I was panting hard, my vision blurring from blood loss. I had barely escaped the hunters from the rival packs, but I knew they were still on my trail. If they caught me, it would mean life or death. Desperately, I tried to mind-link my mate, Alpha Caelan of the Bloodmoon Pack, but he never responded.

In my weakened wolf form, blood gushed from my neck, and I couldn’t heal myself. Just as my strength waned, our pack’s warriors found me while patrolling the woods. They brought me to the infirmary, where I finally had a moment to call my mate. He still didn’t answer.

Curious and worried, I checked my social media. There, I saw a post from Alpha Caelan's childhood friend, Liora. She had shared a photo of him shielding her with his body, captioned, "From the beginning to the end, you are the only one."

After facing death, I realized I couldn’t stay any longer. This was what he wanted, after all.

However, the formidable Alpha Caelan searched for me everywhere. This time, however, I was ready to embrace my true duty and the title bestowed upon me—Guardian of the Moonlight Forest.

After ignoring my mind links and calls, Alpha Caelan suddenly called me back. I stared at the screen, my heart pounding, before finally answering. Instead of concern, I received a barrage of accusations.

"Where are you? You're always out there doing whatever you want!" he snapped.

"You're nowhere to be found, you didn't even know we had an accident. Liora was scared. And before you think of anything else, don't," he continued, defensively. "If I really had something with her, why would I mate with you?"

I was stunned into silence. My body ached terribly, even in my human form, and the quiet infirmary only heightened the terror I felt.

The hunters' attack wasn't shocking; ever since I presented as the next-generation Guardian of the Moonlight Forest, several assassination attempts had been directed at me. But this last attack was the worst—I had nearly died.

Hearing the Alpha speak to me like that, I suddenly felt everything was pointless. "I got hurt too, I'm still—" I stopped when I heard something from his end.

"Alpha, I forgot to get a towel. I'm already undressed," came a sweet voice from the other end of the phone.

My heart tightened. They must be together again, doing God knows what. Meanwhile, Alpha Caelan quickly explained, "She was bathing her dog, that's why she got wet. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to misunderstand. Elysia, you've been too dramatic."

"Hmm." I replied flatly, "You need to be naked to bathe a dog, right?"

"What are you arguing about now?" Caelan was very angry and didn't bother to explain further. He hung up. It was ridiculous now that I was thinking about it. In this relationship, I had always been humble, always accommodating.

The next day, I was sleeping soundly in the pack's infirmary when I heard my mate apologize. He stood by my bedside, looking at my bruised body with a mix of guilt and frustration. "I didn't think you were really hurt. I thought you were kidding when you mind-linked me since you always come to the woods, especially near the Moonlight Forest."

I indeed did that. Since I presented and was given the role of Guardian, my heart has been leading me back to the mysterious yet magical forest. But then, I was ambushed on my way back.

Usually, mates can sense when their partners are in danger, but since I presented as the Guardian of Moonlight Forest, my werewolf abilities had weakened while my powers as the Guardian grew stronger. One of the side effects was the weakened mateship connection.

Alpha Caelan reached out to touch my head gently, "Does it hurt a lot?"

He had always been like this—scolding me one moment and treating me well the next. If it were before, a little coaxing from him would have made me incredibly happy. Now, it only deepened my hatred.

"It doesn't hurt," I uttered coldly, my voice devoid of emotion.

"I know you hate pain. What do you want to eat? I'll pack it for you later."

He might have felt he neglected me last night and wanted to make it up to me. At that moment, someone walked in and naturally hooked her arm around his.

"Alpha... the meeting with the Elders is about to start. Why are you still here?" Liora said intimately. She then saw me and covered her mouth in feigned surprise. "Elysia, you are really hurt? How careless! Alpha Caelan must be heartbroken."

I didn't want to talk to her, but Liora persisted. "I'll come to visit you later. But I need to borrow our Alpha now. You won't be mad, right?"

"No, I won't," I replied, and Alpha Caelan echoed it.

After that, he said the pack's infirmary food wasn't good, and he would pack my favorite food later.

But I was starving, almost dying of hunger in bed, and Alpha Caelan never brought the food. What was so shocking about that, anyway? He never kept his promises to me.

Bored and feeling abandoned, I scrolled through social media and saw Liora's post. "Who would have thought our very own Alpha Caelan can cook? His culinary skills are the best."

