Chapter 4

Vivian spoke softly, "Can't we leave the past behind and start anew? Ryan, I don't mind that you took a Luna before me, just as I hope you won't hold it against me that I once left you.

"We both know this was never betrayal—we love each other. We were always meant to be together."

She always knew exactly how to win Ryan over.

In comparison, no matter how carefully I chose my words to calm his anger, he never paid attention. It was clear where his heart truly resided.

Yet, I had clung to the rare moments of tenderness he'd shown me, only to finally see his true nature when I was already dead.

He had saved all his kindness and warmth for Vivian. That explained why he was always so cruel to me.

The pain in my heart had long since gone numb.

Whatever. Vivian could say whatever she wanted about me, and Ryan could hate me all he wanted. I no longer cared.

"This isn't the time to discuss this," Ryan said, gently pushing her away. "You should rest."

He left without noticing the flash of resentment in Vivian's eyes.

He returned to the house we once shared, now shrouded in darkness.

Since becoming Luna, no matter how late he returned, I always left a light burning for him—a symbol that this place was home.

But now, he frowned as he stepped inside. There was no light and no trace of me. My scent had faded, replaced by the stale smell of dust.

He stood motionless for a moment before storming toward my room, shouting, "Tiana, are you throwing a tantrum?

"Giving the antidote to Vivian was your duty. If you hadn't schemed against her first, she wouldn't have been poisoned! You brought this on yourself—you deserve this!"

Even now, his voice contained nothing but disgust and accusations.

I hovered behind him, sneering.

Three years. I had lived with him for three years and been his Luna through it all, yet he still believed the fabricated version of me created by others.

Today, he stole the herbs I risked my life to find. Tomorrow, he wouldn't hesitate to take my heart—piece by piece, until there was nothing left of me.

Fortunately, I was already dead. The endless days of waiting in despair were finally over.

He searched the house for me. Of course, he found nothing. The only thing he discovered was the meal I had prepared for him a month ago.

It had rotted beyond recognition, and even I couldn't remember what it had been.

All I remembered about that day was the sudden intrusion of warriors bursting in, gagging me, and binding my limbs.

That day was supposed to be our marking anniversary. Instead, it became the day I died. And it was also the day Vivian was reborn, finally free of wolfsbane.

While I was being dragged away, struggling against clawed hands, Ryan was probably holding Vivian's hand, assuring her not to be afraid.

While I writhed in agony from the wolfsbane, Ryan was warning the healers that Vivian must survive.

So, what exactly was I to him?

He called my name repeatedly and even closed his eyes to reach out through our mind link. He rarely used that connection, almost never contacting me first unless it concerned necessary pack matters.

But this time, his patience was wasted. I wouldn't answer.

His eyes darkened—his wolf momentarily taking control, sensing something was wrong—but he quickly suppressed his unease, pressing his lips into a thin line as he wrote me a letter.

"If you see this when you return, know how furious I am to come home to such a filthy mess. Running away won't solve anything, Tiana. If you continue these games, I won't hesitate to reject you."

Rejection? That would have been merciful.

If I had realized sooner that he never truly loved me, I wouldn't have died such a miserable death.

He summoned a pack member to deliver the letter. At the same time, the messenger brought news from Vivian.

"She left something at the infirmary. She wants you to retrieve it for her."

Ryan agreed immediately. As he stepped over the threshold, he hesitated for just a moment, glancing back at the empty house. But that brief pause wasn't enough to change anything.

He still left. He was willing to go out in the dead of night for Vivian, yet he hadn't even asked where I might be.

At the infirmary, he encountered a healer's assistant.

The assistant had once been the head healer until Ryan stripped him of his position. My death from wolfsbane had proven he hadn't been lying. He had applied to return to the infirmary but was relegated to assistant now.

When he saw Ryan, his expression instantly hardened. "Now you remember your dead Luna?" he scoffed. "Her body's already been claimed. No need to trouble yourself collecting it."

Ryan froze. His eyes widened before locking onto the healer. "Who did you say is dead?"

The assistant rolled his eyes. "Your Luna. Tiana. Of course, if you've already rejected her, just pretend I never spoke."

"Her wolfsbane had reached her bones, and you still took away the antidote she risked her life to find. If you wanted a new mate, you could have simply said so instead of going this far."