After seven years of being mates with Alpha David Jones, he secretly cheats on one she-wolf after another from the Nighthowl pack.

When I'm pregnant and almost due for labor, his secret lover offends the Alpha of Wildrift pack. To prevent a battle between the packs, David wants me to get to my knees before Wildrift pack's Alpha and beg for forgiveness.

I refuse, afraid that it'll hurt the child.

He snaps, "How can getting on your knees affect the child? We can just have another one if you have a miscarriage!"

He drags me to the Alpha of Wildrift pack and forces me onto my knees. Then, he tells me to beg for forgiveness.

My water breaks just then. David's lover, Sarah Lloyd, merely laughs mockingly. "Look at her, so scared that she's wet herself!"

That night, I suffer from a difficult labor, almost losing my life. Meanwhile, the news of David heroically storming the Wildrift pack's territory to save Sarah spreads throughout the pack.

I'm calm when David's mother, Celine Anderson, hurries to my bedside. "You promised I could leave after giving birth to an heir. Can I go now?"

Celine Anderson held my hand tightly and asked sorrowfully, "Evelyn, you went through so much to give birth to this child. Are you really going to leave?

"David is just too young to understand what it means to cherish someone. Give him another chance. He'll come around and devote himself to you."

Just then, a few werewolves passed by my small cottage as they discussed the secret party that was going to happen at the castle that night.

"Do you guys know that Alpha David planned the secret party at the castle tonight just for Sarah? It's to celebrate him rescuing her from the Wildrift Pack's Alpha!"

"Sarah's wearing the gown and necklace Alpha David specially gifted her. She looks like a princess—the true lady of the castle!"

"I thought that Alpha David was a notorious flirt who was always surrounded by different women. Why is he so devoted to Sarah?"

"You clearly haven't been paying attention! I saw bite marks on Sarah's neck at the party. I asked her outright if she was Alpha David's mate and if she would become Nighthowl Pack's Luna. And guess what? She didn't deny it!"

"Even Alpha David didn't object! Everyone started cheering, and they kissed right in front of us. By now, they're probably already in bed!"

"I bet that they'll be forming their mate bond soon! We should start calling her Luna Sarah already!"

Their excited voices rang out clearly, reaching both Celine and me.

Celine looked at me with shame flickering across her face. "I'm so sorry, Evelyn. I thought that you and David would be a good match and that you'd be happy together."

Fearing I might break down, she pulled me into her arms.

I simply smiled. I had already cried all my tears the day I gave birth.

Seeing my calm expression, Celine lowered her eyes, which were filled with regret. "Do you want to see the baby one last time? You went through so much to bring him into this world. Once you leave, you'll miss him terribly."

A sharp pain tightened in my heart. Naturally, I would miss the child I nearly lost my life for.

Noticing the flicker of emotion on my face, Celine's hope reignited. "You were unconscious for two days after giving birth. You haven't even seen him yet, have you?

"He's healthy and fair-skinned. He's also very small.

"Maybe he knows that he was born without a mother. He's been so quiet and well-behaved. He only cried a little after birth, and even then, his cries were soft."

She turned to leave and was ready to bring the baby into my room.

"Enough. I don't want to know.

"Take him away. I won't see him."

I turned my head as I bit my lip hard, my nails digging into my palms.

I couldn't afford to waver.

David Jones never loved me.

Since I had already decided to leave, there was no turning back.

Celine stiffened. Seeing the determination in my eyes, she finally abandoned hope. She picked up the child and seemed to remember something before storming out of the room angrily.

Not long after, she returned with David in tow.

"Mom! Why did you pull me here? I'm busy handling Nighthowl Pack's affairs!"

"Busy, huh? How dare you lie to my face! Your secret party is widely known! Look at you—half-dressed and reeking of alcohol! Were you too occupied fooling around with that vixen Sarah?

"Evelyn just gave birth! Shouldn't you be here taking care of her?"

David's voice sharpened with anger. "How do you even know about Sarah? Did Evelyn go running to you and complain?"

He slammed his fists against the wooden door, his frustration boiling over. "Are you trying to manipulate me into caring about you? Keep dreaming!

"Let me make this clear, Evelyn! If it weren't for my mother liking you, I never would've chosen you as my mate!

"The more you try to get my attention, the less I'll care! I'm going back to bed with Sarah!"

With that, he stormed off.

Indeed. Everything between David and I—our meeting, our relationship—was orchestrated by Celine, who adored me and wanted me to become Nighthowl Pack's Luna, David's mate.

