Chapter 2

He sensed my mood before I could mask it, his tone softening like the wind before a storm.

“Alice, are you still upset about the wedding delay? Don’t worry. I’ve already dealt with it. This time, nothing will interfere.”

He stepped closer, the faint scent of pine and frost curling around me—a scent that had once brought comfort but now felt suffocating.

“I’ll explain to your grandmother personally,” he added, guilt flashing briefly in his silvered eyes before being replaced by a practiced calm.

I let out a bitter laugh, as cold and sharp as the winter winds in the mountains. “Don’t bother. The wedding’s off. You don’t need to meet my grandmother—she wouldn’t want your explanations anyway.”

His composure cracked for the briefest moment, irritation flickering in his eyes like a predator cornered. “Alice, you’re overreacting. The wedding has been three months in the making. Invitations have been sent to every pack. Do you realize the dishonor you’re bringing to me?”

“Dishonor?” I echoed, my voice laced with ice. “Was it honor that kept you running off on ‘urgent pack matters’? Or was it her?”

His lips parted, but before he could spew another lie, his phone buzzed. He glanced down, and as if pulled by instinct, his lips curved into a smile that sliced through me like a silver blade.

“I’ll make it up to you,” he murmured before disappearing into the night, his figure melting into the shadows like smoke. The scent of Ella lingered faintly in the air. Only she could summon him with a single message.

Once, I might have believed his excuses. Now, the truth gleamed brighter than the full moon rising above us. He didn’t even bother hiding it anymore.

After he left, I gathered every gift he’d given me over the past hundred days. Trinkets meant to placate me. Tokens for a love that had long since decayed. I intended to return them all.

The next morning, as I was about to leave, the seamstress called.

“Miss Alice, your custom wedding dress has arrived. When can you come for the fitting?”

I steadied my voice against the tide of emotions threatening to drown me. “Cancel it. The wedding’s off.”

The woman hesitated. “This dress was a moonlit commission. The deposit alone was fifty million. If you wish to cancel, you’ll need to come in person to sign the forms.”

Reluctantly, I went to the boutique. As I signed the cancellation forms, another dress caught my eye. It gleamed like frost under moonlight, adorned with rare starsteel threads and enchanted diamonds that pulsed faintly with lunar energy.

“That’s...” My words faltered as two assistants wheeled it out with reverence. Their whispered chatter pierced through me like claws.

“Ella is so lucky,” one said with an envious sigh. “This dress is the most exquisite piece we’ve ever seen! It’s commissioned by an Alpha and an Ryan together.1 billion can’t even cover its magic enhancements.”

“Imagine two dominant wolves competing to spoil her,” another added. “What kind of blessing must she have to deserve that?”

My grip tightened around the pen, my claws threatening to pierce the paper.

When I arrived at Ryan’s office, the box of returned gifts felt heavier with every step. The receptionists greeted me with bright smiles.

“Mrs. Stone,” they chirped. “You’re so lucky! Ryan took a month off to prepare for your wedding!”

“Did you hear?” one whispered loudly. “He even bought a lunar relic necklace at auction for ten billion. It’s probably for the wedding.”

Their voices dripped with envy, but their words struck like daggers. Every detail they spoke of wasn’t mine. The wedding plans, the jewelry, the grand gestures—they were all for someone else.

The elevator doors slid open, and her voice spilled out before I saw her. Ella, leaning against Ryan, her arm looped through his.

“Ryan, this necklace is ridiculous. I can’t even move my neck with all this weight!”

He smirked, brushing a lock of hair from her face. “Didn’t you say you wanted Ethan to feel threatened? Consider it a success.”

I stepped into the room, the air thick with their shared intimacy. Ryan’s expression shifted when he noticed me, his gaze hardening like steel.

“Why are you here?” he demanded. “Didn’t I tell you to stay away from the office? You’re disrupting my employees.”

His eyes fell on the box in my hands. “What’s that? Trash? Security, throw it out.”

Before I could speak, the guards seized the box and dumped it into the bin. I stared, my breath catching as the truth sank in—everything he’d given me was counterfeit. Cheap imitations. Worthless lies.

Ethan’s voice broke the silence.

“Ryan, your mate is standing here, and you’re holding mine. Care to explain?”

Ella stepped back, tears welling in her eyes as she turned to me. “Alice, I know you and Ethan have a history, but you accepted Ryan’s proposal. Why can’t you let Ethan go?”

Ryan’s glare deepened.

“This is your fault,” he growled. “You knew Ella’s insecurities, yet you reached out to Ethan. Was it to humiliate me?”

The contempt in his voice cut deeper than any claw. Ethan’s words were the final blow.

“I never loved Alice,” he said coldly. “Not before. Not now. Not ever.”

Ella’s tears spilled over, but the triumph in her eyes was unmistakable.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed before fleeing. Ethan followed without hesitation, leaving me in the suffocating silence of Ryan’s disdain.

Ryan turned to me, his gaze devoid of warmth.

“You’ve embarrassed me enough. Leave. Now.”

For the first time, my voice didn’t falter.

“No, Ryan. You leave.