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The Anniversary the Luna Walked Away
NovelShort
Hoàn thành
introduce
Chương (6)
第1章
“Luna Amarise, you and the Alpha have been bonded for thirty years. You share a son, a daughter and even a young cub. With such a complete pack lineage, do you truly feel no reluctance at all?”
The pack-law advocate frowned slightly, hoping I might change my mind.
Reluctance?
A cold curve lifted my lips.
Not long ago, I had been injured in a carriage crash on the mountain road. The Moon Healers contacted Alpha Emric Blackspire and our pup again and again.
No one answered. Not once.
When I finally woke from my coma, I saw that my daughter-in-law had forgotten to hide her latest crystal-recording.
That was how I learned the truth.
While I lay bound to moon-silver wards in a healing chamber, they were all gathered at Nightfang Citadel, hosting a grand feast for Emric’s first mate—Corinne Grimvale—celebrating her sculpture receiving a royal moon seal.
In the recording, my grandson ran across the stone hall, cub-laughter echoing brightly. Emric, his silvered hair catching the firelight, held Corinne close, his smile warm and unguarded.
I sat there the entire afternoon, numb, finally understanding that this self-deceiving mate bond should have ended long ago.
“I’ve decided,” I said calmly. “Prepare the bond-severance decree and the pack-equity transfer.”
On the day of our thirtieth mating anniversary, I chose to give Emric the grandest gift—and the last one.
Congratulations. He no longer needed to hide his true mate.
***
When I returned from the Council Hall, Emric stood on the balcony, speaking to his aide through a moon-communicator.
“Yes. The skyfire must bloom like a sea of stars. Only something that magnificent suits Corinne.”
In thirty years, Emric had never once brought me moonflowers. One year, I hinted that I wanted silver roses for my naming night. He only frowned.
“Why waste resources, Amarise? The gardens are full of blooms.”
I once thought he simply lacked tenderness. Yet now, he spared no expense to summon skyfire worthy of a queen—for her.
I stood silently in the hall. Emric ended the call, stepped inside, tossed his cloak at me without a glance.
“Why are you back so late? Dinner isn’t ready?”
Only then did I realize that I had never been his Luna—only a tireless pack servant.
Hiding the ache in my chest, I hung his cloak properly.
“Emric, I’m preparing your anniversary gift.”
His irritation eased. He even lifted a brow, clearly pleased.
“Then order food from the southern traders. You like cured boar meat, don’t you?”
Corinne liked it. The smell always made me ill.
Half a lifetime and he still knew nothing about me.
Before I could speak, his communicator lit up again.
He turned away quickly, but I had already seen the name.
Corinne.
Ten minutes later, he returned in haste.
“Working late tonight. Eat without me.”
I caught his wrist and handed him a single page and a pen.
“Emric, I’m thinking of replacing the pack carriage.”
He clicked his tongue, annoyed and signed without looking.
“Always extravagant. Fine. Don’t waste my time.”
He shoved the parchment back and rushed out, trampling a scarf as he went.
That scarf was one I had woven from frost-wool, fingers bleeding, for our last anniversary.
I picked it up and threw it away, as if discarding my own torn heart.
Then I removed my mate ring and entered his private chamber.
I turned the lock of his iron safe—Corinne’s birth moon.
It opened at once.
Inside lay an album, carefully preserved, filled with memories never meant for me.
Emric claimed three fixed Council journeys each year. Now I knew the truth. Every one of them was spent roaming foreign territories with her. Twenty years. From age thirty-five to fifty-five.
My hands shook as I turned to a page where they kissed beneath the golden light of Moonfall Glades.
She wore ceremonial swim-silk, radiant despite the years. He, though lined by time, still strong, still devoted. What bound them was not affection—but worship.
Earlier pages had yellowed. They were young then, reckless.
The first image showed them holding hands beneath an observatory spire as a meteor streaked the sky.
Below it, in Emric’s handwriting:
“I once missed a falling star. I hope I never miss the one who loves them.”
From black hair to white, they never did.
I remembered the day he marked me as his mate.
Under a star-filled sky on the high grasslands, he placed the ring on my finger, swearing loyalty before the Moon.
I finally understood—it was never for me.
