Natasha's POV
I didn't want to say anything to him here.
My face had already suffered enough embarrassment moments ago, forgetting everything in the midst of kissing in a place like this. It's a hospital, and apart from us, there are several patients receiving IV drips and nurses around.
I lowered my head, deliberately choosing to ignore the faint but noticeable gazes fixed on me.
Exiting the IV room, I walked briskly. Despite my short stature and petite frame, I took two steps, and Jaclyn Dills caught up with just one step.
Therefore, by the time we reached the emergency room door, I was already slightly out of breath, while Jaclyn Dills continued to follow me with an unhurried pace.
It was well past eleven at night, and the early winter evening breeze carried a bone-chilling cold.
Lifting my gaze, I could see distant, dimly lit lights and some desolate streets beneath the chilly glow.
At first glance, this place resembled Red Valley Pack. Same bustling city, the noise settling into the quiet of the night, a chilly mist adding a sense of vastness.
However, this wasn't Red Valley Pack; this was Red Moon Pack, an adjacent city to Red Valley Pack but a different urban landscape.
I didn't know why I chose to settle here. It's the place where my mom was born, where my parents once pursued their education, and where they had a romantic yet cliché encounter.
Mom, caught in the rain without an umbrella, and Dad passing by, offering his umbrella. Mom returned it, and the rest, as they say, is history—they became lovers and got married after graduation.
Thinking back, they must have been deeply in love at that time. Yet, these two people, so deeply in love, agreed to divorce when I was only five. Despite life wearing down their love, it left behind the most beautiful and unforgettable memories.
Sometimes, I think Mom still loves Dad, but her pride doesn't allow her to cling desperately to a man after love has faded. That's Mom— a woman with integrity but a bit foolish.
With my parents' example set before me, I never had grand plans for my own marriage. Considering our social standing, our family is considered a lofty connection in the prominent Dills lineage of the pack.
Yet, in terms of conditions, compared to those debutantes and elegant ladies, I am really not worth mentioning.
My appearance is not the breathtaking, nation-toppling kind of beauty.
So, marrying him is already a miraculous gift from heaven. Long-lasting love and growing old together are just wishful thinking; I am well aware.
Therefore, I am quite pragmatic.
Jaclyn's POV
I draped my cashmere coat over her, the hem barely reaching her knees, extending almost to her ankles when wrapped around her. She looked even more petite enveloped in my black coat.
I let out a slight sigh, realizing that I wasn't much stronger than the alpha males.
No matter how harshly I spoke with my wolf, Jacob, about what I would do when I saw this woman, I found myself unable to carry out those plans upon meeting her.
She seemed even more endearing than two years ago, her apparent timidity coupled with the courage to face me. It softened my heart.
I never considered myself a softhearted man, but in front of my Luna, even the most hardened heart couldn't stay that way.
As the saying goes, heroes struggle in the face of a beautiful woman.
Though my Luna couldn't be classified as a beauty, I still found it difficult to resist her. What to do when you can't resist? Embrace her and keep her in my arms for the rest of her life. She won't get a second chance, and divorce is out of the question. That darn agreement has long been thrown into the fireplace and turned into ashes.
Regardless of what she thinks, she is mine for life.
Watching her obediently get into the car with her head slightly bowed, I naturally assumed that now that we've reunited, we should return to the home of the Red Valley Pack.
Although I hadn't figured out why she was avoiding me, since she came looking for me without blame, she should be more considerate.
So, when she reached out to stop me from turning the key in the ignition, I was briefly stunned. Then, furrowing my brows, I turned to look at her. Her gaze met mine for a moment before she turned her head away.
"Thank you for bringing me to the hospital. It's very late, and I should go home now. Um, goodbye."
She stumbled through her words, ignoring my astonished reaction, swiftly shrugged off my coat, opened the door, got out of the car—all in a rapid and well-planned sequence of actions.
I pursed my lips, squinting slightly. This woman was challenging my limits.
For the first time, I realized it wasn't just my imagination. After two years apart, my Luna had become significantly bolder.
Especially as I watched her briskly walk away, my anger became almost uncontrollable.
I was wrong. This woman didn't understand the concept of quitting while ahead.
With her, I couldn't afford to be even a little soft. Softening would only lead to her pushing boundaries. Igniting the engine, I drove after her without hesitation.
Natasha rushed onto the road, prepared to hail a taxi.
The winter night street was unusually cold and deserted; not only were there no taxis, but even other cars were scarce.
She shivered in the chilly wind, standing there for a while, but not a single taxi came into view. However, my peripheral vision had already caught sight of her not far away.
