Chapter 3

• Alpha Mike reached out his hand toward me. “Come with me.”
• The scene vaguely echoed our first meeting two years ago.
• Back then, right in this very place, my sister had just differentiated into an Alpha. Our rogue mother, who had been wandering with us, cast me out of the house. With nowhere to go and covered in wounds, I hid there. Alpha Mike appeared like a blessing from the Moon Goddess, descending into my hopeless life. Gazing at his gentle, handsome face, I followed him without hesitation.
• “Mister, why me?” I was young then, but I still understood that nothing in this world came for free.
• Alpha Mike looked burdened with thoughts. He simply stared at me and said, “It can only be you.”
• I didn’t know then that he had gone through great lengths to find me, to gain my trust, all just to save my sister by giving her my liver. I foolishly saw him as a benevolent man, believing I was just one of the many stray pups he had helped.
• I trusted him so easily.
• “Sir, thank you for helping me. I can do many things—I can cook, clean, and do laundry for you…”
• But Alpha Mike only gave me a flat, emotionless glance. “I’m not looking for a maid.”
• “Then how can I repay you?”
• “Do you really want to repay me?”
• “Mm, with the Moon Goddess as my witness, I’m willing to do anything for you.”
• He looked at me then and smiled sincerely.
• …
• Now, Alpha Mike stood there, looking at me curled up in the corner. After two years together, someone as perceptive as him must know why I wanted to return here, right?
• The small wooden cabin by Moon Lake—where we first met.
• I’d asked Jery to bring me here because I wanted to return to that time before I met him.
• Alpha Mike smiled, but there was a trace of bitterness in it.
• “Anna, do you regret meeting me?”
• I didn’t answer him, because I no longer remembered him.
• Which, I suppose, meant I’d gotten what I wanted.
• The wounds on my body, still unhealed, began to ache again after the chase. My white dress clung to me, soaked with sweat. I gritted my teeth to endure the pain.
• Alpha Mike squatted down, wanting to comfort me by patting my head, but I instinctively turned away, dodging his hand.
• He pulled back, sighing so softly it was almost inaudible.
• “Anna, from now on, I’ll treat you well.”
• At that moment, his phone rang. Alpha Mike quickly took it out and answered. My Alpha father’s anxious voice came through the speaker: “Mike, you need to come back. Lina’s very unstable since hearing about Anna’s disappearance. The doctor said this could affect her recovery. Come talk to her. She always listens to you.”
• Alpha Mike ended the call in a hurry, concerned for Lina flooding his sapphire eyes. “Anna, stop being difficult. Your sister just had surgery—she can’t get too emotional. I need to go back to the hospital. Go home with my assistant, alright?”
• He stood up and instructed his Beta assistant, “Take Luna Anna back.”
• He didn’t even notice how all the color had drained from my face, or how I’d collapsed onto the ground, clearly in pain.
• I heard a wolf’s howl in the distance and stared blankly in the direction he’d gone. He’d shifted into his wolf form just to get back faster.
• In less than half an hour, Alpha Mike arrived at the hospital and entered Lina’s room.
• I could imagine what they’d say—
• “Mike~ Do you think Anna resents me for taking her liver? Is that why she ran away from home?”
• And then, Lina—my oh-so-beloved sister—would throw herself, tearful and fragile, into Alpha Mike’s arms, sobbing like her heart was breaking.
• Alpha Mike, of course, would pat her trembling back, offering her vague reassurances. “Lina, please don’t overthink it. Anna gave it to you willingly. You don’t need to feel guilty.”
• Ha.
• And then she’d ask—
• “Do you think she resents you too? For choosing me as your Luna, yet giving all your love and attention to her?
• Then, inevitably—
• Alpha Mike, growing slightly irritated by her persistent questions, would reply half-heartedly, “She’s easily content. Becoming my mate is enough for her. She won’t dwell on what she’s lost.”
• Lina would instantly compose herself, wipe her tears, and say, “You’ve been spending too much time with me lately. Maybe she feels neglected. She’s just throwing a tantrum.”
• My Alpha father, seeing Lina cry so pitifully, would be heartbroken. And then, he’d turn his dissatisfaction toward me—the one he believed caused all this trouble. “Anna’s so thoughtless. Lina just survived a major surgery, and she’s already making her worry like this.”
• But how could he forget that his other daughter also went through that same surgery?
• Alpha Mike would look at his Alpha father-in-law with a distant expression. “Did you forget? She had surgery too. She’s only acting out this once. Just let her be.”
• Alpha Father paused, shame flickering in his eyes. But then he chuckled, brushing it off. “She’s healthy. She’ll be fine.”
• He fell silent right after saying it—his blatant favoritism too obvious to ignore.
• Lina held Alpha Mike’s hand; her voice pitiful: “Mike~ Have you ever thought… love between three people is always crowded. You gave me Anna’s liver… She must feel awful inside, even if she doesn’t say it. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have run away. Mike~ You don’t love her anyway. Why don’t you two just reject each other? Then we can be together and make it up to Anna, okay?”
• But Alpha Mike calmly pushed her hand away. “Lina, I already said—I won’t separate from Anna. She’s physically damaged now and will never be able to differentiate again. As her mate, I have a duty to care for her. I don’t have the right to reject her.”
• Lina felt like her world collapsed.
• Tears welled up as she cried, “Mike, in Bring Pack and in the tribe, you’ve deceived and betrayed so many others. Why is it only with Anna that you feel guilty?”
• Alpha Mike said, “That was war. An eye for an eye is how it works. But Anna… she’s never done me wrong.”
• Lina collapsed onto the hospital bed, sobbing uncontrollably. “If I had known keeping my life meant losing you… I’d rather have died than accepted her donation!”
• Alpha Mike straightened his clothes. “Lina, the Moon Goddess is fair. You got a second chance at life, but you lost love. Anna became my mate, but she lost part of herself.”
• With a grim face, he turned and walked out.
• Lina sat there, covering her face, still crying. “It’s not fair… not fair at all… How can I live without you?”
• Alpha Father, distressed by his precious daughter’s tears, quickly comforted her: “Sweetheart, don’t cry. Seeing you like this breaks my heart. Don’t worry, your sister’s easy to talk to. I’ll talk to her and get her to initiate the divorce.”
• Lina finally stopped crying.
• “Father, you’re right. Mike is a leader—he has responsibilities. He won’t abandon Anna on his own. So, we’ll work on Anna instead. Offering her fame and fortune, she won’t be able to resist. She’ll leave Mike herself.”
• “Yes, yes. Don’t worry. Your father will make sure you and Mike get back together.”
• —
• At the villa.
• When Alpha Mike returned home, he didn’t hear the usual cheerful greeting of “Honey!” It made him frown in discomfort. He asked the Omega maid cleaning nearby, “Where’s Luna?”
• The maid took his coat and respectfully replied, “Alpha, Luna’s been acting strange today. After she came back, she locked herself in her room and didn’t come out. She won’t respond when we call her.”
• Alpha Mike glanced up the stairs in surprise. Thinking of what happened earlier, he got up. “I’ll go check on her.”