Chapter 4

Kellan hung up in silence, glancing at me with complicated eyes, his tone conflicted:

"Isobel, I need to go out for a bit. I'll be back soon. She's on my territory after all—I can't just ignore it."

The door closed softly. I pulled out my IV needle and contacted Tundra Pack's guard unit to pick me up from the hospital.

My knee still throbbed with pain, but that pain had long ceased to matter.

I should have understood long ago—Kellan's indulgence was never unintentional.

He watched Lia provoke me right in front of him. It wasn't that he didn't know. He just didn't care.

He even secretly hoped I would make a scene, hoped my eyes would only hold him, like they used to.

When Tundra Pack's guard vehicle reached the redwood forest at the edge of the territory, I had them stop.

This was a place we used to visit as children, where he once made me promises.

But I never expected to see them here.

Lia was half-draped over Kellan,

her fingertips tracing along Kellan's belt buckle, their intimate posture painfully obvious.

Kellan's free hand tried to pull her away, but Lia moved faster, sliding her fingers into his palm and interlacing them with his.

He stiffened but didn't shake her off.

I stood frozen in place, my blood seeming to congeal in my veins.

A werewolf's keen hearing let me clearly catch Lia's coquettish whining and Kellan's helpless but indulgent response.

Suddenly, as if sensing my gaze, Lia turned to look at me, a flash of triumph in her eyes.

She leaned close to Kellan's ear and whispered a few words.

Kellan nodded, turned, and headed toward the medical center, saying he needed to get medicine for Lia's injury.

Lia stood there, and once he was far enough away, she slowly walked toward me, a victor's smile on her face.

"Luna Isobel, you've been discharged? Why didn't you have Alpha Kellan take you? Could it be he doesn't care about you anymore?"

I ignored her, my gaze falling on her supposedly sprained ankle.

Just moments ago she'd walked steadily, showing no sign of injury whatsoever.

She shrugged nonchalantly, her smile growing even more smug:

"See? He kept his arm around me the whole way, never let go.

He's an Alpha—how could he not tell I was faking? He just wanted to indulge me."

She tilted her head, feigning sympathy: "Though I understand you. After all these years, there's no passion left between you, just the pack alliance and habit, right? You never knew how to please your Alpha."

"Are you finished?" I stopped walking, releasing an icy pressure that instantly made her face pale and forced her to step back instinctively.

"Oh my, getting angry?" She quickly recovered, leaning in with a coquettish laugh.

"You really expect him to stay faithful to you? I admire you, honestly—even now you can turn a blind eye. You really can endure."

"Lia." I cut her off, my eyes devoid of warmth. "Do you know what's most pathetic about you?"

Her smile froze: "What do you mean?"

"You've schemed and used underhanded tactics to steal someone who doesn't even love you.

Kellan's indulgence toward you isn't love. It's boredom. You're just a tool he uses to test me.

In the end, you're nothing but a pawn."

She suddenly grabbed my wrist violently, her eyes filled with madness and jealousy:

"You're lying! Kellan does love me! Once he divorces you, I'll be Shadowreach Pack's Luna!"

"Let go." I yanked my hand away forcefully, the momentum making her stagger backward.