The little wolf inside my womb stirred softly beneath the pull of the moon. I already knew my answer.

After leaving the Healing Hall, I returned alone to the Mooncrest Tower, the heart of the pack company Ronan and I built together.

I began reviewing the share ledgers, reorganizing trade routes, and dividing the warriors and resources under my command.

Anything I could settle, I resolved at once. Anything unfinished, I listed clearly with risks, numbers, and future plans, sealed them with my mark, and sent them to the wolf advocate Elder Ardena arranged for me.

The Valloren Alpha Kingdom holdings were not mine to claim. But this consortium was built by Ronan and me from nothing, claw and blood, and I would take what was rightfully mine.

Not for myself.

For the pup inside me.

Since I had decided she would not be born into the Valloren Alpha line, I had to prepare every path for her.

Her wolf name, her territory, her inheritance, her future, I would arrange each step.

Even if she did not grow within the Valloren stronghold, she would rise safe and free under the blessing of the moon, never living on another’s mercy.

After confirming the final scroll, my most loyal beta lowered his voice.

“Luna, about the project ‘Moonbond,’ do you want the gold settlement, or control of the realm itself?”

I did not answer at once. Instead, I opened the realm of Moonbond again.

When the familiar ancient kingdom appeared on the crystal screen, my fingers paused.

This old kingdom style world, from its lands and bloodlines to its fate paths, was created during the brightest years between Ronan and me.

Countless nights beneath the moon, rebuilding territories again and again, fighting side by side, those days were real.

I thought my heart had already grown cold.

Yet at that moment, a thin thread still tugged at me.

I entered the mate bond space once shared by Ronan and me, only to be expelled instantly.

The Luna title beside that space had already been changed, at some unknown time, to Marielle Evergrove.

Ronan clearly sensed my presence. He offered no explanation.

The next second, a transfer request for two million gold coins appeared. One of my minor streamers was broadcasting Moonbond and needed a proper background.

Let me use the mate territory for now.

He truly knew how to borrow. In a single breath, he claimed the secret den we spent more than half a year building.

I logged out immediately. Then I looked at my beta.

“I want Moonbond itself.”

And I wanted full authority.

I would not allow Ronan and another she wolf to stain the world we created.

During the next two days, I forced my mind away from Ronan. Yet he appeared everywhere. Inside the realm, Ronan and that streamer, Marielle, hunted side by side.

Her chamber remained open nearly all day. The titles grew more intimate each time, and her viewers increased rapidly.

I never entered.

Still, others kept sending me images by accident.

The newest image showed Ronan igniting moonfire blossoms inside her stream. He lit them for over an hour just to celebrate her winning first place in a duel ranking.

I gave a faint smile and blocked the sender, then lowered my head to arrange the rites for my mother’s death memorial.

The pack whispered that Marielle was the she wolf who had stayed beside Ronan the longest.

They guessed whether she would one day take my place as Luna of Valloren. But no one noticed that I no longer wished to fight for the title of Luna Valloren.

On my mother’s death anniversary, I dressed in pure black, a white mourning bloom pinned to my chest, standing in the center of the great hall.

The guests wore solemn expressions, speaking in hushed tones. After offering condolences, they nodded respectfully to me.

Everything should have remained quiet and dignified.

Until, as I instructed the servants to guide the guests to their seats, a deliberately softened yet sharp voice sounded from the doorway.

“Oh… why is everyone dressed in black?”

I raised my head.

Ronan stood at the entrance of the Alpha stronghold. Behind him stood a woman dressed in bright red, heavy makeup on her face, curled hair falling over her shoulders.

She leaned forward slightly, eyes scanning the hall, finally landing on my mother’s memorial portrait beneath the silver moon crest.

“Ah… today… someone passed?”

Then she seemed to realize her mistake. She pulled a red blossom from her hair and stepped toward the memorial altar.

“Sorry, I did not know. May I place this flower here?”

As her hand reached toward my mother’s shrine, the blood in my veins turned to ice. Instinct almost drove me to shove her away.

“Get out. Who allowed you to step into this territory?”

She stumbled backward, nearly falling, but Ronan caught her.

I stared at him, my voice trembling despite my effort to stay calm.

“Ronan, did I not warn you never to bring those low born she wolves into this pack hall to defile it? And today is my mother’s death anniversary.”

The hall fell silent. All eyes turned toward Marielle.

She clearly had not expected me to push her away. She stared at me blankly for a moment, then her eyes filled with tears as if summoned by magic.

“I did not mean to cause trouble. It is my birthday today, so I wore red to bring myself luck.

I truly did not know it was your mother’s memorial. I only came because Alpha Ronan asked me to return with him.”

Her voice weakened until she leaned into Ronan’s chest, as though deeply wronged.

Ronan’s face darkened like a storm over the northern mountains. He lowered his head first, checking her carefully, his tone softening.

“Did she frighten you?”

