Violet let out silent sobs, and when she looked up, her eyes were glistening with tears. “I-I am sorry that I disturbed both of you. I didn’t mean it. I just want a place to stay.”

Her hand clutched her right cheek where I had slapped her.

I ignored her and started picking up the scattered bracelets all over the floor. The materials were a bit sharp and some of them cut into my skin, but I didn’t care.

It was nothing compared to the pain I felt when I heard Ryan speak to defend Violet. “You can stay, Violet. Don’t mind Scarlett.”

He turned to me. “Scarlett, what’s the meaning of this? She just wants a place to stay temporarily. When she is officially a member of our pack, she will get her own residence. Besides, she has helped our pack tremendously and is a savior to our pack.”

“When did I agree with it, Ryan? She can get the hell out of here.” I said coldly.

I held back the sob that was threatening to burst out of my chest. My wolf's spirit stirred and I also could feel her pain that our mate didn’t love us anymore.

“Why did you become so cold-hearted, Scarlett? Your temper has gotten worse. You weren’t like this before. We are just letting her stay temporarily because she just underwent eye surgery.” Ryan said in a disapproving tone, and his eyes were brimming with disappointment.

I looked at him in disbelief. What did he just call me? Am I a cold-hearted woman? In order to defend Violet, he could even say such hurtful words to me.

We have been mates ever since we were very young back then, when we were adolescent. I could feel it in my bones that he was the one destined for me. None could imagine how ecstatic I felt when I found out on my eighteenth birthday that we were actually mates.

He promised that he would love me deeply and forever. Seeing him favor another woman over me like this made me almost breathless. My wolf's spirit stirred further and excruciating pain spread all over my body.

“I am also sick, Ryan.” I muttered under my breath. Why couldn’t he feel it through our mate bond that I was sick, really sick, that I had less than a month left to live?

He looked at me, and his gaze became hard. He berated me. “You are already an adult, Scarlett. Act like one and don’t be childish that you always want to compete with others.”

His words pierced my heart and for a split second, I wondered if I had mistaken him for my mate when he actually wasn’t. Was I too smitten with him that I recognized the wrong person?

However, I knew that it was only my doubts speaking. The tattoo on our body was similar, and he was certainly my mate.

I didn’t know whether he felt the intense emotions swirling in my heart right now. There was a flash of what seemed like concern in his eyes before they disappeared, replaced by the sternness of the leader of a pack.

“You are a Luna, Scarlett. You should be generous with your pack members. Violet is going to be one of us soon.” After he said that, he left me alone to escort Violet out of the room.

I looked down. The pieces of sharp objects from the shattered bracelet had unknowingly embedded themselves into my palm. In my anger, I must have clenched my fists too hard.

Without caring for the pain, I continued to pick up the pieces, which felt like picking up the pieces of my heart.

This bracelet was a gift from my brother. Before I turned eighteen, I was attacked by a group of rogues and got so sick that no doctor could help me. My wolf became dormant and because of that, I also fell into a coma. My twin brother, Austin, heard about a temple that could grant people’s wishes.

He climbed that temple which was located at the top of a mountain. For two days and two nights, he relentlessly climbed alone. He prayed there for my health. Austin had sat for five days straight without food or water until someone there gave him this bracelet. After he returned, he put the bracelet on me. Miraculously, I woke up.

I wondered if this broken pieces of bracelet could be a sign. I had woken up because of it, and now that it was broken, it meant that my life would end soon, right?

Bitter laugh escaped from my mouth.

Suddenly, I heard someone clearing his throat. I already knew who it was, so I didn’t look up.

“She destroyed my bracelet, don’t you know?” I muttered coldly, sending him a brief glare before resuming my action.

Ryan clutched both my hands, stopping me from picking up the sharp pieces any longer. He said softly, “Let’s go to the infirmary.”

“She destroyed my bracelet, don’t you know?” I repeated, my voice rising a bit.

There was a brief silence before he spoke. “It’s just a bracelet, Scarlett. I can get you a lot more with whatever materials you want. Gold or diamonds, you can name it.”

I closed my eyes. Didn’t he know how much this bracelet meant to me? Two weeks after Austin gave it to me, he died in order to save someone from rogue werewolves. With that, he also buried his dream of becoming a warrior in a pack. He was gone before he could join any pack.

And the person he saved was none other than Violet.

My throat felt dry, and I pulled my hands from his grasp. The pain jerked me into slight tears, but I forcefully held back. After my wolf's spirit began dying, which I didn’t know exactly when, my regenerative ability also slowed down a lot.

Instead, my skin was more fragile that a light pinch could bruise it for days. I had hidden this condition from Ryan. I thought that I did well in hiding it, but seeing his reaction today, I had doubts. Maybe he just didn’t care.

“Get her out of here or I will be the one getting out of here.” I growled at him.

