---- Chapter 9 Soon, three days passed by in the blink of an eye. I stared blankly at the freshly obtained potion to break the mate bond in my hand. 20 years of memories played through my mind like a movie-years of marital pain and struggle that felt like a long, never-ending nightmare. I wondered-did Leno truly love me in those good years, or was it just because, within the available options, I was the best Luna candidate? After all, I had loved him with everything I had, even using the resources of the Black Wolf pack to support him. Maybe it wasn't that he changed-maybe I just never saw his true colors clearly from the beginning. My heart ached with a throbbing pain. ---- I slowly picked up the potion, and just as I was about to open it, the Beta knocked on my door. "Luna Flora, the Alpha invites you to the ceremonial square," he said. I looked at him in confusion. ''What does he want to do?" "All the pack members are already there. Please come with me, Luna Flora." I agreed in the end. After all, I was still the Luna of this pack. It would be best to say things clearly in front of everyone. Roses were spread all around the square. Leno stood in the center, wearing a white suit and holding a bouquet of moonflowers, smiling at me. Pack members gathered in small groups, their gazes toward me laced with disapproval. I looked at the all-too-familiar scene in front of me-Leno had decorated the square exactly like ---- he did back when we held our mating ceremony. Back then, he was full of youthful energy, and his eyes were filled with nothing but me. He became my mate amid the genuine blessings of all the pack members. But now, everything had changed. Leno walked toward me, and the crowd parted in the middle, making way for him. "Flora, no matter how many times we start over, I will always love you," he declared. He stopped in front of me and held the bouquet out. Under the moonlight, his eyes shimmered with hope, and there was tension in his expression. Ten years ago, I took the flowers and gave hima passionate kiss. But now... "Leno, I want to break the mate bond with you," I said. ---- The hopeful expression on his face shattered bit by bit. Leno's face twisted with rage, and he threw the bouquet to the ground. "Impossible! You will never leave me!" he shouted. The farce came to an end after that. Leno stormed out of the square, leaving all the wolves behind to gossip. "The Alpha has already separated from Elisa. Why does the Luna still want to break the mate bond?" "Yeah, the Alpha went to all that trouble to make up for it, and she still rejected him." "The Luna really doesn't know what's good for her." I could hear all the surrounding wolves' criticism. of me-just because I rejected Leno, I was the irrational one. I picked up the potion once more.