Four years ago, Alpha Matteo Donovan was drugged. On that crazy night, I became his cure. From that moment on, I was his most trusted Beta by day and his lover by night, tangled up in his sheets until dawn.

Just when I started drowning in the heat of his gaze, his first love, Sabrina Monroe, came back.

To please her, Matteo threw me to the pack’s borderlands, where it was rogue-infested. He even tore up Mom's keepsakes right in front of me.

When I finally gave up and applied to leave the pack, Matteo suddenly began to look for me like he had gone mad.

I held the document in my hands that confirmed my release from the pack, signed with the Alpha's own name, Matteo Donovan.

Just as I was about to leave the office building, Elder Jason Briggs called me again.

He said, "The Alpha doesn't know it's you who's leaving. If you tell him, he'll definitely ask you to stay since you're his most trusted Beta."

I lowered my eyes slightly and replied, "No need to trouble him with something so trivial."

Jason still refused to give up. "You've been at his side for four years. You've handled almost everything for him. If you leave, he won't know how to manage without you."

He kept trying to talk me out of it, but my mind was made up.

"His life will be more comfortable without me anyway. I'm just an extra presence that doesn't belong. My pack is at war, and I have to go back.

"Plus, I've reached the age for my marking ceremony, so I really don't have the energy to stay by the Alpha's side anymore. Since the Alpha already approved my request, I'll spend the next month briefing his new Beta on everything, and then I'll leave."

Jason tried once more to convince me over the phone. However, seeing how firm I was, he finally gave up.

After hanging up, I started packing my belongings.

I had lived in that house for three years. Aside from daily necessities, I threw everything else away.

Sitting in the empty room, I felt my heart hollow out too. For a moment, memories from eight years ago came flooding back.

Eight years ago, I left my poor, struggling pack and went to the Norland Pack to study. At college, I met the Matteo's sister, Penelope Donovan.

We hit it off quickly despite her privileged upbringing, and soon we became best friends. She never cared about where I came from and even brought me into high society circles, introducing me to influential wolves.

At one gathering, she introduced me to her brother, the pack's greatest man, the Alpha. I was instantly drawn to Matteo's tall, handsome appearance and fell hard for him.

Throughout college, I channeled my love for him into improving myself, all just to get a little closer to him.

After graduation, I got my wish and became Matteo's Beta. Just thinking about seeing him every day made me so excited that I could not sleep for a whole night.

I thought I would bury that love in my heart forever, until that accident happened.

Matteo was poisoned with wolfsbane laced with aphrodisiac. I was about to call the hospital when a powerful force suddenly pulled me onto the bed. Before I could react, his kisses were all over me.

That night of passion was beautiful yet fleeting. It felt like a dream I never wanted to wake from.

The next morning, I opened my eyes and saw him standing by the window. Bathed in sunlight, his chiseled face looked even more striking. I stared at him, completely mesmerized.

Noticing my gaze, Matteo turned to look at me and said just one thing.

"I'll take responsibility for what happened last night."

My heart skipped a beat.

Just when I thought my dreams were finally coming true, he handed me a check.

He said, "I know you like me, but I already have someone I love. This money will make sure you live comfortably for the rest of your life, so consider it my compensation."

I froze, suddenly remembering that last night he had called out someone else's name: Sabrina Monroe.

I had heard from Penelope that Matteo had always carried a torch for his first love, and her name was Sabrina. Although she had abandoned the pack to become a healer in a more powerful one and had countless flings, he still waited for her.

It was precisely because I knew he loved someone else that I had kept my feelings buried. Perhaps it was the alcohol from the night before, but somehow, I found the courage to speak up.

Taking a deep breath, I called out to Matteo as he was about to leave.

"I don't want compensation. I want to be with you."

Matteo stopped in his tracks and turned to frown at me. "Alyssa Whitlock, do you not understand what I'm saying? I told you I already have someone I love. There will never be anything between us."

I blurted out everything that was buried deep inside me. "I know you love someone else. When she comes back, I'll leave quietly, but until then, can you at least try being with me?"

Faced with my sudden confession, Matteo froze.

Just when I was bracing myself for rejection, he handed me a card with a hotel address written on it.

"Tonight at ten. Don't keep me waiting."

From then on, our relationship changed.

I worked for Matteo by day and became his lover in bed by night. We were entangled together every day, and he stopped calling out another woman's name.