“Scarlett! Stop being childish. She didn’t do it on purpose. Can’t you see that her eyesight is still not good? Maybe it fell to the floor, and she didn’t see it, thus she accidentally stepped on the bracelet.” Ryan’s voice was tinged with annoyance. His lips pulled into a thin line, and I could see that his patience was dwindling down.

I stayed silent, my eyes telling him that I was still angry and not convinced.

He took a deep breath and then continued, “I already explained to you that I did it to save her from those people. Once someone claims that they are mates with her, even I cannot save her.”

Yes, I already knew that there was such a rule between the werewolf community. However, has it to be him who kissed her? I suddenly had the urge to throw up.

“She is also a savior of our pack. She told us beforehand about the rogue attack so that we could be prepared. Without her, our losses would have been greater, with many pack members dead. Don’t you feel sad for them?” he continued, seeing that my breathing wasn’t as erratic as before. He probably thought that I had calmed down.

Inwardly, I smiled bitterly. I stood up and turned around, then told him. “Then I will be the one getting out of here, Ryan.”

He growled in frustration. Anger evident in his voice as he told me arrogantly. “You can try it. Go out and I will cut the funds to Miracle Shelter.”

I stopped, turned my body around to face him. My face painted with shock and disbelief. Did I hear it, right?

He actually used the Miracle Shelter to threaten me, his own mate, for the sake of Violet!

Because of frequent rogue attacks, my brother and I lost our parents early. We grew up in Miracle Shelter, where the werewolves, who had nowhere to go, stayed. There were a lot of kids and elderly there.

The place became a haven for werewolves who had no pack. They formed a close relationship with each other, like a family that the bond managed to keep us sane. We were not like rogue werewolves, where they succumbed to their wolf's side and acted primarily on instinct.

Although I joined Ryan to regain his place as the rightful heir of the Red Moon pack’s Alpha and later became his Luna, it was still my dream to see those kids and elderly get their stomach full and always warm during the winter. So, we also worked hard in order to make our business successful along with handling the pack.

I never guessed that out of anyone, Ryan would be the one dared to actually use this to threaten me.

My own mate, who was supposed to be the one protecting me, was making me feel threatened instead.

I closed my eyes in silent agony. For the sake of those kids and elderly, I could only compromise with him. I stayed silent, and he seemed to take it as an acquiescence that I no longer objected to Violet living here.

When I opened my eyes again, his pair of blue eyes had become calmer. His anger dissipated at my compliance.

Until his phone rang, and without looking back at me, Ryan exited the room. He went to Violet, who was complaining that her eyesight had gotten worse after I slapped her. With my hearing, I could still hear a bit of their conversation.

After he was gone, a familiar furry figure in his majestic black night color walked in. It was Lupin, my wolf companion whom I had raised since he was a pup.

“Lupin.” I trudged toward him, cradling his head, and he licked my face affectionately.

Lupin was a normal wolf, but he possessed intelligence better than his peers. However, no matter how smart he was, Lupin was still ultimately an ordinary wolf. It has been thirteen years since we took care of him.

He was already old and wasn’t as strong as before. Worse, his left front paw was injured when he tried to save us and that left him disabled ever since. Still, my love for him didn’t change.

When I had a fight with Ryan and spent my days outside, the staff had taken care of him. He was a docile wolf and a lot of people liked him.

Lupin seemed to sense my misery. He nudged me with his snout, as if telling me that he was here for me. I nearly burst into tears. A lot of things here hadn’t changed, only him…

I stroked Lupin’s black, silky fur and whispered in anguish. “Lupin, do you know? He had changed. Now, I don’t know if he is still the same person at all.”

He nudged me again, rubbing his head against my cheek. I took a deep breath and finally couldn’t hold back my tears anymore. They burst out like waterfalls.

After I felt a bit calmer, I guided him back to his room. Tonight was a sleepless night for me, and when I fell asleep, I sunk into a nightmare.

It happened when I was still a teenager. Ryan, who grew up without parents, found his mother again. However, she didn’t seem sane and only instinct had taken over.

Since he was yet an adult, Ryan couldn’t hold back the full force of an adult werewolf. Worse, it was a rogue werewolf who had gone feral. Panicking upon the situation, I jumped in front of him, taking the claw that embedded itself in my stomach.

I coughed a lot of blood at that time, thinking that I was going to die. It was also the first time that he looked so desperate. “You are not allowed to die! What does life mean without you? If you die, I will join you. Do you hear me, Scarlett?”

I jolted awake, feeling like a thousand needles pierced my nerves. I took a deep breath to control the dizziness, then I got up. The dream really bothered me that I was no longer interested in sleeping.

I got out of the room and at the same time chanced upon Violet, who was in her wolf form and tearing at Lupin. She hurled him into the air and I panicked.

I managed to catch Lupin on time, thankfully. He jumped into my arms, his body shivered. The hands that I used to catch him were instantly bruised, and I winced, hiding my pain.

