I was breathless when I reached the villa, where laughter and chatter had already reached their peak.

The two guards at the entrance looked embarrassed when they saw me. One of them stammered: "Luna, why... why are you here? They've... they've already had dinner..."


Today was Drake's birthday. As his Luna, I only found out about this gathering by chance an hour ago.

I pushed down my unease and kept the elegant smile a Luna should have. "It's fine. I wanted to surprise Drake."

The guards exchanged glances and reluctantly stepped aside. I noticed they didn't announce my arrival, which was unusual.


As I approached the hall doors, the conversation inside made me stop.

"Seriously, Drake, that necklace Lilith gave you is perfect!" a male voice said teasingly. "She really knows what you like after all these years."


After some laughter, Drake's deep voice responded: "Indeed, she always knows what I prefer."

"So," another voice cut in, "when are you getting rid of that warrior Luna of yours? That cruel woman nearly killed Lilith. Does she even deserve to be Luna?"

The man sitting in the center wore a perfectly tailored black suit, his shirt collar casually open, revealing bronze skin and a strong neck. He leaned back in his chair, one hand tapping the edge of his glass. His ice-blue eyes and sharp jawline showed unshakable authority.

"No rush."

My heart almost stopped. My hand was on the door handle, knuckles white from gripping too hard. Just then, the conversation inside suddenly ceased.

I pushed open the door to see Drake looking sideways at the entrance—he had sensed my presence all along. In the hall, more than twenty pack leaders and neighboring territory guests turned to me with various expressions: surprise, awkwardness, schadenfreude...

Lilith sat in what should have been the Luna's place, her golden hair glowing in the candlelight, her pale face wearing a victorious smile, one hand resting intimately on Drake's arm as if that had always been her place.

After an awkward silence, someone whispered: "Who told her about this?"

No one answered. Clearly, I was an uninvited guest.

My hand gripped the gift tightly, suddenly remembering the days when Drake only had eyes for me. Somehow, everything had changed, and I had become an outsider in my own marriage.

"I came to wish you happy birthday, Drake," I heard my voice crack. "Seems I came at a bad time."

Drake put down his glass, slightly frowning, and said with casual mockery: "Who invited you?"