I was about to sign the rejection papers when my wolf's voice filled my mind. He's suffering in silence. Every cold word breaks his heart. He loves you more than his own life. Our Alpha loves us! Why can't you see he's protecting us? He's dying inside! His eyes are red. He's devastated. We're the only one he's ever loved. I stared at the papers, then at the man across from me—the Alpha who'd left me and our daughter to die in rogue territory so he could rush his precious Serena back to safety. He was the same man who hadn't even looked at me since. My wolf whimpered in my mind, defending him as always. Killian's expression remained cold as ice. He watched me hold the pen without making any move to stop me. "After you sign, I'll stay at the North Wing. Take your time moving out." His voice was flat, carrying not even a hint of emotion. This was how he'd been since we mated. He never looked at me and never said he cared. Even when we conceived Lily, it felt like nothing more than Alpha duty. The only person he ever showed emotion for was Serena—the girl who'd been raised as his sister until they discovered she wasn't blood-related. I'd been ready to sever the bond completely, but then my wolf started screaming at me. In three years of marriage, Killian had looked me in the eye maybe five times. Now my wolf claimed he loved me desperately. It was laughable. When we first mated, I'd loved him and couldn't help myself. My wolf had been so happy, so certain we'd found our perfect mate. So I decided to try one last time. "Killian, can you just stop putting Serena first? Please?" His jaw tightened in irritation. "Serena is my sister. The pack knows the truth now—that she's not blood—and they've made her life hell. She's struggling, and she needs support. Why can't you be more understanding? Why do you have to compete with her?" My heart twisted painfully. With me, Killian was always irritated and impatient. How could someone like this possibly love me? Yesterday we'd gone to the Moon Temple for blessings. Halfway there, Serena had a panic attack. We had no guards nearby, so Killian ordered me and Lily out of the car so he could rush Serena to the pack healer. Lily and I got lost in the rogue wilderness and barely survived the night. When we finally made it back, Lily collapsed with a fever. She still hasn't woken up. I had decided to give up this relationship. I picked up the pen again to sign the papers. A servant burst through the door, looking panicked. "Alpha! Miss Serena is having nightmares and calling for you! No one can calm her down, and you need to come back!" It was always like this. Serena could summon Killian with the smallest excuse. Since last night, he hadn't checked on Lily even once. Our daughter sometimes asked me through tears why Daddy didn't love her. He only does this to protect us, my wolf insisted desperately. If he ignores Serena, the pack will blame us for being jealous. He's thinking of our reputation. Serena saved his life once. He's just repaying the debt. He doesn't love Serena—why can't you trust our mate? He's so alone. No one understands him. We have to understand him. "Shut up," I muttered under my breath. My wolf whined, confused and hurt by my rejection. So this was it? The only place I'd ever hear about Killian's love was from my own wolf? He never did anything and never said anything. He just left Lily and me alone in empty rooms while the whole pack whispered that the Luna was worthless. Killian glanced at me for barely a second, then followed the servant out. "Serena needs me. We'll finish this when I get back, Freya." My wolf howled in protest as he left. Don't do this! He's our mate! He loves us! "If this is love," I whispered, "then I don't want it."
I was Killian's chosen mate. When Killian and I first mated, we weren't deeply in love, but we treated each other with respect and courtesy. Everything changed after Serena was revealed not to be Alpha Kane's blood daughter. Serena became sensitive and fragile. If Killian didn't stay by her side, she would throw tantrums and make scenes. She often came to the pack house to cause trouble for me. Whenever she made things difficult, Killian would sigh and try to placate me instead. "Serena's going through a hard time right now. She might be a bit much, but don't hold it against her." Serena's suffering wasn't my fault, yet Killian expected me to endure it again and again. The pack members learned quickly who held power. Behind my back, they whispered that I was petty and couldn't handle being Luna, that I couldn't win Alpha Killian's favor, and that I was pathetic and worthless. One day, when I wasn't home, Serena played with Lily and fed her pastries laced with silver dust. By the time I returned, Lily's skin was covered in burns and blisters, and she'd fallen unconscious. I rushed her to the pack healer in a panic. The healer told me that if I'd been even a few minutes later, Lily would have died. When I got back to the pack house, I found Killian gently comforting a tearful Serena. For the first time, I raised my voice at him. My face was filled with fury. "Lily almost died, Killian. I'm not asking you to punish Serena, but she can never come to our house again. Can't you at least agree to that?" Killian simply patted Serena's back and responded coldly. "Lily is fine now. Serena didn't mean to hurt her. She's been through so much already, and you need to be more patient with her." He met my hysteria with complete indifference, as if I were the one being unreasonable. But when I thought about this incident later, my wolf defended Killian relentlessly. He's afraid that if he treats us too well in front of Serena, she'll retaliate against us. He looks expressionless, but his heart shattered when he saw us cry. At least we can express our emotions. Our Alpha has to keep everything bottled up inside. He loves us so much. We come from a lower pack, so he can't show favoritism or we'll become a target for everyone. Why can't we be more understanding? Our mate is always protecting us silently, and we've never done a single thing for him. I'd suffered so much because of Killian's so-called love, and now my own wolf was blaming me for it. That night, after I'd finished taking care of Lily, I went to Killian's study to talk to him. I still loved him then. I was foolish enough to think that if I just tried harder, maybe Killian would finally see me. But when I stood outside the study, I saw through a crack in the door that Serena was crying and hugging Killian from behind. "We're not blood siblings, so why can't I love you? Please, just love me back a little. I don't care if we have to hide it forever. I'm willing to do anything." I bit my lip and silently begged Killian to push her away and scold her. But Killian only sighed and let her hold him. "You're still so young. Why are you thinking about these things?" I stood outside the door, barely able to keep myself upright. Serena looked at me through the gap and smirked mockingly. My wolf was silent for once, unable to defend what we'd both just witnessed.
