Chapter 1

Just because Alpha Liam’s beloved White Moonlight was startled by the waves while taking a picture with me, he assumed I had orchestrated it on purpose.

"Doris has a phobia of deep water! How dare you take her onto the deck for a photo? You’ll pay for this a thousand times over!"

Consumed by fury, he ordered me to be tied to the yacht’s engine, deliberately steering toward the roughest waves to punish me.

I struggled, pleading that I had no ill intent. I told him I couldn’t swim, fell to my knees, and begged him to spare me and my unborn child.

But the coldness in his eyes only deepened, turning merciless.

"You know I have weak spermatozoa, yet you dared to lie about being pregnant? Clearly, your punishment isn’t severe enough."

With a flick of his wrist, he signaled his men. They wrapped a wire tightly around my swollen belly, cinching it until crimson bloomed against the pure white fabric of my dress.

Blood trickled down, staining the yacht’s pristine floor.

Liam wrinkled his nose in disgust, sneering.

"And now you’re filthy, bleeding like that. Do you know how much this yacht means to Doris? How could you taint it?"

He ordered the captain to speed up, dragging me toward the open sea... to cleanse me in the depths.

My screams shattered the air, raw and desperate, my body racked with agony as blood streamed from my legs into the churning water.

The pain wrenched the life from my womb. The two children who should have been born were stolen from me, torn away by suffering.

At last, my voice failed me.

Three days passed before Liam remembered my existence. He called out lazily, "Where the hell is that damned woman, Scarlett?"

The butler hesitated before answering, his voice trembling.

"Alpha Liam… you forbade anyone from releasing her. Luna… she’s still tied to the engine… it’s been three days..."

Liam frowned, but instead of concern, there was relief in his tone.

"Doris is too kind to hold a grudge. If Scarlett publicly kneels and admits her wrongdoings, we’ll consider it settled."

Then, with a dismissive wave, he added, "Make sure she kowtows all ninety-nine times. Not one less."

But he didn’t know...

I had long since died.

The ocean had swallowed me whole. My flesh had been devoured by the creatures of the deep, my bones shattered and scattered.

The moment he demanded my repentance, my soul silently watched it all unfold.

The butler wiped the sweat from his brow, his voice unsteady.

"But, Alpha… Luna… it’s been three days. She was three months pregnant..."

Liam scoffed, unimpressed.

"Three months? And you believed that? No one has a belly that big at three months. She just got fat from overeating. And now her period’s early, so she thought she could use that as an excuse?"

The butler opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Liam’s impatient frown.

"Enough. Leave her there for another half day. Then bring her to kowtow to Doris... make it a full hundred times. That will put an end to this nonsense."

Without another word, he turned his attention to his communicator. Doris had sent him provocative photos, and his lips curled in satisfaction as he headed toward her room.

As he moved through the corridor, the yacht rocked violently against the waves.

Liam braced himself against the wall, immediately calling out in concern.

"Doris? Doris, are you alright?"

Before he could take another step, Doris burst into his arms, her scantily clad body trembling as she whimpered.

"Liam! Did the yacht hit the waves again? I’m so scared!"

His throat tightened at the warmth of her against him. Stroking her back, he soothed, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here. That crazy she-wolf, Scarlett, won’t be causing you trouble anymore."

Doris looked up at him with teary eyes, her voice tinged with guilt.

"Darling, don’t speak of Scarlett like that. If I hadn’t followed you onto the yacht, she wouldn’t have gotten jealous and hurt me. I don’t want you to fight because of me anymore. Maybe… I should leave."

She turned to go, her bare feet stepping toward the door.

Liam caught her wrist and pulled her onto his lap, wiping the tears from her face tenderly.

"Doris, you’re too kind. None of this is your fault. If Scarlett’s powerful family hadn’t forced me into a mate bond with her, my Luna would have been you from the start."

In that moment, watching them whisper sweet words to each other, I felt a shattering realization.

A soul can still feel heartbreak.

When I was eighteen, my parents... the Alpha and Luna of the Moonshadow Pack... were killed in battle, fighting against a foreign enemy.

We won the war, but my brother Ethan and I were left alone.

That winter night, I had stood on the edge of a bridge, ready to jump, when Liam found me.

He had sung an old, soothing song, kissed my forehead, and whispered, "You’re the one I’m meant to be with, Scarlett. Don’t give up."

