"Mother, look at this ugly necklace. The chain is broken," Arion shouted, pointing at Valea’s damaged necklace.

"Arion, don’t be naughty, my dear. That’s something very precious to Luna Valea."

"This ugly thing is useless. It breaks so easily," Arion said, sticking out his tongue as he threw it away. The pendant hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

Davinia let out a soft laugh, then turned to Valea with a pleased smile. "It seems you cannot wear that dress or those jewels now. If you wish, I can lend you one of my old dresses."

Valea’s hands trembled as she clenched them tightly, forcing down her anger. "Davinia, watch how you behave in my den. Don’t test me if you don’t want to regret it."

Davinia lifted her chin proudly and brushed her hair back. "Still acting like the Luna of this place? Tell me, did you know Renwick and I shared your bed?"

She revealed the mark on her neck. "Look at this. He could not control himself. He told me he was tired of being with you. You cannot stir any desire in him because you’re like..."

Before she could finish, Valea’s hand struck her hard across the face. Her expression turned dark.

"Davinia, you’re only a hidden mate. Renwick doesn’t even dare to reveal you. Don’t cross your place. I have endured you long enough. If you provoke me again, you will face the consequences."

Valea didn’t wish to waste her strength on such a woman, especially when she was about to leave this place. But Davinia kept pushing her and her patience had ended.

Davinia’s eyes turned red with anger, yet her lips curled into a strange smile as she glanced toward the door. She saw Renwick approaching.

"You wicked woman. How dare you strike my mother!" Arion shouted as he rushed forward and bit Valea’s hand.

"Arion, let go," Valea said, trying to push him away. He stumbled and hit the ironing stand.

In that moment, Davinia rushed forward and pulled Arion into her arms. The hot iron fell and struck her shoulder.

"Aah..." she cried loudly, hugging Arion tightly. "Valea, I know he’s not your blood, but how can you try to burn him? He’s just a pup. If you must hurt someone, hurt me instead."

"Davinia," Renwick rushed in. He threw the iron aside and turned to Valea. His hand rose and struck her face hard.

"Valea, you have gone too far this time. You hurt both Arion and Davinia."

The force of the strike tore the corner of her lips. This was the first time he had ever hit her.

Valea smiled faintly as she wiped the blood.

"I never meant to harm Arion. Davinia was the one who ruined my dress and jewels first."

Another strike landed on her face.

"Because of a dress and some jewels, you would harm them like this. Your heart is truly cruel," Renwick said coldly. "Apologize to Davinia."

Valea gritted her teeth. "Don’t order me to bow to that woman."

Renwick lifted his hand again, but paused when he saw her injured face. For a moment, guilt flashed in his eyes. But when he looked at Davinia crying while holding Arion, his expression hardened again.

He carried Davinia into his arms and turned to the guards.

"Lock Luna Valea in her chamber. Don’t give her food or water until she apologizes."

Valea watched his back with cold eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she wiped them away roughly.

Enough, Valea. Don’t cry for him anymore.

She was locked inside without food or drink. Not long after, her mother contacted her again, questioning why Renwick had taken Davinia to the Valloren gathering in her place.

To calm Davinia, Renwick had brought her to the gathering and dressed her in the finest gown and jewels. They told everyone Valea was ill and that her sister in-law would attend instead.

Even from afar, the Frosthall Pack knew everything happening here.

Valea pressed her forehead and ended the call. Her ears rang from her mother’s harsh words.

After that night, Renwick didn’t return. He took Davinia and Arion traveling across distant territories.

Davinia sent endless memory clips to Valea, showing their journey, their laughter and even their moments in bed without shame.

Meanwhile, Valea remained locked away. A servant brought her food and water, asking again and again if she had apologized, then reporting her answer to Renwick.

Valea survived by drinking water from the chamber basin.

Renwick extended her punishment until he returned.

When Valea felt her life fading from hunger, she woke to find herself lying on her bed with a healing tube connected to her arm.

Renwick sat beside her, his face stiff, guilt hidden beneath anger.

"If you had admitted your mistake earlier, none of this would have happened."

Valea covered her face. She didn’t want to look at him, the man who had shattered her heart.

Renwick let out a breath.

"Valea, stop this stubbornness and apologize to Davinia."

Davinia stepped forward from behind him, her voice soft and gentle. "Renwick, it’s fine. Valea is from the Frosthall bloodline. Of course her pride is too high to bow to someone like me."

