Every time, Dylan would choose Eleanor over me. Just like today, when he didn’t hesitate to crush my gift to protect her pride.

During the second half of the Full Moon Ceremony, everyone gossiped about what had just happened.

Some she-wolves pointed at me behind my back, while others gathered around Eleanor, as if she were new already the new Luna.

I stood at the door and saw off the werewolves until the last one left. I let out a breath of relief.

But I spot Dylan and Eleanor still standing by the gate.

Snow had started falling. Winter had come unusually early this year.

I decided to ignore them and walked inside, but Dylan called out to me.

He said impatiently, “Eleanor’s feeling cold. Give her your fur shawl.”

I looked at the shawl on my shoulders. It was a gift from my mother-wolf, her most beloved one. The fur on it was made from rare animals my father had hunted.

I looked at Eleanor, she was already wearing Dylan’s blue tuxedo coat.

“You have already given her your coat. Isn’t that enough?” I asked.

Eleanor sneezed intentionally.

“Dylan, I feel so cold.”

Dylan pulled the fur shawl off me and put it over Eleanor’s shoulders.

“Dylan, are you crazy? This was my mother-wolf’s…” I started.

He didn’t even let me finish my words, “I know it was your late mother-wolf’s. So what? Eleanor just needs it for a while.”

I reached out and grabbed a corner of the shawl, but Dylan dragged my hand away.

Eleanor said, “I’ll wash it and return it to you when I’m done.”

I said, “No. This was handmade by my mother-wolf. It can only be dry cleaned. I’ll have someone pick it up at your apartment door tomorrow morning to get it back.”

Eleanor rolled her eyes at me.

She got into the limo and called out to Dylan, “Are you coming?”

Dylan seemed about to say something to me, but he glanced at me and got into the limo.

The limo disappeared into the snow.

At that moment, I felt so cold. I was left all alone.

My phone was almost dead when I finally got a ride. By the time I got home to our mansion, I felt my head burning up.

I got a fever.

I made myself some herbal tea and quickly fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, I felt my heart racing and my whole body ached. I touched the other side of the bed with my hand.

No surprise. He didn’t come back.

The next day, I felt much better but was still weak. I checked my cellphone and was shocked to see a photo from Eleanor. She had soaked my shawl in her bathtub.

I could see that the fur had fallen off and been ruined.

Then Eleanor sent a message: “Oops, I forgot. But this shawl of yours can’t be that expensive, right? I heard it was made by your mother-wolf herself. I’ll pay you $10 for it. That’s quite enough for a second-hand trash.”

I even noticed traces of the fur on the shawl was neatly cut.

She did it on purpose.

I teleported out and got in the car.

She could mess with me, but she shouldn’t do this to my mother-wolf’s shawl.

I drove fast all the way to Eleanor’s apartment and knocked hard on the door.

Eleanor opened the door wearing a lace silk nightgown, looking like she hadn’t woken up yet. She looked at me in shock and asked, "What are you doing here? How did you know where I live?"

I asked her, "Where’s the shawl? Give it to me or I will kill you."

She shrugged and said, “It’s still in the bathtub. What do you want it for? Didn’t I say I would give you $10? You didn’t have to come all the way to my place over such a cheap thing.”

I could barely control myself.

My hands shifted into wolf claws, and I scratched hard at Eleanor’s face. Blood flowed down her face.

“Why did you do this to me? That thing is worthless!”

I didn’t back down.

I grabbed her by the chin and asked, “Did you do it on purpose? You did all of these on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t act like you are the innocent one! You deliberately came back at this time, got close to Dylan, made him help your mother-wolf, told me about you two’s sweet past, interrupted our kiss in the hospital, and destroyed my mother-wolf’s shawl. Let me tell you, don’t play tricks on me. The reason I didn’t confront you before isn’t because I’m weak.”

Suddenly, Eleanor put on a weak look and sat down on the floor.

She said, “I really don’t understand why you’re treating me like this.”

Just then, I heard a familiar voice.

“Ella, have you had enough of this nonsense?”

I saw the bedroom door open. Dylan walked out shirtless.

He looked at me as if I were his enemy.

“Eleanor, are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

Dylan teleported to her side in a flash.

He helped her stand up and gently touched her face, as if those small wounds might leave a scar on a werewolf.

The way he looked at me was completely different.

“How dare you hit her? Have you lost your mind?”

Dylan was angry.

“Because she destroyed my shawl. On purpose.”

Dylan frowned. “It’s just a shawl. Why do you have to do this?”

“Just a shawl? Don’t you remember? It was my mother-wolf’s most cherished possession. You have lost your mind after Eleanor came back, Dylan.”

Dylan froze. Maybe he had finally remembered what that shawl meant to me.

We had been mates for 3 years, and I had never spoken to him like this.

He cleared his throat and said, “But Eleanor didn’t mean it. She already offered to buy that shawl. The shawl is ruined now. Stop being unreasonable.”

He pulled out a checkbook, scribbled a number and tossed the check at me.

“Is this enough?”

The check landed at my feet. I didn’t pick it up.

Dylan glanced at me, then wrote another check and threw it down too.

“Enough now? How much do you want?”

He looked at me like we were negotiating a business deal.

When I still didn’t move, he wrote a third check. This one was for $1 million. Before he could drop it, I took it from his hand.

“Fine, you two enjoy yourselves.”

I turned to leave.

Tomorrow, our mate bond would disappear. There was no point in wasting my time here.

But before I could step out, Dylan grabbed my wrist.

“The money is for the shawl. But you hit Eleanor. You need to apologize to her.”

“What did you say?”

“Apologize to Eleanor. Now.”

“And if I don’t?” I could feel my tears in my eyes.

“Then I’ll destroy every business your father-wolf left behind.”

I looked at him.

He really felt like a stranger, or even an enemy.

My father-wolf had trusted him with his entire business when he died. And now? He had taken it all and was threatening to burn it down for Eleanor.

I didn’t say a word.

Eleanor stepped forward.

“A Luna who can’t apologize for her own mistake? What would the pack think if they knew?” She pushed hard against my back.

My wound split open again. I crumpled to my knees.

Eleanor pressed her hand to my head, forcing it down.

“This is how you should beg for forgiveness. Understand?”

He said, “Let it go, Eleanor.”

For a second, Dylan looked nervous. He reached out to help me up, but I stood on my own.

I said nothing. I just walked out.

As I left the apartment, I heard Eleanor talk to Dylan.

“She scratched my face! What if it scars? It hurts so bad…”

His voice was soft when he replied, “It won’t. I’ll find the best healer in the whole world for you.”

I got in my car and hit the gas. A tear slipped out, but I wiped it away fast, as if I was erasing every sweet memory I had ever shared with Dylan.

Dylan didn’t call me or come home.

I waited for him until the morning of our 3-year mate bond. I went to see the Southern witch alone.

I watched as she cast the spell. I could almost feel that our mate bond was being destroyed. The mark on my wrist vanished.

I touched the skin where the mark was, it was completely gone, as if that mark had never existed at all. Just like our mate bond.

It was over.

From now on, Dylan means nothing to me.