And I had believed him.

But I never understood why, once I became his Luna, his love turned to disgust.

Now, he was whispering to another woman, "Don’t worry, she’ll be on her knees for you soon."

Punishment?

Liam, you can’t punish me anymore.

For I am long dead. My wolf’s soul has scattered into the abyss, lost forever to the deep sea.

Chapter 2

My hands were bound to the side of the yacht’s engine, the icy water lapping at my chin, threatening to swallow me whole.

With tears streaming down my face, I pleaded for Liam’s mercy... not for myself, but for the fragile lives still growing inside me. I could feel my wolf, Nyra, struggling weakly, her strength fading as she desperately tried to shield us.

But Liam only sneered, his voice as cold as the sea.

"You really think you can fake a pregnancy just to save yourself?"

He had weak spermatozoa, a condition that had prevented us from conceiving throughout our eight-year marriage.

I had been protecting these long-awaited children, waiting until the pregnancy was stable before telling him. I had been overjoyed, believing it was a chance to melt the ice between us.

But instead of joy, he stormed out in anger.

"Scarlett, a child is my bottom line. How dare you use this excuse to cover up your crime against Doris?"

His words still rang in my ears as he yanked out a thin wire and wrapped it tightly around my abdomen.

"Three months, you say? Then let’s find out if there’s really a baby in there!"

Even though we were mates, Liam had never caught my scent. He saw it as proof that our bond was not blessed by the Moon Goddess.

For eight years, he had kept me locked away in his villa. My wolf had grown weaker with time, silenced by the forced mark, until she no longer responded at all.

To me, Liam and the child in my womb were all I had left in this world.

But the wire tightened mercilessly. A searing pain shot through me, forcing a scream from my lips as I felt my baby being crushed.

The agony was unbearable. My legs buckled, and darkness closed in around my vision.

A sudden warmth gushed down my thighs, staining my white dress a deep red. I collapsed onto the deck, sobbing, clutching my abdomen.

"Please, Liam… take me to the hospital. Save our child…"

For a fleeting moment, hesitation flickered in his eyes.

But then Doris clung to his arm, pouting as she sighed.

"I envy Sister Scarlett. At home, I had my parents doting on me, and after marriage, I have you to love me. Even my period is more than others."

She sighed again, lowering her gaze.

"Unlike me… My father never loved me, my mother ignored me… I was always weak, anemic, and I still don’t get my period. Ah, Liam, I feel dizzy… It must be blood sickness…"

At her words, Liam immediately pulled her into his embrace, his face filled with tenderness. I was nothing but an annoyance to him.

"Haven’t you caused enough trouble? You’re even ruining Doris’s yacht with your filth!" His voice was full of disgust. "Take her to the deep end and wash her off. Don’t bring her back until I say so!"

I sobbed, begging him, but he didn’t spare me a single glance. Every bit of warmth he possessed was reserved for Doris.

The yacht sped toward the open sea.

I was thrown into the back, my body pressed against the scorching engine, while the freezing water rose higher around me. My entire being felt like it was being torn apart.

I clutched my abdomen, desperately trying to protect my unborn children.

But the yacht was too fast. Within minutes, the pain became unbearable. The pressure, the force... it was too much.

A sharp, ripping sensation shot through me, and then…

I lost them.

I wanted to reach out, to cradle my babies, to hold them close no matter how broken or bloody they were. But my body wouldn’t move.

All I could do was watch as the two tiny lives were torn away from me, swallowed by the sea, leaving behind a faint trail of red in the endless blue.

My consciousness slipped away.

By the time the sea creatures had stripped the flesh from my bones, leaving nothing but a pile of withered remains, my soul finally drifted free.

I thought I would descend into hell.

Instead, I found myself beside Liam.

He was in the hospital, holding a bowl of freshly cooked porridge, gently coaxing Doris to eat.

To help her recover, he had hired the nation’s top nutritionist to prepare six meals a day.

Piles of designer clothes and luxury gifts lined the hospital corridor. Even the air smelled like her.

A servant hesitated before speaking my name.

But Liam’s expression darkened, and he cut them off coldly.

"Don’t mention that woman again. If I hear her name, I’ll have you tied to the engine next."

The servant paled and immediately fell silent.

I stood there, watching, emotionless. Then, I laughed softly.

Don’t worry, Liam.

I’m dead, just as you wanted. I won’t disturb you anymore.