Corinne loved the stars.
Those vows were never mine.
Pain split my chest. I set the album down as tears fell, endlessly.
I had chased Emric for three years before he accepted me.
My parents warned me. Said his heart was elsewhere. I believed love could be earned.
But a bond forced into being never grows sweet.
After thirty years, I had tasted only bitterness.
I fed him, raised our heirs, cared for the cubs, never resting.
Once young and radiant, I became worn and heavy with time. While he and his beloved remained untouched, glowing still.
Ten years ago, he began forgetting anniversaries, missing my birth nights, leaving me alone in healing halls with only a cold message.
I told myself—sixty-six disappointments and I would leave.
This was the sixty-sixth.
I placed the mate ring and the signed severance decree into his safe.
Then I lifted my communicator and dialed.
“Zevran Silverhaze,” I said softly, “do you still want my shares in the Blackspire Council?”
第2章
“Did I hear that correctly?” Zevran Silverhaze’s deep voice rose in disbelief. “You value me enough to hand over your council shares?”
When I stayed silent, he let out a low laugh.
“Then I’ll accept them. But in exchange, I have a gift for you, Amarise. How about signing a lifelong pact with me?”
“You always loved wandering beyond pack borders, didn’t you? I’ve invested in a grand inter-pack travel chronicle. I’m still missing the right voice to lead it.”
I stiffened. “But I’m no longer young and my image—”
“It’s never too late,” Zevran cut in calmly. “Fifty-five is nothing. The Amarise I remember was the brightest Moon-Voice to rise from the High Academies.”
He didn’t ask what I had endured. His tone left no chamber for refusal, as if fate itself had already aligned.
“Forget Blackspire. Look forward. I’ll come for you when I return from this journey.”
He was still just as forceful as he had been in his youth.
After a long pause, I exhaled. “Alright. I accept, Zevran.”
Yes. My life was only beginning. This time, I would live it for myself.
Emric did not return to the pack manor that night.
At dawn, he sent a message ordering me to bring breakfast to the council tower. “Prepare two portions. We have company.”
For thirty years, he had refused anyone else’s cooking. Fevered or exhausted, I still rose before dawn to prepare his meals.
An hour later, I pushed open the doors of his office—and froze.
Corinne stood there in a pale-gold jacket and fitted skirt. At her feet lay my favorite painting, torn to pieces, scattered across the stone floor.
Where it once hung now stood a new sculpture.
My mind went blank. Then anger surged.
“Who did this?” I shouted. “That was my painting!”
Corinne widened her eyes and covered her mouth lightly. “Oh no. I thought it was useless clutter—it was so unpleasant to look at. I replaced it with my own work. I’ll give you another someday.”
That painting was the only piece Emric and I had ever completed together, during a journey we once called our most precious memory.
Emric, flipping through documents, didn’t even look at me. He took the thermal container from my hands.
“No need. That thing had no value. Now that Corinne’s piece is here, this office finally has taste.”
He brushed past me toward her, careless enough to knock me aside. I fell hard.
Broken frame nails pierced my palm. Blood spilled instantly, pain sharp enough to steal my breath.
As I struggled to rise, my gaze caught something in the corner—soft pink undergarments, casually discarded.
My chest tightened as if crushed by an unseen claw.
But Emric saw none of it. Not the blood. Not the truth.
When Corinne looked up at him with teary eyes and said softly, “Emric, there were nut seeds in the oat stew. I’m severely allergic. I almost died,” his face darkened at once.
Without hesitation, he dumped the meal I had spent an hour preparing into the trash.
Then he glanced at me on the floor with cold contempt.
“Stop acting weak, Amarise. Get up and clean that trash. And don’t ever put nut seeds in food again.”
With that, he led Corinne away to enjoy a luxury breakfast in the upper district.
My body shook. My palm throbbed. Hot tears finally spilled.
That evening, at Corinne’s celebration feast, I saw him holding her hand, refusing to let her carry even a small pouch.
“Hands that shape art should be treated like a goddess’s.”
Yet I had spent half my life serving him like a low-ranking pack servant—scrubbing, cooking, enduring—no one ever asking if I hurt.
