Chapter 1

Jack uttered those words right to my face.

"I, Alpha of the Moonstone Pack, reject you as my mate and Luna."

Though my wolf—the wolf I had only just awakened—howled in agonizing pain inside my mind, I forced myself to maintain my dignity.

"I accept your rejection," I whispered.

I was so sorry that she had to endure this agony the moment she awakened.

But she recovered quickly, gently comforting me before retreating back into the shadows of my mind.

Having just returned from the cemetery, David, the werewolf warrior assigned to protect me, stood in the foyer of the penthouse, waiting for me to pack my things.

My access to the Packhouse had already been revoked. I had to register at the gate and wait for David's confirmation just to be let inside.

Gamma Cole nodded to me, opening a checklist.

"Luna Emily, your belongings have been sorted into three categories."

"First, public display mementos."

He pointed to a gray plastic bin in the center of the living room.

"Wedding photos, matching rings, banquet gowns, and jewelry worn for public appearances. The retention period has expired. They are now classified as assets to be destroyed."

A red barcode was slapped on the bin: *TO BE DESTROYED*.

I stared at the wedding photo inside.

That photo was the result of me begging Jack.

Werewolves didn't really have a tradition of taking wedding photos. But having grown up in the human world with my mother, I had always dreamed of having one.

Fortunately, Jack had been in a decent mood that day and agreed.

In the photo, Jack stood by my side in a black suit, his expression cold and distant.

My smile, however, was incredibly cautious.

I remember the photographer saying, "Bride, you can move a little closer."

But the moment I took half a step toward him, Jack whispered a cold warning:

"Emily, we only need to cooperate for the camera. Don't cross the line."

That day, I thought I was smiling gracefully.

Looking at it now, my face was filled with nothing but desperate supplication.

I had been caught in the rain, and my lower abdomen throbbed with a dull, pulling pain.

Enduring the ache, I asked, "What is the second category?"

Gamma Cole continued reading.

"Second, non-essential traces of living. This includes slippers, handwritten sticky notes, herbal medicine books, tableware..."

He picked up a sealed bag.

Inside were the handwritten labels I had made for Jack's medicine.

I remembered that night.

Jack had returned in the early hours with an infected wound. It was only when I examined him that I realized there were traces of silver dust in it.

He didn't want to alarm the rest of the pack, so I stayed up searching through medicine chests to whip up a temporary herbal remedy for him.

He had looked at me briefly, then at the herbs on his wound. "You have a talent for this."

That single look was something I cherished for a very long time.

As it turned out, what I remembered was a heartbeat of love.

But what he kept track of was... "risk."

"And what is the third category?"

Gamma Cole paused.

"Pregnancy medical records."

My fingertips froze.

He continued.

"Ultrasound scans, prenatal checkup handbooks, miscarriage records, and post-surgery prescriptions. The system has determined that these files could trigger emotional disputes and unnecessary trouble. We need your confirmation on whether to hand them over to the Moonstone Pack's medical department to be archived or destroyed."

I stood frozen, unable to speak.

To them, even the child who never had a chance to be born was just a "medical record."

Just then, the door opened.

Jack walked in, bringing the cold scent of rain with him.

He scanned the living room, his gaze landing on my trembling shoulders.

"Why are you soaked?"

He turned his head to David.

"Get a warm towel."

David returned quickly.

Jack took the towel, walked over to me, and draped it over my shoulders.

My eyes stung fiercely.

He was always like this.

He could remember that I hated the cold, that my stomach acted up, and all of my tiny physical weaknesses.

Yet, he could never remember that my heart could bleed too.

Gamma Cole stepped closer, holding up the box of medicine.

"Alpha Jack, should this old medicine and the handwritten labels be destroyed?"

Jack glanced at it, barely hesitating.

"Keep the medicine. Her health is poor. She can only take this brand when her stomach hurts; any other brand makes her throw up."

My heart clenched violently.

He remembered.

I looked up at him.

Jack caught my gaze.

But in the next second, his expression turned cold and indifferent.

"It was written in her medical records."

He adjusted the towel around my shoulders, his voice flat and steady.

"Let's speed up the liquidation. It's better for both of us."

Last night, I was still standing outside his study, begging him not to break our mate bond.

Today, that study door was wide open.

The room inside was so pristine and empty, as if I had never existed in his life.

Gamma Cole handed me the clipboard.

"Luna Emily, what is your decision regarding these items?"

I bent down and picked up the old wooden suitcase my mother had left me.

I didn't spare another glance at the sticky notes, the rings, or the wedding photos.

I looked straight into Jack's eyes.

"Destroy them."

Something flickered deep in Jack's eyes.

I forced a smile.

"Since they are all 'risk residues,' there's no point in keeping them."