Renwick’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Valea.

"Being born into the Frosthall Pack has made you arrogant."

Valea gave no reply and slowly shut her eyes.

"So you choose silence? Fine. Then stay silent forever," Renwick said with anger. He rose from the side of her bed and strode out of the chamber.

Outside, he spoke to a servant. "From this day on, Luna Valea is not allowed to step beyond this manor. She will be given only dry bread and water each day. Let her learn how the low ranks survive. No other food is to be given."

In the days that followed, she lived on nothing but bread and water. Her body grew weaker, her frame thinner with each passing day.

This gave Davinia more control within the pack house. She used it to torment Valea, ordering the servants to bring her hard and stale bread.

Valea endured it by reminding herself that her bond would be severed in five days. She spent most of her time inside her glass greenhouse, surrounded by quiet and plants.

One day, she heard the maids whispering outside, believing she could not hear them.

"Oh my... I have never seen Alpha Renwick so wild under the moon. He has never been like that with Luna Valea."

They giggled.

"I pity the Luna. She has no idea that while she’s locked away, her mate is sharing a bed with another woman just beyond her door."

"Lower your voice. You know Luna Valea is as cold as winter ice. She must be dull as a mate. No wonder the Alpha lost interest. Besides, everyone knows that five winters ago, his true love was Davinia. The death of the second young master must be tied to him, so he could claim his brother’s mate. Arion must be his true blood son. Why else would the Alpha name him heir of the Valloren Pack?"

"Of coure. Ever since Lady Davinia came into this pack, the Alpha smiles more. He treats her like a queen. They travel across distant territories together, just the three of them, the Alpha, Arion and Lady Davinia. They’re the real family."

Valea’s hand tightened around the watering can as the maids walked away.

She stepped out of the greenhouse and collided with Arion, who was running through the hall. He almost fell.

Valea caught his hand before he hit the ground.

"Arion, I have told you many times not to run like this. You will get hurt," she said softly.

Though Arion was Davinia’s son, Valea had raised him since he was a newborn. Her heart still held affection for him.

"Stop acting like you care. You’re not my mother. I hate you," Arion snapped, shoving her away.

"Arion," Valea said with a heavy gaze, "even if I didn’t give birth to you, you shouldn’t speak to me like this. I have raised you and cared for you all these winters."

Arion let out a mocking laugh.

"You only act kind because you fear my father will cast you out. You’re a barren she wolf who envies my real mother. If you beg me nicely, maybe I will ask Father to let you stay, you useless she wolf!"

Valea stared at him, her chest aching, her voice trembling. "Arion, who taught you such cruel words?"

"Isn’t it the truth? You cannot bear a pup. My father only loves my mother. You forced her to leave the pack and stole me from her. If not for you, we would have lived happily long ago."

Arion pushed her with force.

Valea fell hard onto the stone floor. A sharp pain struck her abdomen at once. Her face lost all color.

"Arion, don’t act so roughly."

Renwick appeared suddenly with Davinia at his side. He scolded Arion and pushed him aside without thinking, then turned to Valea with a hint of concern.

"Are you alright?"

"My stomach..."

Before she could finish, Arion burst into loud cries.

"Father doesn’t love me anymore. Mother, it hurts."

Renwick’s focus shifted at once. Arion was in Davinia’s arms, crying. His small hands were scraped, blood staining his palms.

"Renwick, I am sorry for Arion’s behavior. Please don’t treat him so harshly. He’s still a pup. How could he possibly push someone as grown as Valea to the ground?" Davinia said, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her beautiful eyes as if her heart was breaking for her son.

Guilt flashed across Renwick’s face. He quickly pulled Arion into his arms and soothed him. "I am sorry. Father was wrong. Don’t cry anymore."

"Father, it hurts. My hands are bleeding..."

"I will take you to the healer hall at once." Renwick stood, his voice filled with urgency.

"Renwick, my stomach hurts..." Valea called weakly, her voice fading from the pain.

Renwick turned away without even looking at her and walked off.

Davinia cast Valea a victorious smile before following after him.

Valea lowered her gaze to the cold floor. Her shoulders slumped, as though all strength had left her. She covered her face and let out a hollow laugh. For a brief moment, she had thought Renwick cared. That fragile hope shattered in an instant.