At home, I dabbed salve onto my wound and began sorting through every gift Emric had ever given me.
Each festival, he bought things in pairs. I once thought it was thoughtfulness, until I saw the truth through a hidden crystal-feed. Everything he gave me, he gave her as well.
Not a single gift was meant only for me.
He simply could not let her lack anything.
By the time I finished, the sun was already sinking. I didn’t even fix my hair before rushing to fetch my grandson, Nolan, from the academy.
As Nolan walked out with his classmates, a few cubs laughed and pointed.
“Hey, Nolan, is that your grandma?”
His face flushed. Panic flashed in his eyes.
“No! She’s our pack servant!”
Then he held up a magazine image of Corinne, radiant and refined. “This is my grandma. She’s a famous sculptor!”
My ears rang.
This was the cub I had raised with my own hands.
While my son and his mate managed pack affairs with Emric, I had fed him, healed him and sung him to sleep. And now he denied me.
To him, I was shame.
In the carriage, Nolan kept his head down, staring at his shoes or the passing road.
This time, I said nothing.
No scolding. No correction.
Only silence—and the quiet mockery of the woman I had become.
When we reached my son’s home, Nolan whispered, kicking the ground, “Grandma… aren’t you angry?”
I looked at him calmly. “Nolan, do you want a different grandmother?”
“If you do,” I said softly, “I’ll help you get one.”
第3章
I handed him to the nanny and drove away without looking back.
When I returned to the pack estate, exhaustion weighing on my bones, the first thing I saw was the moon-harp piano dumped on the lawn like scrap.
Inside, Ronan stood at the entrance, hauling several large travel trunks inside.
“Mother,” he said coolly, “Aunt Corinne will be staying within our territory for some time. She dislikes noise, so I cleared out your music chamber and turned it into a sculpting hall for her.”
I stared at him. In that moment, I understood—I no longer belonged. I was an eyesore, a remnant left behind, stubbornly occupying a place where I was no longer wanted.
That piano had been his eighth naming-day gift to me, bought with every coin he had saved that year.
He once sat beside me in the sunlight, laughing, fingers tapping the keys, clinging to my arm and saying he loved me most. That cub was gone.
Swallowing the ache, I forced a smile through the tears pressing at my eyes.
“So this is how you treat your mother now.”
Unease flickered across his face—brief, awkward—when soft footsteps sounded behind him.
Emric stepped into the yard with Corinne at his side. His gaze was as cold as Ronan’s as it landed on me.
“Corinne fears the dark. Your chamber receives the most sunlight. Move out and let her stay there.”
I lowered my eyes and nodded. “Alright. I’ll take my things and leave.”
They had expected protest, perhaps tears. My calm answer clearly startled him.
“Amarise—”
“Oh, Amarise, you’re far too kind,” Corinne interrupted with a sweet smile. “Let’s live in harmony during this time.”
I didn’t look back. I turned and went upstairs.
One by one, I dragged out heavy storage bags. Each held years of silence, endurance and unspoken sacrifice.
When I tossed thirty years of memories into the disposal wagon, Emric followed, his brow furrowed.
“Why are you throwing away so much?”
“Just things I’ll never need again.”
My tone unsettled him. He reached into a bag and froze.
“These… these are the things I gave you.”
I smiled faintly. “Things from decades ago should’ve been discarded long ago.”
Just like certain people.
His expression darkened. “You used to cherish them.”
I had. Anything from him once made my heart light, clutching it as if it were the world itself.
But forever was too long. A heart soaked in betrayal couldn’t bear it.
I brushed past him. “There’s someone new in this house now. You never liked crowded spaces, did you?”
He seemed about to explain that Corinne’s stay was temporary, but I was already loading the last of my belongings into the carriage.
He sighed. “There’s a banquet tonight. You haven’t attended one in years. Come along with Corinne.”
He hadn’t brought me to a formal gathering in a long time. Since I aged and gained weight, I no longer fit beside him.
At the banquet grounds, they stepped out first.
The host smiled brightly. “Alpha Blackspire, your Luna is as radiant as she was in her youth.”
Emric didn’t correct him. He simply took Corinne’s hand.
“Thank you.”
“And this lady is…?”
