Chapter 2

The faint light of dawn crept through the curtains when I felt the weight of Reese’s arms slide around my waist, his scent heavy with alcohol and the lingering perfume of another she-wolf. He buried his face in the crook of my neck, his voice soft but laced with the alpha tone he rarely used with me—until recently.

“My Luna,” he murmured, his breath hot against my skin. “Are you upset? Why did you hang up on me? I tried calling back, but you didn’t answer.”

The scent of his cologne mixed with that foreign floral perfume made my stomach churn. I turned my head slightly, and the sight of lipstick smeared across his neck sent a wave of disgust through me. I pushed him away, shifting to the edge of the bed and turning my back to him, my silence louder than any words.

Reese paused, his aura flickering with irritation before he sat up, sighing heavily as he reached for me again.

“Come on, let’s not fight anymore, okay? There were so many pack members around. If I had called you then, it would’ve looked unprofessional.”

A bitter laugh escaped me, and I glared at him, my eyes icy despite the tears threatening to spill.

“You know why I’m upset.”

He avoided my gaze, his patience wearing thin as he got out of bed. Moments later, he tossed a tube of ointment onto the sheets, his expression darkening with frustration.

“You’re still hung up on that rogue attack, aren’t you? I went out of my way to get this for you. Stop holding grudges.”

“Besides,” he added, his tone sharp, “no one forced you to do it. Who would’ve thought you’d take such nonsense seriously?”

My fingers clenched the blanket, my nails digging into the fabric as I glared at him through my tears.

“Alpha Reese! I ran into that fight because of you!”

He crossed his arms, his broad frame towering over me as he clicked his tongue in exasperation.

“Fine, fine, blame me if it makes you feel better. Let me put the ointment on for you.”

Before I could protest, he was already at my side, squeezing out the ointment and lifting my shirt. When his eyes fell on the massive scars that marred my back—a reminder of the rogue attack where I’d shielded him—his hand froze mid-air. The silence that followed was deafening, and in it, I saw the undisguised revulsion in his eyes.

He threw the ointment to the foot of the bed, his voice cold and dismissive.

“You handle it yourself. I gave you the ointment, so I don’t owe you anything.”

He strode out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall as if he were trying to rid himself of something distasteful. My body trembled uncontrollably, my heart aching to the point of suffocation. When I caught a glimpse of the burn scar on the back of my hand, I finally broke down in tears.

There was a time when Reese was different. I had accidentally burned my hand while cooking for him—a small scar on my thumb, nothing more. But he had held me close, tears in his eyes, and bought ointments, apologizing repeatedly, saying it was his fault for not protecting me.

He had called pack healers, asking how to remove the burn scars. From then on, Reese didn’t let me back into the kitchen. He took care of all the household chores himself, saying he couldn’t bear to see me hurt, as it would break his heart.

But now, after running into that rogue attack for him and being left with extensive scars on my back, all he could say was a disdainful, “How disgusting.”

From that day on, Reese didn’t come home or show up at the pack house. I called his Beta twice, each time receiving vague responses that the Alpha was busy. As for what he was busy with, that was easy enough to find out from Lilith Castillo’s social media posts.

Reese took her to a drone light show over the Alps. He held her close while they went skydiving, his arms wrapped around her waist, planting a kiss on her forehead mid-air. These were promises he made to me. Now they were all fulfilled with Lilith Castillo.

His loving gaze reminded me of when Lilith first joined the pack as a Delta, and Reese hadn’t hesitated to lose his temper with her. Once, he even told her to pack her bags and leave in front of all the pack members. I had intervened, knowing Lilith was fresh out of training and came from a modest background, convincing her to stay.

I told her the Alpha wasn’t really that harsh. After I persuaded her, she started asking about Reese’s preferences to avoid upsetting him again. I told her everything, hoping to make her job easier. I even spoke on her behalf to Reese, hoping he’d treat her better.

I laughed bitterly at myself. My goodwill had unintentionally played matchmaker for them. A pack lawyer had prepared the rejection papers and sent them to me. After thanking him, I signed them and forwarded them to Reese, leaving just four words:

[Sign the rejection papers.]