house, Alpha Darren complained because he found mistakes in everything. Finally, it was Camilla who finished the decoration according to the Alpha's wishes. When thinking about all that again, Daniella felt waves of exhaustion and humiliation from Alpha Darren at every moment.

When the taxi stopped outside their house gate, Daniella's steps grew heavier. It took several minutes to reach the porch because the Alpha's house was certainly not a small, simple house. However, the few minutes Daniella had to take turned into almost half an hour to cover that distance, each step feeling so heavy and slow. While standing in front of the door, Daniella instinctively reached for her keys before realizing they were missing.

Out of frustration, she knocked on the door. It took a while, until finally Alpha Darren opened it. The first thing the Alpha said upon seeing Daniella was an expression of impatience. "You didn't bring the key? Why do you always knock?" Daniella did not answer immediately. Instead, she entered their luxurious house and walked slowly to the living room, then took out the keychain from her bag.

"You took my key from that ring a few days ago to give it to Camilla, remember?" Daniella replied coldly. Her words made Alpha Darren silent. His annoyance slightly faded, replaced by a hint of guilt. However, his tone contained a hint of reproach. "Recently, I've been so busy that I forgot. Why don't you just buy a new one? You have time for things like this." Daniella smiled faintly, not wanting to answer.

She had long stopped hoping for justice because any defense would be futile for her. For Alpha Darren, everything concerning Camilla will always seem urgent to him, while Daniella's needs are a low priority and can be postponed—or even completely ignored. As Daniella walked into the dining room, she noticed Camilla was already there. "Daniella, you're finally back!" Camilla greeted her enthusiastically, running forward to wrap her arms around Daniella's arm with her cute gesture, sticking out her tongue while smiling. This made her look more like a cat than a wolf, or perhaps this was Camilla's advantage in the eyes of the male wolves.

"Daniella, we cooked food together earlier. Let's eat first; next time we should cook together as a trio." Camilla smile, she was so enthusiastic, but Daniella just frowned. "Why does it have to be with me? You usually do it together, right?"

"I'm really sorry, Daniella. I'm so hungry that I couldn't wait for you. Maybe you're angry because we couldn't wait for you to eat together," said Camilla apologetically while pulling Daniella to the dining table. However, the table was only filled with leftover food scraps. Daniella stood still, staring at the remnants of food on the plate. A wave of complex emotions flowed within her, between sadness, disappointment, and something she couldn't quite name.

"Forget it. I'm not feeling well today, so I'll skip dinner. You two just enjoy," Daniella said softly, turning around and walking unsteadily towards the stairs. Behind her, Camilla sounded surprised. "Daniella, what's wrong? Are you really upset because I didn't wait for you to eat?" Darren reached out to ruffle Camilla's hair, his voice sounding so indulgent towards the she-wolf.

"Don't think too much about it. Her ankle is just sprained today, and she's not feeling well." The usual expression of affection caught Daniella's attention as she turned around. Her lips parted slightly, as if wanting to say something, but all that came out were sighs. With a sad expression, she turned and walked back to the master bedroom. Her mind replayed the events of that day.

Camilla's simple phone call had made Alpha leave everything and rush to her side. Meanwhile, Daniella could barely walk and did not receive such attention. The stark contrast felt like a dagger piercing deep into her chest. As soon as she reached the bedroom, Daniella, who tried to ignore the pain radiating from her ankle, finally realized the futility of it all. The pain in her heart remained and did not lessen because of the pain in her ankle.

Daniella tried to channel her healer powers to cure the swelling in her leg, but suddenly Alpha Darren arrived in her room and surprised her with his words, "You shouldn't let this go on for too long." Daniella looked up at the doorway where the Alpha stood, which automatically halted her healing.

"The swelling is getting significantly worse; don't you realize it? You are still careless and unwilling to exert your energy to treat your own wound." Alpha sighed and walked closer, squatting in front of her. Gently, he grabbed Daniella's injured ankle to check the swelling.

However, Daniella instinctively pulled her leg back, avoiding his touch. "Do you feel disgusted by me?" In the dim light of the bedroom, Daniella couldn't read Alpha's expression. Daniella tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, feeling the awkward tension between them. Daniella truly did not expect to be treated by Alpha Darren, let alone to pamper that male wolf.

"No... It's just that Camilla is still waiting for you outside. You have to accompany her. Let me tend to my own wounds; I'm more than capable of handling this." Alpha Darren stared at his mate for a moment, his face expressionless. Without a word, he suddenly grabbed Daniella's ankle and pulled her onto the Alpha's lap, ignoring the woman's protests.

His sudden action made Daniella wince in pain, a small cry escaping her lips. As Alpha observed how swollen and bruised the woman's ankle was, the annoyance on Alpha Darren's face faded, replaced by a hint of guilt. "Sorry," he muttered. Where the apology surprised Daniella.