Only then did he glance my way. A brief pause—then indifference. “She’s our aide.”
I stood rooted in place. I had expected it, yet it still felt like my chest had been split open.
Holding back the burn in my eyes, I lifted my head and walked inside with the last of my dignity intact.
Corinne clung to Emric’s arm, swirling her wine as they moved through the noble packs with ease, every inch a bonded pair.
I stood apart, a shadow watching from the edge. The laughter, the splendor—none of it belonged to me.
Then, without warning, sharp agony tore through my injured right calf.
第4章
In an instant, cold sweat soaked my back.
The old wound from the carriage accident flared violently. The leg that had once been shattered by moon-forged steel throbbed with every heartbeat. I had no choice but to ask for a chamber to rest.
What the banquet stewards gave me was a narrow storage chamber—cold, unlit, sealed off from the main halls.
The moment I stepped inside, a sharp click sounded behind me.
The door locked.
Outside, Corinne’s voice rang out, sharp with triumph.
“Emric has always belonged to me. You pitiful woman who chased him for decades—so what if you were bonded to him? His heart was never yours.”
“You saw it tonight, didn’t you?” she continued mockingly. “I sat beside him in the front seat of the wolf-carriage. This moon-silk gown? Your daughter chose it for me. This limited starsteel timepiece? Your son bought it. They all adore me—not you.”
My leg screamed in agony. Sweat poured down my face as I pounded on the door, my voice breaking.
“Take him. Take all of them! Just let me go to the healer’s hall. I’m begging you!”
“Dream on,” she said coldly. “I won’t let you ruin my night. Stay here and learn where you belong.”
A placard was hung on the handle—Do Not Enter · Under Moon Ward Maintenance. Her heels clicked away, fading into silence.
I collapsed onto the frozen floor, strength drained. Reaching for my communicator, my heart sank.
No power.
“Help me!”
I slammed my fists against the sealed door until my voice gave out. The chamber was too far from the main halls, the night too quiet. No one came.
At last, the pain swallowed me whole and darkness took me.
***
Two hours later, when the banquet ended, Emric still hadn’t seen me. Irritation creased his brow as he scanned the hall.
“Didn’t I tell her to behave and stay put? Where did she wander off to now?”
Corinne held his arm, guilt carefully painted on her face.
“Did she leave because you called me your Luna? If I’d known she’d be upset, I would have explained.”
Emric snorted. “Everyone tonight was pack nobility. With how she looked, she would’ve embarrassed me. Corinne, I’m glad you were there. You saved my dignity.”
“Amarise always exaggerates. Let her sulk. Let’s go back.”
Corinne cast a smug glance toward the storage corridor, silent victory curling her lips.
And I remained locked in that dark chamber, completely forgotten.
Not one person in that family remembered me.
***
The next morning, when Nolan needed to be taken to the academy, my son finally noticed my absence.
“Why isn’t she here yet? Do you know what time it is?!”
When my communicator went unanswered, he didn’t try again. He simply waved it off and told the nanny to handle it.
I was eventually released by a citadel attendant.
After recharging my communicator, there were no messages from Emric—no concern, no questions.
What greeted me instead was a blazing headline across the crystal screen:
[The reclusive Luna of Blackspire revealed to be a master sculptor. A perfect match—an Alpha of power and a woman of rare elegance.]
Weak and hollow, I stared at it and smiled bitterly.
Then my communicator rang.
For one fleeting second, I thought it might be Emric.
But the name flashing on the screen was Zevran.
The moment I answered, his voice came through, tense with worry.
“Amarise, I called you all night. What happened? Are you alright now?”
第5章
It turned out Zevran had seen the moon-net headlines the night before. Afraid I might act recklessly, he searched for me across the territories all night.
I never imagined the last warmth in my world would come from someone outside my own pack.
My eyes burned red as I forced the tears back. “I… I’m fine…”
“No, you’re not,” he said quietly, storm held tight in his voice. “You’re not fine at all. I’m ending my journey early. I’ll come get you.”
“Thank you… I’m sorry…”
“You never need to say that to me, Amarise. My feelings have never changed.”
Years ago, Zevran had once pursued me. But I had been blinded by my devotion to Emric, unable to see anyone else.
