Chapter 2: The First Bond I Broke

The next morning, I gathered all the letters I had written to Lucien over the past ten years.

I took our photos, along with every gift he had ever given me, and threw them into a fire I lit in the backyard.

The paper had just begun to curl when a hand struck me hard across the face.

Lucien stood beside the flames, his eyes flashing a wolfish gold.

“You posted our photos on the pack’s public channel, implying Vivian stole your mate status.”

“Go public right now and explain that we have nothing to do with each other.”

I steadied myself, the sting of his slap radiating across my cheek, and looked at his furious expression.

The whole thing felt absurd.

When Lucien and I first got together, many people refused to believe the heir of Storm Ridge would choose a girl who grew up on the outskirts.

Some said I had forged his token. Some said I had cheated my way into the academy.

Others called me relentlessly, trying to force me to admit I was just using my Hart bloodline to marry into the Ashford family.

I once begged Lucien to make our relationship public.

But he had said, “They’re just rumors.”

“Do you really need two packs to fight over something so small?”

“They’ll stop when they get bored.”

“The more you react, the guiltier you look.”

So, the problem had never been that I was too sensitive.

It was simply that the one being hurt back then wasn't Vivian.

“I didn’t post the photos,” I said.

Lucien’s anger deepened.

“If it wasn’t you, then who? Me?”

“Or do you think Vivian would deliberately set herself up to be blamed?”

“Evelyn, I can’t believe I let you fool me for ten years.”

I just looked at him, saying nothing.

“Go apologize to Vivian now, then retract all your accusations on the public channel.”

He grabbed my arm.

The instant he touched me, he froze.

My skin lacked the warmth of a living wolf. There was no pulse beneath his fingers.

What alerted his own wolf, however, was the complete absence of a living scent on me.

Moonlight shone through my wrist, which was already starting to turn transparent.

“What just happened?” His fingers tightened sharply. “Why could I see the fire through you?”

He couldn’t hear me breathing. For the first time, a flicker of unease entered his voice.

“Why is your body so cold?”

Because I was already dead.

The me standing before him was just a wolf soul the Moon Goddess had sent back for three nights.

My parents, hearing the commotion, rushed into the backyard.

Lucien’s words made them stare at my hand.

I pulled my arm back.

“This has nothing to do with any of you.”

I threw the last of the letters into the fire, then turned and went upstairs to pack.

Perhaps the strange sight had startled them, because for once, they didn’t stop me.

I used to think that, if nothing else, I had at least received some affection here.

Only after I opened my closet did I realize how pitifully little in this house truly belonged to me.

After I returned to the Hart family, Vivian always had first choice of the gowns, the rooms, and the training resources.

Only what she rejected was passed down to me.

On the rare occasion a gift arrived with my name on it, she’d dismiss it as a freebie that came with one of her own purchases.

Back then, I thought at least Lucien’s love was mine.

Now, even that lie was gone.

I packed only my personal documents, a copy of my bloodline registration, and a few items of clothing.

A voice echoed in my mind.

It was the Moon Goddess’s messenger.

“Most of your earthly attachments have already dispersed.”

He said, “This vessel may not even last the full three nights before it disappears.”

I smiled faintly.

Once, my greatest desire was for someone to love me, to give me a place in their heart that no one else could take.

I didn’t need that anymore.

I dragged my suitcase downstairs.

My parents were sitting in the living room.

When they saw me, impatience hardened their faces.

“What are you doing?” my mother asked.

“The car we arranged won’t be here for two more days.”

“I’m leaving now.”

My father released the full weight of his Alpha pressure.

In the past, that pressure would have brought me to my knees.

But I no longer had a body of flesh and blood to force into submission.

“You damaged Vivian’s reputation, refused to apologize, and now you want to threaten us by leaving?”

My father said, “Fine. Go.”

“Without the Hart estate and the Ironwood Pack’s protection, let’s see how long you survive in Gray Harbor.”

I didn’t answer. I just walked toward the door.

Vivian emerged from the side hall on Lucien’s arm, her eyes already brimming with tears.

“Please don’t fight with Evelyn because of me.”

“It’s only natural that she hates me.”

“I’ve been living the life that should have been hers.”

Then she looked at me.

“But Lucien chose me.”

“And the elders recognize me as the future Luna.”

“Please, just accept it and let me go, all right?”

She rushed to my side, her voice dropping to a whisper only I could hear.

“So what if you have Hart blood?”

“The bloodline records, the elders’ support, the pack’s trust, and Lucien—they’re all still in my hands.”

After saying that, she abruptly threw herself backward.