Chapter 4

I shook off William’s outstretched hand and lifted my head, staring at him coldly.

“William, you make it sound so easy.”

My lips curved faintly.

“Why don’t you go spend a few years in prison yourself?”

The words were sharp as a wolf’s fang.

I didn’t spare them another glance before turning and leaving the hospital.

The moment I stepped outside, I wiped at the place on my wrist where William had touched me.

The sensation made me sick.

There was only one thought left in my mind.

Divorce.

The sooner, the better.

Even sharing the same territory with William felt like torture.

That night, after taking my medicine, I fell into a heavy sleep.

Half awake, half dreaming, I found myself back in the Moon Prison again,

silver claws, iron chains, the bloodstains smeared across the walls during my manic episodes, and finally… the pup who had vanished inside my body.

I jerked awake.

The sound came from the living room door.

Celine rushed in, travel-worn and frantic.

“You just got out, and you’re already burning up like this? When I came back, your fever was almost forty degrees Celsius… Thank God it’s gone down now.”

She handed me water and medicine.

Only in that moment did I feel a little warmth.

My husband could not be relied on.

My son… had already been led toward another “mother.”

In this world, the only person who could still make me feel safe was my friend.

I swallowed the medicine, my voice low but firm.

“I won’t give in.”

Early the next morning, I received a message from Grandma Tina.

In two days, the core members would return to the forest.

It was an annual gathering. Everyone would return to the forest and have the elders examine their wolves, checking whether long-term city life had made them unstable or weakened.

[I heard from William that you’re out of Moon Prison. This is perfect timing. Have your wolf checked while you’re here.]

Tina had always been kind enough to me.

I had no reason to refuse.

Besides, I owed her a message that I was safe.

Ever since I was locked away, she had been worried about me.

After two days of brief rest, my body had recovered a little, but on the day of departure, my head was still heavy and foggy.

The scent of medicine could not suppress the restless wolf nature stirring inside me.

At noon, I borrowed Celine’s car.

My own car had been forced into sale by William after we got married because he thought the brand was too cheap.

After that, I had always driven one of the cars from William’s garage.

But now that I was divorcing him, I naturally refused to stay entangled with him over things like this.

The car drove into the forest belonging to the Ember Hide Pack.

The urban buildings faded outside the window. I still carried Ember Hide’s mark, so entering the forest was effortless.

In the open-air parking lot, that familiar Cullinan with its sequential plate was parked there.

So he had come back after all.

“Mommy, why are you so late? The test is about to start. You walk as slow as a turtle.”

Rocco poked his head out from behind William, his tone impatient.

I lifted my eyes.

Standing beside William was Ann.

He had actually brought her back for the core members’ wolf-spirit examination?

Was he that eager to announce his new Luna before we were even divorced?

Was this his way of humiliating me in public?

Ann smiled at me.

“Julie, you came at just the right time. The elders’ examination ceremony is still missing a few things. Let’s go help together.”

I smiled.

Since when did this kind of work require the Luna to handle it personally?

Thinking back, I used to cook with my own hands only because I wanted my husband and son to eat well.

But all those efforts had never changed how they saw me.

“Lazy.”

“Useless.”

I didn’t move.

Rocco reached out and shoved me.

“Mommy, hurry up and help Ann! Don’t let her get exhausted.”

William and his mother, Becky, were busy exchanging pleasantries with the other nobles.

Neither of them even looked at me.

I turned and walked toward the small room where the elders were preparing for the wolf-shifting examination.

The cabin was set in a more remote corner.

It was also meant to leave more space for the rest of the pack members.

After urbanization, many members of the pack were scattered across different cities and rarely gathered together, except for a few core families who maintained close cooperation.

As soon as I entered, Ann immediately stuffed a data sheet into my hand.

“This is for Elder Grace. It’s Rocco’s original data. I don’t have time. Help me take it to her.”

I clenched the data sheet at my side.

Barely a second after going in, I came back out again.

I quickly found Elder Grace and handed her the data sheet.

“Julie, you’re back?”

Tina’s voice rang out, loud and clear.

It was Grandma Tina—the one who had always cared for me.

I turned around, and at a glance, I saw two familiar figures slowly walking toward me.

I walked over quickly.

Standing beside her was Adrian. William’s cousin.

He wore a perfectly tailored black suit. The black ring on the index finger of his right hand looked cold and sharp, carrying the chill of moonlight in the dead of night.

My fingertips tightened for a split second.

I hadn’t expected Adrian to come back too.

Not under circumstances like these.

Wasn’t he supposed to have stayed in his own territory all this time?

I greeted him politely.

“It’s been a long time.”

Tina pulled me to her side and asked gently about how I had been recently.

Not far away, the examination had already begun.

Rocco stood between Ann and William.

Anyone who didn’t know the truth would have mistaken them for a happy family of three.

The ritual had only just started.

Suddenly—

“Daddy… it hurts… My bones feel like they’re breaking…”

Rocco’s voice trembled.

The next second, he clutched his head and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.