Chapter 02

The stone hall, which had been cold, was suddenly filled with the sound of sinuses.

Whispers tried to become mocking captives, laughter full of contempt.

“Luna, the substitute, dares to defy the Moon Goddess's decree!”

“Who does she think she is? She's just a backup woman!”

“She deserves to be discarded because she was a nobody from the start!”

I began to lower my head, not out of shame, but because if I lifted my face now, my tears would surely begin to fall.

Even with my head down, I could feel the people's gazes piercing me like spears.

The same eyes I had calmed in my speech when Richard disappeared for a week in anger. The same eyes I had protected when the enemy attacked and Richard was unable to leave his room.

It seemed that now everyone had forgotten.

They all forgot my sacrifices, forgot every wound I received because they were immediately erased by just one word from Richard about the true Mate.

I tried to lift my face, looking for the gaze that calmed me, but unfortunately Richard only referred to Hazel.

In fact, I waited for that gaze every time I entered his room.

The same gaze that I always cried over every night because he was too busy with his affairs to notice my existence.

It was also the gaze I had been waiting for these past five years, and in the end, that gaze never truly belonged to me.

Richard's warm gaze belonged only to Hazel, the woman he said was his true mate, even though she was the one who had left him in despair.

My heart grew heavier because today was supposed to be a happy day.

The day I had secretly marked five years ago because it was our wedding anniversary.

There should have been a long table with beautiful candles that you arranged yourself.

There should have been piano music that I ordered to fill the cold, gloomy air, and I should have been wearing that beautiful dress, but why was Hazel wearing it instead?

I had done everything I could to make Richard see you as a woman worthy of his love, not as a replacement for Luna.

This day should have been the day I waited for, the day of my struggle, and it should have been our happy day, not his and Hazel's.

But the reality? What could I expect, when even they all started to drive me away from the place I had always guarded and cared for so well.

“Erica,” Beta Max's voice echoed with contempt. “You are so embarrassing right now, you should know your place. I also want to remind you that you should be happy because you have been given the opportunity to be Luna for the past 5 years. Not everyone is that lucky!”

Now only the sound of laughter from the crowd could be heard.

I started to look at Eric, who was clinging to Hazel, his eyes sparkling with happiness even though they were still wet with tears. The boy didn't even look in my direction anymore.

I felt that now, all our memories, the bedtime stories, the warm hugs when I had a fever, the spoonfuls of porridge in the morning, were just an illusion that I had created for myself.

I clutched my chest, feeling a huge hole gaping there.

“Enough!” Richard's flat voice stopped the crowd.

I turned to him, still hoping he would turn to me for just a moment, at least for a second today, on our wedding anniversary.

But unfortunately, what I hoped for would never come true because his eyes were now only focused on Hazel, as if I had never been in his life for even a moment.

At that moment, I began to realize that I really had no place here.

Our wedding day, or the day that was supposed to be a celebration of our love, had turned into a day of expulsion.

The day when I, who had sacrificed my heart and soul, was mercilessly thrown out of the place I had fought so hard for.

My lips felt stiff, but I forced myself to smile. It was a bitter smile that felt more like a wound.

“Congratulations, Alpha Richard,” I said softly. “You finally got what you always wanted.”

I forced my feet to walk out, passing one by one the looks that insulted me. Passing the fading torchlight and also passing the walls that had once witnessed our wedding vows.

Now every step I took felt like my own coffin, which I closed with my own hands.

My feet began to run aimlessly. I just wanted to get away from the hall, from the scornful stares and from the sound of their laughter that pierced my ears.

The dark forest welcomed me. The cold and silent air embraced me, but everything was more soothing than the palace I had always called home.

My chest hurt, not because I was crying, but because my heart was broken.

Today was supposed to be my wedding anniversary, but instead I was running away as an outcast werewolf.

Suddenly, in the quiet of the night, I heard a loud noise. It was a woman's scream, and I knew it was Hazel.

I turned toward the sound, realizing that it was meant to be heard clearly.

I didn't have to wait long before his pack of warrior wolves scattered into the forest, led by Richard and Eric.

With a reflexive movement, I hid behind a tree, watching from a distance.

Hazel began to run slowly, her beautiful dress slightly torn by the branches. Her face was pale, her body trembling as if she were very frightened.

“Richard! Eric!” she shouted in frustration, her tears falling dramatically. “I was just trying to find Erica, I wanted to win her over, but I was attacked by Rogue, I'm so scared!” She cried her heart out.

Richard quickly hugged her, his gaze full of anger and worry.

“Hazel, don't do anything stupid like this, you could die.”

Eric was also seen hugging Hazel tightly. His innocent face was now filled with hatred.

“Mom, why did you have to go alone? And Aunt Erica is very evil and she wronged you!”