Chapter 3

Will saw me home, then excused himself urgently, citing an important meeting. Before leaving, his ice-blue eyes held mine. "Lula, go inside and rest. Don't dwell on anything. I will handle all the preparations for tomorrow's ceremony." My emotions were tangled. "Will… thank you. For me… you interrupted your important meeting…" He paused, turned back, and closed the distance. Gently ruffling my hair, he said softly:"No thanks are needed, Louisa. Whatever choice you make, I will support you." Taking a deep breath, I returned to the marital suite I shared with Ronald. I began silently packing the personal belongings I had brought here. But as I reached the corner of the vanity, my hands froze. Seeing these things I had joyfully placed here… suddenly made me feel utterly ridiculous. I had rushed to leave my mark here, while he had already made space for Elizabeth's things. My belongings… were treated like discarded trash, shoved into a corner. I sped up my packing, desperate to escape this suffocating space. Just as I gathered the last box, the lock clicked. Ronald pushed the door open, his arm carefully supporting a pale-faced Elizabeth. Seeing me, they both froze. But my gaze was locked on her neck. Around her throat hung the betrothal pendant – the symbol of my position as Ronald's future Luna. Designed by his own hand, crafted from the rarest Northern frost-iron, the pendant was a wolf fang. Its significance was known to all. And now… it hung around Elizabeth's neck. Elizabeth gasped, frantically reaching to remove it. "Oh! Lula! I'm sorry! So sorry! I didn't mean to wear it!" "I just… just thought it was so beautiful, wanted to share in your joy… I'll give it back right now!" As her fingers fumbled with the clasp, there was a sharp snap. The wolf fang pendant broke free from the chain and plummeted onto the marble floor, shattering cleanly in two. Time seemed to stop. Elizabeth stared at the fragments, then covered her face, sobbing, her shoulders shaking as if she'd suffered a grievous wrong. "Wahhh! What do I do? I… I didn't mean to!" "It's fine, it's fine, just a necklace. I'll have a new one made." "No. I don’t want that." I said. Ronald turned to me with impatience. "Louisa! It's just a necklace! Broken? Fine, we'll have another made! Elizabeth didn't do it on purpose! She's injured, fragile right now. Can't you be understanding?" Elizabeth, eyes red-rimmed, looked at me: "Lula, is it… is it because I wore it? Do you find me… tainted?" I remained silent, my silence implying agreement. Ronald's anger flared. "Louisa, how can you be like this? Elizabeth lost both parents young, she's always been bullied in the pack! Letting her wear it once wouldn't hurt! Are you really that petty?..." I looked at the broken shards of the wolf fang on the floor. The last ember within me finally died. Things remained, but he was gone. The love I once thought unbreakable had long ago decayed and changed, no longer belonging solely to me. I spoke with eerie calmness, my voice devoid of inflection. "Hmm, it's fine. Since you like it so much… consider it yours." Ronald was stunned. He clearly hadn't expected this reaction. No anger, no tears. A strange, inexplicable panic sparked within him. He opened his mouth, seemed to want to say something, but seeing the utter lack of warmth in my eyes, he swallowed it back. I didn't even spare them another glance. Picking up my box, I walked straight out the door. Ronald made to follow me, but Elizabeth sobbed and clutched his sleeve. "Ronald… are you angry with me?" Ronald stopped immediately, his voice softening as he comforted her. "No, of course not. How could I be angry with you?" "But… because you got hurt today… Lula was supposed to become my mate. "You need to learn to be more considerate from now on, understand?"