I stood there, frozen, wanting to leave. But then I remembered—my personal documents were still locked in my room.

I said nothing. Expressionless, numb, I walked past them and headed upstairs.

As I passed by, I caught a glimpse of Kristy’s face.

She was smiling—a vicious, triumphant smile, like a predator savoring its victory.

When I opened the door to my room, I stopped cold.

It was a mess.

Kristy’s clothes were scattered all over my bed, cluttering the small space I had left for myself.

My sanctuary—invaded. Violated.

I stood there for a moment, memories rushing in like a flood.

Once, this place held happiness.

Luke and I had shared real laughter.

He’d fallen in love with me after a hunting trip and soon claimed me as his Luna.

He held a sacred marking ceremony in my honor, with the blessings of the Moon Goddess and the cheers of the entire pack.

That day was the happiest moment of my life.

Then came our twin pups—Chris and Collin.

Luke even built this den with his own hands, promising we’d grow old here together.

Back then, I believed him.

But everything changed the day he brought an orphaned she-wolf into our lives.

Kristy was only fifteen when she arrived.

And I… I truly wanted to welcome her.

I gave up my room so she could have more space and moved myself into the cramped study without complaint.

I handed her my new dresses to help her feel confident.

I asked Luke to look after her more and even told our pups to play with her, to treat her like a sister.

I took on more responsibility in the pack just so she could bond with them more easily…

I gave everything. My home. My family. My love.

But slowly, without even realizing it, the tide shifted.

My sacrifices became expectations.

And my presence… a burden.

They all began to act like it was only natural for me to keep giving, to keep sacrificing for Kristy.

And when I struggled to give more, I became the problem.

Luke grew colder, more impatient.

My pups—my own flesh and blood—began to care for her more than they did for me.

Kristy framed me again and again, always playing the victim, always so perfectly innocent in their eyes.

And each time, my family drifted further and further away from me.

All the love I poured into them…

All the warmth, the loyalty, the sacrifice—

turned into nothing but trash.

I wiped away the tears that had unknowingly drifted down my face.

Oddly, I felt… relieved.

There were only 2 days left before I could finally leave this place.

The next morning, I was awakened by a phone call from Alice, my teammate in the Werewolf Tribe.

I could practically feel her excitement vibrating through the phone.

“Hi, Christina! I just heard from Alex—you finally agreed to receive training in the Northern Territory! Is it true? I mean... you always had such a happy family—your Alpha mate, your twin pups. Are you really going to leave them?”

I replied calmly, my voice as still as a frozen lake.

“Yes. I’m going. This time, I won’t go back on my word.”

“Wow, that’s amazing! I’m so glad you’ll be training with me! When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow.”

Just as I ended the call, I looked up—and froze.

Luke was standing outside the room, my twin pups behind him.

He stared at me, stunned.

“Where are you going?”

Before I could respond, Collin ran into my arms, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Mom, I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I didn’t mean it. Please don’t leave us!”

Chris’s voice trembled, though he tried to stay strong.

“Mom, don’t you love us anymore?”

My heart clenched for a second.

But I steadied myself, keeping my voice neutral.

“I..I just...”

Luke interrupted me. He acted like he was certain I wouldn’t dare leave him, our twin pups, or the life we had built together in this den. As if I was incapable of walking away.

“Christina, I’m sorry. I lost my temper yesterday, but please… don’t blame Kristy anymore. If you could just treat her like family again, I—”

My wolf let out a bitter, mocking laugh in my mind.

“I thought he cared about you… that he was finally here to apologize to us. But no—he’s only afraid you might hurt Kristy.”

I cut him off coldly, my eyes like shards of glass.

“Don’t worry. I won’t cause trouble for her again.”

Luke was visibly stunned, as were the twins.

His gaze flicked to the table, where I’d left the herbs I’d risked everything to gather.

Realization slowly dawned on his face. He forced an awkward smile.

“Oh... so that was for her? Well, thank you. After you left, Kristy recovered quickly. The healer said there was no need for her to stay in the infirmary, so… we came home.”

“Good. If she’s better, then that’s all that matters.”

I smiled, but the smile didn’t reach my eyes. It was cold. Like stone.

