SERENITY KELLER
Elias didn't come home.
At first, when he promised he would return, I relaxed. To surprise him, I asked Dr. Charles to keep my pregnancy a secret. He agreed. That way, when Elias came back, he would be the first to know about our new life.
But he never came.
I didn't know how long I sat on that couch. I tried calling him several times, but after my calls were declined again and again, I finally gave up. The overhead light grew useless, and by the time I noticed how bright the room had become, dawn had broken.
"Luna, please get some rest. The Alpha may have been delayed on the road… but I'll wake you when he returns."
Lizzie brought hot tea and tried again to persuade me. "For the baby's sake, you need to rest."
I pressed my lips together. Delayed on the road? But he had promised to come back right away. I had told him I had something important to discuss.
Didn't that matter to him? Or was my "important" simply "unimportant" to him?
"You're right. I'll go rest."
It's too late, Serenity. Stop waiting. You know he's not coming.
I swallowed the bitterness rising in my chest and forced myself to stay composed. I walked to the bedroom to rest.
But sleep refused to come. I tossed and turned, my body exhausted while my mind stubbornly stayed awake. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw their accusations—traitor—and felt those oppressive, watchful stares.
A sudden wave of anxiety gripped my heart. I stopped being optimistic.
What if Elias hated me so much he couldn't accept the possibility of a child between us? When I tell him about the pregnancy, would he actually be happy? Would he welcome this baby?
What if he didn't care about the child at all? What if he took the baby away from me? Or locked us both up together? Was having this baby even the right choice?
Worries tangled around me like weeds, dragging my dreams into darker nightmares.
I dreamed of the day Liv died.
She had called to invite me for a walk by the sea. When I heard the invitation, I thought she was mocking me—I was confined and couldn't go anywhere. But then Liv said something that caught my attention.
"Serenity, don't you want a lead on the real traitor? I know you're not the traitor, and I have proof. Come to me, and I'll give it to you."
"You could give that proof directly to the investigation team. Or to Elias himself," I said.
"No. I'll only give it to you. So you have to come alone, Serenity. If you tell anyone—even Elias—I'll throw this proof into the ocean."
Reason told me to ignore her threats. But I couldn't dismiss even the slightest possibility.
"Fine. I'll come."
That was the beginning of the trap.
Liv chose a steep cliff overlooking the sea. The salty wind howled fiercely, whipping our hair around. I didn't want to admit that I had grown my hair long to imitate her. Elias seemed to adore Liv's platinum locks, always gazing at them with such tenderness. So I let mine grow too.
"Thank you for coming, Serenity."
Liv stood calmly in the gale. Her voice was sweet, but it sent chills down my spine.
"Cut the pleasantries. Where's this proof?" I had snuck out while the guards weren't paying attention, constantly worried I'd be discovered missing. "I'm here. Hand it over!"
But Liv didn't move.
A strange smile spread across her face. It was unsettling. My heart raced, and I instinctively backed away until my foot hit loose rocks at the edge of the cliff. I watched a stone tumble over and disappear into the churning waves below.
"Serenity, I've always wondered—why did you have to appear?" Liv said softly. "Why are you Elias's fated mate? You have no idea what happened between Elias and me, or how much I sacrificed to become his mate. You did nothing. You're just an Omega. How did you get to bypass me and become his Luna?"
"What are you trying to say?" I demanded.
Liv shot me a jealous glare.
"You need to disappear, Serenity." Her voice turned venomous. "You think marrying Elias means you've won? The Vernal pack wants a child, not you.
Once you give them an heir, Elias will throw you away—just like your mother!"
"Shut up!" She had insulted the woman I could never allow anyone to demean, the deepest fear I had buried. Rage clouded my judgment. I didn't notice Liv edging closer to the cliff. After provoking me, she suddenly lunged and grabbed my arm. Startled, I shook her off. "What are you doing?!"
But Liv released me. She used the momentum of my push to lean backward — "You'll always be a loser, Serenity."
