My hand froze at the door, as my ex-fiancé Victor's meaningful voice drifted from inside.
"She massages your shoulders, rubs your feet, practically gives you her heart—all while you're the reason her father died."
"Shut your mouth," Dominic warned, his voice ice-cold.
"Tsk, the mighty Alpha Sicilian playing saint?" Victor laughed.
"Her father was practically the uncle you have been calling since childhood, yet you sacrificed him only to please a Moon Priestess."
A bottle slammed against the table as Dominic growled through clenched teeth:
"I owe Elena and her father a debt I can never repay! But everything I did back then was for Selene's safety! If you don’t treat her well, and I'll make you beg for death!"
"Alpha Sicilian truly is devoted," Victor sneered. "You genuinely love Selene, but she wants nothing to do with a blood-soaked monster like you!"
"Just stick with Elena. She thinks you're her salvation, not knowing you're her nightmare!"
The sound of shattering glass was deafening.
I walked quickly toward the rooftop bar, struggling to control my trembling.
I gulped down the strong liquor in one gulp, and as someone who usually doesn't drink alcohol, I was choked by the spiciness and tears streamed down my face.
The conversation replayed in my mind.
So it wasn't Victor who betrayed my father, but Dominic—the man who claimed to revenge for me and bring justice for my father.
That mutilated body, tortured beyond recognition, actually was his doing.
No wonder the normally composed Dominic had stared blankly at my father's charred remains in the funeral home.
I'd naively believed it was grief and anger.
Little did I know that the man who sleeping with me for five years was the true executioner of my father!
These years of carefully crafted tenderness were nothing but his guilt-ridden atonement!
How laughable.
Hatred surged through me.
As my hand touched the glass, Dominic suddenly embraced me from behind, burying his face drunkenly in the crook of my neck:
"Elena, where were you… I missed you… let's go home, shall we?"
For years, whenever he got drunk, he'd hold me like this and repeatedly declare his love.
His subordinates all said the respected Alpha Sicilian never lied, that his love for me was genuine.
But now, it all made me sick.
I emotionlessly helped him into the bulletproof sedan.
Dominic collapsed onto my lap, his furrowed brow finally relaxing, looking like a harmless child.
"Selene… why… why couldn't it be me…"
I finally understood the name he'd mumbled in countless midnight dreams.
Selene, the woman who cost me everything, was his moon-touched beloved.
Dominic had never forgotten her, even performing this charade with me for her sake.
I'd been too naive, underestimating his obsession with Selene.
—
The satellite phone with the golden wolf emblem slipped from his tailored suit jacket. As I bent to pick it up, the screen lit up with an encrypted message.
"Alpha, thank you for intervening tonight to settle the dispute between the three packs! However, I cannot accept the Sicilian territory you promised me—it's far too valuable!"
It was followed by Selene's private status update: "Only a true queen Luna deserves to wear the crown."
The image showed an ancient ruby-encrusted ring, said to be the symbol of the oldest Sicilian Pack, representing supreme power in the supernatural world.
I knew Selene intentionally wanted me to see this.
Last week, Dominic had been severely wounded in a pack skirmish, a bullet piercing his chest.
But as soon as he could stand, he flew overseas. I was worried and angry at how he was risking his life for the pack's honor.
In reality, he'd gone to participate in the Pack Inheritance Ceremony.
Even with a gunshot wound, he fought to claim that ring symbolizing supreme power, only to offer it to his moon-blessed priestess.
I impulsively entered his private password.
As the last digit fell, the screen lit up.
Selene's birthday.
Dominic never let me touch his private phone, claiming it was for respecting him as an Alpha.
Once unlocked, Selene's smiling face in an elegant ritual gown filled the screen.
No wonder his eyes always softened when he turned on his phone.
Opening the folders, I found albums all named after her.
[Selene – Opera House]
[Selene – Vineyard]
[Selene – Coronation]
Hundreds of photos of Selene at various pack gatherings.
Thousands of images without a single one of me or even himself.
Only Selene.
Like his heart, from beginning to end, belonged only to her.
The car entered the castle grounds, and I stared at the empty basement, feeling a chill.