My eyes instantly reddened, and I couldn't hold back anymore. Alpha Caelan always cared about his time. I had begged him before to make me a bowl of love pasta, and yet he only responded with, "Stop it," saying his time was precious and he didn't want to waste it on trivial matters.

But his prideful self used his time to make a full meal for Liora instead of merely focusing on his duty as the Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack.

I ordered one of the Omegas to bring me food, as waiting for my mate to feed me might leave me starving here.

Fortunately, Beta Uriel visited me from time to time. He also gave me some herbs he got near the Moonlight Forest. As I drank the herbal medicine, I almost cried.

“Luna, I'm sorry I wasn't able to protect you in the woods. I failed my duty to protect you. If something bad happened, Alpha Caelan would have flipped the world," he uttered and sighed.

Previously, since everyone found out that I was the Moonlight Forest's Guardian, Alpha Caelan would always make sure to remind me how dangerous it was to perform my duty. He would always say no whenever I revealed a desire to grasp my new identity. Rather, he persuaded me not to acknowledge it at all.

Deep inside, I always hoped to protect that place. Moonlight Forest was a place favored by the Moon Goddess; history says that she even set foot in there. It was bountiful and had a golden Tree of Life at its heart, said to heal anyone, even on the brink of death. Many werewolves tried to enter the forest to obtain it.

Over the years, I had centered my life around Caelan, spending too much time on him. Yet in his heart, I was not important. Liora was always his first priority, and the Alpha always had ready excuses for it.

The truth was, when my mate was still training to be the Alpha, he had a mentor. That mentor taught him everything, including fighting. When that mentor died, Caelan was entrusted with Liora. They had a life-and-death bond, and Alpha Caelan still honored his mentor's wishes.

“I'll leave this place to join you in the forest, I swear,” I declared.

Hearing my words, Astrid was very excited. Astrid was one of the hundred protectors of the forest and she was meant to serve me once I decided to face my destiny. She had been sneaking inside the Bloodmoon Pack countless times to persuade me. This time, for example. Although being the Alpha of this place, Caelan knew about her already.

“I'm happy you're willing to come with me for real now. There will be many new plant species inside Moonlight Forest. Such a life leaves no regrets,” Astrid said enthusiastically. She was about to say more when she saw my mate walk in empty-handed, having long forgotten his promise to bring me food.

“You'll have to handle him yourself. I'll be waiting for more good news from you,” she whispered before quickly slipping away.

There was nothing to be done. I remained silent as the Alpha walked in with a sullen face. “What did I just hear? You're going to that forest? Don't you know how dangerous Moonlight Forest is? Why must you be so willful and make others worry about you?” he demanded.

I laughed angrily. "You care about me now? When I was attacked by hunters, weren't you flirting with Liora? What right do you have to stop me from leaving?"

I lay down, ignoring his presence. Alpha Caelan was really angry this time. When he left, he slammed the door so hard that the walls shook. After that day, I never saw him again. Meanwhile, I had been actively preparing to enter the forest.

Amidst everything, I felt a familiar sensation of mind linking. Alpha Caelan said to me, "I got a banquet to attend tonight and might go on late; I'll visit you later."

I didn't even bother to say something. That must be another event meant to be enjoyed by Alphas and their Betas. Through the years, Caelan managed to gain connections through attending banquets, and because of that, he remained incredibly wealthy. According to those formidable Alpha friends of his, I was so lucky that Alpha Caelan, someone of his stature, noticed a slave like me.

"Majority of the population of that banquet were men, don't worry," he told me using the mind link still as if he was assuring me.

Alpha Caelan rarely sent me a photo of those prestigious banquets. Everyone in it was either Alpha, Beta, or strong wolves with high positions. Now that I thought about it, he had never introduced me to any of them before.

I closed my eyes tightly and lay down to rest for a while. I also tossed my phone aside because having no response from me meant he would use his phone to call me after.

And as expected.

When I picked it up minutes later, I was right; there were more than a dozen missed calls. I frowned and answered one of his calls.

“Why didn't you answer my mind links and calls?” His voice was full of anger, on the verge of exploding.

“I was asleep," I reasoned.

“You're still angry because I didn't help you that night? I told you already, I didn't know okay? I didn't even feel it even though we're mated. Our connection dulled because of that damn power of yours. Also, that night, Liora was scared out of her wits, and I couldn't leave her. Elysia, you're not young anymore, why are you still so jealous?”