Her laughter soon turned into cries.

Pain spread through her body. She curled into herself as warmth flowed down her thigh. Her face turned pale when she saw blood staining her leg and pooling beneath her.

"Ah, Luna." A passing gardener saw her and rushed over in panic. "I will call the Alpha."

Valea grabbed his hand at once. "No. Call a carriage. Take me to the healer hall. And tell them to keep my identity hidden."

They arrived at the healer hall. As she had asked, the healers kept her presence a secret.

"Where is the Alpha? We have called him, but he doesn’t answer," a healer said anxiously. "We need his mark on the consent scroll."

"Luna, what should we do? I have called many times using your crystal, but he doesn’t respond," the gardener said, worry clear in his voice.

The head healer spoke with gravity. "We cannot wait any longer. Her condition is dangerous. The pup cannot be saved due to the delay and her body is severely weakened from lack of nourishment."

Valea turned her head and took the scroll. "Begin the procedure. This pup... I don’t want it anymore."

She had waited fifteen winters for this pup. She learned of its existence today and lost it on the same day.

Renwick had always longed for this pup. Yet when the moment came, he was nowhere to be found.

Valea removed her mating ring and threw it into the waste bin.

"Understood. We will begin at once, Luna."

Valea lay on the stone table, staring at the ceiling. Her face was pale, her lips drained of color and marked from where she had bitten them.

The healers moved around her, preparing their tools.

"Luna, we will begin. We will give you sleeping herbs so you won’t feel pain."

"No. Don’t give me anything."

She needed to remember. She needed to feel the moment her pup was taken and remember that Renwick was not there.

"Very well. Begin."

"Yes, Master Healer."

Valea felt something being drawn from her body. The pain grew sharper, cutting deep. She tried to stay silent, but tears flowed freely from her eyes.

"It’s done, Luna. The pup has been removed."

Her body went limp. Darkness swallowed her vision.

Tears slipped quietly from the corners of her eyes.

Valea woke to the sound of a healer speaking beside her bed.

"... yes, that is what I heard. Alpha Renwick has been in the healer hall since morning, yet he doesn’t know his Luna is here. He’s staying in a high chamber with a woman. I heard he came because his nephew was injured after a fall. The Alpha even summoned the best healers of the territory just for a pup with a small scratch."

"I feel sorry for Luna Valea. While her mate cared for another woman’s pup, she was waiting for approval for her ritual, yet the Alpha didn’t answer her calls. In the end, the pup in her womb could not be saved."

"So the love between the Alpha and his Luna was only a tale. I saw the Alpha treat a woman named Lady Davinia as if she were the most precious thing in his world."

"Quiet. We should leave. No one must know about the Luna’s ritual."

"Yes, we must go before she wakes."

Their voices faded. They didn’t notice Valea’s hand clenched tightly beneath the blanket.

She opened her eyes, empty and still, then rose from the bed and pulled the needle from her wrist.

Her face remained pale. Without shoes, she walked out of the chamber.

She stopped before the door of a high rank chamber. Laughter and warm voices came from inside.

"Father, I am sleepy. Tell me a story."

Through the small gap in the door, Valea saw Renwick sitting against the bed, Arion resting on his lap. Davinia sat beside them, slicing fruit.

Renwick wore simple clothes, showing he had no plans to return to his Alpha duties.

Valea remembered how, when she was ill, Renwick only sent a healer to check on her and still left for his duties.

Yet when Davinia had a fever, he rushed to her dwelling and stayed the entire night, his crystal silent.

The difference in his heart was clear.

Valea had endured enough. She would vanish from his life.

She stepped back and turned to leave, but collided with a healer carrying food, causing a loud sound.

"I am sorry, I am sorry..."

Renwick came out of the chamber and froze when he saw Valea sitting on the ground.

Valea quickly wiped her tears and forced a smile.

"Valea?" He frowned and knelt to help her up. "Why are you here? Why are you dressed in a patient robe?"

"I am receiving treatment here."

"Are you badly hurt?" His face turned tense when he saw blood on her wrist where she had pulled out the needle. "Why you didn’t tell me? You’re bleeding."

Valea looked at her wrist. Only a small drop of blood had formed, yet it was enough to make Renwick lose his calm.

He was a man who never feared death, who stood firm even when surrounded by enemies. Yet now, a single drop of her blood made him uneasy.