I never thought that after thirty years, I would still have a place in his heart.
***
When I returned from the healer’s hall, I found Corinne sprawled across Emric’s black-fur bed, wrapped in a loose men’s shirt, a crystal goblet of wine in her hand. Her legs were shamelessly exposed.
Emric had always been obsessively clean. He once loathed even a trace of my scent in his chamber.
Twenty years ago, before his rise in the Alpha Council, he offended an influential envoy due to his temper. To mend it, I drank until my stomach nearly bled.
When I stumbled home that night, he didn’t ask if I was hurt. He only blocked the doorway, disgust clear on his face.
“You stink. Clean yourself before coming in.”
I was left outside in the snow until dawn. By the time I crawled back to my chamber, fever consumed me for a full week.
And now, Corinne—reeking of alcohol—lay comfortably in his bed.
So those rules were never rules. They were chains meant only for me.
She slowly rose, deliberately tugging the shirt aside, revealing crimson bite-marks blooming across her skin.
“Emric was fierce last night,” she said softly. “Hours without rest. He said you were stiff, dull, never knew how to please him.”
Nausea surged, but I swallowed it and met her gaze without flinching.
“So what?” I said coldly. “You’re still nothing more than a kept she-wolf.”
The words struck her hard. Venom flashed in her eyes. Then she scoffed, lifted the goblet and smashed it against the floor.
Glass shattered.
She screamed and collapsed.
“Corinne!”
Emric burst in, panic flooding his face as he rushed to her side, gathering her into his arms as if she were fragile crystal.
Tears trembled on her lashes as she sobbed, “I only wanted to explain last night to Amarise… but she told me to die and pushed me into the glass…”
Emric clasped her bleeding hand—only a shallow cut—yet rage ignited his eyes as he turned on me.
“Apologize. Now.”
Grief crashed over me and I cried out, “I didn’t do anything! She—”
“I should leave before Amarise finds another way to hurt me!”
Corinne’s wail cut me off as she pretended to pull away.
Instead, Emric held her tighter, shielding her like a sacred treasure. His gaze toward me was pure contempt.
“You’re narrow-minded and cruel. Go reflect on yourself.”
With that, he left, taking her to the healer as if I were the criminal.
***
Later, the guards dragged me into the underground holding chamber like discarded refuse. With no choice left, I called my son.
Ronan’s voice was sharp and distant.
“I already heard from Father. You went too far. It was a small misunderstanding and you actually injured Aunt Corinne?”
“Mother, can’t you be more like her? Be elegant for once. Stop disgracing the pack.”
My heart turned to ice.
Tears streamed silently as I ended the call.
Emric ordered punishment. No food. No water.
After a day and a night of silent torment, my injured leg throbbed violently. At last, the old housekeeper, unable to bear it, secretly released me.
The moment I reached the healer’s hall, I saw Corinne’s newest moon-net post.
The first image showed Emric’s back as he ran errands for her. The second—an expectancy report.
[With someone who truly loves you, the sense of safety is overwhelming.]
The Blackspire pack flooded the comments.
My son: [Congrats to Father for reclaiming his goddess.]
My daughter, from overseas territory: [Didn’t you joke about borrowing Alpha blood to have a cub? Looks like your efforts paid off. Congrats.]
My daughter-in-law: [We must hold a celebration feast.]
Then Emric himself replied.
[Don’t jump to conclusions. I’m only helping Corinne. If you keep stirring trouble, are you trying to force your mother and me to sever our bond?]
My son and daughter-in-law answered together. [Understood. We’ll say no more.]
But my daughter wrote next.
[Everyone knows you never let go of Aunt Corinne. Why not follow your heart? We support you.]
I never imagined the pup I loved most would say such words.
They admired their powerful Alpha father. Their plain, aging mother could never compare to Corinne.
In their eyes, I didn’t deserve to be his Luna—or their mother.
So everything I had given, all the years of sacrifice, meant nothing.
Now that the mate bond was broken and the family I protected had turned cold, I had nothing left to lose.
I typed slowly.
[Congratulations on gaining a cub in your later years. Don’t worry, I won’t disturb your happiness. Emric and I are severing our mate bond.]
