Chapter 1

I sat on the sofa, my hands trembling as I gripped the wine glass.

My cancer was terminal, and I knew it couldn’t be cured.

But at this moment, the pain in my body wasn’t my focus—what hurt more was everything that was happening right in front of me.

“Emma, today is a special day.” Alpha Alpha Jason Romano’s voice came from the door. He is the Alpha of Romano pack. I looked up at him, his face beaming with a smile that seemed to have everything under control.

I raised an eyebrow. “What special day?”

He knelt down in front of me, pulling a ring out of his pocket, gleaming coldly. “Lily, I want to spend my life with you. Will you be my wife?”

“Alpha Jason…” My voice cracked, almost a whisper, “How could you…”

He looked up at me, his eyes not a trace of guilt, only calmness. “Emma, enough. You know that Lily is the one who benefits the family. She’s a pureblood wolf, she can bring more to the family.”

I gripped the wine glass tightly, my fingers nearly breaking the glass. “Family benefit?” I laughed bitterly, “Is that all I am to you? Just a pawn you can throw away for some so-called benefit?”

He remained calm. “Emma, you don’t understand. This isn’t about personal feelings, it’s about the future of the family. You’re no longer fit for this position.”

I took a deep breath, my anger barely contained. “You want me to understand you, to understand your marriage with my sister? To understand that you’re abandoning me for the ‘family’s interest’?”

Suddenly, I heard my Luna mother’s voice from the door. “Emma, you should understand Alpha Jason. He’s doing the right thing. You should let go.”

“Let go?” I sneered, my eyes full of coldness, “You want me to let go of everything I’ve given for you? Let go of the love I’ve shown to you?”

My mother stared at me, frowning. “Emma, you can’t say that.”

“Can’t say that?” I walked toward her, my voice icy. “You’ve never truly cared about me. You’ve treated me as a tool. For the family’s benefit, you’ve thrown me aside as if I don’t matter.”

“Emma, stop.” Alpha Alpha Jason reached out his hand. “You’ve always sacrificed for the family, but Lily can give us more. She’s the best choice.”

I froze, my lips trembling. “The best choice?” I asked, my voice shaking. “What do I even mean to you? Just an outdated choice?”

I turned, walking firmly toward the door. Just then, Beta Noah came running down the stairs, looking confused at the scene. “Mom, what’s going on? Why is everyone so serious?”

I took a deep breath, suppressing the anger within me, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing, sweetheart. Go play with Dad.”

Noah looked confused, but nodded and ran to Alpha Jason. “Dad, let’s go play!”

I stood by the door, listening to Noah’s footsteps fading away. My heart felt like it was being crushed by a cold hammer. All the pain exploded in that instant. I could barely breathe.

I looked down at the ring on the table, the symbol of betrayal.

The moonlight bathed me, as if soothing the pain within me. That power, it slowly began to awaken inside me. The wolf blood in my veins stirred.

“I will no longer tolerate this.” I whispered, my eyes filled with determination.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard Lily’s sharp voice: “Oh, Emma, are you unwilling to accept it? I never thought you’d be so stubborn. You’ve given so much to Alpha Jason, but now, you don’t even have your last shred of dignity.”

I turned around and looked at her face full of provocation. “Lily,” I said coldly, “you’ll never understand what I’ve sacrificed for this family. Everything I did was for this family, and you, you only wanted your own ambitions.”

She walked closer to me, smiling mockingly. “I’m just smarter than you. Do you know, Emma, that Alpha Alpha Jason was never really yours? You thought he truly loved you? You were just his substitute, until I came along and made him realize what was truly worth having.”

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my voice steady. “Say that again.”

Lily provocatively smiled, “Say it again? Haven’t you already figured it out? You’re nothing more than his replacement. I’m the real winner here. Alpha Jason will have me, and you’ll just watch us walk into the future.”

“You think you’ve won?” I said, forcing calm into my voice, “You think you’ll always stand in front of me? You’re just another pawn in Alpha Jason’s game of power, and you’ll be discarded eventually.”

She coldly laughed, “You’re just giving up, Emma. I’ll be the last winner, and Alpha Alpha Jason will have me. You’ll be left to watch.”