Chapter 2

"Who do you think you are?"

Ethan's voice echoed in my ears, but I couldn't feel any warmth in it anymore. Only disdain, only coldness.

I closed my eyes. Sharp pains shot from my mate mark. The twenty-year bond was naturally weakening, like an old rope about to snap.

Twenty years ago, this mark was forged with love and vows.

Back then, Ethan wasn't the strongest Alpha in North America, just a poor college student from a small, fringe pack.

He was cornered in an abandoned factory by three vampires. And he was covered in wounds from silver weapons.

"Let me go!" nineteen-year-old Ethan roared, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "The Stone family never bows to enemies!"

The rival wolves laughed at him. "The Stone family? That third-rate pack on the verge of extinction? Kid, you don't even qualify to attend the Alliance meetings."

I stepped out from the shadows.

"Let him go," I said calmly.

The rival wolves turned, stunned when they saw me. A harmless-looking college girl.

"Another one eager to die?" The leader of the rivals licked his lips. "Two wolf pups should fetch a good price."

I didn't shift, didn't roar. I just released a tiny bit of my bloodline's power.

The three experienced rival wolves instantly dropped to their knees, their bodies shaking uncontrollably. The leader even started babbling, "No... impossible... that kind of power..."

"Get out," I said softly.

They scrambled away, practically tripping over themselves.

Ethan stared, wide-eyed, struggling to his feet. "You... how did you do that?"

I walked over to him, checking his wounds. "These silver wounds are deep. They need to be treated right away."

"Wait!" Ethan grabbed my wrist. "Who are you? No ordinary werewolf could..."

"My name is Regina Winters." I tore a strip from my clothes and bandaged his deepest wound. "And you?"

"Ethan Stone." His voice was weak, but his eyes were still stubborn. "Winters... Never heard of that family. Which pack are you from?"

I smiled but didn't answer.

From that day on, this stubborn boy started pursuing me. He thought I was just the daughter of some mid-level pack, with a few special talents.

I didn't correct him.

"Regina, I'll protect you," he said during his first confession, his eyes burning with sincerity. "I know I'm weak now, and my family isn't strong, but I'll work hard. I'll become an Alpha worthy of you."

He was so innocent back then, so driven. Every day, it was either class or training, desperately trying to get stronger.

We had our mating ceremony the year we graduated.

A simple ceremony, just the two of us in a small chapel on a full moon night.

Ethan's pack was too poor to afford a grand celebration.

"I swear," he whispered, his voice trembling as he gently bit my neck, "I'll love you, protect you, and never betray you for my entire life."

The moment the mark settled, I felt a sense of completeness I'd never known.

This stubborn, persistent boy became my mate, the other half of my life.

The first few years of our marriage were happy.

Ethan worked hard to expand the Stone Pack's territory, and I helped him secretly. Whenever he faced a powerful enemy, I'd subtly pressure them to back down.

Whenever he needed allies, I used my bloodline's influence to pave the way for him.

He thought it was all his own talent and hard work.

I was happy to let him think that.

After Caleb was born, Ethan became even more ambitious.

"Our son will be the strongest Alpha in North America," he said, holding our newborn baby, his eyes full of a father's pride. "He inherited both our bloodlines; he's bound to surpass me."

Back then, he would still kiss my forehead at night and tell me I was his whole world.

But as the Stone Pack's power grew rapidly, as favors and flattery poured in from all sides, Ethan started to change.

"Regina, watch what you say," he scolded me in public for the first time five years ago. "The Alliance meeting is no place for you to voice your opinions."

"Regina, there's a problem with Caleb's upbringing," he started questioning my parenting three years ago. "You're making him too soft. A future Alpha needs to be tougher."

"Regina, your bloodline has become a hindrance to our family's development," he said a year ago, for the first time bringing up bloodlines directly. The love was gone from his eyes. "Maybe I should consider... other options."

Then Scarlett appeared.

Young, beautiful, and supposedly possessing a rare, pure-blooded wolf lineage.

"She understands my ambitions," Ethan said, making excuses for his affair. "She won't be a stumbling block to my progress."

Now, my son was dead.

Dead because of his father's fatal negligence, because he'd pulled security to look after his mistress.

I blinked, pulling myself from my memories.

Ethan was walking into our home, excitedly arranging the celebration on the phone.

"Yes, officially introduce Scarlett to all the allies. She will be the true future Luna of the Stone Pack." His voice was full of anticipation. "This child will completely change our family's bloodline status."

I touched the mark on my neck, feeling it fade. Twenty years of love and vows, turned to ash.

"Ethan," I called softly.

He looked up impatiently. "What is it? I'm busy with important matters."

"Do you remember our vows?"

Ethan frowned, seeming to try hard to recall, then waved his hand dismissively. "That childish stuff? Regina, I don't have time for nostalgia. The past doesn't matter anymore."

After Ethan left, I turned and took out my mourning clothes.