At the thought of Willow, I felt my heart sink.

Born without her own wolf, she was treated like an outsider, and no kids wanted to play with her.

They said she was cursed by the moon god and would bring misfortune to everyone around her.

I tried to defend her countless times, but venomous rumors spread like a plague, and in the end, nearly no one dared to come near her, let alone speak to her.

Always alone and unwanted, she locked herself in her own room and was far too shy and quiet for someone her age, when she should be thriving.

Hunter had pack healers test her hearing and vocal cords, and both were fine. So, they concluded she might be autistic.

No wonder Hunter gave away Willow’s custody without a second thought.

Hunter was so proud and powerful, with the ancient Blackthorne blood running through his veins. His ancestors ruled with might, and their lineage was renowned throughout the pack.

The weight of their legacy hung heavily upon his shoulders.

He had hoped for a fierce heir, someone to continue the Blackthorne legacy of strength and dominance.

But Willow clearly failed those expectations.

For the Blackthorne family, Willow and I were just a burden.

I got up with a numb expression and started to pack up my things.

When I walked down the spiral staircase, I heard the maids' discussion.

"Alpha Hunter left just now. He didn't look good."

"I want to go back to work for the Blackthorne family. I don’t want to serve the she-wolf upstairs!

She doesn’t deserve to be our Luna!"

"That's right. Her daughter is also useless. Have you seen her before?"

"No, I heard that she was cursed and didn’t have her own wolf. Alpha Hunter is really unlucky to have such a useless Luna and daughter. If I were him, I would have kicked her out a long time ago."

"Speaking of which, she sounds a little pitiful."

"Oh, stop it. Back then, she was just a rogue but somehow managed to get pregnant using some shady means. Her goal was to use her child as a way to marry into the Blackthorne family and climb the ladder. Despite her efforts, karma intervened! Rumor has it her daughter is barely speaking to this day."

"Ah, is she mute?"

"I don't know. Anyway, the Blackthorne family doesn't want this child. Ssh, she's here. Stop talking."

"What are you afraid of? So what if she heard it? Even if she complains, no one will believe her!"

Hearing me going downstairs, the two maids turned around with a hint of disdain and arrogance on their faces.

Even the maids despised me.

I looked at them, my voice calm and steady, "From now on, you two can go back to the Blackthorne family and don't have to come again."

"Humph! Thank goodness I don’t have to work here anymore," One of the maids sneered.

"That's right. How dare you put on airs as the Luna?" The other maid took off her apron, threw it on the ground, and left.

After they left, the villa became eerily quiet.

I didn’t waste time and packed up all my things, namely a few simple clothes I usually wore.

Then I sent all the expensive clothes, jewelry, and bags that Hunter gave me to a second-hand store for sale.

The money would directly be transferred to Hunter’s bank account.

placed the platinum credit card and keys to the villa into the envelope, then sent it to Hunter's office via express delivery.

So far, I had paid back everything that I could to Hunter.

With a light suitcase, I left the villa and did not look back again.

Next, I took a taxi to the pack hospital where Willow had been treated. I was going through the discharge formalities when a nurse led Willow out of the ward.

When the nurse handed Willow to me, she looked relieved, as if she had gotten rid of trouble.

Willow had a pair of big eyes. Although her face was a little pale, it could not hide her natural beauty.

However, Willow didn't glance at me. Instead, her eyes kept wandering around and then she lowered her head.

I squatted down, picked Willow up, and coaxed her softly, "Willow, Mommy is here to pick you up. Can you call me Mommy?"

Willow didn't look at me. Nor did she speak.

The nurse couldn't hide her impatience, saying, "She has autism. She can’t speak. What else do you expect from her?"

Hearing that, I raised my head and glared at her. "She will recover! I'll give her all my love and make her grow up happily."

The nurse rolled her eyes and said, "Whatever."

The word "whatever" stabbed me in the heart like a sharp knife.

Hunter also said ‘whatever’ when he rejected me.

Holding back the pain in my heart, I picked Willow up and turned to leave.