Chapter 7

Selene POV

The heavy sourness in my chest suddenly lightened a bit. I knew I shouldn't expect anything, but my body had already reacted first. I walked toward Michael's direction. But just then, Evelyn suddenly cut in, positioning herself right between him and me. My steps came to an abrupt halt.

"Michael." Evelyn hurried up to meet him, as if completely oblivious to me. She gently rubbed her temples, her face showing a tired smile, "Finally found you. The elders were just looking for you."

"We owe so much to Evelyn today. The lists, guests, vigil arrangements - she's been coordinating everything." Several elders also gathered around, "She's been busy all day without rest."

Evelyn quickly shook her head, "These are all things I should do."

Michael paused, speaking in a low voice, "You've worked hard."

Evelyn's eyes brightened slightly, her gaze falling on that recovery potion, "I knew you still remembered."

She smiled and directly reached out to take it.

My steps froze in place. Michael was obviously stunned for a moment.

"Evelyn." His brow furrowed, his voice deep, as if preparing to say something.

"Thank you." She smiled at him, her smile gentle and natural, as if that had always been meant for her.

I gripped my palms tightly, nails digging deep into my skin. The warmth that had just risen in my chest cooled down bit by bit.

Michael's expression suddenly darkened, those deep blue eyes staring intently at the potion in her hands, his jawline taut, "I wasn't giving it to..."

But Evelyn had already opened the cap and taken a sip. She seemed to suddenly remember something, turning to glance at me with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

Nyx instantly exploded, "That was ours!"

"It's fine." I said softly, "That wasn't ours."

I knew that if I spoke up, that potion wouldn't stay in Evelyn's hands, but today was Grand Alpha's funeral. I didn't want his final journey to become a farce.

Just as I was about to step back, I suddenly felt a gaze. Looking up, I met Michael's eyes directly. He was looking at me, his expression terrifyingly ugly, those deep blue eyes so heavy they made it hard to breathe, as if suppressing anger, yet also as if waiting for me to say something. My heart contracted.

Clearly I had done nothing, the potion had even been given to Evelyn - what was he angry about?

After a moment, he finally looked away, his voice frighteningly cold, "Whatever."

My body stiffened slightly. Before I could react, he turned and left.

"There's too much going on today." Evelyn waved the potion at me, showing a comforting smile, "He probably just forgot to prepare one for you. Don't blame him."

I lowered my eyes, only feeling my chest stuffy and painful, throat dry.

So I really had misunderstood. That potion was never meant for me. Ridiculously, for that brief moment just now, I had actually thought he came to find me.

My chest felt blocked, but I still looked up and smiled at her, "Michael is the future Alpha. Taking care of Pack members is his responsibility."

"Michael has always taken good care of Pack members." Evelyn's voice carried some helplessness, "In the past when I got busy, I often forgot to eat. He always reminded me."

"You've indeed worked hard today." My gaze fell on that potion, smiling lightly, "As the future Luna, I should also thank you. Go ahead and drink it."

I paused, then deliberately slowed my speech, "After all, if it were someone else standing here today, Michael would do the same thing."

Evelyn's smile stiffened for a moment. I knew she understood.

Evelyn's hand holding the potion bottle tightened slightly, her knuckles even turning somewhat white. Those eyes that were always gentle and smiling finally flashed with undisguised resentment she couldn't hide in time.

Nyx excitedly called out, "She's angry!"

She was silent for a few seconds. When she looked up again, the smile on her face had become flawless once more. But I no longer had the energy to care about these things. My temples suddenly throbbed painfully. I was almost at my limit. Unfortunately, today was Grand Alpha's funeral. I couldn't collapse, much less show any weakness in front of Evelyn. I straightened my back. I knew my condition was getting worse, but I could only force myself to stand there. Because I was the future Luna. At least, I still was for now.

The elders began reconfirming arrangements for the coming days, "The future Luna should also start taking over these affairs."

Someone said this, and several elders nodded in agreement. Everyone's gaze fell on me.

"Selene, what do you think about the vigil arrangements?" A deep, authoritative voice suddenly rang out.

I looked up. It was Alpha Ethan, Storm Pack's current Alpha and Michael's father, looking at me.

Countless gazes fell on me simultaneously. My mind went blank. This was something the future Luna should know. I instinctively straightened my back, trying hard to recall what Grand Alpha had once said, "If we go by rotation..."

Just as the words left my mouth, I suddenly stopped, my mind completely blank.