It once housed my father's badges and all evidence from his twenty years undercover in the pack—proof of his sacrifice as a hunter.
Seeing them was like my father continuing his unfinished mission.
But one morning, those pieces of evidence—enough to bring down the evil packs—vanished. Officials said they'd been anonymously destroyed.
Dominic had held me, devastated, for three days without sleep.
Now I understood—it was also him who destroyed my father's last legacy.
An encrypted message suddenly appeared:
"Alpha, as requested, the will is prepared. All your Sicilian territories and succession rights will transfer to Lady Selene."
"Awaiting your final signature."
Through tear-blurred eyes, I remembered that day.
At my father's funeral, he stood in formal mourning attire and swore to me:
"Elena, I swear on the Alpha's honor to give you a home. Everything I have is yours."
I placed Dominic on the bed without removing his shoes and socks as I usually would.
I went straight to the guest room.
Before closing my eyes, all I could see were images of how he had pampered me over these years.
—
Morning light streamed through the glass, falling on my face. Opening my eyes, I met Dominic's intense gaze.
He leaned down to place a kiss on my forehead:
"Elena, were you upset last night? I'm sorry—I drank too much at the pack meeting. I promise it won't happen again."
His tenderness unchanged.
I gave a faint response and escaped to the bathroom to wash away his scent.
The table was covered with an elaborate Italian breakfast that once would have moved me deeply.
But after seeing his phone, I couldn't smile anymore.
This spread contained all of Selene's favorite foods.
The doorbell rang, and Selene entered wearing the latest designer dress.
She sat naturally at the table, smiling at me:
"Elena, sorry to intrude. Dominic asked me to join for breakfast—we have goods to transfer this morning."
I stared at the high-clearance key card in her hand, identical to mine, saying nothing.
Dominic sensed the tension and leaned in to explain softly:
"Selene is our most trusted ally. It's normal for her to have access to the estate…"
Before he could finish, he suddenly stood up anxiously and grabbed the espresso from beside Selene.
"Your blood pressure is low—you can't drink this espresso. After all these years, you still don't know how to take care of yourself."
Selene smiled subtly:
"Yes, thankfully you always remember."
In that moment when their eyes met, the air seemed to freeze around them.
I rose to leave, but Selene called after me:
"Elena, today's body reconstruction requires professional documentation. Could you photograph it? I don't trust the new medical examiner."
Since my father's brutal death, I hadn't touched a camera.
Looking through the viewfinder reminded me of my father teaching me to capture evidence.
Reminded me of his suffering when tortured.
I could no longer press the shutter.
Dominic knew this well.
He had locked away all my photography equipment, saying I could start again when I was ready.
But now he pushed me into the backseat of the bulletproof car without explanation.
"Elena, you know Selene gets carsick easily. Please sit in the back."
He forgot that my vertigo, developed after multiple escapes, was far worse than Selene's.
Throughout the journey, the car's movements made me nauseous.
At the morgue, Dominic carefully checked Selene's protective gear and personally escorted her into the restoration area.
I leaned against the car door, gasping for air, trying to calm my dizziness.
"Elena, the restoration is about to begin. Don't be difficult—this documentation is crucial for Selene and the whole pack."
Dominic forcefully pulled me inside. I lost my balance, nearly dropping my equipment.
For the first time in five years, I held a camera again. Terror washed over me as my fingers trembled uncontrollably.
I forced myself to remain calm, repeatedly documenting the restoration process.
During a break, only Selene and I remained.
She looked contemptuously at my photos, a cold smile curving her lips.
"Elena, you're as useless as your father. A hunter who couldn't even hide his identity while infiltrating a wolf pack!"
"A battlefield mouse doesn't deserve the Alpha Sicilian!"
I clutched the camera tightly, knuckles white, struggling to suppress my mounting fury.
Suddenly, my cheek burned with pain.
Selene lowered her hand, eyes contemptuous.
"You dare claim the Luna position? I never imagined after Victor abandoned you, you'd so quickly seduce Dominic!"
"You're not worthy of him—whether Victor or Dominic, they've always been mine!"
"You will never be worthy!"
My face still stung, but before I could react, Selene grabbed my hand and used it to throw herself to the ground.