There was a flicker of something—uncertainty, perhaps—on Luke’s face, and even in the boys’ expressions.

Chris took a step forward, confusion in his voice.

“Mom… what’s wrong with you?”

Collin’s eyes lit up, mistaking my indifference for forgiveness.

“I’m glad you’re accepting Kristy again. I knew you would.”

When I was about to close the door, Luke suddenly seemed to realize something. He rushed back, stopping it with his claws just before it shut.

“Christina... I forgot to tell you—I’ll pick you up tomorrow night. We’re going to Moon Shadow Valley.”

His eyes lit up with anticipation, as if expecting me to smile.

“For what?” I asked, a wave of bitterness rising in my chest.

Tomorrow night? I'd be gone long before that.

“It’s our eighth anniversary. I never forgot.”

I forced a cold, empty smile. Just as I opened my mouth to reply, Chris’s panicked voice echoed down the hall.

“Dad! Kristy cut her finger—it’s bleeding badly!”

Before I could say a single word, Luke was already gone—rushing toward Kristy without even glancing back. The door slammed shut behind him, catching my finger. It throbbed, turning red and swollen in seconds.

I let out a tired sigh and swallowed the words I’d meant to say.

Eighth anniversary?

It didn’t matter anymore.

Nothing did.

I would be gone by tomorrow.

I lay on the bed, wide awake, unable to sleep.

I could still feel my wolf’s anxiety—restless, unsettled. She couldn’t sleep either.

So I climbed onto the roof, gazing down at our den—what used to be my home—bathed in soft moonlight.

I wanted to calm my wolf.

To calm myself.

It had been so long since I last took a moment to appreciate the beauty of the moon.

And even longer since our family truly came together under it.

Ever since Kristy arrived, it felt like there had never been a proper reunion.

During the last hunting ritual, she twisted her ankle.

On Full Moon Day, she came down with a sudden fever.

Every one of my birthdays—every single one—something happened to her.

Some accident, some emergency.

And each time, I was forgotten.

Luke would rush her to the infirmary, with my twin pups trailing behind like obedient shadows.

Not a word left for me.

Whenever I tried to express how hurt I was, Luke always silenced me with the same cutting line:

“You’re the Luna and her sister-in-law. Why can’t you care about her health instead of always thinking of yourself? Why are you so selfish?”

And then Chris would chime in:

“Mom, you always teach us to help wolves in need. Why are you so cold to Kristy?”

Followed by Collin, like an echo:

“Mom, you should practice what you preach. Kristy lost her parents. Instead of comforting her, you make everything harder!”

It was always the same script.

The same scene.

They’d turn their backs on me—playing, laughing, happy without me.

Over time, I understood.

I was just the spare in this den.

But now...

I didn’t care anymore.

Beside me, I heard my wolf softly weeping.

Her voice trembled through the bond:

“It’s time to sever this connection.”

Just as I was lost in the past, a sharp, piercing laugh shattered the silence like a dagger to the chest.

I snapped back to reality—only to see Kristy standing behind me, her eyes glinting with malice.

She stepped forward, a vicious smile twisting her lips. My wolf growled deep inside, alert and ready to fight.

But I calmed her down, placing a firm wall between us and rage.

“Christina, I’ve been looking for you,” she said sweetly, mock surprise in her voice.

“I didn’t expect you to be up here.”

In her hand, she held my moonlight necklace—the one Luke gave me.

“Luke said he’s planning a ritual for your eighth anniversary,” she added, holding the necklace up so it caught the moonlight.

“He asked me to return this to you.”

Her voice dropped, sickly sweet.

“I won’t accept a gift that doesn’t belong to me,” she said, pretending to hand it to me.

Just as my fingers reached out, she let go.

The necklace slipped through her fingers, clattering to the ground and shattering into broken pieces.

“Oh... sorry, Christina,” she gasped, her voice thick with mockery.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

Then she laughed—loud, triumphant, like a villain standing over her victory.

I looked at her, my voice low but steady.

“Why do you treat me like this, Kristy? I’ve never hurt you. Not once.”

“Hahaha…” She cut me off, laughing harder.

Then her smile vanished, replaced by a cold, venomous glare.

“You want to know why?” she hissed.

“Why do you get to be Luna?

