After She Left, Both Men Regretted It

The atmosphere at the banquet became tense and awkward. During the event, Elowen learned everything and he was so furious that his face trembled. "Wicked daughter, as soon as you come back, there’s nothing but trouble."

Upon hearing this, Narissa looked at him, feeling utterly disheartened.

Liora’s mother patted Elowen’s back and shot Narissa a disapproving look. "Narissa, today is your father’s moon-day. Not only did you forget to bring an offering, but now you’ve also upset him. Please, don't make him even angrier."

The words made Elowen even more furious. "Even Liora knows to bring a moon-gift. After all these seasons of raising you, I’ve only raised an ungrateful child."

Narissa had endured seven months of suffering, being bullied, insulted and subjected to inhumane treatment within the Moon-Call prison. And now, after finally returning, her father’s only concern was that she hadn’t brought a gift.

Narissa suppressed the searing pain in her chest and looked at her father with a bitter smile. "To you, it seems I’m less important than a gift."

Elowen’s face twisted with fury, his chest heaving with anger as he slapped her hard, sending her crashing to the floor of the Great Hall.

The pain on her face was unbearable, but her gaze remained stubborn as she looked at him. "Dad, if Mom was here, she would surely hate you."

Elowen was momentarily stunned, unable to speak, but Wilde smiled and spoke softly, "Narissa, you're overthinking. If Astrid knew, she would surely want your father to be happy."

Upon hearing these words, Elowen's expression softened. He nodded and muttered, "Wilde, you’re right. Astrid will understand me under the Moon.”

He then turned to Narissa. "Narissa, stop embarrassing yourself. If your mom saw you like this, she'd be furious."

With that, they turned and left, leaving Narissa standing there, her heart filled with disbelief.

Narissa was subjected to countless strange stares, but she remained silent, never responding to the gossip.

It wasn't until Drake came looking for her, a person who had rarely reached out to her recently.

Her heart, numb from everything, was momentarily stunned. Just as she processed the situation, she heard him say, "Narissa, you've made Liora cry. Come with me and apologize to her."

It turned out that he approached her because of Liora. Even though Narissa had become accustomed to everyone focusing on Liora, a sharp sting of pain still flickered in her chest.

Drake reached out to grab her, but she quickly pulled away, leaving him momentarily stunned. "Narissa, you’re the one at fault here. Liora has been running around preparing for the feast ever since you left. This was your responsibility, don’t you know how exhausted she is? Yet now, you…"

He stopped abruptly, unable to continue, as he noticed the tears streaming down her face.

For a moment, his mind recalled how long it had been since she cried. It was ever since her mother passed into the stars. The sight of her tears left him frozen, a sharp pain shooting through his heart.

Narissa's eyes reddened with anger, her whole body trembling as she asked him, word by word, "Drake, would you apologize to someone who insults your mother?"

He didn't answer and Narissa repeated firmly, "I won't apologize, not even to Liora. She doesn't deserve it."

Drake's face darkened completely and even the last trace of pity in his eyes disappeared. "When did you become so unable to distinguish right from wrong? You need to understand that it was Bella who spoke those words, not Liora. Can't you be more rational?"

Narissa slowly raised her eyes, locking onto his gaze, determined not to miss any hint of emotion in his expression. Her voice was calm yet steady as she asked, “Drake, did you do all of this on purpose?”

Had he deliberately stopped her from collecting an offering? Had he intentionally sent her to the front of the Hall, forcing her to face a crowd of pack-wolves who supported Bella?

Bella had always been her nemesis, constantly making trouble for her. Most of the wolves invited by Liora were ones she didn’t get along with and he must have known that.

She still couldn’t bring herself to believe Drake was capable of doing such a thing. But when she saw the brief flicker of panic in Drake’s eyes, a wave of disappointment and bitterness filled her heart.

Drake quickly regained his composure, but when he looked at Narissa, whose face had turned pale, he felt somewhat a twinge of guilt and unease. He lowered his voice, attempting to explain, “The incident where you almost caused Liora’s death needs to be addressed. That’s why I made sure word spread that you were released from the Moon-Call prison. But don’t worry, once this is over, our bonding-promise will remain standing.”

Tears had dried from Narissa’s face, yet the pain in her chest felt like a dagger being driven deeper. She suppressed it as much as she could, but the more she tried, the more broken she became. “How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me? I didn’t do it. It was Liora who framed me on purpose! But none of you, not a single one, has ever stood by me or been willing to believe me.”

Her voice trembled as she let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow and full of despair. If he had ever wanted to believe her, he would have done so already. But he never did.

A faint, mocking smile crossed her lips as she forced herself to speak the words, her heart completely numb. “Drake, I’ll call off the bonding-promise. You can mate with Liora instead!”

Drake froze for a moment before his anger flared. “Can you stop acting on impulse? We’ve been together for so many years. Do you think this is something you can just end so easily?”

Narissa took a deep breath, her voice calm yet resolute. “I’m not acting on impulse, Drake. I’m simply giving you what you’ve always wanted.”

“I only see Liora as a sister…”

Just as Drake was about to explain, a messenger wolf rushed in, bowing his head. Narissa caught the glimpse of the carved bone-token in his claws — the symbol Liora used to summon Drake.

Without hesitation, he walked away, heading toward Liora, who stood in the distance, smiling and waving at him.

Narissa’s heart grew colder. She lowered her eyes, took a deep breath and left the feast without looking back.