Celestine's POV

“YOU’RE HOME?”

I sighed deeply as I slowly nodded my head. I have returned home without him seeing me at least once in the hospital. While, he stayed with Aubrey's side the whole time. I just kept silent while keeping myself busy in fixing our bed.

I will hide from him the devastating truth that we lost our son. This is for the better.

Wearing a mask of smile on my face, I faced him. I gave him the best smile I could give. “Yes, I am fine. Don't worry about me.”

Worry? I wondered if he even felt a bit of that emotion for me. With him, not showing up even once for me was enough testament that he never cared and he would never worry about me.

“I saw the results of your CT scan, it seemed like everything is fine. Just a minor injuries,” he said.

I just nodded. “Yeah…”

After that brief conversation, we became silent. I don't have any energy to talk to him either. I think the picture of him and Aubrey in the hospital is enough to drain everything from me—my energy, my love, and everything. I am just so tired.

I lied on the bed. Then after a couple of minutes, I felt the bed move. It seemed like Sebastian already lied beside me.

I thought it would be a peaceful night for me. But when Sebastian fell asleep deeply, his phone kept on beeping on the bedside table. I tried to check the messages, but I hope I didn't.

It was Aubrey.

From: Aubrey

Thank you for the milkshake. You're cute and abit crazy for buying me 30 different flavors! So sweet!

I wish I didn't opened it. I remembered the time that I asked Sebastian to buy me a milkshake. But he refused and said, “Milkshake? What are you, a kid?” He thought that it was childish.

But why it's different with Aubrey? How can he treats her better than his own Luna.

The silence of our room pressed in from all sides as I lay there that night, wrapped up in the hollow embrace of my side of the bed. Once a place of strength and solidarity, the room now seemed like a jail where I was tortured by recollections of happier days. I had to force myself to read Sebastian's phone messages when I got a glance of his screen earlier that day, and my hands were shaking as I went through them.

From: Aubrey

I love all the flavors. You're the best!

Thank you again, Alpha Sebastian.

Every phrase pierced like a blade, spiralling deeper until only bare, empty agony remained. As mute witnesses to the agony that tore at my chest, tears trickled down my cheeks. I smothered the tears that ripped through me by gripping the pillow. My body trembled as sadness blended with an enrage so intense that I was out of breath.

I wiped my tears. “Shit… Why did I even read this?”

Morning came too soon, and with it, the weight of duty. Sebastian found me in the hall, eyes averted, voice devoid of warmth. “Celestine, I need you to handle the preparations for the feast tonight,” he said flatly. His gaze swept past me, landing somewhere over my shoulder, where I could hear Aubrey and his beta laughing softly.

I nodded numbly, the words catching in my throat. “Of course, Alpha,” I whispered, though my voice felt foreign, empty.

Sebastian continued. He just pushed by me as if I were just another pack member and a supporting character in his universe, without pausing or waiting for an acknowledgement.

Aubrey trailed close behind, her eyes darting to my with that triumphant, sly grin. As they made their way to the second level, the elders and the beta followed, their footsteps reverberating down the hallway.

The hall seemed to close in, the murmurs and laughter fading until all that remained was silence. I took a shuddering breath, straightening my spine as I fought the crushing weight pressing down on me.

“It seemed like Alpha is dumping the Luna for Aubrey…” I heard one woman whisphered.

The other woman nodded. “He likes her more than his wife and Luna.”

With trembling hands, I turned and my mind already racing with the plans for the feast. My duty called, and if nothing else, I was still Luna. For now.

But my heart was hurt when I heard another statement from a woman, another female wolf in our pack.

“What if Alpha Sebastian will replace the Luna soon?”

Celestine's POV

“AUBREY WILL REPLACE CELESTINE AS THE LUNA.”

The rumors were unrelenting, whirling about me like a never-ending hurricane. The remarks cut deep into my heart, reopening scars that refused to heal. They were first excruciatingly painful, sucking blood from the deepest depths of my soul. However, over time, they left me with something worse: emptiness.

I battled hard to keep Sebastian, my mate and Alpha, with me. But each day, the struggle felt fruitless, and my strength dwindled. Love had transformed into a hollow shell, and all I could do was survive.

That night, I waited for him, sitting alone in the silence of our home. When the door creaked open, his footsteps felt like thunder in the quiet.

“S-Sebastian—” I called out softly, but he didn’t respond. He set his phone on the table, its screen lighting up briefly with a message. My heart sank as I picked it up.

To: Aubrey

Sorry for keeping you waiting. I’ll make it up to you. Dinner tonight?

From: Aubrey

That’s a promise!

The words blurred as my tears fell. My fingers trembled as I placed the phone back, suppressing the scream building in my throat. I retreated to the bedroom, staring at the ceiling until dawn broke.

The next morning, I woke to the smell of cooking. Entering the kitchen, I saw Sebastian standing at the stove. He turned to greet me with a plate in hand. “Good morning.”

“Eggs and vegetables?” I said, frowning. “I would’ve preferred bacon.”

His eyes narrowed. “Don’t be ungrateful.”

“I’m not ungrateful—”

“Then stop complaining,” he snapped, his tone cold.

Breakfast passed in tense silence. My thoughts swirled, drowning me until his raised voice brought me back.

“Celestine!” he barked, glaring at me. “Pay attention when I’m talking.”

“S-Sorry…”

He smirked bitterly. “Always playing the victim, aren’t you? Why are you acting like this? Isn’t everything I’ve given you enough?”

Everything. Material comforts, yes. But never his love.

Then his phone beeped again. Unable to stop myself, I muttered, “Is it Aubrey again?”

Sebastian’s expression darkened. “Stop acting immature!”

“Me? Immature?”

“You’re unreasonable,” he hissed before rising from his seat.