This man thought I was angry with him, but I wasn't. I just didn't care anymore. Every time he went to a gathering with other pack's powerful people before, I couldn't relax at all. How could I if I knew that those banquets were full of powerful and gorgeous she-wolves?

Back then, I was always worried, frequently calling and mindlinking to check on him. But all I got was his disgust. He would say, “Elysia, are you for real? Can't you stop being so clingy?” He also said, “Are you a dog? You're acting like one!"

The truth was, I was too afraid of losing my mate. Yet, he said, “Dang! Being with you is really hard!”

“I'm not angry,” I responded calmly, hearing a deep sigh from the other end.

“Sorry, okay? I'm drunk.”

I was speechless.

After a long silence, the Alpha repeated, “I said I'm drunk.” He even clarified it as if he needed me to do something about it.

Seeing that I didn't respond, Caelan angrily hung up the phone. He had drunk too much, and did he expect me, with these injuries, to go pick him up? The Blackmoon Pack had plenty of drivers!

On the day I was discharged, Alpha Caelan came early to the pack infirmary where I had been staying. The confines of the pack's medical facility made any thoughts of escape impossible.

Today, Caelan was more attentive than usual, insisting on helping me and taking me back to the pack house himself. The pack healers who passed by looked at us enviously, murmuring about how spoiled the Luna was by her Alpha.

If I were the person I used to be, I might have been moved to tears by my mate's actions. However, now, I was numb, even though Caelan remained as handsome as ever.

Our shared history was long and complicated, perhaps the reason why I had grown to like him in the first place. My past had been filled with misery, and I was among the she-wolves who had endured hell despite my youth. The Bloodmoon Pack had saved me from being auctioned as a slave when they annihilated the rogue wolves who had captured and sold children.

When I first arrived at the Bloodmoon Pack, I believed I was nothing special, until the day I presented as the Guardian of Moonlight Forest. The Moonlight Forest was unique, and every pack wanted it, causing wars across the continent. Yet, no one had managed to claim it.

When the Elders of Bloodmoon Pack discovered my identity, they swiftly arranged my marriage and mateship ceremony with Caelan. He had no choice but to marry me because I was the key to granting the pack rights to the Moonlight Forest.

As we reached the parking lot, I saw his car parked there. The pack territory was vast, and the pack house was located in its center, so we would use the car to get there. When I opened the car door to get in, I suddenly saw Liora sitting in the passenger seat. My hand froze.

'What the hell is she doing here?' I thought, my stomach knotting.

"Sitting in the back is the same," Caelan said, opening the door for me. Reluctantly, I got in without making a fuss.

Liora was happily eating ice cream in the passenger seat. "Elysia, Alpha Caelan picked me up earlier, and I happened to sit here. I'm too lazy to move. You don't mind, right?"

"It's fine. It's just a seat," I replied, but my eyes were fixed on Liora's ice cream.

The Alpha hated it when someone ate inside his car. He had never let me eat in here before, fearing the smell and the mess. Yet, Liora could easily break his rules.

"Why are you still like a child, eating messily everywhere?" Caelan chided gently, taking a tissue and wiping the ice cream off his childhood friend's mouth.

Liora stuck out her tongue playfully. "It was an accident."

The sight of them together like this was painful, but I decided to bear it; I'd be home soon enough.

When we entered the pack house, my eyebrows knitted together as I realized Liora was still with us. Seeing my expression, Caelan immediately explained, "She said she wanted to rest here. It doesn't matter, we have plenty of available rooms."

My hands balled into fists, but in the end, I just nodded and walked past them, heading directly to my room and falling into a restless sleep.

Half-asleep, I felt someone approach my bed. A gentle kiss was placed on my forehead, followed by a sigh, and then the person left. I didn't have to guess who it was.

The next day, I woke up to a fragrant smell. When I got up, I saw Alpha Caelan had made a full breakfast spread.

“Are you hungry? I didn't know what you wanted to eat today, so I made a bit of everything,” Caelan said, his voice soft and hopeful.

I sat down, too weary to refuse a free breakfast. As I ate silently, he watched me intently. “Come with me this weekend. Have dinner with my parents,” he said suddenly.

The Elders. I was startled by his words. Our relationship was just civil; they didn't particularly like or hate me. They only wanted to keep me because of my connection to the forest. But today, Caelan unusually wanted to take me to dine with them.

“No, it's not necessary,” I replied, trying to mask the confusion and apprehension in my voice.

We were about to end this mateship. Why the need to meet his parents, one of the pack Elders?