"Rowan."

I turned to face him as I felt the stabbing pain from our mate bond.

The whisperings of our pack only hurt me further. They were looking at me with pity and confusion. Some could not even hide the condescending look in their eyes.

No Luna had ever been publicly humiliated by her Alpha in the history of werewolves.

"I'll ask for the Moon Goddess' permission to annul our union as mates." My voice was calm. Every word could be heard clearly.

Rowan turned pale. "You're crazy. You can't do that."

"Yes, I can." I looked him straight in the eyes. "And that's exactly what I will do."

"You should calm down, Stella—"

"I am calm," I interrupted him. "I have never been so calm."

He quickly shook his head. "No, you're just saying this out of anger. Let's talk when we get back—"

"There's nothing to talk about."

I turned to walk toward the parking lot, and Rowan followed quickly behind me.

"Wait!" He grabbed my arm. "Riley has nowhere to go. I can't just leave her and her son behind."

I stopped and turned to look at him. "So?"

"So, I'm taking her back to the villa," Rowan said matter-of-factly. "She needs to stay somewhere safe."

She needed somewhere safe.

I laughed coldly. "When has our villa become a refuge for homeless werewolves?"

"Stella!" Rowan was warning me. "Riley was abused by her Alpha. She escaped with her pup and has nowhere to go now. I have a responsibility to protect her. It's an Alpha's responsibility."

An Alpha's responsibility. It was just another one of his grand excuses.

"Your responsibility is to protect your mate," I replied. "Not a stranger who keeps crying for help."

"She's not a stranger!" Rowan retorted. "She needs help!"

"What about me?" I asked.

"I just didn't want you to make a mistake…"

"Make a mistake?" I repeated his words. "How is it a mistake to sentence her according to the pack's rules?"

Rowan turned silent.

That was when Riley walked over to us timidly while holding her pup.

Her voice was trembling, "Alpha, I'm willing to leave if my presence is causing a conflict between you and your Luna."

"No," Rowan replied immediately. "You're not going anywhere."

He looked at me. "Get in the car. We're going back together."

Riley looked at Rowan hopefully. There were still tears in her eyes.

"Fine," I replied.

Rowan sighed with relief.

We got into the car. Riley sat in the back while hugging her pup tight.

Rowan started the car and drove toward the villa.

"Luna," Riley suddenly spoke up. She sounded so frail that I could hardly hear her voice. "I'm really sorry to have caused you so much trouble. I know you must really hate me now, but please believe me when I say that I have no malicious intentions."

She paused before continuing, "I'm just a pitiful woman with a pup. If it weren't for the kindness of the Alpha, we would have died in the wilderness."

Kindness…

I sneered silently.

"If only I weren't a burden, a damaged Omega… I would pray to the Moon Goddess for a chance to be with you because you're a true Alpha!"

Riley's words made me turn to look at her in shock. She was idolizing Rowan with passion in her eyes while ignoring me completely.

It infuriated me further to see a flash in Rowan's eyes that told me he was swayed by her words. He was seriously considering her offer!

"Stop the car," I said coldly.

The car stopped slowly by the road. I opened the door and walked to Riley's side in the car.

"Get out," I said.

"Luna?" Riley acted like she did not understand what was happening. "What's going on?"

"I said, get out," I repeated. "You and your pup should get out right now."

"What are you doing, Stella?" Rowan got out of the car as he questioned angrily.

"I'm fulfilling both your wishes," I sneered. "Since she's so grateful to you, idolizes you, and thinks you're a true Alpha, I'm giving her a chance to repay you."

Riley's face turned red. "Y-You've misunderstood me, Luna…"

She stammered and could not say anything else.

"If you don't have anything else to say, get out." I opened the car door. "You can find yourselves a nice cave to comfort each other. Your chosen mate has approved it, Rowan."

"Are you crazy?" Rowan said angrily. "This is the wilderness!"

"That's even better." My voice was cold. "No one will interrupt your passionate words for each other."

Riley was forced out of the car. The pup in her arms started to cry. She stood pitifully by the side of the road.

"Alpha, please…" She sobbed.

Rowan walked to her right away. He grabbed my wrist furiously after that. "She's just a homeless Omega. How can you be so cruel?"

"Stella, apologize to Riley."

Rowan was exerting his Alpha's dominance in his voice. He stood outside the car while staring coldly at me.

"After that, officially invite her back to the villa as the Luna."

I looked at him in disbelief. He had been defending Riley all this time, and now, he wanted me to apologize to her.

"You're crazy," I sneered. "Why must I apologize to a thief?"

"What you just did is not worthy of your status as Luna!" Rowan was furious. "Leaving behind an Omega with a pup in the wilderness… Is this your idea of benevolence?"

Riley stood at the roadside while the pup in her arms was still crying. She pretended to give us a determined yet hurt look, as if to tell us, 'Look at how your Luna is acting.'

"I won't apologize." I tried to hold back my anger. "And I won't invite her back to the villa."

"Well, I don't need your agreement for it," Rowan said coldly.

He turned and walked to Riley. He took off his coat and put it on her. "I'm sorry, Riley. My mate sometimes loses all sense of reason."

Mate…

Did he still remember that I was his mate?

"Don't worry, Alpha," Riley said softly. "I understand what the Luna is worried about. I'm an outsider, after all."

Her tears started to fall again as she spoke.

"You're not an outsider," Rowan comforted her gently. "You're a part of our pack."

Our pack…

When did Riley become a part of our pack?

"Rowan," I called his name one last time.

He looked at me, but there was no warmth in his eyes.

"Go away!" I roared with everything I had.

The night seemed to tremble around us with my roar.

Rowan shot me a deep look without wavering. He turned to help Riley up.