Unlike my love-at-first-sight feelings for him, David never cared for me. But he also didn't want to disobey his mother, Nighthowl Pack's former Luna.

So, even though he chose me as his mate, he never once acknowledged me publicly in the past seven years. I meant less to him than a woman he had known for only three months.

Like Celine, I used to believe that if I just loved him enough and waited long enough, he would grow, mature, and eventually understand my love.

So, I waited for seven years.

But I finally understood that all my love and patience had been for nothing when he forced me to kneel. I had lost all hope in him.

While I remained calm, Celine's eyes burned red with anger. She turned to me, her gaze filled with deep regret and sorrow. "Evelyn. Rest for a week, then leave. David doesn't deserve you."

After deciding to leave, I didn't feel as sad as I had thought that I would.

Maybe out of guilt, David suddenly showed up two days later, saying that he had come to take me back to the castle. He even brought my favorite dish—cream of mushroom soup.

It was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to show me kindness.

For seven years, no matter how impatient or cruel he was to me, I would eagerly rush back to his side as long as he offered me the slightest bit of warmth.

But this time, I didn't even open the door.

Outside, David was fuming with the bowl of soup in his hands.

"Did you run away for days and abandon your own child just because I made you kneel and apologize for Sarah?

"Hah! You've grown some nerve, haven't you, Evelyn? Don't regret this!"

That very night, he moved Sarah into the castle.

The next time I saw him was three days later when I returned to pack the few belongings I had left.

When I saw Sarah Lloyd acting as the lady of the house, I felt nothing.

I went upstairs to collect my things calmly.

David, on the other hand, seemed furious at my indifference. The moment he realized that I was only there to pack, he stormed into his study and slammed the door shut, making a show of his anger.

Sarah, assuming that I had returned to beg for forgiveness, stood in the doorway with her arms crossed as she sneered. "See how David treats you? He doesn't even want to look at you!

"Look at yourself. Your body's completely out of shape after giving birth. How do you still have the confidence to parade yourself in front of him?

"There's no place for you in this castle anymore. Get out."

I knew that she was trying to provoke me.

The old me would have argued with her and insisted that I was David's true mate, the rightful Luna. But now, I simply looked at her the way one would look at a clown.

She was infuriated by my lack of reaction. Hearing the study door creak open, she suddenly threw herself backward, tumbling down the stairs.

She landed perfectly in David's arms, then looked up at me with pitiful eyes.

"Luna Evelyn, I never wanted to take your place. I never wanted to be Luna. I just wanted to stay by David's side. How could you push me down the stairs?

"David, thank goodness you were here, or I—"

She choked back a sob and buried her face in his shoulder as she trembled.

This was her usual trick.

In the past, I would have panicked, scrambling to explain to David that I hadn't pushed her and that she had done it to herself. But this time, I kept quiet.

I simply stood there and watched David carry Sarah up the stairs toward me. His eyes burned with fury.

"What's wrong? You acted all calm when you refused to come back, pretending you didn't care. But now that Sarah's moved in, your jealousy is making you lose control, huh?

"Evelyn, there's a limit to how far you can take your jealousy! Pushing Sarah down the stairs? Were you trying to kill her?"

David set Sarah down. When he saw the small wound on her forehead, his expression darkened. He turned to me and ordered coldly, "Apologize to Sarah. If you do, I'll let you stay. Otherwise, get out."

I didn't even spare him a glance as I turned toward my room.

He grabbed my wrist, his voice thundering with rage. "Apologize now!"

He yanked me forward, forcing me toward Sarah. The sudden force made me stumble. I slammed into the doorframe. A sharp pain shot through my forehead as blood started trickling down my face.

I stared at the crimson drops in a daze.

He was still the same selfish person he had always been. He was violent toward his mate who had nearly died giving birth to his child.

When he saw the blood streaming down my face, his expression flickered with unease. But just as quickly, he composed himself. "You hurt Sarah, and now you're also bleeding. That makes things even," he said coldly.

I let out a bitter laugh, unable to suppress the anger and resentment bubbling inside me.

I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the countless scars crisscrossing my arm. "This is fair? Then what about these?"

His eyes widened in shock. His voice trembled as he asked, "How did you get those wounds on your arms?"

He seemed to forget that when he was young and gravely ill, the pack's healer said that only a pure healer's blood mixed with rare herbs could save him.

I was the only one in the entire pack with pure healer's blood and had fallen for him at first sight.

Time and time again, I cut open my arm, mixing my blood with herbs to create medicine that saved him from the brink of death.

Celine had witnessed my sacrifices and had been so moved by my love for him that she did everything she could to bring us together, telling him that Nighthowl Pack would have no other Luna but me.