“Where are you going?” I asked, though I already knew.

“Aubrey needs me.”

•••

By midday, I overheard whispers that Aubrey had fallen ill and was resting in the pack’s clinic. “The Alpha’s secretary isn’t feeling well,” one of the servants said. “He’s been with her since morning.”

And of course, he had.

Hours later, his voice pierced my mind through the pack’s mindlink: “Celestine, make Aubrey some carrot soup. But don’t come to the clinic.”

My chest tightened as I responded. “I’ll prepare it right away.”

In the kitchen, I worked in silence, chopping and stirring. The soup I poured into a container carried the last fragments of my care. Yet when I sent it to the clinic, I couldn’t resist also gathering a fruit basket and heading there myself.

When I entered the clinic, the sterile scent stung my nose. Aubrey’s room was quiet except for murmured voices. Pushing the door open, I saw her lying on the bed with Sebastian at her side, his hand clasping hers.

“Why are you here?” he asked flatly, his tone devoid of warmth.

“Luna,” Aubrey greeted with a faint smile. The title sounded like mockery. You hold the rank, but I hold his heart. That's what it felt like to me.

“I brought you some fruit,” I said, placing the basket by her bedside.

Aubrey took a peach, murmuring her thanks. Her expression was polite, yet her victory was evident.

Sebastian’s gaze brushed past me without acknowledgment. My stomach churned. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something that twisted the knife deeper.

By the window sat the untouched container of soup I had made. Beside it, a stray dog lazily licked the remnants from the bowl.

My throat tightened. They hadn’t even tasted it.

“I’ll leave you to rest,” I managed, my voice steady despite the tremor threatening to break through. Aubrey nodded, while Sebastian didn’t spare me a second glance.

Back at home, I shut the door behind me, sliding down to the floor. The tears I had fought so hard to hold back came crashing down.

Why is he so cruel to me?

Celestine's POV

“THE ALPHA’S BIRTHDAY IS COMING…”

Two months went by in a haze of duty and quiet, with the only sounds to mark each day being the pack's murmurs and the icy weight of my own heart. I pretended to be Luna, managing duties, giving commands, and preserving the appearance of power. But in reality, I felt empty, like a ghost of the woman who had once trusted him, believed in love, and believed in fidelity.

Sebastian’s relationship with Aubrey was still unknown to me. Still, I saw the stolen glances, the small smiles they shared when they thought no one was looking. And then there were the messages.

The sweet, private messages between them that I forced myself to read whenever his phone was left unlocked, each one cutting deeper than the last.

“Hey, Celestine…” he called my name.

This morning, when I sat across from him at the breakfast table, I could scarcely taste the food on my plate. Then, I said, “Why? Is there a problem?”

Sebastian's gaze was fixated on his phone, his fork idle as he read something that raised the corner of his lips in a manner he hadn't grinned at me in years. I glanced down and stirred my tea, hoping the action would drown out the agony in my chest.

Then, out of nowhere, he spoke, breaking the silence. “Celestine, my birthday is coming up,” he said, his tone casual but expectant. His eyes met mine for the first time that morning, and there was a flicker of something almost like warmth. “I was hoping you’d bake the cake. You know how much I love your baking.”

I forced a smile, a practiced motion that had become second nature. “Of course, Sebastian. I’ll make it special,” I said, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue.

His agreement didn't mean anything because he was already thinking about something else. But time stopped for me. While I watched him look through his phone—most likely texting Aubrey—my heart was beating at a faster, less stable rate.

Then he suddenly coldly added, “I am looking forward to it.”

The realization that had grown over the previous weeks eventually blossomed into something undeniable: I couldn't keep doing this. I couldn't continue to be the quiet, dutiful Luna who suffered without question.

I forced a smile. “S-Sure…”

In that moment, as the morning sun filtered through the window and lit up his profile, I made a silent vow.

‘This will be the last cake I ever bake for you, Sebastian. After this, I’m leaving.’

I still couldn't forget how badly he treated me, especially these last few months. After Aubrey came, I felt like more of a stranger to him.

Then he suddenly said out of nowhere, “I’m leaving now in a few moments. I still have important matters to do in the packhouse.”

I nodded. “Alright.”

“I am looking forward to the cake and the feast celebration. Don't disappoint me, My Luna.”

The remainder of breakfast went quietly. The clinking of cutlery and the odd whisper filled the air, but the weight of my resolve rumbled under my skin, giving me courage.

The fear of the unknown gnawed at me, but so did the furious, increasing conviction that I deserved more than this half-life, more than being the devoted Luna to a partner who couldn't see me, didn't want me.

“Do you need anything for the preparations?” Sebastian’s voice cut through my thoughts as he stood up, placing his empty plate in the sink. His expression was neutral, polite—so far from the man who used to look at me with fire in his eyes.

“No, I’ll manage,” I replied, my voice steady. I followed him with my gaze as he walked out, his shoulders broad, his stride confident. But he felt like a stranger, a man I once knew but who now belonged to someone else.

As soon as I was alone, I sighed and pressed my hands on the table's edge to center myself. My mind buzzed with thoughts as I planned out the cake, but this time it wasn’t just flour and sugar and fondant…

It was a goodbye.

A farewell present to the life I was about to leave behind. I'd make it lovely as a last testimony to the love I once put into every aspect of our lives together. And then I'd let it go.

“After this cake was made, I am leaving…”

I took my phone out. After some years of being a martyr, I finally had the guts to do something for myself. I dialed the familiar number.

“Hello, who's this?” the low baritone voice answered.

"Hello Alpha Nathan, it's been a long time."

"Celestine?" I can hear the excitement in his voice. "It's been a long time."

I smiled. "Yes. It's me... I need a favor."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I wanted to transfer back to the Moonshine Pack."