She curled up, instantly transforming into a pitiful figure.
"Elena, I didn't mean your photography wasn't good enough, I just wanted to suggest a different angle… never mind…"
Dominic pushed open the door, dropping the water bottle in his hand.
He rushed over, pushing me aside and quickly checking Selene's condition.
"Dominic, I'm fine. Don't blame Elena—I lost my balance…"
"Selene, you're too kind. No need to cover for her, I saw everything!"
Dominic carefully helped Selene up, handling her as gently as a wounded warrior.
He held Selene protectively, glaring at me coldly.
This was the first time in our five years of marriage that he had looked at me this way.
"Elena Winters, apologize to Selene! I've been too lenient with you all these years, letting you harm even our pack allies!"
"Do you know her facial injuries could compromise the mission?"
Dominic's angry eyes bore into me, completely blind to the handprint on my face.
I calmly met his gaze:
"Selene should be the one apologizing. She insulted my father!"
"Dominic, don't you have anything to explain about my father?"
Panic flashed in his eyes.
"That business is ancient history. Why bring it up now?"
"I promised him I'd protect you, but that doesn't mean you can hurt Selene."
I laughed coldly, finally seeing his true face.
A wave of dizziness hit me, and I collapsed backward.
—-
When I opened my eyes again, the smell of antiseptic was overwhelming. The pack's female healer was putting away her examination equipment.
"Luna, Congratulations! You're pregnant!"
"Your health has always been excellent, but you must take special care now and mind your emotions."
I instinctively touched my abdomen.
For five years, I had always hoped for a child with Dominic.
Ironically, it chose this moment to arrive.
A mind-link from Dominic:
"The doctor says you only need rest, no more treatment."
"After you apologize to Selene, I'll send someone to bring you back to the Sicilian castle."
I didn’t answer.
"Ma'am, the Alpha has arranged another examination. Please follow me."
Following the doctor toward a side hall, I sensed something was wrong.
Selene's voice suddenly came from behind.
"I hear you're pregnant?"
"I really underestimated you. Do you know why you haven't had children in these five years?"
I turned to face her triumphant expression.
"Because I told the Alpha your children would interfere with his pack business."
"Those daily calcium supplements he gave you with his own hands? They were actually contraceptives!"
Selene carefully observed my reaction, waiting for me to break down.
I simply said:
"I understand."
As I turned to leave, I felt a tremendous force strike me from behind.
I fell down the marble stairs, unprepared.
Excruciating pain engulfed me as I helplessly watched blood spread across the expensive carpet.
I lost our child.
Leaving the operating room, I placed a mating separation paper on the bedside table.
I left the pack's private hospital and headed straight for the airport.
Just before takeoff, Dominic's mind-linked me:
"I can't believe you still dare to offend a Moon Priestess, without any Luna dignity!"
"Swallow your pride and apologize immediately!"
I blocked the mind-link directly.
—
While accompanying Selene at the castle vineyard for wine tasting, Dominic’s beta mind-linked him.
"Alpha, the Luna is gone! She left… documents on the bedside table that you must see immediately!"
Dominic's hand froze as he was pouring wine for Selene.
"What documents?"
"The doctor says the Luna left at dawn, leaving behind… mating separation paper."
His expression darkened like an approaching storm.
He couldn't believe his ears. Even if he'd gone too far this time.
Even if she refused to apologize, she shouldn't threaten the Alpha with mating bond broken!
Selene's eyes flashed with mockery, but she gently grabbed his tailored suit:
"Is something wrong with Elena? Let me come along—perhaps I can help."
Dominic nodded, and they immediately took the Rolls-Royce to the private hospital.
Inside the car, Selene's delicate hand caressed his chest:
"Don't worry, Elena will be fine."
Dominic was distracted and agitated, made more uncomfortable by her touch. He frowned and avoided her hand, responding coldly, instinctively rejecting her closeness for the first time.
Selene awkwardly withdrew her hand, her nails digging into her palm. This was the first time Dominic had treated her this way.
Studying the man's grim profile, she felt uneasy and quickly sent a message.
Then she received a swift reply: "Don't worry, everything's been handled cleanly."
In the pack's private hospital suite, the director paced nervously. The Luna vanishing under their watch was inexcusable.
