When I got home, I started packing right away.

I didn’t even care if he would survive from the treatment. If he didn’t make it, it would just be his destiny.

The next day, it was from Eleanor’s social media page that I knew he was still alive. I saw a photo of him lying in a healing room, looking extremely weak, but he was still massaging Eleanor’s shoulders.

Eleanor wrote, “My Alpha, who truly loves me.”

Before, he would always hug me when he got home. He would massage my shoulders and tell me not to overwork myself with the housework.

That Dylan was gone.

He couldn’t even bother to ask about my bleeding shoulder anymore.

I took a deep breath.

It was all okay.

Only 5 days left, from this point on, I would only love myself.

I was planning to wait for Dylan to come home, so I could let him know I was moving out.

However, Dylan didn’t come home.

Until 3 days later, he suddenly came back. I was even a bit surprised to see him again.

He walked straight to our cloakroom and changed into a tuxedo without even glancing at me.

He said, “There’s a family gathering at my mother-wolf’s place. Don’t you embarrass me.”

I thought it was time to settle things with his family too, so I put on a long silk dress and went with him.

Everyone was chatting and drinking at the family dinner.

Then someone said, “Ella, you and Dylan have been married for years. Shouldn’t you guys have a pup by now?”

“Yeah, Dylan is the Alpha now. You really should have given him an heir.”

An heir? Not even in his dreams.

I looked at Dylan. He was busy checking his phone.

It wasn’t until his mother-wolf asked him again that he decided to reply.

“We have no plans for that.”

He wasn’t loud, but everyone fell silent right away.

Having an heir was crucial for an Alpha to keep his position within the family.

His mother-wolf, Joanna, looked angry. I knew she would never be angry with her precious Dylan. She would only take it out on me.

After dinner, Joanna walked up to me and gave me an angry look.

“You. Come with me. I need to talk to you.”

Dylan noticed this too. He pulled me closer.

“If you have something to say, you can say it here, mother-wolf.”

But Dylan’s cellphone rang again. I heard him say the word “Eleanor” in a soft voice, and at that moment, I knew he wouldn’t speak up for me at all.

Joanna’s servants grabbed me to her private cave and force me to my knees. The cold surface was extremely cold in this season. My wound on my shoulder began to tear apart again.

She turned her back to me.

“It has been too long and you still haven’t given us an heir. Dylan was busy with his duties as the Alpha, but you are not taking your Luna’s responsibilities seriously.”

She pulled out a bottle of herbal potion and threw it at my feet.

“This is a fertility potion. You will drink it every day from now on.”

I knew at a glance that it was a fertility poison. This kind of poison had severe side effects for the mother-wolf. I might die in giving birth to the pup.

If it was a month ago, I might have taken it just to please her. But in 2 days, my mate bond with Dylan would expire.

I looked at her and said, “I won’t take this. Not now, not ever!”

Joanna was a bit shocked and turned around to face me.

“What did you say?”

I repeated, “I said I won’t take it. Dylan and I won’t have a pup with him.”

Joanna was really angry.

“I’ve heard you even let Dylan used his own blood to help Eleanor’s mother-wolf! Do you have no sense of your duties as the Luna?”

Joanna tried to grab me and force me to take it.

She grabbed my injured should and it hurt terribly.

Her other hand raised as if to slap me, but suddenly, a hand caught hers.

To my surprise, it was Dylan.

Dylan looked at Joanna firmly.

“I told you, we wouldn’t rush into having pups! This is Ella’s choice. You can’t force her.”

In that moment, I even felt he was protecting me.

But it was all too late.

My wound split open. Blood soaked through my dress.

I had lost too much blood. My vision started to blur, then I fainted.

The last thing I saw was Dylan’s burred figure. He held me tightly and called my name.

“Ella, I love you. Don’t you leave me…”

When I woke up, I found myself in the Wind Ripping pack’s healer’s home. Tanya was an old friend of my mother-wolf’s once.

She told Dylan, “You did the right thing taking her here. The wounds on her back are deep.”

Dylan signed, “Please the best herbs you have. I will pay you no matter how much it costs.”

Dylan turned around and noticed I was awake. To my surprise, he looked worried.

“Are you feeling okay?”

I tried to move, but I could feel a burning pain on my back.

“Why are you even here? I’m sure someone else needs you more.”

I thought he would turn around and leave, but he didn’t. I could also tell that he looked at me with complicated emotions.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt this badly?”

“You were busy with Eleanor. If I had called you, would you have come immediately?”

“Of course I would,” he said.

His answer wasn’t what I had expected.

“Ella, trust me this time. I will stay here and take care of you tonight.”

For once, Dylan actually kept his word. He didn’t leave.