He stared at my scars for a very long time.

I almost thought that he would remember. But in the end, he simply tightened his grip on my arm and sneered.

"Nice trick, Evelyn. So now that acting indifferent doesn't work, you're trying to get my attention by self-harming?

"Werewolf healing is strong. These wounds should've healed by now. Are you deliberately keeping them open just to gain my sympathy?"

Hearing those words, I realized that I wasn't even disappointed anymore.

Pure healers had extremely weak regeneration—even weaker than Omegas.

But it didn't matter. I had no interest in explaining.

Loving a heartless person was nothing but a waste of life—no matter how much blood, love, or hope you gave them.

His grip tightened painfully around my scars, but I didn't flinch.

It didn't matter.

The thought that I'd be leaving soon made the pain easier to bear.

While David was busy tending to his beloved Sarah's wounds, I hastily treated my own before continuing to pack my things.

I first needed to take down the oil painting hanging in the center of the bedroom. It was the one of me and David.

I had commissioned it in a moment of joy when David agreed to be my mate.

But the David in the painting was much softer than the real one. Back then, he had sat before the easel, visibly impatient and eager to leave. Ultimately, he couldn't even be bothered to wait until it was finished, so he simply turned and walked away.

The painting had only been completed based on my descriptions and the artist's faint impressions.

David had never liked it. He frowned at it daily, telling me to take it down.

Later, when he stopped coming into this bedroom altogether, he no longer cared enough to say anything about it.

"You loved that painting, didn't you? Why are you taking it down now?"

I hadn't noticed when he arrived, but there he was, leaning against the doorframe, watching me with narrowed eyes. "What game are you playing this time?"

He sneered, but his expression turned ice-cold when he saw the packed luggage. "Are you really moving out?"

I ignored him, silently stepping in his way to block him from entering the bedroom.

But he shoved past me and pushed me down onto the bed. The anger on his face was unmistakable, as if he could no longer tolerate my uncharacteristic behavior. "Didn't I tell you that acting cold doesn't work on me?

"Oh, I get it now. You're throwing a tantrum because I haven't touched you in a long time, huh? Fine. I'll satisfy you."

He sneered, reaching to tear at my clothes as his lips moved toward my neck.

Disgusted, I could no longer hold back my fury. I slapped him hard across the face. "Get off me! Go find some other woman. I find you disgusting!"

He froze for a moment, then wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his smile full of scorn. "Go ahead and keep this up. The one who'll regret it in the end is you."

He slammed the door on his way out.

Not long after I finished packing, I heard the all-too-familiar sounds coming from the next room—David's heavy breathing mixed with a woman's moans.

It was David and Sarah.

"Come on, babe. Be louder. Let everyone in this castle hear how good I make you feel." David's voice was low and thick with pleasure.

As soon as he finished speaking, the bedframe began to shake violently, and Sarah's moans echoed throughout the castle.

They hadn't even bothered to close the door.

When David saw me standing outside, he smirked, lifting himself off of Sarah, who was flushed red and gasping beneath him. He pressed her back into the sheets.

"What are you looking at? Do you want to join in?"

His grin was a provocation, silently daring me to regret my choice.

The old me would have broken down, screaming and crying, tearing at them to separate them. But now, I felt nothing but revulsion. I simply looked away.

David, however, was enraged by my indifference. He grabbed the vase from the nightstand and hurled it at me. "Get out! Stop interrupting us!"

I still felt nothing as the vase shattered against my head.

Blood trickled down my forehead, dripping onto the floor.

He briefly hesitated, but Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck before he could react and whined. "David, focus on me. Didn't you say that Evelyn was too boring, and that's why you dragged me into bed with you?

"If you get distracted again, I will stop."

She traced her tongue along his lips, and he sank into her embrace once again.

He chose her over me yet again.

I felt lightheaded. I wiped at the blood on my forehead. But no matter how much I wiped, I couldn't seem to clean it away.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter.

This would be the last time I ever let myself be humiliated and hurt because of him.

I picked up my suitcase, steadied myself against the wall, and slowly left the castle.

It wasn't until David had spent himself in Sarah's arms that his mind finally cleared. He called for a maid.

"Where's Evelyn? Has she calmed down yet?

"Tell her that if she comes in and bows her head, I can pretend that none of this ever happened."

The maid hesitated. "Alpha David… Mrs. Jones left while you and Ms. Lloyd were… occupied."

"What?" His expression darkened as he shoved Sarah aside.

He urgently asked, "Where did she go?"