I bit down on my lip, swallowing a sob. My heart splintered into a thousand shards. Everything I had done—all the effort, all the love—had been for him. Just to see him smile, to feel even a sliver of affection. But now I realized the truth: he never saw me. Not as his Luna. Not as his partner. Not as anything.
The faint sound of running water signaled that Harland had stepped into the bathroom. I remained inside the suffocating darkness of the box, silent tears streaming down my face, struggling to process what I had just heard.
A week ago, I learned the truth: I wasn’t the Alpha’s biological daughter. A hospital mix-up had switched me with Maureen at birth. Overnight, the parents who once showered me with love turned distant. Their affection faded into indifference, their warmth replaced by empty stares. I was no longer their cherished daughter—just an outsider in a place I no longer belonged.
So, I had placed all my hope tonight. Harland was supposed to be my last refuge, the one person who wouldn’t abandon me like everyone else had.