---- 2 Staring at the message on my phone, my heart trembled violently. Around me in the plaza, the excited girls continued gushing about how romantic their Alpha was. I stepped back, desperate to distance myself from their voices. A bitter smile twisted my lips. The Alpha they called the most devoted was now giving all his romance to his mistress. On the giant screen, the dazzling green healing stones were up for auction. The auctioneer's voice rose with excitement, describing how rare these stones were, trying to fuel the bidders' competitive spirits. The girls in the plaza screamed with each bid. Kieran kept raising his paddle, pushing the price all the way up to fifty million dollars. Finally, the gavel fell. The green healing stones sold for an unbelievable price-but not to Kieran. An anonymous Alpha had outbid him. ---- Kieran's funds had fallen short. He could only afford the second-place red healing stones instead. It felt like a dull knife slowly cutting through my heart, tearing until blood flowed freely. Scarlett's message flashed with shameless triumph: "See? I won again." Almost immediately, Kieran's call came through. "Baby, I'm so sorry. I couldn't get those green healing stones. I didn't expect the price to skyrocket like that. I don't have enough liquid funds... I panicked and accidentally bid on the red stones instead. I know you hate red, so I'll keep these for myself. Next time, I promise I'll buy you even better green healing stones." On the giant screen, Kieran looked dejected as he left the auction, making the crowd feel sorry for him. "Alpha shouldn't apologize! Luna already has the best Alpha in the world!" lused every ounce of strength to keep my voice ---- from shaking. "It's fine. I didn't really need them anyway." I said it for Kieran to hear. I said it for myself to believe. I crouched at the crossroads, hugging my shoulders as tears fell freely. After a long moment, I stood and walked resolutely forward. At home, a melted cake sat on the table. Today was my birthday. Kieran had promised to come home and eat cake with me. late the ruined cake bite by bite while scrolling through social media. Scarlett had posted on Facebook. The photo showed her in a barely-there nurse outfit, kneeling on a hospital bed. Around her neck hung the red healing stones Kieran had just bought for fifty million dollars.