I extinguished the cigarette in my hand, arms crossed as I watched the petite woman ahead. Despite her seemingly frail appearance like a rabbit, she possessed a stubborn determination that could clash with my own temper.
In the one year of our marriage, she was mostly silent and easygoing.
During her silent moments, she wasn't working; I didn't allow her to. I didn't see the necessity. She had resisted my decision for a while, mentioning that she had attended the pack university and worked at a big company for several years, on the verge of a promotion.
I frowned and outright refused, saying something like, "As the Luna of Jaclyn Dills, you shouldn't be serving someone else. If you insist on a career, why do you need your own mate?"
The little woman surrendered, obediently becoming a full-time housewife.
In my opinion, staying at home was beautiful. When you got bored, you could go shopping. Why be someone else's servant?
Until now, I insisted that my viewpoint was correct, but she clearly didn't agree.
She wasn't happy.
Honestly, at first, I didn't feel much of a difference between being married and not, except for having a silent little woman at home.
She was too silent.
When we first got married, we lived in a villa on the outskirts.
In the vast villa, she always found a corner to stay in. Her favorite pastime was daydreaming.
I didn't know what she was thinking because she lowered her head, holding a book, sometimes sitting there for half a day like a statue.
She could cook, and it wasn't bad, but it couldn't satisfy my picky taste.
Having tasted her lovingly prepared meals twice, I hired a maid to do the cooking and housekeeping.
At first, I doubted whether she was unwilling to marry me, but her reactions repeatedly told me that she did have feelings for me.
When I kissed her, she went from initial timidity to acceptance, eventually involuntarily embracing me, slender arms encircling my neck, closing her eyes, letting me deeply kiss her.
Her scent was delightful, and kissing her posed no pressure for me.
As someone with a bit of cleanliness obsession, I rarely kissed a woman's lips, even during passionate moments in bed.
I often feared smudging with lipstick, but Natash Yael was very clean.
At home, aside from regular skincare, she never wore makeup and wasn't fond of perfume. Several bottles I had gifted her were still untouched on her vanity.
Without the aroma of perfume, there was a faint scent of milk mixed with the fragrance of orchids, resembling that of a child.
She had a habit of drinking milk at night. However, as I held her just now, I felt that the milk fragrance seemed stronger than before.
I wondered if it was just my imagination.
I didn't approach her, but I showed no intention of leaving either. I just stood there, staring at her.
Natash Yael felt every hair on her body stand on end. She was well aware that this man wasn't easy to deal with.
In fact, I was almost unreasonable in my dominance, possessing a strong desire to control, especially over things I deemed belonged to mine—my luna included.
Natasha's POVI avoided him precisely because of this—I didn't want to endure his anger. In reality, he had never erupted in front of me, except for the one time when I wanted to work after our marriage. Most of the time, I couldn't read this man. He stood tall, looking down at me as if a deity, and I, a mere ant in the vast world.From the beginning, we were never meant to be together.The forced compatibility due to our backgrounds disappeared, and I chose to leave for the sake of the little pride I had left.For the past two years, I deliberately avoided thinking about him.I didn't pay attention to family matters, didn't read newspapers or news. I subconsciously avoided everything related to our past.Annelie said I was running away, but other than running away, I couldn't think of any other solution.When I found out I was pregnant and felt the living presence of a small life inside me, my life took a turn. A child, a child belonging to Jaclyn and me.I was overjoyed, like any wo
Jaclyn's POVI really wanted to tear open this woman's chest and take a good look to see what exactly was on her mind. Or perhaps, she had no heart at all; it had long been devoured by some stray dog.Clearly a timid woman, yet a few words from her could infuriate me to no end.I didn't even care about it, but she was all focused on getting a divorce from me.How beautiful.When we got married, she was more than willing. Now that she's married to me, there's no way she can get a divorce.She talked to me about matrimonial law as if I wasn't familiar with it. I raised a sarcastic smile and said, "The pack's law states that if mates' wolves live separately for more than two years, it can be considered a possible condition for a broken relationship, provided that one party files for divorce. So, what's your intention? Are you going to file for divorce and take me to court, or are you going to sue Jacob?"Natash Yael kept her head down, biting her lip in silence.She knew very well that s
