I Was Only His Future Luna

Edward kept a note tucked inside his pocket watch. I had secretly read it once. “To Edward, the future strongest Alpha: Train hard, or I’ll make you hunt ten rabbits for me.” The handwriting was delicate and elegant, as if it belonged to a female werewolf. He looked perfectly calm as he rubbed my cheek and explained. “She was my partner during the Spring Hunt years ago. I thought the note was worth keeping as a memento. You’re the only one destined to be my mate, so don’t overthink it.” I nodded and let it go. Until the night of the Full Moon Ceremony, when Edward introduced me to his childhood friends, a girl in a red dress joined us midway through the gathering. Someone explained, “Monica left for the Northern Pack after something happened to her family. This is her first time back.” Someone else, drunk and eager to stir things up, chimed in, “Back then, we used to see Monica playing with Edward all over the hills every day. Everyone envied Edward for dating such a lively werewolf.” I took a sip of wine and listened quietly. So that note had been kept to commemorate a love story. Chapter 1 Monica laughed awkwardly and changed the subject, raising her glass to toast everyone as she asked whether there were any job openings in Silvermoon Pack. “I’ve forgotten about what happened in the past.” “Starting today, I’m officially moving to Silvermoon Pack. If there’s a suitable position available, I’d really appreciate it if you kept me in mind.” She went around promoting herself like a salesperson, doing her best to sell her skills, and looked rather desperate. Edward didn’t look up, but the knuckles of his right hand, the one holding his glass, turned slightly white. Just as Monica handed him her résumé, he turned to me and placed some venison on my plate. “I’m sorry, but I honestly can’t think of any suitable position for you in the pack.” Monica froze on the spot, her face burning red with embarrassment. I stared at Edward without touching my food. He had always known that I hated the taste of venison. So, in the very moment he served me that dish, who had he really been thinking about? When the gathering ended, a torrential downpour began outside. Monica couldn’t get a cab and paced back and forth anxiously. The werewolves who had attended the gathering with us were too intimidated by Edward’s attitude to help her. I glanced back, and Monica looked like she was on the verge of tears. “Should we help her?” “No. You can’t afford to catch a chill. Get in the car.” Edward pulled my coat closer around me, every bit the thoughtful mate. But I knew his heart was no longer with me. Without even realizing it, he tilted his umbrella toward Monica, completely oblivious to the fact that half my shoulder was getting soaked in the rain. When we got home, I sat silently on the sofa, rubbing my hair dry with a towel. Sensing something was off with me, Edward took the towel from my hands and offered an explanation. “I had no idea she was going to show up. Besides, it’s been so long that I’d forgotten she even existed.” “Don’t be so sensitive, Catherine. I’m going to take a shower. When I’m done, we’ll pick out our outfits for the mate ceremony together.” He was still as considerate and gentle as ever, as though Monica meant absolutely nothing to him. That was until I asked one of Edward’s friends to send me Monica’s social media profile. I opened her feed and saw that her latest post had been made just five minutes earlier. “Today is my lucky day! I couldn’t get a cab no matter how hard I tried, but then a car heading in the same direction as me suddenly showed up! I didn’t get a single drop of rain on me!” The car in the photo belonged to Beta David. He had always been arrogant, so without an order from Edward, why would he willingly act as someone’s chauffeur? I locked my screen, picked up the towel, and continued rubbing my rain-soaked hair dry. By the time Edward came out, I had already chosen an outfit. He reached over and tapped the upper-left corner of the catalog. “I remember you like red.” For three years, he had bought me nothing but red clothes and accessories, even though white was the color I truly loved. “I want this one.” “Trust me. Red suits you better.” I snapped the catalog shut and demanded coldly, “Does it suit me, or does it suit Monica?” Edward froze, then a trace of anger slowly appeared on his face. “Catherine, I’ve already told you that I don’t even remember her anymore!” “If you don’t remember her, then why are you still keeping her note?” “I’ll tear it up right now, all right? Then maybe you’ll finally stop suspecting me of something.” He snatched up his pocket watch and tore the note to shreds right in front of me. “Are you happy now?!” It was the first time Edward had ever shouted at me. I stared at him, feeling as though something inside me had shattered. “Fine.” His expression softened, and he pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. “Catherine, we’re the ones the Moon Goddess chose for each other. Stop doubting me. You’ve had a long day, too. Let’s get some sleep.” Once we were in bed, Edward quickly fell asleep, but I couldn’t sleep no matter how hard I tried. Edward’s phone screen lit up with a new email reply. “Thank you for offering me the position. I’ll be able to start work tomorrow...” The sender’s name was Monica. Chapter 2 The next morning, Edward left unusually early. Breakfast had been left on the dining table, with a note tucked underneath. “I’ve gone to work. Don’t be upset about last night. We’ll have a candlelit dinner after work.” I took a bite. There was no salt in it, and the food tasted bland. He had always been meticulous about everything he did, so he must have been in a hurry to leave that morning. At noon, I