The next day, in the car heading to the Elder Luna's birthday party, I received an encrypted message from Daylight Pack Alpha Ethan, sent in his personal capacity.

*Ella, I sense your blood mark has changed. Are you alright?*


Ethan... the only man who had told me "if you're not happy, you can come to me anytime" when I chose to marry Alex.

He was a rare True Alpha who had ascended by virtue of his own character.

Before I could reply, Alex suddenly emitted powerful Alpha pressure beside me.


"Who are you communicating with?"

He roughly grabbed my phone, the unfamiliar Alpha scent making him instantly agitated.


"Which clueless male wolf dares covet my Luna?"

The encrypted message self-destructed the moment he touched my phone.

"Just spam messages," I answered calmly.

"Spam messages?" He narrowed his eyes, clearly disbelieving. "Ella, don't forget your status. Your body and mind, inside and out—every inch belongs to me. I will not allow any male to covet you, understand?"

His words carried undisputable command.

I looked out the window without answering.

Did he think I was still the Ella who would feel flattered by his possessiveness?

The car stopped before the Elder Luna's estate.

Before entering, we could already hear Alex's mother's delighted laughter from inside.

"Oh, you dear child, you're absolutely adorable!"

We walked in, and I instantly froze.

The girl being affectionately held by the Elder Luna, smiling innocently, was none other than Selina.

She wore a pure white dress, appearing as innocent as an angel.

She carefully combed the Elder Luna's silver-white hair, her movements gentle, her posture submissive.

"Mother, what has you so delighted?" Alex stepped forward.

"Alex, you're here!" The Elder Luna was delighted to see her son, though her hand never left Selina. "Look, this is my new friend, Selina. Thanks to her, my chronic headaches have been greatly relieved."

Selina "shyly" lowered her head, and upon seeing Alex, her cheeks flushed pink, the picture of innocent maidenhood.

Alex merely nodded lightly, as though they were meeting for the first time.

What a brilliant performance.

An even more chilling scene unfolded.

A snow-white, graceful spirit wolf ran out from the depths of the manor.

It was "Moon Shadow."

I had raised it with my own hands from a cub. It was the guardian of generations of Lunas and should have shared a mental connection only with me.

"Moon Shadow, come here," I called softly.

Moon Shadow ran toward me but stopped several steps away, then turned and affectionately rubbed against Selina's legs.

Selina took a piece of jerky from her pocket. Moon Shadow docilely accepted it from her hand and ate it with relish.

The surrounding guests let out exclamations of amazement.

"My goodness, even the proud spirit wolf adores her!"

The Elder Luna's face revealed undisguised smugness and mockery.

"See, this is natural affinity. Unlike certain people," her gaze pierced me, "who, being human, can never truly gain the spirit wolf's acceptance, even while occupying the Luna's position."

My heart constricted painfully.

Moon Shadow had been raised by my own hands; I had played with it and brushed its fur every day.

Yet it had never allowed me this close before.

So it wasn't that the wolf was proud—it simply didn't acknowledge me.

Selina approached me and executed a humble bow.

"Greetings, Lady Luna."

Her voice was sweet, but her mental message was full of triumphant gloating: *Sister, even your wolf prefers me. Tell me, why is that?*

I regarded her coldly, saying nothing.

"Ella! Where are your manners?" The Elder Luna scolded harshly. She had never spoken to me in such a tone before. "Selina is greeting you properly. Is this all the grace you can show as Luna?"

Selina's eyes immediately welled with tears as she bit her lip and lowered her head dejectedly.

"Mother, please don't blame Lady Luna... Perhaps I did something to make her dislike me..."

Her pitiful appearance immediately won everyone's sympathy.

Several of Alex's cousins began to whisper.

"Even an Omega shows more grace than the official Luna."

"Exactly. She always looks so cold. I don't know what the Alpha sees in her."

I became the target of everyone's criticism.

I watched this absurd scene unfold—my mother-in-law, my husband, and the spirit wolf I had raised with my own hands, all gathered around another woman.

I felt like an intruder—a redundant joke.

Alex frowned slightly, seeming to sense the situation spiraling out of control.

He came over, took my hand, and announced to everyone: "Ella is simply feeling unwell. The banquet is about to begin. Please take your seats."

His hand was warm, but I felt no warmth from it.

I was pulled toward the solitary seat that had been prepared for me long ago.