Liv fell from the cliff before my horrified eyes. Just before she disappeared, I saw her lips form those words.
Then Elias's anguished roar echoed from behind me: "LIV!"
I turned stiffly. A black car had stopped on the beach. Elias was sprinting toward us, shouting as he ran. His eyes were filled with shock, rage—and hatred for me.
Realization hit me. I knew exactly what this looked like to an outsider. I scrambled to explain. "No! I didn't push her—she jumped!"
Believe me, Elias.
"Believe me, please believe me…" I jolted awake, cold sweat soaking my nightgown. I had been talking in my sleep.
The bitter taste of old memories still lingered. The clock on the wall read 3 p.m. It had been twenty hours since Elias hadn't come home.
I called for Lizzie. "Has Elias come back?"
The hope in my voice met her expression—and that was my answer.
Not just that day. For many days after, Elias didn't return.
No calls. No messages. He might as well have vanished.
I called him constantly, but it was always busy. If the pack's operations hadn't been running normally, I might have worried something had happened to him.
But that didn't ease my mind. Elias had stayed out before, but never for so many days without a word.
And something else was strange: the women who usually came to flaunt their relationships with him had also disappeared. Elias wasn't with me, and he wasn't with them either. It was like he had suddenly become a monk— yet I had lost all trace of him.
Finally, I couldn't sit still anymore.
I went to the door and was stopped by the two guards assigned to watch me.
"Luna," they said—the title respectful, the tone anything but—"you're not allowed to leave the mansion."
"Then tell me where Elias is right now."
"Sorry. We can't say."
"Did Elias order you to keep it secret?" I pressed. "Did he specifically tell you not to tell me?"
"No, the Alpha gave no such order. But—" But I'm the last person Elias wants to see. I read it in their eyes.
"Listen." I clenched my fists, using every ounce of strength to maintain my dignity. "If Elias didn't directly order you, you have no right to refuse. I may be confined to this mansion, but I am still his Luna. I have the right to know the truth!"
The two guards exchanged glances, then answered reluctantly. "The Alpha has been staying at the northern villa these past few days."
"What's he doing there?"
"He's…taking care of a patient."
A patient? Some instinct told me I wouldn't like the answer.
"What patient?"
"A girl who lost her memory," the guard said. "The Alpha says she might be an old acquaintance."
What kind of "old acquaintance" made Elias stay away from home?
My heart clenched. Remembering my nightmare, I felt an urgent need to see Elias immediately.
"Take me to him!"
The guards started to refuse, but I cut them off. "I mean it! If you won't take me, I'll jump from an upstairs window!"
To prove I was serious, I turned and ran to a nearby window, climbing onto the sill.
"Please don't do anything dangerous, Luna. I can take you to the Alpha."
I looked back. Herman, Elias's most trusted Beta, sighed and bowed to me.
He was one of the few people in the Vernal pack who still showed me respect—besides Lizzie and Dr. Charles.
I trusted him.
Herman kept his word. Without another question, he escorted me out. It had been six months since I'd stepped outside the mansion. Before I could take in the scenery, I was in a car heading to Elias's northern villa.
It was his private property, rarely used. As we approached the gates, my heartbeat quickened inexplicably, as if my body was resisting what I was about to see.
The villa was quiet. Not even servants.
Herman had a key. He unlocked the door but wouldn't come upstairs with me. "It might be better if you see the Alpha alone."
I agreed and went up by myself.
On the second floor, I heard voices from the master bedroom. The door was half-open. Two people were talking inside.
I crept closer. The soft carpet muffled my footsteps, so they didn't hear me.
Through the gap, I saw Elias's back. He sat at the edge of the bed holding a bowl of soup. A woman sat on the bed, her face blocked by his body.
"Come on, one more sip."
Elias was feeding her. His voice was so gentle, his movements so careful— as if he were handling something infinitely precious and fragile.
Jealousy flooded my heart. I had never heard him speak to me like that.