finished preparing a lunchbox and took a cab to the Pack Council Hall. As I pressed the button for Edward’s private floor, Monica squeezed into the elevator. The nameplate on her chest read Assistant to the Alpha. She was carrying takeout in both hands and sweating profusely, yet she still managed to flash me a composed smile. “Do you have an appointment? The Alpha has made it clear that not just anyone is allowed on his floor.” I returned her polite smile. “Weren’t we introduced at the gathering? I’m the future Luna.” She raised her chin slightly, her eyes filled with disdain and her tone dripping with arrogance. “The future? We all know what future means. It means you’re not it yet.” The elevator doors opened, and Monica stepped out first in her high heels. She looked triumphant, a world away from the pitiful, embarrassed woman she had been at the gathering. The moment I pushed open Edward’s office door, I saw Monica leaning over him, frantically wiping water off his body. I set the lunchbox down on his desk with a heavy thud. Edward’s expression shifted slightly as he pushed Monica away. Her cheeks flushed red, and she hurriedly explained in a panicked, tearful voice. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Catherine! I was just being clumsy and accidentally spilled water on the Alpha. I really was only trying to wipe it off!” My gaze fell on Edward’s necklace. I had carved it for him by hand last year from a piece of moonstone I had acquired at an auction, and it had cost a fortune. But once moonstone came into contact with water, it lost its brilliance. I stared at Monica without a trace of emotion. “No need to explain. Just reimburse me for the necklace at its original price. One hundred thousand. Transfer it to me.” She choked on her words and looked at Edward pleadingly. “That’s enough! Get out of here, you idiot!” Edward raked a hand through his hair in frustration and barked at Monica. But I knew he was merely giving her a way out. Edward picked up the takeout from the corner, unwrapped it, and began eating one bite after another as he explained. “She didn’t do it on purpose, and it’s not like you’re short of money. Be the bigger person and let it go.” The lunchbox in the middle contained the soup I had spent three hours simmering. He didn’t even spare it a glance. I could hear my voice trembling as I asked, “Why is she here?” Edward paused, never once lifting his head. “The Beta hired her. I didn’t know.” Yet that thank-you email had been sent directly to Edward’s personal inbox. “Then make her leave.” He put down his bowl and frowned. “Is that really necessary? Both her parents are dead, and she’s having a hard enough time as it is. You’ve always been kindhearted. Why can’t you help Monica out?” “It is necessary!” “Is this just because she’s my ex-girlfriend? Do you really have so little faith in me?” I opened my phone and was about to call Beta David to have him fire Monica. “Catherine, I am the Alpha of Silvermoon Pack!” Edward shot to his feet, finally losing his temper. He was breathing hard, his face flushed red. Suddenly, I remembered the year he had first become Alpha, when the Moon Goddess had guided us to each other. He had held me in his arms and sworn that he would never leave me, that he would remain by my side for the rest of our lives, and that everything he owned belonged to me. I slipped my phone back into my pocket and nodded thoughtfully. “That’s right. You’re the Alpha of Silvermoon Pack.” Edward froze, clearly surprised by how suddenly I had backed down. I turned around, opened the door, and walked out. He was indeed the Alpha of Silvermoon Pack. But I no longer wanted to be his Luna. Chapter 3 When I got home, I pulled out my suitcase. Looking at all the things filling the house, I suddenly didn’t know where to begin. Edward and I had indeed been deeply in love once. He had wanted to hold on to every little reminder of our relationship. We had kept the movie tickets from the films we’d watched together, and every handmade gift we’d ever made for each other had been carefully displayed in a glass cabinet. When we first moved in, Edward had wrapped his arms around me from behind and sighed contentedly. “Thank goodness we bought such a big house. There’s enough room to preserve every sweet memory we’ve made together.” Looking around at everything in the house, I decided to call a cleaning service and have them remove it all. The cleaners did a thorough job. Just like that, the entire house was stripped of every trace of me. I was packing the essentials into my suitcase when Edward sent me a message. It came with a photo of an empty lunchbox. “I didn’t mean what I said at lunchtime. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I’m sorry.” “Meet me at the restaurant at six. Let’s sit down and talk things through.” A faint glimmer of hope suddenly stirred in my otherwise desolate heart. A light rain began to fall. Sitting in the back of a rideshare, I couldn’t help thinking that it seemed to rain so often in Silvermoon Pack. By five thirty, I was already seated in our private dining room. Every weekend, we used to sit here together, sharing meals and talking about everything on our minds. The chef had gotten to know me quite well by now. He smiled warmly as he asked, “You and the Alpha are about to have your mate ceremony, aren’t you? Congratulations in advance!” I smiled but didn’t answer. By seven, the rain outside had grown heavier. The werewolf beyond the window were becoming little more than blurry silhouettes, but Edward still hadn’t shown up. The chef brought me a steak first. “Have something to eat while you wait. Don’t go hungry.” I shook my head and stepped outside to wait. By nine, the rain had turned into a violent downpour, accompanied