The moment I sent it, my communicator began to ring nonstop.
第6章
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Emric snarled. “Corinne and I aren’t what you’re imagining. She wanted a cub and I merely lent my bloodline to help her.”
I wiped my swollen, burning eyes and let out a bitter laugh. “Is that so? Since when did betrayal gain such a sacred-sounding excuse?”
As the words left my mouth, I lifted my gaze—and there they were. Emric and Corinne walking side by side down the healer hall’s moonlit corridor.
The moment he saw me, his expression darkened. He strode over, lifting his communicator as if it were a weapon.
“What are you doing here? Following us now?”
Leaning on my crutch, I answered evenly, “My foot was injured and I nearly collapsed from hunger. I came to see the healers.”
Corinne scoffed softly. “Really, Amarise? You’ve always acted unbreakable. Since when did you become so delicate, falling ill over every little thing?”
Emric hesitated. His anger faltered as his gaze lingered on my pale lips and unsteady stance. His voice softened.
“What happened to your foot? Why didn’t you tell me?”
I looked at him in silence, a cold curve at the corner of my mouth.
Why did it hurt? Even now, he believed it was an act.
He had disappeared for an entire week, celebrating with his chosen she-wolf. When he returned and saw me limping with a crutch, he sneered, saying I was improving at pretending pain to win sympathy.
For Corinne’s sake, he had thrown me into the underground chamber to “learn my place.” I could already picture the humiliation waiting there.
But since I was leaving anyway, there was nothing left to explain.
I bit my lip and said nothing.
Something finally shifted in him. Unease flickered across his face. He grabbed my hand, panic seeping into his voice.
“Corinne and I only underwent a healer’s ritual, I swear. She and the cub won’t affect our mate bond. Tomorrow is our thirtieth bond anniversary. I’ve prepared something special for you.”
Watching him cling to words he thought would bind me again, I nearly laughed.
“I’ve prepared a surprise for you too.”
Perhaps driven by guilt, he personally arranged my admission and even went out to buy spirit fruit. A rare sight.
My son and his mate arrived soon after, their expressions stiff as they tried to smooth things over.
“Dad and Aunt Corinne aren’t what you think.”
“Mom, they ended things decades ago. They’re just pack allies now.”
“Allies who share blood for conception,” I replied calmly. “I’m tired. If that’s all, you may leave.”
They froze. I had always spoken gently. My cold tone struck them hard.
Just then, my communicator vibrated.
[I’ll come get you tonight. Be ready. If not, I’ll carry you away myself.]
I typed back without hesitation. [Be on time.]
Emric entered with a bag of fruit, his eyes flicking to my screen. “Who are you talking to?” he asked softly.
“The bank rune,” I replied. “Time to settle an account.”
He chuckled. “If you need resources, just ask. I’ve never let you lack anything.”
True. Even chained wolves were fed enough to stay alive.
That day, Emric played the devoted Alpha mate—pouring tea, peeling fruit, ordering meals.
But I knew the truth. It wasn’t affection. It was guilt.
As night fell, his communicator rang.
He glanced at it, locked the screen and slipped it away. Then he bent down, kissed my forehead and murmured, “An urgent matter in the territory. I’ll return soon. Rest.”
Minutes after he hurried away, a message flashed onto my screen.
[Don’t get arrogant, bitch. One call from me and he already chose not to come back tonight.]
Attached was a photo—Emric kneeling on the ground, reverently pressing his lips to her swollen belly.
I turned off the communicator, opened the cabinet, took out my suitcase and walked out of the healer hall.
A black rune-carriage waited beneath the streetlamp. The window slid down, revealing the calm, handsome face of a mature Alpha.
Once inside, I opened my moon-net account and carefully selected several images.
One of the mating ring and the bond-severance decree locked in the safe.
One of my healer records after the carriage accident.
One of them entwined in heat at an inn while I clung to life.
And finally, a photo of my notebook, where I had silently recorded sixty-six moments of betrayal.
When the moon crossed its highest point, I pressed send and tagged Emric.
[After the 66th disappointment, I am finally free. Enjoy your thirtieth bond anniversary gift. Happy severance.]
When he comes back, he will find... that I have completely left.