Chapter 1

When I caught Daniel's sister wearing my brand-new silk dress for the second time this month, my chest felt as if stuffed with a ball of wet cotton, stuffy and uncomfortable.

She had deliberately tugged the dress's neckline lower, revealing an ambiguous red mark on her collarbone.

He never deigned to leave such an obvious mark on me, for he deemed it a disgrace that I was his Luna.

I grabbed my phone and dialed his number without hesitation.

"Daniel, tell Sophia to leave you—otherwise, I’m gone. It’s your choice."

"Emma, have you lost your mind? Sophia is just my sister—you're actually jealous of my sister? " His voice was filled with disbelief, as if my anger was completely unreasonable.

I took a deep breath and forced myself to calm down.

"Don't use 'sister' as an excuse—she isn't even related to you by blood. And this isn't just about a dress. It's about her stealing my things time and time again, taking over my space, and snatching the attention that should belong to my Mate."

"If you won't make her leave, then I'll go. I'm tired of being your dirty little secret, Luna."

"Emma, drop your ridiculous jealousy! Sophia and I are completely innocent—only someone with your lowly blood would stoop to smearing others' reputations."

The roar from the other end of the line made Ella, the wolf within me, fly into a rage.

"Innocent? Then what about that mark on her neck? Spare me your anger—I don't buy it. If you want to protect her, go ahead. I'm done."

I hung up the phone roughly.

I stared at the screen, then let out a bitter laugh that sounded more like a whimper.

I’m his Luna, and more importantly, his Fate Mate—but he’s never willing to let anyone know I’m his mate.

He said if I could make remarkable achievements for the pack’s company, he’d agree to reveal my identity.

Yet he only thinks I’ll mess everything up, confining me to a role as an employee in a peripheral department.

I once thought that forming a bond with Daniel was the luckiest thing that would ever happen to me.

After all, I’ve known since I was little that the chance of finding a Fate Mate is even slimmer than looking for a needle in a haystack.

But now I realized that this relationship had been a nightmare from the start.

To get closer to him, I left my own pack and became an outsider not recognized by the Midst Fang Pack.

After all these years, no matter how hard I’ve tried, I’ve never been accepted—never allowed to touch the pack’s affairs. Yet Sophia gets to naturally take charge of the pack’s businesses, as if she’s the true Luna of this pack.

By now, there was nothing left for me to cling to.

I quickly packed up my few belongings and strode out of the oppressive manor.

Before getting in the car, I dialed a number I knew by heart.

"Dad, Mom, I regret it. I want to come back to the Silver Moon Pack."

On the other end of the line, my father was silent for a long time.

His voice was deep, holding an undeniable heaviness.

"Daniel? I warned you about him ages ago—he’s not to be trusted! But you were so caught up in his false promises, convinced a Fate Mate could never lie to you. Where are you? Let me send someone to get you right away."

After hanging up, I finally broke down and sobbed.

I remember the moment Daniel confessed his love to me—his deep blue pupils were filled with tenderness, and I fell for him hopelessly.

Now, looking back, how much of his love was real?

When I returned to the Silver Moon Pack, my mother rushed over and hugged me tightly. My father stood behind her, his eyes glistening with tears all the same.

I patted my mother’s back gently and told her, “I’m fine. I’m home now—everything‘s okay.” Only then did she hold back her tears, still clinging tightly to me and refusing to let go.

My father said in a deep, steady voice: "It's good that you're back. Come with me to learn to take over the pack's business—you'll inherit my Alpha position in the future."

"OK.I'll come back to inherit your position once I settle things with Daniel."