Marielle shook her head, then nodded, tears falling faster, still clinging to him.

“I am fine.”

Only then did Ronan lift his head and look at me. His eyes were cold, empty of warmth.

“Valea, I thought you had finally grown wiser. I did not expect you to behave like this.”

“Your mother has been gone for many years. I only learned today that her memorial day shares the same date as Marielle’s birth celebration.”

“I brought her here because I believed a little joy might ease the sorrow of this day. I have done nothing wrong. Yet you are upset over even this? So immature.”

I let out a sharp laugh filled with anger.

When my mother was alive, she treated Ronan like her own son of the pack. Yet he walked into our Alpha hall with another she wolf in red, stood before my mother’s spirit tablet, and still dared to call me small minded.

I lifted my head and met his eyes. My voice turned calm and firm.

“Ronan, on my mother’s remembrance day, you brought your chosen mate into our den. Is that what you call generous?”

My words made his face darken at once.

He stared at me for a moment, then gave a cold laugh.

“Valea, you are impossible. You cannot even see goodwill when it stands before you.”

He pulled Marielle into his arms, shielding her, and turned to leave as if speaking to me any longer was beneath him.

I took a slow breath.

Then I turned back, forced a polite smile, and bowed slightly to each elder and guest, offering apologies and farewells.

When the last of them left the stronghold, I walked step by step to my mother’s spirit tablet and let my guard fall.

“I am sorry, Mother. On your sacred day, I still caused unrest. Let us not speak of sorrow now. Mother, I prepared a small den for the pup. Will you come and see it?”

Holding the tablet close, I walked toward the small room. But when I pushed the door open, my body froze.

The room was ruined.

The tiny wolf clothes I had folded with care were gone. The little wooden toys placed on the shelf had disappeared as well.

My first thought was that an outsider had broken into our territory.

I quickly called the pack guards.

The guard’s voice was uneasy. “Luna… it was not an intruder. It was Alpha Ronan. He ordered warriors to remove everything.”

I stood still, a loud ringing filling my ears.

After ending the call, I opened Marielle’s public page and scrolled through her recent posts. Soon, in a few casual photos, I saw something I knew too well.

The pet wolf in her chamber was wearing the small outfit I had prepared for my pup.

The soft cloth had been bitten out of shape, soaked with saliva.

On the fur rug nearby, the toys I bought were torn into pieces.

My teeth clenched so hard my chest hurt and I could barely breathe.

If those were random items, maybe it would not have cut so deep.

But they were not.

Those clothes were gathered by asking respected elders from different packs. They were passed down from their own pups.

I repaired each piece carefully, washed and dried them under moonlight, pressing them smooth, filling them with my blessings for my pup’s future.

The toys were gifts from old allies and kin when they learned I carried an heir.

And Ronan personally took them away. To give them to his mistress’s pet.

All calm left me. I held my belly and rushed toward the company tower.

The front guard froze when he saw me and quickly stood straight.

“Luna, Alpha Ronan cannot meet anyone right now.”

I ignored him and walked forward.

He hurried after me and blocked my way, lowering his voice.

“You truly cannot enter.”

Before I answered, sounds drifted from the half-closed office door at the end of the hall.

A woman’s forced and uneven breathing mixed with a man’s low laughter. The dull sound of furniture hitting the floor followed.

Heat rushed to my head, then faded at once, leaving my limbs cold.

I did not look at the guard again.

I raised my hand and pushed the door wide open.

The door struck the wall loudly.

Everything inside was exposed.

The desk was messy, scrolls scattered, a chair pushed aside. Ronan leaned against the desk, his clothes disordered. Marielle leaned against him, her skirt wrinkled, her face red.

The air smelled heavy and sickening.

Marielle jumped. The next second, tears filled her eyes and she pressed herself into Ronan’s chest.

I stood at the doorway, fingers digging into the wood, pain tightening across my belly.

“Ronan.” My voice trembled.

“Why did you give the clothes I prepared for my pup to this woman’s pet?”

As soon as she heard that, Marielle’s tears fell.

“Luna… Valea…” Her voice sounded soft and wronged. “A few days ago, I saw those little outfits on Alpha Ronan’s crystal screen. I thought they were adorable, so I joked that my pet would look cute wearing them.”

“The next day, Alpha Ronan brought me the clothes and toys. I truly did not know they were for your pup. If I had known, how could I accept them?”

Pain throbbed in my head. I had barely parted my lips when Ronan let out a short laugh. He looked down at her gently.

“Why explain so much to her?”

“How could you not accept them?” His tone was careless. “Those old worn garments, letting a pet use them is suitable enough.”

A loud buzzing filled my mind.

Old?

Suitable for a pet?

My voice scraped out slowly. “Ronan, those were the clothes I asked from—”

“Enough.” He cut me off impatiently. “Must you turn everything into a scene?”

He patted Marielle’s back lightly, his tone dismissive.