"Mama, did Daddy come back yet?" When Lily woke up, it was already evening. I saw the hope in her eyes and couldn't bear to tell her the truth. Killian was still at Serena's residence, taking care of her. "It's okay, Mama. If Daddy doesn't come back, we can celebrate my birthday together, just the two of us." Today was Lily's birthday. Every year on this day, I would give Lily a gift and tell her it was from her father. That was why Lily still believed that Killian cared about her. I made Lily a bowl of noodles. Just as we sat down to eat, Killian walked in and rubbed his temples wearily. "Serena's condition is getting worse. She needs to stay here at the pack house for a while. Try to be more considerate and don't provoke her." Lily didn't understand what he was saying. She thought Killian had come back to celebrate her birthday, so she excitedly ran up and hugged him. "Daddy, you came back! I knew you wouldn't forget my birthday!" Killian froze. His face turned pale, and for once he didn't look as cold and distant as usual. Our mate was so busy dealing with Serena's problems that he forgot our pup's birthday. You can't really blame him for that, my wolf offered weakly. Couldn't we have reminded him? Why does our Alpha always have to be the one maintaining this relationship? He's been speaking well of us to Serena this whole time so she won't target us. He's already decided that after this is over, he'll focus on building a good life with us. It was ridiculous. No matter what Killian did, my wolf always made excuses for him. "Lily, I'm sorry. I was too busy today and forgot about your birthday." Lily lowered her head in disappointment but still tried to comfort him. "It's okay, Daddy. You always remember my birthday every other year. I'm already really happy about that." Killian looked at me in surprise, and his expression softened slightly. Our mate is so touched! We gave birthday gifts on his behalf! my wolf said proudly. This is the last time he'll help Serena. After this, he'll live happily with us. Killian's gaze became gentler, and his tone turned warmer. "Serena is only staying here temporarily. She won't disturb us. I know I've neglected you before, but from now on, things will be different. Let's not talk about rejection anymore." This world seemed to revolve entirely around Killian's desires. As long as he was happy, everything was supposedly fine. No one cared what I actually wanted. My wolf kept insisting that Killian loved me so much, but I only felt cold emptiness. Was this really love? The next day, Serena moved into the pack house with great fanfare. She stood in front of my courtyard and clung to Killian's arm playfully. "Freya, your courtyard is so beautiful. It's such a shame I can't live here." My heart sank. Then I heard Killian say to me. "Freya, I need you to move to the North Wing for now. It's just temporary." Don't misunderstand! Our mate feels even worse about this than we do! my wolf protested. It's fine. Just endure a little longer, and everything will be sweet soon. This courtyard was something I'd decorated by hand when I first came to the pack house. The wisteria tree in the yard was one Killian had planted for me. He'd even said that as long as the tree stood, our bond would remain strong. Now Serena covered her nose and looked at the tree with disgust. "The flowers are too fragrant. I can't stand the smell. Can you cut them down for me?" I looked up at them in disbelief. Killian glanced at me with a complicated expression, then ordered the servants to do it. Lily had once had an allergic reaction because of Serena, and Killian had brushed it off with barely a word. But now he was willing to cut down the tree he'd planted himself just to please Serena. I felt my heart growing colder and colder. I clutched the rejection papers tightly in my hand and turned to leave. We're misunderstanding again. How frustrating. Can't we try to see things from our mate's perspective? my wolf pleaded. "No," I said firmly. "I'm done seeing things from his perspective."
Watch? https://cps-front.novelix.live/app-api/ext/new/20260619GqIifLG69V ? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "Novelix" app ? search for "ni506832", and watch the full series ✨! #Novelix