---- Chapter 3 Alan had come in a blur and vanished just as fast. It was like he'd never been here. My wolf howled in anguish. I pressed a hand to my chest, struggling to steady the pain. Maybe Alan would never formally crown Leah as the Luna, but her call would always pull him away, slipping from my sight again and again. How long would this torment last? Until my dying breath? That familiar ache flared again in my left chest. I couldn't even remember when it had first begun. By now, it was a pain I'd quietly learned to live with. Opening my social media, I saw Leah's latest update. Alan was in the photos, gently feeding the pups and helping Leah with her exercises. The ---- tenderness in his eyes cut through me like a knife. That look had once been reserved only for me. Now, he gave it away so easily. I went to the pack's elder and applied for the mate bond dissolution papers. Afterwards, I met with the Beta, Rhett Calder, and formally resigned from every role I once held in the pack. Rhett's eyes widened in surprise. "Luna Anna, does Alpha Alan know you intend to resign?" I gave a bitter smile. "He's too busy for something like this." Catching the flicker of sympathy in Rhett's eyes, I felt a wave of shame. I wished the ground would split open and swallow me whole. I returned to Moonlight Villa-the home Alan and I once shared as mates. ---- While packing, I found an old photo tucked away. On the back, a note read: "My beloved Anna, when you read this, we will have several pups together. I promise to keep you safe forever and never let you endure any pain." My tears blurred the photo as they fell. Beneath the weight of sorrow, a dull ache reawakened deep in my left chest. I tried to ignore it, reassuring myself it was just a fleeting pain, like it had been before. But as my sorrow deepened, darkness swallowed my vision, and I fell to the floor. Something was definitely wrong with my body, but I didn't have the time to deal with it. When I finally woke up, my phone was buzzing nonstop. "Anna!" Alan's furious voice blazed through the receiver. He hardly ever called me by name like