"What happened?" Dominic entered, the temperature in the room plummeting.
The director tremblingly handed over a document, barely daring to meet the his eyes.
—
Dominic rubbed his temples and returned to the Sicilian castle.
Everything inside remained unchanged, with traces of me still everywhere, as if nothing had changed.
He collapsed onto the leather sofa, staring at our wedding photo on the wall.
The newlyweds stood before the chapel's stained glass windows, exchanging vows and rings.
But looking closely, one could see the undissolved sorrow in both our eyes.
Now he finally understood that sorrow.
Because his heart belonged to someone else.
Initially, we were like two unrelated souls, cautious and distant.
Until that deep night when, drunk, he pinned me beneath him, repeatedly calling my name.
I stripped away his icy mask, and our two burning hearts pressed tightly together. And then he marked me.
From then on, we became the model couple in the pack.
Dominic began instinctively caring for me, protecting me from bullets and surprising me, even while attending to Selene.
He always thought this was from duty and guilt.
Until this moment, he realized he had fallen in love with me.
Years in the pack business had trained him to hide his emotions.
Yet in our daily life together, he unknowingly fell in love with his enemy's daughter.
Dominic closed his eyes in agony, his mind filled with my smile.
Thinking of my breakdown, he gasped, eyes flying open.
Looking at the medical report in his hand, his heart was cruelly torn apart.
His child, his and Elena's child, was gone.
"Alpha, don't be too sad. I'll always be by your side."
With that familiar voice, delicate hands encircled his neck.
Dominic's body tensed, instinctively thinking I had returned. He turned and tightly embraced the woman.
"Elena, you're back… don't broken the mating bond with me. I was a bastard before, let me spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins, please?"
The hatred in Selene's eyes nearly overflowed. She hadn't expected Dominic to mistake her for me.
She couldn't believe that I held such importance in his heart.
Feeling the man trembling, Selene dared not speak, allowing him to hold her.
Suddenly Dominic shoved her away violently, his eyes cold as ice:
"You're not Elena. What are you doing at the castle?"
Selene suppressed the hatred in her heart, lowering her head submissively:
"Alpha, I was worried about you. I'm sure Elena will return."
Hearing my name, Dominic's eyes grew darker.
"Don't come again. It will cause misunderstandings."
Selene stared at him in disbelief:
"Alpha, we grew up together in Sicily. How can you cut ties so easily?"
Dominic didn't look at her, his gaze fixed on our wedding photo.
"We each have our own destinies. This should have ended long ago. I now love only Elena, and I can't hurt her anymore."
Hearing Dominic's confession firsthand, Selene lost control, shrieking:
"Impossible! Dominic, you love me! All these years, your heart held only me, didn't it?"
"How could you possibly love Elena! You're just feeling guilty! She doesn't love you—she wants you dead! You're just temporarily unable to accept her leaving. You'll forget her soon!"
Selene clung tightly to Dominic again.
Dominic witnessed Selene's unprecedented loss of composure, frowning in confusion.
Could Selene actually love him?
Then why did she choose another pack years ago?
All these years, he had humbly protected her, and Selene had grown accustomed to his devotion.
But now, Dominic suddenly couldn't understand Selene anymore.
—-
His encrypted phone vibrated as his spy sent two surveillance videos.
Dominic pulled up the screen, showing two footages from the private hospital and castle.
After watching, his expression turned glacial, his eyes like a Sicilian assassin's.
He turned to stare at the pale-faced Selene beside him, his voice like the Mediterranean's coldest current:
"How do you explain this?"
Dominic couldn't believe it.
The woman who had taken bullets for him, the Moon Priestess, could do such a thing.
Not only harming his mate but killing his flesh and blood.
He coldly stared at Selene as if looking at a traitor.
Selene anxiously wept, her burning tears falling onto his pack ring.
"It's not like that. The surveillance is fake—Elena framed me!"
"She's jealous of your trust in me, deliberately trying to drive us apart…"
"Silence!" Dominic's temple veins bulged, years of pack discipline crumbling in this moment.
"You're still trying to blame Elena? She would never do such things! Selene, you've brought shame to the pack!"
