Chapter 2

Eleanor POV

Lucas didn't ask much, only saying, "I told you before that you didn't need to keep working. That place has all kinds of trash showing up every day. Ellie, you should know I can provide for you."

He was always like this, thinking I should depend on him for survival rather than finding ways to live on my own.

I shook my head and said word by word, "I'm not anyone's appendage. Especially not an appendage hidden in the shadows."

Lucas paused. "I didn't mean it that way. I mean, we're Mates. You should rely on me."

I didn't want to listen anymore and interrupted him. "Why are you back so early today? All your work handled already?"

As I mentioned before, Lucas owned a company.

And he was a qualified alpha heir. Not only excellent at combat, but also very good at handling business matters.

I had to admit, I learned a lot from him.

But not including how to cheat.

"I've been too busy lately to spend time with you, so today I wanted to make time to be with you." His brow relaxed as he returned to being that considerate boyfriend.

"What do you want to do? Have lunch or watch a movie? Today, whatever you want to do, I'll accompany you."

If it were the old me hearing this, I would probably be deeply moved.

After all, he was the Alpha heir of Sunward Pack and truly had many matters to handle every day. So his willingness to make time to do what I wanted to do could at least prove I occupied a large part of his heart.

But now, looking at him, I couldn't help thinking. Was he really too busy with work, or too busy preparing the Mark ceremony with another woman?

How could he prepare a ceremony with another woman while also coming to coax me, saying the only one he loved was me?

In the end, I still didn't expose his lies.

After all, there were only a few days left. I would naturally disappear completely from his life by then.

Perhaps distance could offset the pain of the Mate Bond, or perhaps there would be another way.

I shook my head, declining his proposal, then thought for a moment and said, "Help me do a deep clean. A lot of things in the apartment are old. There's no point keeping them."

Lucas agreed and helped me clean together.

But by the end of the cleaning, everything I had sorted out were matching couple items we had bought together.

From water bottles to accessories, from clothes to slippers. I threw them all into the trash without hesitation.

The smile on his face gradually stiffened as I threw away more and more couple items. When the last one went into the trash, the panic in his heart could no longer be hidden. "Ellie, did you... find out something?"

"What could I find out? Is there something you're hiding from me?" I raised an eyebrow, looking at Lucas, deflecting his question with one of my own.

He averted his gaze, as if not daring to look me in the eye. After a moment of silence, he still didn't answer directly, only gripping my hand and saying, "Ellie, no matter what happens, just remember that I love you."

I pulled at my lips and said nothing more.

After finishing the deep clean, Lucas still insisted on taking me out on a date. Afraid he'd notice something unusual, I didn't refuse again.

We had dinner, watched a movie, and the car finally stopped at an upscale venue.

A small auction was being held here, with mostly artwork and antiques on sale.

Just as we were about to enter, I saw a woman with exquisite makeup slowly walking toward us.

She was confident and eye-catching, her aura full of aggression.

This probably meant her wolf was equally healthy.

Lucas's expression showed a moment of unnaturalness.

"What's wrong? Someone you know?"

As my words fell, the woman stopped in front of us with a beaming smile and greeted us. Lucas's introduction came right on cue. "She's my father's friend, the Alpha daughter of Moonclaw Pack, Isabella Anderson."

After a pause, he introduced me. "This is my girlfriend, Eleanor."

The smile on Isabella's face immediately stiffened. A moment later, she raised an eyebrow at me.

"Hello. You smell kind of weak."

I knew what she meant. My wolf hadn't fully awakened yet, and even Lucas hadn't noticed my change.

Isabella naturally also believed I was a useless person without a wolf.

I immediately understood that this encounter wasn't coincidental. Isabella had deliberately come to provoke me.

Was it because she found that provoking me with photos didn't work, so she planned to get close to Lucas to stimulate me instead?

At the auction, Isabella's seat was right next to Lucas.

Unlike her provocations in text messages, in person she was gentle and well-mannered, knowledgeable and cultured.

Learning that Lucas was interested in some ancient artwork, she engaged him in conversation about it. Lucas also shifted from initial resistance to gradually leaning toward her.

It wasn't until I coughed that Lucas seemed to suddenly realize he'd been neglecting me, his girlfriend, for too long.

