Chapter 2
My mind was in chaos, but I wasn’t just the Luna of Silvermoon Pack—I was also a scientific researcher.
I happened to have a project that required travel during this period.
By the time I returned, the pup had been born—a baby boy.
I stood at the hospital room doorway, hearing laughter from within.
Merrick had once said, “In this world, you’re the one I care about most.”
But at this moment, he was carefully lifting the swaddled pup, his voice tender. “Don’t cry, Daddy’s little darling. Daddy loves you most in this whole world.”
Liliane was flipping through a parenting handbook. “This pup has your nose, but his eyes look like mine.”
Merrick agreed, “Yes, let’s call him Evren Thorne. He’ll be the future Alpha heir of Silvermoon Pack.”
I stood right there in the doorway, but neither of them noticed me.
I couldn’t help but clear my throat softly.
Merrick looked up, his gaze settling on me. In that instant, his smile abruptly faded. “Lina.”
I walked in, and the room fell silent.
Liliane looked at me pitifully and said, “Lina, if you don’t like me, I’ll raise the child myself. He won’t step foot in the pack house.”
She had called me Luna before, but now she was calling me Lina.
Previously, she said she’d give me the pup after birth, but now it became her raising him alone.
I smiled. “Liliane, I didn’t realize you were so considerate of me.”
Her eyes reddened. “I know Alpha has always wanted a child. I wanted to fulfill that wish for you.”
I stared at her and threw the documents in my hand onto her bed. “Legal consequences for unauthorized use of genetic material. You have a scientific background. I don’t believe you didn’t know this was illegal.”
Her face went pale, her lips trembling.
Suddenly, the pup burst into loud cries.
Merrick immediately held him close, soothing him in low tones.
In that moment, I suddenly realized that regardless of who was right or wrong, this pup would forever stand between us.
I turned to leave, but Merrick caught the hem of my shirt. “Lina! Thank you for not pursuing this, but there’s something else I need to discuss with you. Liliane just gave birth and her recovery is slow. The healer recommends continued rest. Crescent Grove has good sunlight and complete facilities… After she’s discharged, could she temporarily stay there? I could take care of her…”
My throat tightened, and I almost bit out the words, “Live in our house?”
“She has no other family.” When he said this, his eyes were as clear and calm as always. “Lina, she just needs some help.”
I looked at Merrick, my throat feeling like it was stuffed with cotton, making it hard to breathe.
“What about me?” I asked softly, “If you bring her home, what about me? Do I have to live under the same roof as her?”
Merrick suggested, “If you really find it inappropriate… you could move to Easton Manor for now. It’s farther from the research center, but quieter.”
So that was it. I smiled bitterly and turned to leave.
At this point, I needed to consider whether this mate bond was worth maintaining.
I met Merrick ten years ago at a thesis defense.
I had just returned to Silvermoon Pack, and he attended as a special guest, sitting in the back row, his suit impeccable, even his cufflinks fastened perfectly.
Most people asked polite, official questions, but he directly targeted the weakest point in my logical reasoning. “I’ve read your previous paper published in JNS. Your proof abilities are solid.”
In that moment, I had a strange feeling—he wasn’t trying to undermine me, but to remind me not to let habitual thinking drag me down.
The mind link formed in that instant.
Everything that followed was natural.
My soul fell in love with him after we shared a particularly ordinary meal.
That day, we had argued endlessly over work, and he suddenly fell silent for a long time before taking me to a small noodle shop behind the school.
A tiny table, we hadn’t eaten properly.
He picked the chili peppers out of my bowl and wiped soup splashes off my sleeve with a napkin.
He said, “Lina, your edge is a good thing. But not every battle needs to be won. People need to save their strength for more important things.”
Looking at him then, I suddenly understood—I would become this man’s mate.
But now, I couldn’t understand where things had gone wrong.
If it was about pup, then he was the one who owed me.