Selene looked at him in shock, mockery flashing through her tearful eyes.
"Dominic, you don't believe me? You once swore a blood oath to me, but now for Elena, you… you've clearly fallen for her!"
Her eyes flashed with viper-like malice.
"Too bad, she knows everything now."
"Your betrayal of her father, the contraception, your feelings for me—she knows it all! Do you think she'll ever forgive you?"
"Dominic, you're pathetic and ridiculous. You've always loved Elena, only you didn't know it. Now you understand, but it's too late. She will never, ever return to you!"
Blood surged in Dominic's eyes as the werewolf Alpha's killing intent was fully released.
Gripping the woman's throat, his voice rasped:
"Elena won't leave me. She trusts me so much, she can't possibly leave me."
"Once I eliminate you, avenge our child, she'll come back."
Selene's face turned blue as she struggled in terror.
"Alpha!" Guards rushed in to intervene but dared not approach.
"If you kill her, the Luna will suffer more!"
Dominic's eyes gradually cleared, and he released his grip:
"Turn her over to the High Parliamentary Court."
Selene collapsed on the floor, screaming hysterically:
"No… you can't… Dominic, you swore to the pack… you promised to protect me…"
Dominic expressionlessly waved his hand, and black-clad guards immediately dragged away the frantically struggling Selene.
—-
The Sicilian castle fell into deathly silence.
"Still no news of the Luna?"
Receiving a negative response, Dominic entered the master bedroom, burying his face deeply in my pillow.
Trying to find traces of my scent, he carefully picked up a stray strand of hair and pressed it to his chest.
A tear silently fell.
"Elena, where are you?"
Dominic lay in my usual spot, drifting back to those nights together.
Me nestled in his arms, looking at him with complete, unreserved trust.
Dominic suddenly sat up, gasping for breath, his chest feeling pierced by a blade, the pain nearly unbearable.
He rushed downstairs, fleeing this castle filled with too many memories.
Every corner held traces of me, like daggers continuously gouging his wounds, this pain almost tearing him apart.
Dominic sat desolately on the marble steps before the door, like a statue.
Until the downpour engulfed him, the Alpha's powerful body finally gave way.
His vision darkened as he fell unconscious in the rain.
Meanwhile, I was in a hidden medical laboratory in Milan.
Facing a body mutilated in a pack skirmish, I skillfully began restoration work.
Sweat slid down my face shield, but my hands remained steady.
Each suture seemed to extend my father's will.
He was once the most outstanding undercover hunter, investigating pack crimes with his life.
And I would use body restoration to give dignity to every life destroyed by the packs.
For years I had wanted to become a professional medical examiner, but Dominic always prevented it under the guise of protection.
Postponing again and again, I had never truly worked independently in five years.
Those five years of life contained only his control.
But from now on, I would use these hands to heal every scarred body, record every truth that needed restoration.
For myself, and for my father, I would continue this path of seeking justice.
After completing the restoration, I sent photos of the body to International Pack Control, hoping to help solve this inter-pack violence case.
"Alpha! Intelligence has found the Luna—an informant spotted her at a medical lab in Milan!"
Dominic quickly opened the confidential files, and the familiar silhouette immediately seized his heart.
He rapidly scanned through a series of perfect body restoration reports, each demonstrating exceptional professional skill.
He stared at the case records I had handled, speechless for a long time.
Perhaps remembering his promise to support my dream of becoming the best medical examiner, or perhaps seeing I had found a new direction in life.
"Prepare for Milan immediately. I'll bring her back personally! Everyone watch closely!"
"She is my Luna, forever!"
—
After ten hours of urgent flight, Dominic arrived in Milan.
He stood before the medical laboratory door, but his raised hand couldn't bring himself to knock.
Finally, he just silently sat against the wall.
Until the next morning when the lab director arrived for work and informed him I had already left the city.
Dominic's heart instantly sank into an icy pit as he staggered away from the lab.
Following intelligence leads, he traversed the complicated streets, fearing he'd lose me forever if he was one step too late.
Before an ancient church, his steps suddenly halted.
I stood on the steps, photographing a victim's final farewell. Sunlight through stained glass fell on my lab coat.