“What you did during your mother’s remembrance upset Marielle. I sent a few clothes and toys to comfort her. What is wrong with that?”

He looked at me with cold eyes.

“And now you storm into the company to shout?”

Comfort her?

Using our pup’s clothes and toys to please his mistress?

I stood still in the office, the pain in my chest making each breath heavy.

I once believed that no matter how Ronan treated me, he at least cared about the pup.

I believed he would become a worthy Alpha father.

Now I finally understood that it was only my own dream.

Our pup was not even born, yet he could already take everything meant for her and use it to please another she wolf without hesitation.

I did not dare imagine that if my daughter were truly born, would she one day have to fight a pet for her own clothes?

The last bit of hope I had shattered completely.

When I stayed silent, Ronan stepped closer instead. He bent slightly, his eyes falling on my belly, then said with a gentle voice, “Little one, when you arrive, your father will buy you the finest and most beautiful garments in all the Alpha kingdoms, alright?”

“We do not need those old clothes from other packs.”

He reached out and lightly pinched my cheek, smiling the same charming smile as always.

“Do not look so upset, little crier,” he said softly. “Be good. I will make it right for you.”

Looking at the face I once knew so well yet now felt so far from, a bitter laugh rose inside me.

There was a time when Ronan and I stayed in this same tower office night after night, studying trade maps, speaking with allied packs, planning future territories.

Now the floor was covered with scattered scrolls, overturned documents, and even used protective charms thrown carelessly onto the carpet.

Everything in the room felt filthy.

The crushing feeling rose in my chest. I covered my mouth and rushed out.

I barely made it to the washroom before I threw up, my body shaking until I could hardly stand.

When I returned home, I never mentioned the clothes again.

Instead, I quietly packed every item prepared for my pup. The garments, the toys, the small storybooks of wolf legends, the moon charm hanging for the cradle.

I had them all sent to the house I purchased years ago in a distant human land beyond pack borders.

Ronan noticed nothing.

He thought I had finally learned to be understanding.

So he began sending gifts to please me.

Expensive maternity robes made from rare fur, limited edition jewelry blessed by minor priests, designer garments stacked high in the walk-in closet.

I never touched them.

Each time he sent a batch, I had someone remove them just as quickly.

At the same time, Marielle began streaming more often from her chamber. Sometimes, during her broadcast, with a slight turn of her head, Ronan would appear in the background.

At times he handed her water. At times he leaned close to whisper to her. At times only his blurred profile could be seen.

Even those brief moments caused excitement among viewers. More and more began pairing their names together.

Some envied her. They said Marielle was fortunate. They said Ronan was strong, wealthy, gentle, and willing to appear publicly by her side.

But not all voices praised them. Soon other comments surfaced.

“Is this not betrayal?”

“So cheat long enough and it becomes true love?”

“When Alpha Ronan once pursued Luna Valea, did he not give her everything and almost kneel for her?”

“Let us be honest. He is only playing.”

Reading those words late at night, my thoughts drifted back many years.

In the Royal Werewolf Academy, I was the top student of my division. Moon scholarships, combat contests, elder recommendations, everything came easily. My life was the library tower, the training field, and ancient spell books.

While Ronan was the opposite.

He skipped lessons, arrived late, ignored instructors, and lived wildly. If not for Elder Ardena, I would never have crossed paths with him.

That year, with her support, I completed my studies without worry. She treated me kindly and spoke plainly.

“Ronan’s wolf runs untamed. You steady him.”

I agreed.

So I dragged him to lectures, forced him to train properly, made him finish assignments, even arranged his study scrolls.

I used every simple method I knew to make him behave like a future Alpha.

Slowly, he changed.

He arrived on time. He left his reckless circle. He began focusing on study and real responsibilities.

Later, Ronan fell in love with me openly and fiercely.

He cut off all unclear bonds, declared before the entire academy that he was courting me and began taking on serious duties to prove himself.

Many said I was the chain that anchored Ronan.

Back then, I believed it. I thought I was special. I thought I was the one who saved him.

Now I see clearly. I was never a chain. Perhaps I only appeared earlier than the others.

Three days remained before the mating bond would be dissolved.

Today was the fifth anniversary celebration of Moonbond. We prepared for a full year.

I believed that even if our bond was broken, Ronan would still keep reason when it came to the company.

Moonbond was not only my work. It was the kingdom we built from nothing, the heart of the company, and the shared memories of countless wolves.

Because I was carrying a pup and easily tired, Ronan was meant to stand on the stage tonight as the main Alpha.

Two weeks ago, during rehearsal, everything went smoothly.

I assumed today would be the same.

The host’s voice echoed with excitement as he introduced the special guest of the night.

The lights brightened.

The one who was meant to rise onto the platform was a newly famous wolf actor we paid heavily to invite.

Instead, Ronan slowly rose from beneath the stage platform, holding Marielle’s hand tightly in his own.