Alpha Darren is not the type of person who easily apologizes. For three years they were together; this was the first time she heard that word from him. Even when the Alpha left her by the roadside and Daniella was attacked by a pack of wolves because her spiritual abilities were detected, he never apologized. But what if it happened to Camilla, where Camilla was supposed to be stronger than Daniella, yet Alpha Darren was always ready to stand up for the female wolf? Once again, Daniella compared herself to Camilla.

"Why suddenly apologize? That's not like you," said Daniella, trying to resist the temptation to think about that brief moment of tenderness from the Alpha. Alpha Darren looked up for a moment, his hand carefully channeling energy to heal Daniella's wound. "Your ankle is in bad condition. I shouldn't have ignored it and should have helped you quickly." The sincerity in his voice made Daniella's heart ache. She had long stopped hoping for warmth from the Alpha, so his apology felt like a cruel temptation—offering a hope that never truly existed. Biting her lip, Daniella forced herself to smile. "That's just a sprain. No need to apologize."

Daniella is worried that her determination to leave the pack and join as a healer with the Sharp Claws pack will waver if she lets herself get caught up and drowned in these emotions. Taking a deep breath, Daniella said, "You are the renowned Alpha of the unbeatable Black Shadow pack. Now that you have given me free healing, I should be thanking you. In fact, many people can barely even make an appointment with you. I must have taken a shortcut to get here and receive treatment like this."

Alpha Darren frowned slightly but did not answer immediately. He couldn't shake the feeling that the woman's words contained a hint of sarcasm, as if she were deliberately provoking him. Suppressing the annoyance that arose within him, Alpha Darren refocused on treating Daniella's injured ankle with his abilities.

Only after finishing the first session did he finally speak and reveal something he had decided. "Camilla's residence was broken into by a pack of unknown wolves from an unknown pack. I have arranged for her to stay here for a few days to ensure she stays safe and no one gets hurt. You know that lately there have been packs of wolves attacking our pack members without any identity. While we are tracing where these wolves are coming from, I want Camilla to stay here."

Daniella froze; the reason behind her good behavior towards Daniella suddenly became clear. No wonder Alpha Darren was acting unusually before. His strange actions over the past few days—stealing the house keys that Daniella was holding, suddenly cleaning the guest room—make sense now. The few days he planned to stay would turn into such a long time; clearly, this had been planned by him long in advance. Alpha Darren had made all the decisions even before telling Daniella and pretended to ask for permission.

Daniella paused for a moment but ultimately chose not to refuse. Her smile looked faint, but there was a clear trace of bitterness there. "It's okay. Do what you think is best." Daniella's light and indifferent response immediately dampened the explanation that Alpha Darren had prepared in his mind in case Daniella would reject this.

Seeing Daniella agree without resistance, the tension in his furrowed brows eased. "You don't mind?" he asked, her tone filled with disbelief.

"Not at all." Daniella's answer came without hesitation. Alpha Darren looked relieved. He stood up and said that Daniella's gradually healing wounds still needed rest, so the Alpha asked Daniella to be careful and engage in light activities. "You might be able to take care of her recovery well and properly. Now I take my leave to accompany Camilla—she must be bored sitting alone in the living room. I will visit you again later."

Daniella nodded while smiling, but her heart felt a different kind of pain. Alpha Darren received the response he was hoping for, after which he immediately prioritized Camilla again down there and left Daniella alone once more for the umpteenth time. Just as Alpha Darren's hand touched the doorknob to leave, he suddenly turned around, his tone suddenly filled with warning.

"Daniella, Camilla is always sensitive. Next time, don't be rude in front of her—it might make her angry." This refers to Daniella going into her room while Camilla was welcoming her arrival. But what could Daniella do out of courtesy for Camilla? Sit and eat the leftovers of their food? Under the bed, Daniella clenched her fist until the knuckles turned white.

However, she still had to force a smile on her face. "Alright. Please convey my apology to Camilla." She bedience pleased Alpha Darren, and with a nod, Alpha finally left the room. As soon as the door closed, Daniella could no longer hold back her tears. In the end, tears streamed down her cheeks despite her efforts to hold them back.

She is the mate who has marked him as a partner, a man she has loved for these three years. However, those three years did not see Alpha's heart truly belong to Daniella even for a second. The stabbing pain in his ankle was nothing compared to the unbearable pain in his chest.

Her battered and bruised heart felt like it was collapsing under the weight of her sorrow. After ensuring the pain in her leg was relieved with a small massage, Daniella then lay alone in the cold and quiet room, listening to the sound of laughter echoing from the living room downstairs. Finally, thirst forced her to leave the bedroom.

Finally, thirst forced her to leave the bedroom. While stumbling down the stairs, she reached the water dispenser and found that the cup she usually used was missing from its place. Instead, there was a new cup—one she didn't recognize. It didn't take long to guess whose it was.