But those procedures I should have known, those traditions I should have remembered - I couldn't recall a single one at this moment. My temples suddenly throbbed painfully, the scene before my eyes swaying slightly. I instinctively clenched my palms, nails digging into skin, but that bit of pain could hardly suppress the surging fatigue in my chest. The voices around me became somewhat muffled. I opened my mouth but couldn't continue speaking.

"These years you've put too much energy into the Healing House. You understand too little about pack affairs instead." Alpha Ethan spoke slowly.

Nyx instantly bristled, "That's because we were saving people!"

"I know." I soothed her gently.

"The wolfsbane suppressant isn't just a project." I couldn't help but speak up, "Over the past three years, the Healing House has saved many Pack members. If the project succeeds, more people in the future will..."

"No one denies the value of the Healing House. But Storm Pack needs a Luna." Alpha Ethan interrupted me, "Father and Michael have both indulged you too much."

Michael? I didn't even know when he had ever indulged me.

I instinctively glanced toward where he had been standing just now. But he had left at some point.

Did he also think the elders were right?

The moment this thought emerged, my chest suddenly felt empty. I quickly looked away. I couldn't even say what exactly I was expecting.

"Actually, we can't blame Selene." Evelyn suddenly spoke softly. Everyone's gaze fell on her as she lowered her eyes, as if speaking up for me. She paused, her voice becoming even more gentle, "The Healing House has been under a lot of pressure these years. The wolfsbane suppressant project has indeed consumed much of her energy."

"Grand Alpha also always hoped she could focus on completing that project." Evelyn showed a somewhat helpless smile, "So Grand Alpha never had the heart to let her worry about many things in the Pack."

Several elders nodded in agreement. Evelyn smiled softly, "Selene just lacks experience. She can learn slowly in the future."

My breathing caught slightly. Only at this moment did I suddenly understand what she was doing. Just now I had said taking care of Pack members was the future Luna's responsibility, but now she was telling everyone that everything I had done these years was only because Grand Alpha favored me, because he protected me, because he couldn't bear to let me take on responsibilities.

My chest felt crushed by something, fingertips slightly cold, the buzzing in my ears becoming more obvious.

No one spoke up for me, and no one refuted Evelyn. It seemed everyone accepted her words as truth.

I thought of the past three years, countless nights in the healing house, failed potions, data scrapped and started over, and those Pack members who suffered and struggled when wolfsbane took effect. The Healing House was never my hobby - it was something I fought with everything to protect. But in their eyes, all that effort seemed to become evidence that I wasn't qualified to be Luna.

The Pack needed a Luna who understood ceremonies, traditions, and management. Not a researcher who spent all day in the Healing House. At least that's how they saw it.

Evelyn stood in the center of the crowd - composed, confident, handling everything with ease. She knew every procedure, remembered every tradition. She seemed more like the future Luna than I did, while I stood at the edge of the crowd, feeling like an outsider for the first time.

"Selene, can we go back to the healing house?" Nyx said quietly.

My gaze fell on the ceremony list on the table, those responsibilities that should belong to the future Luna. I couldn't answer a single one. My chest suddenly surged with an indescribable emptiness, as if no matter what I said, no one would care. No matter how I explained, nothing would change. My fingers tightened bit by bit, then slowly relaxed.

Maybe they were right. Maybe what Storm Pack truly needed was never me.

The moment this thought emerged, I suddenly froze. Because I found that I wasn't as sad as I had imagined. I just felt very tired, like desperately grasping something for many years, then suddenly one day no longer being able to hold on. So I could only let go.

At this moment, I suddenly felt it no longer mattered.

The scene before my eyes swayed slightly. I frowned, the ground beneath my feet seeming to sway as well.

"Selene?" Nyx's voice was puzzled, suddenly becoming tense, "Why is your face so pale?"

The sounds around me became increasingly blurred, the world seeming to gradually drift away from me.

"I..."

I wanted to respond to Nyx, but even opening my mouth became difficult. My body felt heavy as lead, even lifting my hand became hard. The scene before my eyes kept swaying, the sounds around me growing more distant.

"Selene?" Nyx called out anxiously, "We're going to fall."

I tried hard to stand steady, but suddenly my feet gave way. Just as consciousness was about to completely sink into darkness, there seemed to be the sound of a chair being violently pushed back in the distance. Then someone was calling my name, that voice urgent, even carrying panic I had never heard before.

"Selene!"