Why do you get a powerful alpha mate who loves you?

Why do you have twin pups who adore you, while I was left an orphan, alone in this world?

Why did I have to beg for scraps, while you lived in love and light?

You want to know what kindness gave my parents?

Nothing.

Their sacrifice gave me one thing—this chance.

And I won’t waste it.

I won’t be abandoned a second time.”

Just as her words fell, Kristy suddenly collapsed—then rolled off the roof with a sharp scream that pierced the night.

Before I could react, she had already hit the ground with a sickening thud.

My arms remained frozen mid-air, stunned. I hadn’t expected she would go so far as to harm herself.

Within seconds, Luke stormed out from his window. When he reached her, he found the she-wolf lying there, limp and broken—bones visibly out of place, her breath shallow.

“Kristy! What happened?!”

He dropped to his knees, cradling her fragile body in his arms.

Her lips trembled, and with a weak finger, she pointed... at me.

Luke’s eyes followed her direction—and locked onto mine. I was still standing there, my arm half-raised in disbelief.

“Christina?!”

His voice cracked with rage.

“Did you push her off the roof? Are you trying to kill her?!”

Before I could say a word, Chris and Collin came running from inside, alarmed by the crash.

“Mom… is that true?” Chris cried, throwing himself beside Kristy, tears pouring down his cheeks.

“How could you be so cruel to her?!”

Collin stepped forward, his eyes burning with fury.

“You said you’d be good to her! You lied to us! You betrayed all of us!”

I opened my mouth, my voice trembling.

“Luke, I—”

“Enough!”

Luke’s roar thundered through the dark, making the air shake.

His body trembled with rage, and I could feel his wolf on the brink of losing control.

“I asked her to return the necklace to you—and this is how you repay her?!

You knew her wolf hasn’t fully recovered, she’s just an Omega—but you still attacked her!

You’ve gone too far, Christina. I won’t trust you anymore!”

Without giving me another look, he gently lifted Kristy onto his back and disappeared into the darkness, Chris and Collin following closely behind.

They were gone—leaving me behind like I never mattered.

They didn’t come back that night.

The next morning, when I opened my eyes, the first thought that crossed my mind was cold and clear:

“I’m leaving today. And I will never return.”

I packed my belongings—just a few clothes and some personal documents. No photos. No memories.

Silently, I stepped out of what used to be my home.

Outside the den, a black car was already waiting. Alex and Alice were inside, their expressions serious.

Seeing the emotionless mask on my face, Alex hesitated before speaking.

“Christina... are you really sure about this? This is your last chance to turn back before I start the car.”

I looked him straight in the eye, my voice steady and unwavering.

“I said I wouldn’t eat my words. I meant it.”

“But... have you told your family? Luke’s not just your mate—he’s the Alpha. He has a right to know where you’re going. This isn’t some short trip, Christina. You’re leaving for fifteen years. And you’re leaving your pups behind...”

I paused, conflicted for just a breath. Then I tried to mind-link Luke—

But he cut it off.

I took out my phone and dialed his number.

The line rang again and again.

Just as I was about to hang up, he finally picked up.

His voice was cold and impatient.

“Why are you still bothering me? Can’t you see we’ve been at the infirmary with Kristy all night?”

His tone was like ice, but it no longer had the power to hurt me.

“Luke, I just wanted to tell you—”

He cut me off harshly.

“Christina! How can you be so heartless? I thought you were calling to ask how Kristy is doing, but no—you only ever think of yourself! I told you I’d come pick you up tonight for our ritual, and I keep my word—unlike you!

Oh, and you should be thanking Kristy. Her injuries weren’t too serious, so our anniversary ritual can still go on.”

His voice dripped with contempt, as if expecting me to feel ashamed.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I replied, my voice like steel:

“I won’t be attending it tonight. Because I’m severing our bond. I’m leaving for the Northern Territory.”

Silence.

Then, his voice, suddenly uncertain.

“Christina… what are you saying? Sever our bond? What do you mean—”

I didn’t let him finish.

I hung up.

Then, without hesitation, I rolled the window down—and threw the phone out.

The car began to move, and our den disappeared behind me, swallowed by the forest and the past.

Gone.

For good.