But it meant nothing.

Valea’s heart was already exhausted.

"I am sorry. I was focused on Arion and forgot about you."

"It’s alright. Arion is more important. He’s the heir of the Valloren bloodline." Valea smiled gently, though her heart mourned the pup she had lost.

Renwick studied her smile, sensing something had changed and it unsettled him.

"I am sorry..." That was all he said. Then he noticed her bare feet. "Why are you not wearing shoes? Who has been caring for you here?"

"There was a gardener. I sent him away."

Without another word, Renwick lifted her into his arms.

"Renwick..." Davinia stepped out and froze at the sight of him holding Valea.

"Arion is looking for you. His wound hurts again. He scratched it until it bled. Please calm him."

"I am sorry, Davinia. I must take Valea back first."

For the first time, he refused her and walked away.

Valea saw Davinia’s expression darken behind his back.

Renwick placed Valea on the bed and called for a healer.

Valea had already told them to keep her loss a secret.

"Luna Valea fell and she’s also severely undernourished and weak," the healer said, glancing at Renwick with confusion. "How could the Luna be in such a state?"

A trace of shame crossed Renwick’s face. "She has been limiting her food. I have told her many times to stop."

Valea looked at him without emotion, seeing through his lie.

The healer nodded and left.

Renwick held her hand softly. "Valea, I am sorry. I acted without thought. If you had simply apologized to Davinia, none of this would have happened."

He still placed the blame on her.

"Let it pass. Davinia has forgiven you. As long as you treat her well, she will forget this matter."

"Then thank her for me," Valea replied with a sweet smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Since she would soon leave, she saw no reason to argue.

Renwick smiled and touched her cheek. "As long as you behave, everything will return to how it was. You will always be my Luna."

He pulled the blanket over her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Valea turned her face away.

"Val..." Before he could speak further, his crystal rang.

It was Davinia.

"I must check on Arion," he said and left.

He didn’t stay.

Valea lay still, closing her eyes. Tears slipped down her face. She cried until her eyes swelled and her voice grew hoarse.

To make up for his actions, Renwick changed his behavior. He treated her kindly again, sending gifts and having her favorite meals brought to her chamber each day until she recovered.

A few days later, while waiting for him to bring her home, Valea walked through the healer hall. She watched a pregnant woman being guided gently by her mate for a check.

A quiet envy rose in her chest.

She touched her stomach and pain struck again. Her pup was gone. She still remembered the pain of losing it.

Taking a breath, she turned to leave but bumped into someone stepping out of the birthing chamber.

"Ah."

Valea froze when she saw who it was.

"What a coincidence, Valea," Davinia said with a smile. "Why are you here?"

Valea glanced around for Renwick, but he was not there.

"I should ask you the same. Why are you here alone, coming out of that chamber..." Valea’s voice slowed as she looked toward the birthing room.

Davinia followed her gaze and smiled proudly. "As you see, I came to check my pregnancy."

She picked up the papers that had fallen.

"Look. These are my moon scan results. I am three months with pup." She pointed at the image and touched her stomach. "This is my pup with Renwick. Beautiful, is it? He has always wished for a daughter. He hopes this pup is a girl."

Valea’s eyes fixed on the image. Pain pierced her heart.

Davinia carried the blood of the Valloren brothers within her womb. Disgust rose in Valea’s chest.

Davinia watched her, waiting for her to break. But Valea remained calm.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Davinia stared at her in disbelief. "You should be wise and leave Renwick."

"Why not ask him to let me go?" Valea said calmly. "If it’s his pup, he will take responsibility."

She walked past her.

Davinia followed quickly.

"Valea, don’t be proud just because others praise the Alpha’s love for you. It’s all an act to keep the alliance between Frosthall and Valloren. They had no choice but to keep a barren Luna like you."

She smiled with victory.

"Did you know that Arion is Renwick’s true son?"

Valea didn’t stop walking. Her words were nothing but noise.

It was not that she had never doubted it, but she had been afraid to seek the truth. Now, it no longer mattered.

In two days, she would leave everything behind and disappear from Renwick Valloren’s life.

"Don’t you believe me? I will prove it at the Valloren gathering tomorrow night. Oh, I almost forgot. Zaleen didn’t invite you."

After saying that, Davinia brushed past her with her head held high.

Valea watched her back with cold eyes.