With me, Elias was always either too polite or too cold, keeping his distance. I had never seen this side of him.
Yet here he was, transformed into someone I didn't recognize.
"I really can't drink anymore." The woman's coy complaint made me freeze.
That was Liv's voice.
How was this possible? How could she still be alive?
"My head still hurts, Elias. What if I never get my memories back?" She leaned into his arms. Elias hastily set down the bowl and held her gently.
"It's okay. You'll be fine. I promise."
"Don't leave me alone, Elias." She sounded so weak, so helpless. "You're the only person I remember. You're all I have left in this world."
"Okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here with you."
"I love you, Elias."
"…I love you too, Liv."
When they embraced, they shifted just enough for me to see her face. The face I would never forget.
Liv. It was definitely her.
In that moment, everything made sense.
Why he had broken his promise. Why he had vanished for days without a word. This was why.
I had been at home worried sick, imagining every terrible possibility—car accidents, hunter attacks—people would kill for an Alpha's corpse. I had waited like a fool for days. And he had been here the whole time, caring for his resurrected love.
I tasted my own bitter tears. A fierce anger surged up, and I shoved the door open with both hands.
Bang.
The couple inside sprang apart.
"Serenity?" Elias stared at me in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"
"Why shouldn't I be here? Am I interrupting your reunion?" Something burned in my chest, heat stinging my eyes. I kept my face stony, refusing to let more tears fall.
Maybe my expression was too terrible, because Liv hid behind Elias. "I'm scared… Elias, who is she?"
"An acquaintance of mine." Elias paused before answering.
That single word pierced my heart. Novella roared inside me: An acquaintance? I'm your Luna! I'm your fated mate, Elias!
But before I could speak, Elias grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the room. "Let's talk outside."
He used an Alpha command. I had no choice but to obey.
We stood in the hallway. The air in the long-empty house was cold, but not as cold as the ice in my heart. Elias stood at the top of the stairs, his face turned away, not looking at me. Neither of us spoke. We stood there like two fools.
"You promised you'd come back," I said finally. "You said you'd be home soon, but you disappeared for an entire week."
"I'm sorry. Something unexpected came up." His tone was deliberately casual, as if he'd only been five minutes late.
"So you don't answer your phone for a week? You just let me sit in that mansion, terrified out of my mind?" I glared at him. "Answer me, Elias.
Why is Liv here? She was supposed to be dead —" "She's not dead!" Elias cut me off. "That's the 'unexpected' I mentioned. I found her. My Liv. She's alive, just lost her memory, so I have to take care of her!"
"That's impossible. I watched her fall with my own eyes!" I had to make this point, not just as his mate, but as his Luna. "She was confirmed dead. If she survived, why show up now? Don't you think this is too convenient?
What if she's a spy from another pack, or another trap set by hunters? You love Liv, and you visit her grave every month—anyone who looks into it would know. That's not exactly a secret!"
The hunter attack from six months ago still haunted us. Everyone believed I was the traitor, but I knew the real one was still out there.
That was already a massive liability. And now Liv had reappeared— handing the Alpha a resurrected, conveniently amnesiac lover. It was the perfect opening for an enemy.
Clearly, my suspicions infuriated Elias. He couldn't tolerate anyone questioning his beloved.
"How dare you bring that up to my face?" he sneered. "Are you afraid I'll forget who pushed Liv off that cliff? Or are you reminding me who betrayed me?"
My breath caught. "I didn't —" "Enough, Serenity!" Elias looked exhausted. After six months of arguing about the traitor, he no longer believed me. Now he didn't even want to hear me speak. "Liv is alive. Nothing makes me happier. I don't want to keep digging into what you did in the past, but I have one condition: stay away from her. Don't do anything stupid to make me angry. Otherwise… I can't promise what I'll do."
Tears finally spilled over. They spilled over, and the words came out bitter.
"What will you do to me? Kill me?"
He looked at me for a long moment. "I won't kill you. Serenity, I want a divorce."