“Violet!” I growled at her.

“I-I didn’t mean it, Scarlett. I saw that Lupin was playing by himself, so I came over to greet him. I didn’t expect him to jump like that.” Violet looked like she was about to break down into tears. “Thankfully, he is fine now.”

“That’s too early to say.” I rolled my eyes. Then, I looked worriedly at Lupin. He seemed to be in a slight shock and everything else was fine, but I still couldn’t rest assured.

I hugged Lupin’s gigantic body and brought him outside, heading toward the pack’s infirmary. The doctor should check all Lupin’s condition thoroughly, just to make sure that he wasn’t sick again.

Lupin looked a bit listless after the shock he went through, and I could also feel his restlessness. He licked my finger that was tracing his snout and then became quiet.

“Why are you following me?” My body spun to face Violet.

She gave me a harmless but fake smile and then pointed to Lupin. “I feel bad because Lupin almost got hurt because of me, so please let me follow you. I also want to make sure that he is alright.”

“You don’t need to do that,” I muttered coldly.

“But I want to, please let me.”

I narrowed my eyes and turned around again, ignoring her. There was a small wish that she would just stop and not bother me anymore, but until we arrived at the infirmary, she still followed me.

Jack greeted me as soon as I stepped into the infirmary. “Luna Scarlett.”

He was the pack doctor that joined after Ryan took over the pack. The man was quite obsessed about improving the pack’s strength, so he always provided excellent health service.

I nodded at him, and as soon as he saw Lupin; he looked worried. “Lupin is sick again?”

I set Lupin down. My finger rubbed Lupin’s silky fur, and he rubbed his head against mine. I gave a quick glance at Violet before I answered his question. “He fell down earlier, so I am a bit worried if he got sick again.”

Jack had a look of understanding and he nodded. “I see. Let me check him.”

After a while, only then did he realize there was someone following his Luna from behind. He looked at her and gave me a questioning look. “Luna, this is…?”

Before I could respond, Violet had opened her mouth first. “I am going to join the pack soon. So, let me introduce myself. I am Violet Murphy, and I know a little about medicine.”

I frowned while Jack gave a surprised look. “Well, welcome to the pack, Violet. Maybe we can learn medicine together in the future.”

Jack was being polite, but Violet seemed enthusiastic. Indeed, she didn’t have the look of someone who would understand medicine, and Jack wasn’t someone who was easily impressed or convinced by just anyone, especially in the field that he was proud of.

“Lupin is fine.” Jack said after half an hour of an examination, “But you need to pay more attention to his diet. I can also prescribe some medicine to help him…”

The anxieties in my heart were eased a little after I heard that. Jack scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

I thanked him, and I was intending to leave before Violet spoke again. “Are you very proficient in medicine, Dr. Jack? I heard that there are some pills that can enhance werewolves’ strength.”

Unexpectedly, Jack’s interest was piqued. I narrowed my eyes at Violet and then looked away, deep in thought. This woman seemed to have something up her sleeve, and even she ‘accidentally’ managed to grasp the topic that would interest Jack the most.

Honestly, I still despise her for breaking my bracelet. I wanted to know what trick she would do, so I went to Lupin’s side and sat down on a chair.

“Yeah, I managed to make some of such pills…” Violet stopped and she carefully studied Jack’s expression before she continued, “I can show you the pills if you want, Dr. Jack.”

“Well, show me. I am interested.” He looked at her expectantly.

Violet took a small bottle from her pocket and handed it to Jack. There were some beautiful green colored pills there and when Jack opened the lid, a refreshing smell wafted in.

I scrunch my face, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. The smell made me somewhat breathless.

“I have heard of such pills before…” Jack murmured. “This looks exactly how it is described. Refreshing smell, enchanting green color.”

He seemed to have a renewed impression of Violet when he turned to her again. I did notice that Violet was sending me a discreet look; her face smug.

“Have you tried it on werewolves?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“Of course.” Violet said. She looked proud as she said, “My brother has tried it. His strength is better than ordinary werewolves now.”

“Why? Luna Scarlett wants to try it?” She glanced at me.

I shook my head. “No need.”

Her motive for coming here was revealed now. She wanted to gain a foothold here by assuming the identity of an apothecary. Was Ryan attracted to her because of this, too? I had once also studied medicine and had a small knowledge of it.

Ryan had a bit of an obsession about healthcare, after all. After he took over as an Alpha of this pack, he made sure that everyone would receive the healthcare they deserved.

“We can try that on Lupin.” Violet suddenly said.

My eyes widened, and she appeared beside me after she said that.

“No need.” I told her, clutching her hand.

However, as if she had anticipated that, she used her other hand to shove the pill into Lupin’s mouth. I was enraged that she dared to use Lupin as an experiment.

“How dare–” my voice was cut off when suddenly Lupin’s body convulsed. His eyes were wide, like he was in extreme pain.