Chapter 6 No.6

"No."

Nathaniel leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. He closed his laptop, stood up, and said, "Let's go."

Back at the PackHouse, Aria had already prepared dinner. After a quiet meal, Nathaniel retreated to his study to continue working.

I sat in the living room, watching a TV drama, casually pulling a pill from my bag and swallowing it.

"You're taking medicine? What's wrong? Are you feeling okay?" Nathaniel's voice came suddenly from behind me.

My heart skipped a beat. I turned to face him, trying to keep my expression neutral. "I've been having some stomach issues lately."

Nathaniel walked over and poured himself a glass of water. "Have you seen a doctor?"

"Yes, I have."

"Good. You need to take better care of yourself from now on."

His concern made me nod faintly, though inside, I felt a sharp pang of sorrow.

The next morning, I was woken by the ringing of my phone.

I opened my blurry eyes and reached for my phone on the bedside table. Seeing the screen, I answered, "Hello?"

Elowen's frantic voice came through the receiver. "Director Seraphina, something's wrong! You need to check Twitter's Trending Topics right now."

"What happened?" I asked, quickly opening my laptop as news flooded in from various media outlets.

"CEO Blackwood and Ms. Isolde were caught on camera."

Elowen's words barely finished when I had already opened the news and scrolled through it.

After a moment of silence, Elowen asked quietly, "Director Seraphina, what should we do?"

"Contact Isolde's team. Don't respond yet-wait until I get to the office."

The Trending Topics featured only a photo of them entering and leaving a restaurant together, with some marketing accounts speculating wildly.

We could easily post a photo from the restaurant on our official Twitter account, showing that it was just a normal work-related meeting after discussing a collaboration.

"Got it," Elowen said, about to hang up, but I stopped her. "Wait, you have yesterday's photo on your phone, right? Pick one where CEO Blackwood and Ms. Isolde don't look too close, and get that ready."

"Okay, I'll do that."

I hung up, quickly getting up to wash my face and get ready. As soon as I stepped through the company's doors, Elowen was there to meet me. "Director Seraphina."

"Have you contacted Isolde's team? What did they say?" I asked as we entered the elevator.

Elowen hesitated, clearly unsure of how to phrase it. "Nathaniel has already handed this over to the PR department."

I pursed my lips and said nothing.

When the elevator reached my floor, I stepped out and bumped into Tessa.

As soon as Tessa saw me, a smug smile appeared on her face. "Oh, it's Director Seraphina. Did you see Ms. Isolde and CEO Blackwood come to the company yesterday? Some people really try hard to flirt with the boss, but he doesn't even notice. CEO Blackwood even said himself that he's not close with certain people. If it were me, I would have been too embarrassed to stay at Silvermoon Corp. by now. It's just humiliating."

Elowen's face flushed with anger, but I acted like I hadn't heard anything, simply walking past Tessa.

Tessa called after me again. "Seraphina, aren't you curious how CEO Blackwood wants me to handle the news on Trending Topics?"

I stopped, though I didn't want to know, my curiosity getting the better of me.

Tessa grinned and walked closer. "I'll tell you straight. CEO Blackwood asked me to leak the fact that he and Ms. Isolde were once lovers. You know what that means, right?"

A chill ran through me. My face went pale as I stumbled back to my office in a daze.

I grabbed my phone and opened the Trending Topics again. The comments had already started to shift.

A beautiful, single female celebrity linked to a wealthy tycoon-naturally, people began to assume things.

This was especially damaging for Isolde, who had just returned to build her career here.

Now, marketing accounts were circulating news on Twitter, revealing that Isolde and Nathaniel had once been in a relationship. They even dug up old school photos and posts, claiming they were the campus's best couple. The pictures showed them walking side by side, looking incredibly compatible.

Now that they had reunited, rumors of rekindling their past romance were spreading.

Nathaniel, the CEO of Silvermoon Corp. and Alpha of the Silvermoon Crest Pack, had made numerous appearances in financial news. With his striking looks, tall, athletic frame, and privileged background-coupled with his reputation in the human world, free of scandals-he had amassed quite a following. Many referred to him as the quintessential novel hero.

Isolde, too, was beautiful and had found success in her career. Together, they were the perfect match-both in appearance and achievements.

Humans speculated that Nathaniel had remained single and scandal-free, waiting for Isolde's return.

It was all so sweet.

But the wolves didn't buy any of it. They all knew their Alpha had a destined mate-Luna Seraphina.

Yet, to me, the humans' words felt like sharp blades, stabbing deep into my heart, blood dripping with every passing moment.

My fingers trembled around my phone, my throat tight with a bitter ache.

I was Nathaniel's wife. I was Alpha Nathaniel's true mate.

Taking a deep breath, I turned off my phone, stood up, and made my way to Nathaniel's office.

I paused at the door for a moment before knocking.

"Come in," Nathaniel's voice called from inside.

I entered and stopped in front of his desk, speaking seriously. "Nathaniel, I believe the PR department's handling of the 'Trending Topics' matter was inappropriate."

Nathaniel lifted his eyes to meet mine, his gaze cold. "And what's wrong with it? What do you think was inappropriate?"

"After this, V&R will inevitably be linked to Isolde. This doesn't align with V&R's future direction or plans."

From now on, whenever people think of V&R's products, they'll automatically think of Isolde. I didn't want to tie my hard work to her, only to be forced into working with her against my will.

"You built V&R from the ground up. I know how hard you've worked, but you can't just shift the blame for future failures," Nathaniel said, his tone arrogant.

His words took me by surprise, and I looked at him, confused. "Why would you say that?"

"Isn't it your people who released the 'Trending Topics' story? A female celebrity linked to me? You should know how people would react. It not only affects my standing in the pack but will also impact Isolde's career!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Are you saying the 'Trending Topics' issue was my doing? Do you not trust me at all?"

"Isn't it? If you were dissatisfied with the divorce agreement, you could've spoken up. Why use such a cunning method to target Isolde? She's innocent."

Isolde is innocent? I was speechless.

Isolde, the woman who had intervened between us, was still considered innocent, while I was the one painted as the third party? And yet, I hadn't even done what he accused me of.

My chest felt as though it had been struck by a heavy blow, the sharp pain squeezing the air out of me, leaving me unable to speak.

I never imagined the person I once called my mate could see me this way.

"Well? Nothing to say now? Are you planning to announce to the humans that we've been married for three years, branding Isolde as the third party and cursing her forever in their eyes? That would make it even harder for the pack to accept her."

The pain felt like a knife slicing through me, and I gasped for air, giving Nathaniel a cold, humorless laugh. "Isn't that exactly what she is?"

Nathaniel fell silent. He could sense the pain in me, but remained unmoved.

"When we became mates, how did you vow to the Lunar Goddess? What promises did you make to Grandma and Grandpa? And what did you actually do?" I asked, my eyes burning with unshed tears.

"If you had told me back then that you couldn't forget Isolde, I would never have become your mate. I would have rejected you, even if it meant my death!"

"Now, aren't I doing enough to make way for you both? Alpha Nathaniel! Show some reason. If I wanted to target her, I'd have a thousand ways to make her leave the Silvermoon Crest Pack!"