Chapter 2

Caitlyn's POV

The next morning

When I groggily opened my eyes, I thought everything that happened yesterday was just a dream.

However, the white sheet in the unfamiliar room and the sharp pain in my body reminded me of the madness of last night.

“Damn it!” I cursed, couldn’t regret more coming to the bar and attempting to alleviate the pain of betrayal with alcohol.

And my heart ached even more at the thought of Jayce and Morgana cuddling together.

It was all clear I was the one abandoned. But what I couldn't understand was why Jayce hadn't been clear with me from the start.

Perhaps he simply saw me as a foolish human who loved him to death, unworthy of any explanation. After all, in their world of werewolves, strength was all that matters and humans were of low status.

The pack members didn't need to know the full story. All they needed to keep in mind was that as members of the Purple Moon Pack, they had to support the Alpha and the future Alpha unconditionally.

And I was losing everything when Morgana was going to take my place as the future Alpha's mate.

When I was with Jayce, I was always obedient to him. The wild one-night stand last night was the biggest rebellion in my twenty years of life.

********

Time went by quickly, and Jayce and Morgana becoming mates had become a done deal.

In the past month, I had tried to move on from the pain. And that wild night surfaced in my mind now and then.

Occasionally, Talon appeared in my dreams, his intense eyes ravaging my naked body. His low, seductive voice lingered in my mind.

"What's on your mind, Caitlyn? You've seemed a bit off lately, but at least you didn't go to see that playboy Jayce," Leona asked casually as she munched on her chips.

Leona came to visit me every day after the news about me getting abandoned by Jayce spread across the pack.

"N-Nothing," I replied quickly, trying to regain my composure so she wouldn't suspect anything.

"It's been a while. Looks like I won't have a chance to see Talon for life," Leona moved the topic to her, not seem to notice anything abnormal in me. But my heart raced upon hearing the name Talon.

"You're right, Talon is indeed a very attractive man," I blurted.

"What did you say?!" Leona sat up abruptly, appearing shocked by my words. "I don't believe you!"

After freezing for a moment, Leona came to her senses because she knew me too well. In her eyes, a good girl like me would never have anything to do with the legendary ruthless Talon.

"But how about Jayce?" Leona changed the topic, her smile fading as she looked at me seriously.

I understood what Leona was getting at, and my expression grew somber.

"I don't want to just let it go, but I don't want to make things difficult for my father either."

After chatting with Leona for a few more minutes, I saw her off .

Late at night, the usual sadness came back and hit me again. The cold moonlight outside my window bathed the room. The moon, holy and revered by all werewolves, shone brightly, but I couldn't help but feel a surge of grievance and unfairness.

Putting on a coat, I walked out of the back door. As I wandered aimlessly, the images of Jayce and Talon blurred together in my mind, causing my head to ache.

When I finally took in my surroundings, I found myself in a clearing in the misty forest. The stillness around me seemed to indicate that all the nocturnal creatures were quietly enjoying the moonlight—except for me.

"This isn't fair!” I growled at the top of my lungs, questioning the Moon Goddess angrily and clenching my fists, “Why do I have to be born as a human? Why cannot I be a strong werewolf just like my father?"

"If you really are the omnipotent goddess, why don’t you love all creatures under your wings equally? Why cannot you just guide me in the right direction? Where is my way out?" I crouched down to the ground slowly in despair.

I hardly remember seeing my mother growing up. My father told me she was human and had died shortly after giving birth to me. This became the pain of life for my father.

My father was a powerful werewolf, but I had inadvertently inherited my mother's human bloodline, making me weak in the world of strong werewolves.

Frustrated, I let out a roar towards the Moon Goddess, but the surroundings remained silent. The moon hung high in the sky.

After venting my grievance and dissatisfaction for nearly an hour, I lay down on the grass exhaustedly, my consciousness slowly fading.

Just as I was about to fall into a deep sleep, a dull sound of footsteps sounded behind me. Before I could turn around, a tall figure fell heavily at my side.

"Ah!" I took two steps back in panic and let out a cry.

Just as I was about to run away, I noticed a pool of fresh blood under the body of the figure.

"Don't go," the man suddenly called out weakly as I was about to seek help. His voice sounded familiar.

I kept telling myself to calm down, and went back to the man slowly.

I examined his features under the moonlight as I approached him, and then realized something. "Talon!" I shouted, and then immediately covered my mouth with one hand. "What's wrong with you?"

Looking at his face getting paler, I couldn’t help but get worried his safety. but he still managed to smile at me.

"Looks like my prayers worked," he said, forcing a smile at the corners of his mouth.

Ignoring his flirting, I hurried to tear my nightgown into strips to bandage his wounds.

"Wow, impressive!" he continued in that flirting way and then slowly pushed himself up with both hands, leaning weakly against the trunk of a tree nearby. His intense gaze locked onto mine, causing my heart to race.

"How did you get wounded? What happened?" I said, my voice low as I turned away from Talon's scrutinizing gaze.

"Just got in a bit of trouble," Talon whispered to my ears and chuckled softly, his gentle eyes never leaving mine.

I didn’t know why, but whenever I met his gaze, a tremor ran through my soul as though there was a mysterious connection binding us.

"A bit of trouble?" I repeated his words in disbelief. He looked far from being unscathed.

"Just dealing with some undesirables, but I seemed to have underestimated them," he said nonchalantly, as if he had simply killed a few insects.

"Them?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I almost forgot you're part of the Purple Moon Pack too," Talon teased, causing me to look away from his gazes. I always found his eyes piercing, causing unease in me.

"What?"

Before I could ask any further questions, shouts sounded in distance.

"It's time for you to leave," I said after taking a deep breath, trying to mask the emptiness inside me.

"What's your name?" Talon asked abruptly.

His sudden question reminded me that he didn't even know my name after spending a wild night with me.

Was I just one of his harem of one-night lovers? A touch of bitterness rose in me.

"Caitlyn," I said flatly, looking down to hide my feelings.

The next moment, I felt a soft brush against my lips, followed by a faint musky scent.

"Nice name. We'll be seeing much more of each other, Caitlyn."

I looked up immediately, but Talon had vanished as if he had never been there.

Yet the lingering warmth on my lips served as a reminder of his presence, sending ripples through my heart.