by flashes of lightning and crashes of thunder. I was the only one left in the restaurant, surrounded by dishes that had long since gone cold. Rain splashed against my clothes. With the darkness pressing in around me, the restaurant felt like an isolated island. I called Edward seventeen times. He didn’t answer a single one. I couldn’t help imagining that something might have happened to him on his way here. Maybe he’d gotten caught in the storm. Maybe he was stranded somewhere because of the rain. Almost without thinking, I searched for Monica’s social media profile again. It was almost as if she’d known I’d be looking. She had posted a new update just fifteen minutes earlier. “I wasn’t feeling well today, so the Alpha gave me the day off. He’s been taking care of me since two o’clock, and even helped feed my cat. The toughest-looking Alpha with the softest heart in the world~” In the photo, Edward was gently stroking Monica’s kitten, his head lowered and his face full of tenderness. The lunchbox sat open in the corner, and the bowl beside it was filled with the soup I’d carefully simmered for Edward. Edward had liked the post and even left a comment. “Just this once.” Monica replied almost immediately. “The kitten loved the soup you brought over. It finished every last drop.” I stared at the blister on my ring finger, the one I’d burned while preparing the soup, and slowly lifted my head. The rain was still falling. I called Edward for the eighteenth time. He still didn’t answer. It seemed I wasn’t going anywhere tonight. I sat motionless in the restaurant for the entire night. By dawn, I’d booked a flight. My destination was the Radiant Pack, three thousand kilometers away. Chapter 4 The rain finally stopped. At nine the next morning, Edward finally replied to my messages. “There was a terrible storm yesterday, and I got stuck in traffic. My phone ran out of battery, so I didn’t see your calls.” “Where are you now? Send me your location. I’ll take you to see the ceremony venue.” When he saw me stumbling out of the restaurant looking like a complete mess, Edward awkwardly turned his face away. “Why do you have to be so stubborn?” I didn’t respond. The passenger seat had been adjusted by Monica, and I couldn’t get comfortable sitting in it. He handed me a breakfast bag. Inside was a beef sandwich, my favorite. But when I opened the bag, a receipt slipped out. Monica’s name was listed as the person who had paid. She was deliberately provoking me in her own way. “Edward, how long have we been together?” He kept his eyes on the road, concentrating on his driving. “A few years.” Seven years. Two thousand seven hundred and sixty-five days. “What about you and Monica?” He frowned slightly, and his gaze flickered. “One year, three months, and four days.” “Why do you keep bringing her up? You’re the one who’s about to become my mate. Don’t you get tired of overthinking everything?” I nodded and turned to look out the window. “You’re right.” Silence settled between us. The only sound came from the love song playing on the car radio. It was the same song Monica had pinned to the top of her social media feed. When we arrived at the ceremony venue, the coordinator walked me through the arrangements. Under the Moon Goddess’s witness, we would exchange rings and seal our vows with a kiss. I’d spent an entire year looking at different venues before finally settling on this one. Everything was exactly as I’d always dreamed it would be. The coordinator turned to Edward with a cheerful smile. “Alpha, what do you think? Luna seems quite pleased. Shall we go ahead and confirm the booking?” He was typing away on his phone, looking rather irritated. “Just ask Catherine.” My excitement faded a little. He’d been staring at his phone with his head down ever since we walked in. The coordinator quickly tried to smooth things over with an awkward laugh. “In that case, sir, could you please come over here to make the payment and sign the contract?” Just as Edward stepped forward, his phone rang. It was a custom ringtone. The caller ID read Sweetheart. He instinctively glanced at me, watching for my reaction. I smiled. “Go ahead and answer it.” Edward visibly relaxed, with even a hint of relief in his eyes. “I’ll be right back.” Ten minutes passed, but he still hadn’t returned. The coordinator asked cautiously, “Would you still like to go ahead with the booking?” I stared at my phone and shook my head. A new message from Edward was displayed on the screen. “I’ve transferred the money to you. You can sign the contract and book the venue yourself. Something serious has happened with Monica. She can’t handle it alone, so I’m going over to check on her.” Out of habit, I opened Monica’s social media feed. “My kitten desperately needs someone to look after it. Can anyone come and help me?” So that was the emergency he’d been talking about. On the way to the airport, I canceled every arrangement I’d made for the ceremony. I also personally contacted every guest who had received an invitation to apologize. One of our mutual friends was shocked and asked what had happened. I turned on Do Not Disturb and didn’t reply to anyone. Before boarding, I took off the ring I’d worn for seven years and placed it on top of a trash can. The day after Edward had successfully confessed his feelings to me, he’d excitedly dragged me to a craft shop to make the rings together. The same words had been engraved inside both bands. “Love Until Eternity.” As it turned out, our eternity had lasted only seven years. I opened my phone and sent Edward one final message. “I’m leaving. Don’t come looking for me.” Then I switched off my phone and walked through the boarding gate. The moment the plane landed, messages flooded in like a tidal wave.