Chapter 2

A sudden, steady sound of footsteps outside the door interrupted Elara's thoughts. She looked up at the sound and met Kieran's deep, unfathomable eyes.

Seeing her sitting alone at the long dining table, Kieran subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was already eleven o'clock at night.

His brow furrowed slightly, but he said nothing, walking straight toward the stairs.

Not a single greeting. He was cold and distant, as if treating a stranger passing through.

Elara felt a stinging pain in her chest. Her wolf instincts urged her to draw closer, but reason made her simply call out to him.

"Uncle Kieran, dinner is..."

"Sera and I ate at a restaurant in town. I've told you many times, you don't need to wait for me." Kieran didn't stop walking, throwing back a cold reply before the heavy slam of a door drowned out the rest of his words.

Elara's heart trembled violently with that loud bang, and her eyes stung with acidity.

Kieran had never spoken to her like that before.

He knew how afraid she was of loneliness in this empty house, and he knew she hated facing a cold dining table alone.

In the past, no matter how busy pack affairs were, he would always make time to come home and have dinner with her. Even if he went to a neighboring territory for negotiations, he would rush back, afraid she wouldn't eat properly.

For so many years, he had never missed an important dinner.

But ever since she first confessed her feelings, everything had changed.

He began to distance himself from her, using patrols and meetings to avoid seeing her, and he stopped giving her the endless stream of little gifts he used to.

All the pampering and favoritism of the past had vanished like smoke. And since Serafina appeared, the look in Kieran's eyes had become even colder, as if she were a constant reminder of a mistake he didn't want to face.

Elara understood the reason, but she was powerless to change it.

She picked up her fork and forced herself to swallow the steak that had long gone cold. Yet, the top-tier beef tasted like chewing wax in her mouth. Despite the table full of delicacies, all she tasted was bitterness.

After barely filling her stomach, Elara cleaned everything up, went to the door of Kieran's study, and knocked gently.

Kieran opened the door with a frown, still carrying the cold snow air from outside and a faint scent of perfume. His tone was unfriendly: "I told you before, don't disturb me for anything other than official business."

Elara bit her lip, her fingers twisting nervously together.

"Uncle Kieran, I want to change rooms."

A trace of surprise flashed across his face, but he didn't seem to care. "Suit yourself."

Elara nodded and silently returned to her room.

Looking around this room located on the second floor, right next to the Alpha's master bedroom, looking at the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, the carefully selected solid wood furniture, and the wardrobe filled with custom-made dresses, a wave of sorrow welled up in her heart.

This was the room with the best view in the entire mansion, and the one closest to him.

Kieran had once remodeled this room specifically for her. On the day Elara moved in, he said she was half the owner of this house and deserved the best shelter.

Since she was leaving, it was only a matter of time before Serafina moved in.

Elara was just the orphan of the Vance family, a guest in this home. She felt she no longer had the right to occupy this room that symbolized such intimate status.

So, she proposed changing rooms—partly to make space for Serafina, and partly to organize her things and sever her lingering thoughts.

By noon the next day, Elara had packed all her belongings and moved into the small room at the end of the hallway that used to be a guest room.

After settling in, she took her documents and went downstairs to handle the visa procedures for the human world.

Passing through the living room, she nodded slightly to acknowledge Kieran. Her attitude lacked the attachment and warmth she used to show him.

Kieran found her quiet, submissive demeanor somewhat abnormal. Watching her walk out with her head lowered and without a word, he felt she had changed a lot, and her scent had become faint.

Without thinking, he called out to her.

"The blizzard is heavy outside. Where are you going? Do you need me to drive you?"

Elara hadn't heard him offer to drive her in a long time. For a moment, she was stunned.

"Today is the Winter Solstice Festival," she murmured softly. "Aren't you going to pick up Serafina?"

Kieran didn't quite hear her. "What?"

Elara clenched her fists and lowered her eyelids. "I saw the news yesterday... You spent millions at the auction buying a rare raw moonstone. You plan to give it to Serafina as an amulet today, right?"

Kieran froze for a moment, and the words slipped out before he could process them: "That wasn't bought for—"

The doorbell rang suddenly, cutting him off.

A moment later, Serafina walked in. She was wearing a fashionable fur coat, her wavy long hair draped behind her, her makeup exquisite and flawless, radiating intense confidence.

She linked her arm through Kieran's and said playfully, "Kieran, I bought you a Winter Solstice gift! Guess what it is."

Everything was just as Elara had expected.

She lowered her head, the corner of her mouth curling into a bitter smile.

Perhaps because she had already made up her mind to leave, hearing news of their date didn't make her heart ache quite as much. She simply stepped back silently to make way for them.

Kieran didn't dwell on the earlier topic. He took Serafina's hand and walked out. Just before leaving the door, he turned back and shouted to Elara:

"Don't run around. If you're going somewhere, I can drop you off if it's on the way."

Elara hesitated for a moment, then responded obediently, "Thank you, Kieran."

This time, she meant it.

The detachment in calling him directly by his name was also sincere.