Natash's POV:As soon as I opened the door, I saw Sophia walking around in the living room, holding Perry and murmuring softly.It startled me.Perry was born premature, a month early, weighing just a little over four pounds.She spent almost half a month in an incubator.Her little face, small body, and weak breath made her look like a fragile and pitiable kitten, with a mouth so small it couldn't even hold a bottle.My breast milk was limited, and my overall care during that period wasn't great.The poor little girl often couldn't eat enough, lacked strength, and fell asleep with a bottle in her mouth, whimpering and twitching in her sleep.It got a bit better after three months, but at six months, she developed bronchitis. She had needles on her tiny forehead, and the pain in my heart was unbearable.I spent many nights holding her, rocking and comforting her. Normally, at this hour, a child would have been asleep, but holding her now likely meant she wasn't feeling well again.I h
Jaclyn's POV:I returned to Red Valley Pack overnight and sat on the terrace of the villa for the whole night. In the morning, I drove back to Red Moon Pack.I spent the night pondering but couldn't figure out why she didn't come back with me, just like I didn't understand why she left in the first place.For the first time in my life, I began to question my charm. Could she hate me so much that she wanted to avoid me for the rest of her life?The girl who used to be docile and obedient in my arms, now seemed to have grown bold. I even doubted whether I had been mistaken before; perhaps, if a rabbit bares its teeth, it could bite. Even if not fatal, it would still hurt.Then, I remembered the kiss in the hospital. Suddenly, I felt that she wasn't completely indifferent to me. The direct reaction she had, I could feel it.So why this inconsistency in her actions?I needed to figure this out. After a night of contemplation, I couldn't understand anything else, but one thing was clear—I
Annelie's POV"What now?" I felt a bit puzzled by these two. In fact, I knew about Natash·Yael's secret crush on Jaclyn·Dills for a decade.Natash·Yael was a reserved and stubborn person.Back when I was distressed by my inability to afford tuition and pulling my hair by the college lake, she approached me, softly asking about the reason.We shared a dorm, but for almost a semester, we hadn't exchanged many words.In my eyes, Natash·Yael seemed a bit aloof, and at the time, she was quite insecure.Here, she wasn't the celebrated top scorer in the pack's high school; she was just an outsider from a pack.It took me a while to realize that not everyone was kind and genuine. Some people were malicious, even contemptuous and mocking.In less than a year, I experienced it all. Just when I was losing hope and on the verge of despair, I met Natash·Yael.Although Natash·Yael would never admit it, she was my benefactor, showing me hope in moments of despair.This seemingly ordinary and reserve
Jaclyn's POVI'm really exhausted.Since meeting Luna until now, I haven't even closed my eyes. In fact, it's been almost two years, and I haven't had a good night's sleep.After Luna left, the initial anger gradually faded, and I felt a bit empty around me.I had gotten used to coming home to Luna waiting for me.Even if I returned late, upon entering the house, I could see the dim light left by Natash·Yael for me.Despite not being very bright, it always brought a different warmth to me. My heart was calm and at ease.Now that Natash·Yael is gone, the vast space seems to have lost its vitality. It's desolate and cold, and the atmosphere leaves my heart hanging in emptiness, unable to rise or fall.Unconsciously, this little woman has become so important to me, important to the point of being irreplaceable.I just couldn't see it clearly at that time, clouded by momentary anger.Enduring these two years without reaching out to her, every day and night, my heart has been in a tug of w
Jaclyn's POV Natash·Yael pursed her lips and lowered her head, contemplating how to deal with me. However, before she could respond, I urged her, "Open the door. Didn't you lose your keys again? Let me check." With a quick motion of my long fingers, I hooked her bag over my arm. As I unzipped it, I paused for a moment, surprised by its contents. While I may not have children of my own, the assortment inside—diapers, baby bottles, wipes, towels, spare clothes, snacks, and toys—resembled a treasure chest. Even though Luna's bag wasn't as fully equipped, the real concern was the presence of child-related items. I skeptically looked at Luna. She hastily grabbed her bag back, retrieved her keys, but hesitated before putting them in the lock. Turning to face me, she asked nervously, "What's going on?" I remained silent, narrowing my eyes. In the dim hallway light, they seemed to emit an unsettling gleam, increasing Luna's unease. Misinterpreting Luna's nervousness, my mind raced to
Jaclyn's POVWhen Natash·Yael finished speaking, my eyes grew colder. Her words ignited anger in me, and my gaze had frozen into an arctic glacier, with a dangerous rage akin to a volcanic flame.I never knew this woman could be so articulate. In my impression, she was always timid in my presence, speaking in a hushed and hesitant manner.I had never seen a woman so adept at using both reason and emotion. Unfortunately, she chose to reveal this side of her at such an inappropriate moment.I don't want to admit it, but at this moment, I have to acknowledge that she is determined to part ways with me.The memories engraved in my mind, those I often reminisce about when idle, have become unbearably bitter. I foolishly thought she still cherished our past, but she had long cast it aside.Natash·Yael's words have already stripped me of my usual wisdom and judgment. All I can think about is how she wants to separate from me.I have forgiven the past, but now she wants to leave me, and she s