When the Moon No Longer Answers the Wolf Chapter 4

In an instant, a chilling cold seized Aurora, and her mind went blank.

Kaelen’s husky voice, thick with restrained desire, struck her like a bolt of lightning.

He thought she was Seraphina.

"Don't touch me!"

Aurora fought, shoving the man off her and pushing away his hand as it roamed down her body.

"Kaelen, look closely! It's me, Aurora!"

*The Aurora you despise, the one you can't bear to touch!*

She scrambled off the bed, stumbling out of the room.

Kaelen didn't follow. He was likely already dead drunk and asleep.

Aurora hid in a cramped storage closet, curled into a ball in the corner. She touched her lips, still warm from his kiss, her mind in turmoil. She didn't sleep all night.

The next morning.

Exhausted, Aurora opened the closet door only to see Kaelen emerging from her bedroom.

She instinctively clutched her clothes tighter and took a step back, trying to avoid him.

But Kaelen approached, his expression cold and accusatory. "Aurora, why was I sleeping in your room last night? What did you do?"

He didn't remember a single thing.

Tears of humiliation welled in Aurora's eyes. She whispered, "You were drunk. You went to the wrong room and mistook me for someone else."

Kaelen’s brow furrowed deeply, not believing a word. "Impossible!"

His sharp denial was a blade to Aurora’s heart, turning her face pale.

If he wouldn't believe her, there was no point in explaining.

Aurora turned her head away, biting her lip in silence.

The air was still for a moment.

Then she heard footsteps, and when she looked up, Kaelen was raising his hand as if to stroke her hair.

He used to do that whenever she was sad, thinking about her parents. It was his way of comforting her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Their eyes met, and Kaelen seemed to snap out of a trance, his gaze turning hard and cold again. "I drank too much last night and thought you were Seraphina. From now on, stay away from me when I'm drunk."

Aurora was silent for a moment, then curled her hands into fists and nodded. "I will."

*Soon, we'll be miles apart. It won't matter if you're drunk or not, I'll stay far away from you.*

A complex emotion flickered in Kaelen's eyes. "Your room seems to have a lot of things missing. What's going on?"

Aurora’s heart skipped a beat. She'd completely forgotten about that.

She stammered, making up an excuse. "I… I packed away some things I don't use anymore."

Kaelen frowned, a strange feeling nagging at him.

But his head throbbed from the hangover, so he didn't press the issue and turned to leave.

Before he left, he added, "Have the servants change everything on the bed. Don't get any funny ideas."

Hearing this, Aurora couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself.

He'd once caught her holding his cloak, inhaling his scent, and now he thought she was still that foolish.

Not anymore.

She would never again mistake his kindness to a younger ward for affection.

Aurora stood frozen, watching his back disappear from sight. Only then did she look away.

Four days left. She was leaving.

She returned to her room, stripped everything off the bed, and burned it all in a fire.

Just then, the bedroom door was pushed open.

Aurora turned to see Seraphina walk in. "Aurora, Kaelen and I are going traveling. Would you like to come with us?"

Ever since news of Kaelen and Seraphina had spread, everyone knew they were inseparable.

Even someone as private as Kaelen allowed Seraphina to cling to him in public. It was clear he was deeply in love.

Or maybe it was a warning to her.

At first, Aurora had cried herself to sleep, cried until she broke.

But now, Kaelen was just her "uncle," a relative.

She wouldn't be jealous anymore.

Aurora looked at Seraphina and smiled faintly. "No, thank you. I hope you and Alpha Kaelen have a wonderful time."

Seraphina smiled back and turned to leave.

Aurora stood alone in her room for a long time. When she heard Kaelen and Seraphina depart, she went outside.

In the courtyard, she gazed at the Moonglow Tree.

With a lift of her hand and a flick of her sleeve, every single flower on the tree withered and died in an instant.

Feelings that should never have existed needed to be severed.

There was no need for these flowers to remain.