He quickly took off his coat and draped it over me, his tone gentle. "Ellie, I know you're not interested in these things. If you see anything you like, just bid on it directly."

Before I could respond, whispers from his brothers behind us came through. Though they deliberately lowered their voices, since they were only one row of seats away, I could still hear them clearly.

"Lucas is really good at saving face for her. Even if she were interested, so what? She doesn't understand anything. She probably doesn't even know the history of these things."

"Exactly. This kind of occasion, she's definitely here for the first time."

I knew they were deliberately saying it for me to hear.

I didn't mind. After all, the next time we met, they'd have to stand before me respectfully.

Just then, the previous item's transaction ended, and the next item was brought up.

It was a wolf fang. The host introduced it, saying this wolf fang came from the first Alpha King hundreds of years ago.

That was a powerful alpha who existed in legend, an object of worship and longing for all alphas.

Hearing this introduction, Isabella immediately got excited, raising her bidding paddle. "Lucas, I'll buy this and give it to Alpha Kieran as a New Moon Festival gift!"

When I heard this was the Alpha King's fang, I instinctively looked up at the item on stage. With just one glance, I withdrew my gaze, my voice flat and calm. "This is fake."

The smile on Isabella's face could barely stay up. "How can Miss Eleanor tell?"

"Because the real one hangs around my father's neck and will be passed down to me next."

I meant well, but as soon as I said this, Isabella suddenly laughed out loud, and even the brothers behind Lucas started mocking brazenly.

"Eleanor, if you don't understand, stop pretending. How embarrassing."

"Exactly. Hanging around her father's neck? Does she think that just because she has the last name Windsor, she's related to the Alpha King?"

The group's mocking voices grew louder. Finally, Lucas stopped their ridicule with a cold expression.

He looked at me and held my hand. "Ellie, I know you've been reading some history books lately, but you don't have your own wolf, so naturally you can't sense the werewolf aura. Bella is different. She's very powerful and understands more than you."

He didn't say anything too harsh, but the meaning was clear. He thought I was talking nonsense.

I laughed lightly and said nothing.

In the end, Isabella spent a full hundred million to buy that wolf fang at a high price.

Watching her go to pay, I smiled.

I wondered what Sunward Pack's Alpha would think knowing she spent a hundred million to buy back someone's random tooth.

I didn't stop her or care. I got up and went to the restroom. Just after washing my hands, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"I thought I made myself clear enough. You still won't leave? Do you want to be the mistress that badly?"

So that's it. She came to personally drive me away.

I didn't understand why an alpha's daughter would be willing to have an alliance marriage with Lucas knowing he had a mate.

Did she love Lucas to such a humble degree?

I calmly raised my eyes and turned to look at her. "Miss Anderson, I hope you understand clearly. The one who's been with him for four years and is his fated mate is me. The term 'mistress' is not my turn no matter what, is it?"

Saying this, I prepared to walk past her and leave, but she still wouldn't let me go, continuing to mock coldly.

"Yes, fated mate. But after four years he still hasn't publicly acknowledged your identity. Haven't you wondered why?"

"I'm the Alpha daughter of Moonclaw Pack, he's the Alpha heir of Sunward Pack. Our union benefits both Packs. But you? A werewolf without even a wolf, kicked out by her own father. What about you is worthy of him, worthy of being his future Luna?"

My steps halted. The backstory of being kicked out by my father was something I made up myself, but I really hadn't expected Lucas would tell Isabella this too.

I couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. If that really were my background, I probably would have been pierced through the heart by this mockery right now.

And the one who handed over this knife was the man who said he would only ever love me.

"Indeed, I'm not worthy." My heart ached, and I looked back at Isabella, the depression in my heart suddenly dissipating. "You two are the perfect match. I wish you'll be together forever."

After speaking, I stepped away and left.

I hadn't walked far when my phone rang. It was my mother calling.

"Ellie, come home quickly. Everyone's waiting for you, and we've prepared a bunch of gifts for you."

"I made you a crystal crown, and your father has already selected your beta for you."

Listening to my mother go on and on about how many gifts the family prepared for my return, I couldn't help but feel helpless. "Mom, I'm coming back to fulfill my duties as heir, not to receive gifts."

As soon as I finished speaking, a familiar voice came from behind me.

"What duties as heir?"