Belinda's eyes gleamed with satisfaction, though she was quick to mask it with a delicate sigh. "Alpha, you don't have to do this. I never wanted her to be punished. If you keep going, Luna will end up blaming me."

Connor's tone was unwavering. "She wouldn't dare. Don't worry. After this, she'll think twice before acting out again—unless she wants to find herself back in that well.

"She's always been so proud. But after being trapped down there, forced to relieve herself like an animal… I doubt she'd ever risk this punishment again."

So he knew. He knew my pride was everything, yet he chose to strip it from me, to hand me the most degrading death imaginable.

My carefully maintained nails raked against the jagged stone walls as I tried to climb. But the moment my fingers grazed the edge, the guards shoved me back down.

Then Connor ordered the well to be sealed, preventing any rainwater from reaching the depths, effectively guaranteeing my thirst.

Weak and shaking, I stood in the darkness, feeling the insects and snakes gnawing at my toes.

My survival instinct screamed at me to lower my head and sink my teeth into whatever I could catch, but the cramped confines denied even the basic movement of a crouch.

With the last of my strength, I cast a Whisperbind Spell, sending my desperate plea directly to his ears. But all I received in return was his merciless judgment.

"You're already terrified from a few insect bites. Did you ever think about how helpless Belinda felt when you left her to be torn apart by those beasts?"

His words snuffed out the final ember of hope.

And the irony? The one who ultimately begged for my release was Belinda herself—if only to uphold her gentle, saintly image.

After enough sighs and tearful requests, Connor relented, though irritation sharpened his voice. "Duncan, get Luna out. Have her cleaned up before she comes to apologize. I don't want her filth staining Belinda's presence."

Belinda's eyes shimmered with feigned pain, as if recalling a nightmare. "Alpha, when Luna's out, you should comfort her. I know better than anyone how terrifying it is to be alone in the wild for so long."

Connor scoffed. "Comfort her? She deserves this! Because of her mistake, the convoy left you behind and you were forced to walk alone through the woods for half an hour before making it back to the pack. You were nearly dragged off by a starving beast!

"I can't even imagine how frightened you must have been. And yet, you're still so kind and too forgiving. That's why Clara keeps taking things too far!"

Connor's so-called righteous fury on Belinda's behalf was nothing short of ridiculous.

Just two weeks ago, I had led a trading convoy to negotiate with a neighboring pack. Because of my status as Luna, they treated me with the utmost respect, which clearly didn't sit well with Belinda.

She cornered me when no one was looking, her voice dripping with venom. "So what if you're Luna? The Alpha doesn't even care about you."

I didn't bother responding. I simply brushed past her and climbed into my carriage.

Yet, unexpectedly, she was unwilling to travel in the slightly worn-down mule cart. Consequently, she was left behind in the wilderness.

By the time Connor and his men found her, a giant eagle had its talons wrapped around her. She was battered, trembling, barely clinging to life.

With a breath as fragile as a dying ember, she whispered, "I only ever wanted to admire you from afar, Alpha. I never imagined even that would be taken from me. I just hope Luna will take good care of you. Then I'll have no regrets."

Connor howled in agony, cradling her like she was the most precious thing in the world. I stood at the edge of the crowd, watching with cold indifference.

After all, given a werewolf's innate prowess, even the weakest Omega was capable of nocturnal hunts. A bald eagle? It was a triviality, a speck against our might.

And Belinda had only been in the wilderness for three hours.

However, when Connor seized my ear and forced me into the depths of the forsaken well, the façade of indifference shattered.

"Clara, Belinda has night blindness, and you left her wandering alone in the dark?

"Her sister was carried off by vultures when she was a child. She's been terrified of giant birds ever since. Do you even understand what you put her through?

"I'll make sure you understand that being Luna doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. If you refuse to admit your mistakes, then don't even think about coming out."

Even now, he sat there, arrogant and self-righteous, waiting for me to break, waiting for me to crawl back and admit I was wrong.

But this time, things wouldn't go his way.

"Alpha! Luna—she's stopped breathing!"

Duncan's panicked voice froze Connor in place.

I watched Connor closely, searching his face for the slightest trace of regret.

But all I saw was mild annoyance.

"What did you say?" His voice was cold, distant. "Clara is dead?"

Duncan kept his head lowered, not daring to meet Connor's gaze. "Yes… Luna… she was trapped in that well for over ten days. No food, no water… she… she didn't make it."

Connor scoffed, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke. "Oh, she's still bluffing. Fine. If she's really dead, then call the priest for a ritual. Toss her corpse into the sea and let her see where playing dead gets her."

His cruelty sickened me. I desperately sought to elevate my soul, to distance myself from him. However, an unseen tether held me fast, dragging me inexorably back.

And then I realized—the force binding me wasn't Connor himself, but the wolf-spirit bracelet he wore.

The bracelet, woven from wolf bone and silver thread, was an ancient relic of my father. More than that, it was the token of love I had once given Connor.

I used to be like Cinderella, that pitiful girl.

My father had been the Alpha of the Starlight Pack. But after my mother's death, he remarried and brought another woman and her children into our home. When Dad left for campaigns, those children tormented me for sport.

When I was 12, they cornered me yet again, taunting and laughing. That was the day Connor happened to pass by and save me.

After that, I began sneaking into Blackclaw Pack territory just to catch a glimpse of him. That was when I realized he, too, was bullied by his siblings.

I fell for him completely.

So when the Moon Goddess prophesied that we were fated mates, I was overjoyed. My heart nearly burst with happiness, too blinded by love to notice the flicker of displeasure in his eyes as we sealed our bond.

I didn't know then.

I didn't realize the only reason Connor married me was for the wolf-spirit bracelet.

With it, he could win the trust and loyalty of my father's warriors.

Until I handed it over, he played the role of the perfect mate. He left water by my bedside each night and brought me fresh flowers when he returned home.

I fell even deeper for him. Without hesitation, I gave him the bracelet.

With the power of the wolf-spirit bracelet, Connor quickly crushed his siblings and claimed the title of Alpha of the Blackclaw Pack.

But was I truly just a pawn to him?

I didn't think so.

I wasn't naive.

The small, fleeting smiles he let slip when he thought no one was watching, the quiet care he still showed me, even after obtaining the bracelet—these were all signs—signs that, despite everything, Connor was slowly falling for me too.