The moonflowers that appeared by the bedside and the sweet desserts became catalysts for our relationship.

The way Matteo looked at me grew more heated over time until last night, when I spent the night alone in his room for the first time.

Just before dawn, I learned from the news that Sabrina had returned, and Matteo had been out all night meeting her in Moonlight Forest. He declared his love publicly to the media, and their entire date was live-streamed to the whole pack.

As I watched them kiss on the livestream, my face drained of all color. Trembling, I called Matteo, desperately hoping this was all just media hype.

On the livestream, Matteo pulled out his phone, glanced at it, and frowned.

"Who is it?" Sabrina asked sweetly.

Matteo hung up and said gently, "Just someone unimportant. Don't worry about it."

Hearing the dial tone, I understood that it was time to leave. I packed my things and dragged my suitcase to the door, only to find Matteo standing there.

His eyes flicked to the suitcase without a trace of emotion. "I'll cover the rent for wherever you're staying."

I refused. "There's no need for that. It's only for a month anyway."

His brows furrowed. "Why just a month?"

I was about to explain when Matteo interrupted me. "Get in my car."

I refused, but Matteo insisted. "Don't get the wrong idea. Penelope asked me to do this. It's raining outside, and she doesn't want you getting soaked."

I finally got in the car with him. The interior was filled with blue moon roses, and even the car's color had been changed to Sabrina's favorite soft blue.

Noticing my gaze, Matteo explained, "Sabrina loves blue."

My eyes dimmed as my heart sank. After a long silence, I finally said quietly, "Congratulations. You finally got her back."

Matteo opened the car door and simply said, "Thanks."

As we drove toward the outskirts, Sabrina suddenly called, saying she wanted to have dinner with him. He pulled over to the side of the road and gave me a conflicted look.

I knew what he was worried about, so I got out of the car on my own. "Go be with Sabrina. I can get back by myself."

Matteo nodded and got out to help me with my suitcase. I lost my balance for a moment, and the suitcase fell to the ground, its contents spilling everywhere.

The crystal engraved with his name, 99 love letters I had written but never sent, and all the things he had thrown away were laid bare before him. My heart raced as I scrambled to pick everything up.

"I'm sorry."

Matteo's gaze darkened. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just got back in his car and drove off.

He did not even notice that he had stopped the car at the very edge of pack territory, in a desolate field. I could not get a ride, so I had no choice but to drag my luggage and keep walking.

Suddenly, several dark figures blocked my path: rogues.

"A female all alone out here in the plains? How lucky are we?"

They slowly closed in on me, and my Beta power surged out instantly, making them hesitate.

"She's a Beta!"

"So what? She's alone."

Several rogues lunged at me, and I instantly shifted into my wolf form. I struggled desperately to break out of their circle and run toward pack territory.

When I collapsed at the door of my rental, covered in blood, I received a message from Matteo.

[Sabrina's back now. What we had is over. Don't cause any trouble.]

I stared at the message, lost in thought.

Finally, I sent a response.

[Fine. I won't love you anymore.]

The next day, I burned everything in my suitcase, along with my love for him. Everything had turned to ashes, scattered in the wind.

Since I could not keep fooling myself anymore, I would give him exactly what he wanted.

Two days were enough time for my wounds to finally heal. On the third day, I showed up at the office right on time.

There was a business negotiation with the Shadowridge Pack that day, so I went to Matteo's office to brief him.

Just as I reached the door, I heard Sabrina's flirtatious voice coming from inside.

"Matteo, these moonberries are so sweet. You should try one."

Through the crack in the half-open door, I saw Sabrina feeding Matteo a moonberry she had already taken a bite of.

Matteo, who never let anyone else touch his food, actually smiled and ate it before gently kissing her cheek.

He said, "Anything you feed me tastes sweet."

Sabrina giggled. "You used to run all the way up the mountain to pick these for me just because I said I liked them, and now that you're Alpha, you still pick them yourself."

Matteo gently stroked Sabrina's hair, his eyes filled with unconcealed love. "Just thinking about you eating moonberries someone else picked makes me jealous, so I'd rather do it myself."

Sabrina wrapped her arms around Matteo's neck and purred seductively, "Then, from now on, I'll only eat what you give me and only look at you. Would that stop your jealousy?"

