Chapter 1

I'm just an ordinary human. But I'm the fated mate of Alpha Sebastian, a werewolf.

For five years, I thought he truly loved me.

Then the day I found out I was pregnant, I overheard a secret.

In the werewolf world, only those who complete the Mark ceremony are considered true mates.

"Alpha Sebastian marking Diana is for the good of the pack. She has the bloodline of powerful werewolf warriors. She's more suited to be Luna."

"As for Miss Elaine... she's just a pet the Alpha keeps around. Humor her, keep her happy."

I didn't cry. I didn't make a scene. I just silently packed my things.

They would never know that in half a month, I would disappear from Sebastian's world completely.

Elaine POV

Five years. I had finally been blessed with this child.

I waited in the hospital corridor for my prenatal checkup, my mind planning how to surprise Sebastian.

As I turned the corner, a hushed conversation drifted into my ears, making me stop in my tracks involuntarily.

"So you're saying Alpha Sebastian still hasn't Marked that human?"

"Of course not. She's just a human. Even if she is his fated mate, she's too weak, can't compare to Diana. Diana's father was once the most powerful werewolf warrior in the pack."

"But didn't he have a grand wedding with Miss Elaine?"

"That was just a human ceremony. Only those Marked by the alpha are truly Luna, so the one to inherit the Alpha's position and territory will only be Diana's child."

"Poor Miss Elaine, she still thinks she's..."

"Shh, keep your voice down. The Alpha warned us not to let her know. After all, she is the Alpha's 'Fated Mate,' and the Alpha does have feelings for her."

"Feelings are one thing, but what power can a human bring to the Pack? Alpha choosing to Mark Diana is the most beneficial decision for the Pack. As for Miss Elaine... she's just a pet the Alpha keeps by his side. Just humor her."

When I left the hospital, my whole body was ice cold.

The joy of becoming a mother for the first time was crushed to pieces.

Those words hit me like a frozen hammer, pounding away at everything I believed.

Our five-year marriage... in the werewolf world, it meant nothing?!

Sebastian and I met when we were eighteen.

I was still in school at the time.

Sebastian pursued me for a whole month, and on prom night he formally confessed to me and told me his true identity.

He was the Alpha of Moonclaw Pack.

He gave me a grand wedding and brought me back to Moonclaw Pack.

Everyone said Sebastian loved me, loved me enough to pluck the stars from the sky for me.

But why would he, where I couldn't see, give the Mark that represents eternity to another woman?

I barely hesitated before immediately driving to that private club where Sebastian and his circle often gathered.

I had to ask him about this face to face.

When I found the most secluded VIP room in the club, laughter and the clinking of glasses came from inside.

I stood outside the half-open door, and through the gap, I saw the man surrounded by everyone.

He wore a finely tailored casual suit, his figure tall and handsome. His face radiated a happiness I had never seen before, like a weight had been lifted, and the wine glass in his hand reflected amber light in the dim lighting.

That was my husband of five years, Sebastian.

"Congratulations, Sebastian, you finally got what you wanted!"

"Honestly, Sebastian, this was a brilliant move. Marking Diana in the Pack, giving Elaine a dream wedding in the human world to keep her satisfied. You've managed both sides perfectly."

"So what is Elaine to you? These five years... weren't you afraid of being found out?"

"You don't get it." Someone laughed.

"Sebastian feels guilt toward Diana. More than that, responsibility. If Diana hadn't saved Elaine back then, Elaine would've been the one splashed with poison. Sebastian said he owes Diana a lifetime. Marking her, making her Luna. It's compensation and also him choosing a suitable Luna for the Pack."

"What a brilliant strategy!"

I froze outside the door, like someone had pushed me into the deep sea, where even breathing became a luxury.

I even wondered if I was hearing things.

But the next second, Sebastian's own words threw me completely into an icy abyss.

"I'm serious about Diana." His tone was calm and steady, each word carrying undeniable determination. "She sacrificed her dream of becoming a werewolf warrior to save Elaine, and now she can never shift again. All she wants is a definite status and a secure future. I can give them to her."

So that's how it was.

My eyes instantly welled up.

So that conversation I accidentally overheard wasn't baseless rumor, but a carefully laid plan of his.

