Evelyn's POV:

I stood in front of the closet, carefully choosing the black lace lingerie I would wear tonight. Tonight, my husband was finally going to mark me.

This is the tradition of the wolf pack: when an Alpha dies, his heir can only mark his Luna three years after the funeral. Just thinking about the way Theodore would look at me made my heart race.

But deep down, I still felt a trace of unease. For three years, I had endured the pack members' knife-like mockery.

“I doubt Alpha Theodore will ever actually mark her.”

“Yeah. She was just the convenient Omega he picked when he was falling apart. He needed someone to fill the empty spot in the pack, and she showed up with no baggage.”

Theodore had never publicly defended me, but he had never openly insulted me either. I used to believe he stayed quiet just to protect me from more hate.

I shook off those depressing thoughts. Besides, I was lucky. Tonight was also my ovulation day.

If I could get pregnant right away, no one would question my position as Theodore’s Luna anymore.

I put on the sexy black lace lingerie that Martha had secretly given me. I checked myself in the mirror one last time, admiring my full breasts and long legs. Martha, the only maid who respected me, stood behind me and winked. “Luna, I promise, if the Alpha was a normal man, he’d lock you in the room and not let you out all night.”

I quickly threw on my coat, got in the car, and drove to the club where Theodore was. He was meeting with several Alphas for business tonight.

I wanted to surprise him.

The hallway was thick with the smell of whiskey and cigars. I raised my hand to knock when the laughter inside made me freeze.

“Theodore, it’s been three years. Are you really going home tonight to mark that useless Omega?” It was his best friend Declan, his voice full of mockery.

“There will never be a mark.” Theodore’s voice was as cold as ice in December, with a sneer. “If it wasn’t to cover up what happened between me and Leah, I wouldn’t even look at her.”

Leah was his brother’s mate, and she had already given him a child.

My blood ran cold.

“Poor Omega, she actually thinks you love her,” Declan said mockingly.

“That’s why I chose an Omega. They’re easy to control. Give them a little kindness and they think it’s love,” Theodore said coldly. “But the truth is, I will never love an Omega. Besides, the Black Stone Pack offered her to us as a gift. Why wouldn’t I accept?”

“Damn, Theodore, you’re so cruel,” another voice joined in with a crude laugh. “Aren’t you afraid Evelyn will get revenge? You know how much Alpha Adrian of the Black Stone Pack dotes on her, even though she’s just his adopted sister.”

“She won’t,” Theodore snorted in disdain. “The Black Stone Pack is the strongest in our alliance. Marrying her brings benefits, and she’s just an Omega. She won’t make Leah feel threatened. The perfect shield.”

“Yeah, I heard Evelyn fell in love with Alpha Adrian even though she’s only an Omega. Disgusting. No wonder Adrian kicked her out and sent her to you as a gift.”

“Wow, let me guess. Is your Omega already wearing sexy lingerie, waiting for you to fuck her wet pussy?” Declan added, full of humiliation.

The room erupted in louder laughter.

A chill ran through my entire body. My teeth started chattering.

So that was the truth.

I wasn’t saved. I was given away like a gift. The Black Stone Pack wanted to get rid of their troublesome adopted Omega, and Theodore needed a wife who wouldn’t make Leah jealous while also bringing him political benefits. That’s why he accepted me.

When he pursued me, he had been so gentle. He touched my cheek and softly said he didn’t care about others’ opinions. I really believed him.

The moment I stepped into his territory, he claimed me as his Luna.

Theodore was like sunlight. He chased away the cold inside me and made me forget those freezing days in the basement. He treated me like his Luna, even if no one in the pack accepted it. I finally had a home and the chance to study and become a healer.

I was completely lost in his gentleness, believing the Moon Goddess had finally blessed me.

I thought I was lucky. But in reality, I had only walked out of one basement into another golden cage.

My heart felt like it had been stabbed by a dull knife. Sharp pain spread through my whole body.

I opened my mouth wide, struggling to breathe.

Just as I was about to collapse, the door clicked open.

Theodore’s tall figure appeared in the doorway. His eyes were red, and he gripped his phone tightly.

The moment he saw me standing there, his dark pupils shrank sharply.

But he didn’t ask why I was there. He didn’t ask if I had heard those filthy secrets.

He just grabbed my wrist roughly, hard enough to feel like my bones might break.

“Come with me.”

“Let go of me! Theodore, I heard everything…”

“Shut up! I don’t have time for your nonsense right now!” he snapped, dragging me toward the elevator.

“Grayson is dead,” he said suddenly.

What? Grayson — Theodore’s brother, Leah’s mate. That meant nothing was stopping them anymore.

I tried to pull away, but as the pack’s Luna, I had to be there. By the time we reached the hospital, everything was in chaos.

Theodore’s mother, Diana, was screaming at Leah, who was collapsed on the floor crying.

“Kneel, you whore! You killed my eldest son! If he wasn’t rushing back to bring you cake, he wouldn’t have been speeding in the rain!”

Diana’s voice was sharp and painful. She raised her hand high and slapped Leah hard across the face.

Slap!

But the slap didn’t land.

Theodore lunged forward like a beast, wrapped his arms around Leah, and took the slap for her.

The hospital hallway went completely silent. Only the sound of machines could be heard.

A red handprint appeared on Theodore’s face, but he didn’t even flinch. He looked down at Leah with a gentleness and pain I had never seen in three years. He gently wiped the rain from her face, then turned around and stared at everyone with the authority of an Alpha.

“From today on, no one is allowed to touch Leah. My brother is gone. Leah and his son will move into my Alpha estate.”

Gasps filled the room.

I stood just three steps away as his legal wife. Rain ran down my hair into my eyes, stinging. Everyone stared at Theodore and Leah in shock, then turned their eyes to me — full of pity, mockery, and sympathy.

I had become a complete joke.

Diana turned and glared at me, pouring all her anger onto me.

“You worthless Omega! Three years and you’re still useless! You can’t even keep your own mate. Why don’t you go kill yourself from shame?”

People around us laughed quietly. Diana stormed off angrily.

I clenched my fists tightly. I had endured all the humiliation from Theodore’s family because I loved him.

Now, Theodore himself had cut that rope. I had no reason to stay anymore.

When Theodore tried to leave with Leah, I stepped in front of him.

“You can’t do this. You can’t announce you’re with another woman right in front of your wife, Theodore.”

He whipped his head around. His eyes burned with rage.

“I can. I am the leader of this pack. Now I’ll give you two choices. Either accept reality and stay as my useless decoration, or keep standing in my way and wait to be torn apart by rogue wolves.”

His overwhelming Alpha pressure crashed down on me like a mountain.

In the past, I would have lowered my head and stepped back.

But not today. Without even a second of hesitation, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. The sharp sound made Theodore freeze.

I looked at his twisted face, fighting back nausea, and said:

“I reject you, Alpha Theodore.”

A month ago, a neutral medical institution invited me to join their core drug research team. I had turned them down then, but they said they would wait for my answer. And they were strong enough to keep me safe.

I took a deep breath and immediately called my friend Ava, the pack’s lawyer.

“Ava, help me prepare divorce papers.”