Lies and Funerals Under the Moon Chapter 2

After handing the agreement to the Head Elder, he reviewed it carefully before speaking to Kate.

"Luna, after a thirty-day cooling-off period, the bond witnessed by the Moon Goddess will be dissolved, and your partnership will officially end."

Kate nodded slightly. "Thank you."

As she stepped out of the Council building, her phone rang.

It was Liam.

She declined the call, then stared at the wallpaper on her screen—a photo of her and Liam.

It was taken when she was twenty.

In the photo, they stood side by side under the ancient oak tree in the center of the pack lands.

She was smiling brightly at the camera. Liam was turned sideways, looking at her with eyes so gentle and focused it seemed the rest of the world didn't exist.

Tears dripped onto the screen, landing on her smiling eyes.

It made the smile in the photo look distorted and ridiculous.

With trembling hands, Kate changed the wallpaper she had used for eight years.

She was carving this man, whom she thought she couldn't live without, out of her heart.

Liam’s calls came one after another.

Kate hung up one after another, walking home with unsteady steps.

Hearing the door, Liam rushed out from inside.

Seeing her, he let out a sigh of relief, his tone mixing fear with complaint.

"Where did you go? Why didn't you answer your phone?"

Kate’s voice dripped with sarcasm. "Why? Scared I jumped off a cliff again?"

Liam’s face darkened, impatience overflowing in his brows.

"Kate, stop using death to threaten me! Do you know how to do anything other than torture me with these stunts?"

Kate stopped and stared at him blankly.

When she had first witnessed Liam cheating, the tearing of the mate bond was unbearable.

Every time she remembered that scene, she vomited violently.

In just seven days, she had lost nearly twenty pounds.

She used the most vicious words to curse him, slapped him dozens of times, and even lost control and broke three of his ribs.

He knelt before her, apologizing over and over, begging for forgiveness.

But she couldn't forgive herself.

After ten sleepless nights, she had a mental breakdown and accidentally fell from a cliff at the edge of the territory into the freezing sea.

The pack healers fought for five days to save her life.

Since then, Liam had stayed by her side, taking every hit and insult, walking on eggshells.

So, in his eyes, that was just a tactic to win favor?

Liam looked at her pale face and his expression shifted.

He pretended nothing happened, turning to pick up a box from the coffee table.

"Your favorite scones. I went out specifically to buy them for you. Try one."

Kate looked at the box of scones, bitterness rising in her heart.

She had heard it on the car recorder.

After his tryst with Katrina, the other woman had cuddled in his arms and whined that she was hungry.

Liam drove to get Katrina three boxes of cinnamon rolls.

The scones were a free gift from the bakery promotion.

This was their routine lately.

Every time they hit a sensitive spot, right before an explosion, he would pretend nothing happened and change the subject.

And she would tacitly play along, maintaining the fragile illusion of peace.

But this time...

She didn't want to act anymore.

Seeing she didn't take them, Liam showed a hint of suppressed irritation. "What's wrong?"

He probably hadn't looked in the mirror before coming home.

There were smeary lipstick marks hidden on his collar.

Behind his ear, a spot he couldn't see, was a fresh hickey.

It was Katrina’s silent provocation and trophy.

Kate shook her head, her voice exhausted. "I don't like this flavor anymore."

Ten years of the same thing. She was tired of it long ago; she just hadn't wanted to waste his effort before.

She turned to go upstairs, but Liam grabbed her arm.

His voice was impatient and edged with anger. "Kate, how long are you going to keep this up? You—"

Before he could finish, Kate lost consciousness.

When she woke up, she was in bed.

Liam was lying next to her, holding her tightly.

He woke the moment she moved. His eyes were full of red veins.

He naturally reached out to touch her forehead, then sighed in relief. "You had a fever. It lasted a day and a night, but it finally broke."

Kate realized she must have gotten sick from standing in the cold wind all night.

Since the fall from the cliff, her health had been fragile.

She opened her mouth, her throat tearing with pain. "Water."

Liam immediately poured her warm water.

Kate drank most of it leaning against his chest, looking listless.

Liam held her, his fingers stroking her cheek with pity. "Why didn't you tell me you felt sick? You finally put on a little weight, and now it's gone."

Kate curled her lip in a mocking smile, then drifted back into a dizzy sleep.

Her illness came like a landslide.

For a full week, she was groggy. Every time she opened her eyes, Liam was by her side.

Until one day, she opened her eyes and reached out, only to find the space beside her empty.

The bed was cold.

Downstairs, she heard faint voices.

Kate slowly got up and walked down.

Through the slightly ajar main door, the two people outside didn't see her.

Liam sounded surprised. "Why are you here?"

Katrina, wearing a white dress, looked up at Liam with a pitiful expression.

"You haven't answered my calls or texts for a week."

"Do you regret it again? Do you not want me anymore?"

"Liam, I missed you so much... Please don't ignore me, okay?"

Liam frowned. "You need to leave. Kate is sick. I don't want to upset her. We can talk on the phone later..."

Before he could finish, Katrina stood on her tiptoes and threw herself into his arms, blocking his lips with hers.

Liam instinctively reached out to push her away.

But the woman wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

The kiss, mixed with bitter tears, made his hesitation crumble.

Gradually, he stopped resisting and started kissing her back.

After a long time, they separated, gasping for air.

Katrina looked at him with burning eyes.

"Liam, stop fighting it. You clearly can't let me go."

"You don't love her anymore. Staying with her out of obligation only hurts all three of us."

Liam’s voice was filled with suppressed pain. "I can't..."

Behind the door, Kate yanked it open.