But I wonder… when you see what I'll look like when I'm dead, will you show a little bit of regret, on your face which was always filled with dislike?

Chapter 3

The waves had finally settled, but the air remained thick and stifling, pressing down like an invisible weight.

Liam's phone rang... a scheduled alarm for his medication.

It was a reminder I had set for him, a routine I had carefully maintained for years to help him manage his weak spermatozoa. We had been married for eight years and had never conceived.

Liam was sensitive, even volatile, about the issue. So, without his knowledge, I had secretly arranged for a specialist to assist with his treatment.

I instructed the servants to say he was undergoing general health care if asked and strictly forbade them from mentioning the word "fertility."

But Liam often forgot his medication, so I had taken it upon myself to set a daily reminder.

The alarm blared a few times before he impatiently swiped it off, irritation flickering across his face. Then, he mind-linked the housekeeper.

“Bring Scarlett up here. She’s on her period, so have her clean herself before she kowtows to Doris.”

His tone was casual, as if this was nothing more than a mundane form of discipline. He had long forgotten that I was his Luna, the mate he had personally marked and sworn to protect.

The housekeeper hesitated, his voice tight with unease.

Meanwhile, Doris nestled into Liam’s embrace, a picture of delicate innocence. Her fingers... soft, hesitant... fiddled with the belt around his waist.

"You should be gentle when she arrives, Liam," she murmured. "I know Scarlett loves you too much. It’s made her… paranoid. I don’t want people to think I’m a homewrecker who stole you away..."

She trailed off, her lashes fluttering, but before she could finish, Liam pressed his fingers against her lips.

His grip around her tightened, his voice dripping with tenderness.

“Don’t ever belittle yourself like that. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have survived those dark days.”

Then, his expression hardened.

"Scarlett, as Luna, has always been hostile toward you. I have to punish her; otherwise, she’ll only get worse next time."

His anger was carefully restrained... controlled... so as not to startle Doris.

But I caught the flicker of unease in Doris’s eyes as she brushed her fingertips over the surgical scar on her abdomen, avoiding his gaze.

From my hidden corner, I watched it all unfold, feeling nothing but bitter absurdity.

Three days ago, Liam had suggested taking me out to sea for my birthday.

Doris had cried, insisting on coming along. To avoid embarrassing him, I had swallowed my pride and agreed.

The moment we set sail, she had dragged me to the deck, insisting on taking a photo together. I complied, careful not to stress my fragile pregnancy.

Then, a wave crashed against the yacht.

Doris stumbled to the ground and immediately wailed.

“Sister Scarlett, why did you push me? You know I have a phobia of the deep sea…”

Then, in a grand display, she collapsed unconscious.

Liam had come running like a man possessed, scooping her into his arms and giving her artificial respiration as if she were dying.

Meanwhile, I stood there, soaking wet, shivering, trying to make sense of it all.

At first, I thought he was just overreacting.

Then came the slaps.

Two sharp, stinging blows that left my ears ringing.

“She’s terrified of the ocean, and you dared to push her?” he roared. "Scarlett, do you not have even a shred of compassion?"

His eyes burned with fury.

“You want to see the waves? Fine. I’ll make sure you get a good look.”

Without hesitation, he ordered me to be bound to the stern engine.

Wave after wave crashed against me, tearing into my body, leaving me bruised and battered.

That was the moment I finally understood.

I had never been his Luna.

I was just a pawn, a disposable offering for the real Luna’s happiness.

In Liam’s eyes, I was nothing more than a bargaining chip... a means to secure wealth and power.

His ambitions were clear: marry me to gain my brother Ethan’s support. Ethan, the new Alpha of the Moonshadow Pack, held the key to securing Liam’s position as Alpha of the Stardust Pack.

Doris, of course, would reap the benefits.

Even now, as I bled out, he still expected me to crawl on my knees, bow a hundred times, and confess my sins to her.

Unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t get the chance.

Not in this lifetime.

A trembling voice broke through my fading consciousness.

“Alpha, it’s… it’s not good… Luna, she…” The housekeeper hesitated, his voice shaking.

Liam frowned.

“What? Isn’t her period over? Didn’t you tell her to clean up and report here? She dares to feign illness now?”

The housekeeper wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his face pale.

“It’s not that…” He swallowed hard.

“Luna… she’s showing no signs of life.”