Chapter 1

When I returned to the villa with the potion, Sebastian was already at the dining table eating breakfast.

He frowned when he saw me walk in from outside. "You've been getting more and more out of control lately. Staying out all night now?

"A Luna should be poised and dignified. Look at you, still acting like a child."

I said nothing and hung my coat on the rack.

My sleeves were still damp with morning dew from the forest. If he had bothered to look at me closely, he would have noticed the mud caked on the soles of my shoes.

It hardly looked like I had been out partying all night.

I sat down at the table, staring at the breakfast that had long since gone cold. I took a bite of the fried egg.

"I think it's time I taught you the basics of being a Luna. Your behaviour has been getting worse by the day. You actually stayed out with your friends all night."

He finished the last bite on his plate and wiped the grease from the corner of his mouth, his tone carrying a lecturing edge.

"I'm working on a major deal right now. I need to visit another pack on business for three days. Take care of yourself while I'm gone."

I gave a faint nod. "Okay."

Whenever he went away on business trip, I would carefully pack his luggage for him. Worried that his stomach might act up or that he wouldn't adjust to the food elsewhere, I'd spend the night before preparing packed meals and slipping stomach medicine into his bag.

I would remind him over and over to take care of himself and to send me a mind-link once he arrived.

But today I did none of that. I just sat at the table eating my breakfast.

He repeated himself, disbelief creeping into his voice. "I said I'm leaving on a three-day business trip to another pack."

His eyes stayed on me, searching my face for even the slightest flicker of emotion.

But my face gave him nothing. I nodded. "Got it."

He paused, frowning at me. "What's with you today? You seem different."

"Nothing. I'm just tired. The stomach medicine is in my bag. You'll see it as soon as you open it."

Inside was not just stomach medicine, but also the mate bond potion I had just obtained.

But Sebastian didn't seem to notice. He simply sighed, took the stomach medicine from my bag, and slipped it into his pocket.

"I'm the Alpha. I deal with a thousand things every day, and you don't hear me complaining about being tired. I don't know what you have to be tired about."

Just then, his phone on the table suddenly rang.

Before I could see who was calling, Sebastian lunged forward and snatched his phone off the table.

The moment he saw the caller, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth before he could stop it.

Then he hurried outside to take the call, where I couldn't hear.

Even though I hadn't seen the caller, that special ringtone told me exactly who it was: Vivian.

Sebastian's Beta.

I had once asked Sebastian why he gave Vivian her own ringtone.

He brushed me off, saying it was for work convenience.

I followed behind him. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I could see him grinning at his phone.

When he came back, I asked casually, "Was that your Beta?"

He locked his screen, the faint smile still lingering on his lips. "Yes. She's coming with me on this trip."

I nodded and said nothing.

He rested his hand on my shoulder and said gently, "She and I are just colleagues. Don't overthink it."

I thought of the gleaming moonstone necklace in Vivian's post.

There was no way Sebastian didn't know what it meant. He knew full well that I would mind, but he did it anyway.

The promise I'd waited seven years to receive, he had casually given to someone else.

And now he was telling me not to overthink it.