I recorded every detail with serious concentration, my face showing focused serenity—a radiance he had never seen in five years.
A bitter smile appeared on Dominic's haggard face.
He felt proud of my independence yet couldn't accept losing me.
After a long struggle, he finally approached but didn't come close, standing on the other side of the church.
His hoarse voice filled with regret:
"Elena, I'm sorry! I was a monster back then!"
"All these years I thought it was just guilt, but only when you left did I realize I'd fallen in love with you—madly in love! Without you, I don't know how to go on!"
"I regret those things that hurt you! I owe you a debt I can never repay! Please let me stay by your side to atone!"
"Everything I have, including my life, is yours."
"I just want to protect you like these past years. Let me stay, please?"
The church bells rang melodiously as the organ played a requiem.
After a long while, I turned to look at him, my voice calm as water:
"Dominic, you have no right to stand beside me. Nothing of yours is mine—it's all Selene's. You've even written your will, haven't you?"
"These years I've lived in your fabricated lies. When I learned the truth, do you know how much I hated myself? Hated myself for loving you, for loving a one who killed my father!"
Looking at this face I'd lived with for five years, this Alpha who came from Sicily to our lands, the hatred in my heart suddenly turned to emptiness.
Perhaps in everyone's life, there's such a person—someone you trust with your life, only to receive a fatal blow when you trust them most.
Standing high on the steps looking down at him, I forced a carefree smile, though my eyes were desolate:
"Dominic, I will never forgive you in this lifetime."
In the blazing sunlight, Dominic felt a chill, his lips curving into a bitter smile:
"Elena, but I love you so much."
His voice was soft as a sigh, dispersing in the church's echoes.
I raised my camera, recording every mourner's expression in the church.
Except for that man in the corner, head bowed as if bearing immense pain.
"Miss, could you take one last photo for the deceased?"
An elderly woman tremblingly handed me a family portrait showing her recently lost son.
"Of course."
I smiled and set up the camera.
Capturing their final reunion.
Just like twenty years ago, when newly arrived Dominic and I were in the church, he placed my father's hunter badge in my palm, swearing to protect me and my father forever.
How sincere those childhood vows were, his eyes full of longing for this land.
Yet later, the person who pushed my father into the abyss was also him.
—
Suddenly, a warmth enveloped me from behind, the familiar scent of cologne surrounding me.
Dominic held me tightly, as if trying to meld me into his bones, as if letting go would mean losing me forever.
His choked voice filled with despair:
"Elena, isn't that our beginning? Give me one more chance to atone with the rest of my life. I'll give you anything you want, just let me stay by your side…"
Hot tears fell on my cold hand.
Burning like fire.
I sighed softly, my voice cold as frost:
"Dominic, I only want you to disappear from my world."
Pushing away his embrace, I walked down the steps without looking back, vanishing into Milan's winding streets.
Standing there for who knows how long, Dominic's hoarse voice echoed in the empty church:
"I understand, Elena."
……
At the monastery outside Milan, I quietly restored the final body.
Nearby nuns' whispers reached my ears:
"Did you hear? That youngest Alpha Sicilian turned himself in!"
"Confessed to betraying a hunter infiltrating the pack, deceiving his mate, and causing his father-in-law's brutal death and his mate's miscarriage. God have mercy, such a devil finally repents! That poor woman he hurt!"
My hand with the suture needle paused slightly. I opened my phone to see Dominic's arrest photo as the headline news.
Facing the court's judgment and police questioning, he remained expressionless, his eyes like dead water.
"Miss Winters, your express documents."
I took and opened them—two papers.
A mating bond separation agreement, the lower right corner already bearing Dominic's flowing signature.
An asset transfer document, unconditionally ceding his entire underground kingdom and all pack properties to me.
Finally, a parchment with his familiar handwriting:
"Elena, you must take these. I promise to disappear from your world."
"May you live freely, far from darkness."
My lips curved into a faint smile.
I threw the parchment into the incinerator, like burning our unspeakable past.
In the firelight, I seemed to see my father's approving smile.
Finally, I could pick up my father's mantle again and continue the mission to seek truth.
And that once-invincible Alpha would atone for his sins behind bars.
End