He carefully changed my bandages, prepared my meals and rushed to find Tanya for more pain-relieving herbs when I had the backache.

At night, he lied down gently beside me to keep me company. It almost felt like the best time we had ever shared.

But I knew in my heart this wouldn’t last.

Tanya’s treatment worked well, and I felt much better the next morning.

When Dylan helped change the bandages, I showed him how much better my wounds looked.

Dylan’s hands ran over my back, then suddenly froze. When our eyes met, I could see that his eyes were filled with lust. He hadn’t looked at me like that for quite a long time.

Dylan leaned down to me.

He slowly pressed me back onto the bed. Just as his lips were about to meet mine, I heard a crash.

I turned to see Eleanor standing by the door.

She looked so disappointed. The bowl of werewolf’s stew she had been holding had fallen to the floor. The bowl shattered into pieces. The werewolf’s stew splashed everywhere.

Eleanor stood there, as if she were the Luna and I was the one cheated with Dylan.

"I'm sorry. Am I disturbing something? Ella, Dylan had already spent so much time taking care of you! I needed him as well. How could you do this to us?!”

Dylan stopped what he was doing right away.

Eleanor’s voice was trembling with sobs.

Then, she turned to leave.

“Eleanor!”

He teleported away.

When he teleported, his movement was too fast. He tore my wound open again.

I could feel the pain.

I wanted to cry, but somehow, I laughed at myself for trusting him again.

It was Tanya who found me, the bed had already been soaked with my blood.

When I woke up again, an elder from the pack called and asked me how the preparations for the annual Full Moon Ceremony were going.

The Full Moon Ceremony was extremely important for an Alpha. All the elders would come to pay their respects, along with members from other packs.

Every year, I was the only one handling everything, as his Luna.

I usually arranged all the details according to Dylan's preferences. It required a lot of time and energy, because I needed to confirm every guest, every seat and every decoration.

The elders asked, “Is everything okay?”

I took a deep breath and said, "Yes.”

This would be my last Full Moon Ceremony as Dylan’s Luna.

After 2 days, I wouldn’t be Dylan’s Luna or even stay in this pack anymore.

On that day, I was among the guests, busy arranging seats for everyone.

When I turned around, I saw Dylan and Eleanor walking in.

Dylan was wearing the blue tuxedo I had bought him and Eleanor was wearing a blue dress that matched his, as if they were the Alpha and the Luna.

He and Eleanor kept chatting with other werewolves, as if I was just one of the servants.

Then it came to the part where everyone presented gifts to pay tribute to the Alpha. Dylan received many valuable gifts.

What I had prepared was a battle bracelet made of pigeon blood red crystals. Such a battle bracelet would enhance the owner's defensive abilities during battles, and I had started searching for it half a year ago.

A guest said, “There were very few pigeon blood red crystals like this in the world. It would cost more than a million!”

“It must have been bought at an auction, only something this worthy can be used as a gift for our Alpha.”

I saw Dylan’s eyes light up when he looked at the gift. I had been with him for 3 years. I knew this bracelet was just to his taste.

Clearly, he liked it. But he only nodded at me, as if I were a stranger.

Eleanor stepped forward and picked out her own gift from the pile. Hers was a pair of werewolf gloves. It was too roughly made.

The crowd fell silent instantly.

Someone laughed and others began clapping in a provocative way.

“These gloves don’t even have high-quality fur. They’re made from mixed fur of different animals.”

“Look at those! The two gloves aren’t even the same size. How could anyone give such a gift to the Alpha at a gathering this important?”

Before Eleanor could say a word, Dylan pulled her behind. A low growl rumbled in his throat.

The crowd went deathly quiet.

All the werewolves cautiously lowered their heads. Because this meant the Alpha was angry.

Dylan picked up the gloves. Obviously, they didn’t fit him.

He forced them on, held his hands up and declared, “This is the best gift I’ve received. Compared to all these expensive things, I prefer Eleanor’s.”

Eleanor looked up into Dylan’s eyes and said, “I made this specifically for you. But it seems to pale next to others’ gifts, like that bracelet. It makes me sad.”

When Dylan heard this, he stepped forward and picked up the bracelet. He held it up, and said, “Eleanor’s handmade gift touched my heart more. As for this…”

He dropped the bracelet to the ground and crushed it under his shoe. I heard the sound of it shattering.

That bracelet could keep him stay unharmed in battles. But now, none of that mattered.

He would choose to humiliate me in front of the whole pack just to make Eleanor feel better, letting everyone laugh at me.

That was enough.

I felt our mate bond weaken more. The werewolf I had once loved so deeply was gone.

The day after tomorrow, I wouldn’t be his mate anymore.

Dylan would be free.

So would I.