Matteo did not answer. He just smiled, cupped Sabrina's face, and kissed her.

Sweet, intimate sounds filled my ears as I clenched my fists so hard that blood dripped from my palms to the floor. I took a deep breath and knocked on Matteo's office door.

"Alpha Matteo, Alpha Noah Steele from the Shadowridge Pack is already waiting in the conference room."

Only then did Matteo reluctantly release Sabrina. Just as he was about to get up, she pulled him back into her arms.

"Do you really have to go to this meeting? I'll be so lonely without you."

Sabrina pouted as she blinked her eyes pitifully. Her expression was so sweet it could melt anyone's heart.

Matteo replied, "Of course not. Business meetings aren't as important as my precious girl."

The Shadowridge Pack was one of the top packs in the region, and it took us great effort to convince them to give us this opportunity. The negotiation was crucial for our pack's future development as it could make or break us.

I reminded him again, "Alpha Noah only gave us two hours for this meeting. If we..."

Sabrina glanced at me with annoyance. "Does a lowly Beta like you need to tell the Alpha how to do his job? Who do you think you are?"

"That's not it... It's just that this negotiation is really important, and I don't want..."

Before I could finish, Matteo coldly cut me off. "Alyssa, Sabrina is the pack's future Luna, so show her some respect."

My grip on the files tightened. The moment I closed the door, I heard the two of them laughing inside.

Everyone in the pack knew that Matteo was an Alpha who always put pack interests first, and that was exactly why everyone respected and loved him.

However, for Sabrina's sake, he was willing to anger another Alpha and risk our pack's reputation. He loved Sabrina so much that he was willing to abandon his own principles.

I had no choice but to collect myself and go to the conference room to apologize to Noah.

He slammed his fist on the table in fury and unleashed all his anger on me. I could only stand there, taking the verbal abuse while stammering out apologies.

The negotiation ended badly.

As I dragged my exhausted body out of the conference room, Sabrina stopped me.

"Beta, Matteo's office looks a bit too plain. Go up the mountain and pick some wild daisies to brighten it up."

Wild daisies grew in places covered with thorns, and wolfsbane was hidden among them. One wrong move, and you would get poisoned.

I refused. "The Alpha doesn't like wild daisies. His office has always been decorated with roses only."

Sabrina's expression immediately soured. "Are you questioning me? Fine, then. Since you say Matteo doesn't like wild daisies, let's go ask him."

Just like that, Sabrina dragged me to Matteo's office.

The moment we walked in, she threw herself on him sweetly and purred "I just thought your office looked too plain and wanted her to pick some wild daisies to decorate it, but she said you don't like them. What should I do? I really want the whole office to smell like them."

Matteo gently comforted the pouting Sabrina.

Then, he turned to look at me and said, "Whatever Sabrina likes is what I like. Go to the mountain right now and pick wild daisies to decorate the office."

My heart sank, but I nodded. "Understood."

Sabrina turned her head from Matteo's embrace and flashed me a smug smile.

The mountain was extremely treacherous. Even as a Beta, I could not avoid the poisonous plants.

Sure enough, my ankle was accidentally cut by wolfsbane. It was not lethal, but it immediately swelled up until I could barely walk.

By sunset, I finally brought a large bundle of wild daisies to Sabrina.

Sabrina happily took the flowers and stuck them in every corner of the room. When Matteo walked into the office, he frowned at the overwhelming scent.

However, when he saw her cheerfully showing the flowers to him, he still indulgently ruffled her hair.

That was when he noticed me in the corner, covered in wounds.

My face had a gash from a thorn that was still bleeding, and my arms were covered in countless bloody scratches.

He muttered, "How could you be so careless?"

Then, he pulled out some ointment and stepped forward.

He dodged my outstretched hand and said, "You can't see the wound on your face. Let me apply it for you."

Matteo lowered his head, and his eyes were filled with heartache and regret as he looked at me.

Suddenly, Sabrina let out a shriek from the side. "Ouch! A thorn pricked my finger."

Matteo immediately pulled away and rushed to her side. "Where? Let me see."

Sabrina made a pitiful face and held out her pinky finger. "Right here... It hurts so much. Is it going to leave a scar?"

"Of course not. I'll take you to get it bandaged."

With that, he wrapped his arm around Sabrina and left the office without looking back.