"I'll take you back," he said to her.

He started the car, and the red taillights gradually vanished in the night. I stood where I was as I watched them leave. The clear sight of Riley turning back to look at me could be clearly seen from the rearview mirror.

She was smiling tauntingly and victoriously at me. That smile was a particularly sore sight in the night. It was as if she were telling me that she had won.

As the car vanished in the night, I took out my communicator to get another car. It was midnight by the time I returned to the villa. Rowan's car was parked in the front, but I did not see him when I went in. I knew where he probably was.

He must have gone to settle down Riley and her son to ensure that they were in a 'safe' place.

We ignored each other for the next three days. Rowan stayed in the office while I stayed in the villa.

Elder Aldric dropped by once to try and ease things between us.

"Luna, the Alpha is just temporarily confused. A mate bond is sacred. You can't just…"

I stopped him. "Elder Aldric, what would you do if your mate humiliates you in public?"

He went silent.

On the fourth night, I saw a photo posted on the pack's internal social media platform. It was taken at the most luxurious charity dinner in the city center. In it, Rowan was tenderly helping a little boy put on a protection charm.

That boy was Riley's pup.

The charm had been the final bid of the night. It was worth 500 thousand dollars.

Rowan's hand could be seen in the corner of the photo, wearing the Moonstone ring that represented our mate bond. He was wearing the ring while spending lavishly on another woman's pup.

The comments section exploded with replies.

[The Alpha is so nice to this pup.]

[That Omega woman is truly lucky.]

[Where's the Luna? I can't believe she agreed to the Alpha buying a protection charm for another woman's pup. Their own pup isn't even born yet.]

[I heard that they're not on good terms recently.]

As I was about to close the page, a direct message popped up.

The sender was Riley.

I clicked on it. It was a holographic projection.

The recording was of the pack's Blessing Ritual for the pups. I recognized the location. It was the Holy Temple of our pack.

Riley's pup was standing next to the Moonlight Spring. His tender voice echoed in the temple.

"Dear Moon Goddess, please let Alpha Rowan become my Father of the Pack."

Father of the Pack.

That was one of the most sacred titles of the pack. It represented the link between father and son. Only an Alpha could become a pup's Father of the Pack as every Alpha could only accept one heir.

Rowan was gently tousling the pup's head in the recording.

"Yes, I accept your request."

My hands started trembling.

Before the recording ended, Riley spoke to me using the mind-link.

"Did you see that, Luna? He has an heir now. How can you fight with me when all you have is just an empty title?"

I turned off the message violently. My communicator almost dropped to the ground.

Heir…

Rowan had actually agreed to become Riley's pup's Father of the Pack. He could not be unaware of what that implied.

"Stella?" My best friend, Chloe, was heard from outside the door. "Can I come in?"

"Come in." I tried my best to sound normal.

Chloe pushed the door open and entered. She frowned right away when she saw the look on my face. "What happened?"

I passed my communicator to her, and her face turned pale after watching the recording.

"That b*tch!" she yelled furiously. "She's declaring war!"

"No." I shook my head. "She's declaring victory."

I stood up to walk toward the window.

Moonlight splashed on the grassy field of the villa. Everything looked so peaceful. However, my heart was like a raging storm.

"Stella." Chloe came to me. "Are you alright?"

"I have something to tell you." I turned to look at her. "I'm pregnant."

Chloe's eyes widened. "What?"

"It's been two months." I caressed my flat belly. "It's the Alpha's heir of the purest bloodline."

"That's wonderful!" Chloe was emotional. "That way, Rowan would—"

"No." I interrupted her. "An Alpha who has agreed to become another pup's Father of the Pack doesn't deserve to be my pup's father."

Chloe looked at me in shock. "Are you planning to…"

"I want to visit the holy land," I said. "I want the elders to annul my mate bond with Rowan right after I give birth to my pup."

"Calm down, Stella…"

"I am calm." My voice was soft, but determined. "I've never been calmer."

…

Early the next morning, I left for the holy land.

The holy land was deep inside the snowy mountains in the north. The pack's most ancient healing spring was there.

As my car drove on the winding mountain road, I looked at the snowy scenery outside. I was unexpectedly calm. It was probably because I had finally made my decision.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard. The car jerked violently, and I was dizzy from the hard impact.

"Luna!" my driver shouted in fear. "It's the enemy pack!"

I could see several unfamiliar werewolves through the window. They were coming toward us. Their eyes were flashing red, a sign of them being in battle mode. I quickly launched the distress signal as I pushed the door open.

As the Luna, I could not hide in the car and wait for death.

The battle unfolded quickly.

My guards fought back valiantly, but there were too many of them. Just as I thought I could not hold on any longer, I heard a familiar howl. Rowan was here. He arrived with backup and quickly defeated the enemy.

That was when I heard a pup crying.

Riley's pup had appeared for some reason. He was hiding behind a giant rock. His arm was scratched by sharp stones, and he was bleeding.

The pup cried and shouted, "Mommy! It hurts!"

Rowan looked at me and then at the crying pup. He made his decision. He went straight for Riley's pup and started to treat his wound.

I was still in the middle of the battlefield and bleeding from my wounds.

"Rowan, I need help," I called out weakly to him. I was hoping he would choose to help me.

He did not even look back as he ran in another direction. I was in emotional turmoil as I fell into despair.

That was when a crazed werewolf from the enemy's pack lunged at me from behind.

Chloe arrived just in time and shouted, "Stella, look out!"

I wanted to turn and dodge the attack, but I did not manage it completely as I wanted to protect Chloe, who was rushing over to me. The werewolf hit me hard in the abdomen. I felt a sharp pain, like something precious was leaving me.

"No…" I screamed in desperation.