Five years ago, during an outing, we unfortunately encountered an attack by a crazed Rogue.

At that critical moment, Diana rushed forward without hesitation, pushing me aside and blocking the attack.

She was splashed with poison from the Rogue. Though she survived, no one could cure the poison, so Diana permanently lost her ability to shift.

She had been one of the most agile and skilled warriors in the Pack.

To repay her life-saving grace, Sebastian and I took care of everything for her, seeking the best treatment and providing all the resources she needed.

Sebastian said at the time that Diana saving me was saving his life.

He was willing to give everything to make it up to her.

I just never imagined that his way of making it up to her would be to become Diana's true mate.

The ridiculous thing is, for five whole years, I had no idea.

Sebastian's friend asked another question. "What about Elaine? If she finds out..."

I watched him lower his eyes, his slender fingers tapping lightly on his phone screen, his tone carrying the confidence of someone in complete control.

"She's just human, she can't smell our scents. As long as I continue treating Elaine well, she'll never find out. All of you keep your mouths shut and don't let anything slip in front of her."

The next second, my phone buzzed.

I looked down at the message Sebastian sent, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed by an invisible hand, cold spreading from my fingertips all the way to my bones.

"Sweetheart, I miss you. Tonight is just a boring business dinner, every second without you is torture. On our anniversary, I'll make sure to spend quality time with you.

Love, Sebastian."

I gripped my phone tightly, looking up at him in the distance, laughing and talking among the crowd, my heart throbbing with wave after wave of dense, stabbing pain.

My vision gradually blurred as hot tears spilled uncontrollably. This wasn't my Sebastian.

My Sebastian was the boy who would pick snow velvet flowers from cliffs for me.

He was the man who rented out an entire observatory on my birthday just to show me a star named after me.

He was the man who, on my parents' death anniversary, would put aside everything to quietly stay with me all day.

He was the man who, after marriage, pampered me into a princess who knew nothing of worldly suffering, spending nights endlessly entwined with me...

Not this liar before me, who said he loved me while carving another woman into his soul.

My heart felt like it was being cut with knives. I bit my lip hard.

My phone vibrated again. It was his call.

I took a deep breath, retreated to a quieter corner of the hallway, hesitated for a second, then answered.

"Elaine, where are you? Have you eaten dinner? It sounds like... there's an echo where you are?" His voice was as gentle as always, tender and affectionate, with vague music in the background.

"Sebastian, what are you doing?" I instinctively clenched my fist, my nails digging deep into my palm.

I thought, as long as he was willing to confess, I would give him a chance to explain.

"I'm discussing some business with a few partners, it's giving me a headache." His tone carried deliberately manufactured fatigue. "These kinds of occasions, you know, boring as hell."

I suddenly laughed, though the light in my eyes extinguished inch by inch.

After a moment of silence, I said softly, "Okay."

He immediately sensed something was wrong. "Sweetheart, are you unhappy? Who upset you?"

"It's crowded, I'll hang up now."

The moment I hung up, I heard the sound of the private room door opening.

I instinctively ducked behind a decorative column in the hallway and saw a girl in a dress walk out of the room. It was Diana.

She seemed to have come out to take a call, but soon Sebastian followed her out.

"Sebastian, my foot hurts a little, it's too stuffy inside." Diana's voice carried a pampered tone.

"Let me see." His tone held a precious carefulness I'd never heard before.

He just naturally knelt down, carefully rubbing her ankle, his eyes full of heartache. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have made you stand so long, shouldn't have had you wear these shoes."

That tenderness, compared to his dismissive "boring business dinner" on the phone with me, stabbed painfully at my eyes.

So his love could be divided, his heartache could be replicated.

Even the lie about it being "boring as hell" came so naturally.

Sebastian, how can your heart hold two people?

I fled in panic, hiding in the shadows of the fire escape, curling up and hugging myself, letting tears fall silently.

I cried until I was nearly exhausted before slowly standing up.

The light in my eyes died. What was left was pure resolve.

This five-year fake marriage. I didn't want it anymore.

This man, Sebastian. I didn't want him either.

Since Diana was the one he was willing to Mark as his true mate, I'd give them what they wanted.

In half a month, it would be my parents' death anniversary.

After I said goodbye to them, I'd leave.

And never come back.