Chapter 4

Noah bowed respectfully once more. "Alpha Alexander, my mother and I will be leaving now."

He tugged lightly at the hem of my clothes and signaled that it was time to go. I followed him, feeling shocked.

I knew all too well how much Noah longed for his father's love. He used to call Alex "Dad" even though he never got a response. But now, he seemed so resolute, as if he was prepared to completely cut ties with his father for good.

Nonetheless, I scrutinized Noah closely and noticed his small frame trembling slightly. His narrow shoulders appeared fragile and weak.

I gritted my teeth as a wave of guilt and self-blame washed over me. How could Noah not be hurt? He had just… lost hope completely.

Or maybe Noah was simply holding it all in so that I wouldn't feel worse. Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed behind us.

"Cecilia! Noah!" Alexander's voice called out. He caught up to us and blocked our way. "You forgot your luggage."

It was only then that I remembered that I had left our luggage behind in my rush. However, I kept a straight face. "We don't need those things anymore. I'll buy new ones."

It was better this way. Since we were going to leave everything in the past, there was no reason to cling to our old belongings.

Alexander gave me a complicated look. After some hesitation, he took a box of beautifully wrapped cookies from his pocket and handed them to Noah.

"Noah, try these. It's a really popular snack lately. Be good when you're out with your mom."

He paused for a moment and reached out to pat Noah's head. "I'll come and pick you up."

Noah's eyes lit up instantly. He looked at the cookies and then at Alexander, a rare smile appearing on his face. "Is that true?"

A pup's heart was so easy to win over. A little sweet treat was all it took. After all, Noah had never stopped longing for a father's love deep down.

"Of course," Alexander said.

Noah looked to me for permission and took the box before unwrapping it carefully. Inside were some round cookies with patterns that he liked.

Just as Noah was about to pop one into his mouth, I suddenly caught a faint scent of dogwood!

That plant was like poison to werewolves. A trace amount of dogwood made the food taste and smell irresistible. A small amount was harmless to adult werewolves, but it was lethal to pups!

Even a little was enough to kill!

"No! Don't eat it!" I screamed as I snatched the cookie away, but it was too late. Noah had already taken a bite and swallowed it!

Alexander's expression darkened, and he roared, "Cecilia! I already said I'd bring you both back. What more do you want? Why won't you let Noah eat a cookie from me?"

"Are you crazy? There's dogwood in it!" I hurled the entire box at him in fury. "Don't you remember the incident when some pups died after getting poisoned by dogwood cookies? Have you forgotten?"

Alexander gave me an incredulous look and frowned. "That was just a rumor! Vivian ate a ton of those cookies, and she's fine!"

Vivian?

I understood it instantly. Those cookies weren't even meant for Noah. They were Vivian's. He had been carrying her snacks around!

I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms. I spoke through gritted teeth, "That's because Vivian's an adult werewolf! Dogwood is only poisonous to pups—"

"Mom!" Noah's cries interrupted me. His face was flushed crimson, and he clawed at his throat with both hands. "I don't feel too good… My throat feels like it's on fire… It hurts so much!"

"Noah!" I screamed in a panic and rushed over to catch his small body before he collapsed to the ground.

"Noah?" Alexander finally snapped out of his daze and stared in horror as Noah writhed in pain.

I glared at him angrily. "Happy now? You just poisoned your own son with your own two hands!"

Alexander completely panicked and looked flustered. "No! I didn't know… I really didn't know this would happen. Noah, I'm sorry…"

He dropped to one knee and reached out to hug Noah. "I didn't know that this would hurt you…"

However, Noah jerked his head away and avoided his touch. He clung tightly to my neck and said, "Mom, let's go… Let's leave now."

He didn't spare Alexander another glance. Alexander's hand froze in midair. For the first time, I saw confusion, helplessness, overwhelming guilt, and a trace of pain in his expression.

Nonetheless, Noah and I would never look back again. We would not throw away our last ounce of dignity for a sliver of pity disguised as guilt.

I rushed into the forest and found the herbs that contained the antidote before feeding them to Noah. Fortunately, the dose was quite small. The medicine worked quickly, and Noah regained his strength.

Silas had signed my application to leave the pack, and Alexander signed the agreement terminating our mate bond. There was nothing left to hold us back.

I shifted into my wolf and let Noah climb onto my back. Then, I bolted away like a streak of silver lightning and raced out of the Red Falls Pack's territory.

…

Alexander stared at the cookie in his hand and stood in silence for a long time. He hadn't expected that this would almost kill his son. Of course, he couldn't be entirely blamed for this. He truly didn't know it was toxic to pups.

Alexander probably thought I would cool off in a few days.

By then, Vivian's house would be completely renovated. Naturally, he would come to bring us back. After all, I loved him desperately. How could I possibly stay mad at him for long?

A few days later, Alexander received a package containing the bond termination agreement I had sent to the office.

He was about to open the packet when Vivian fluttered into his office like a butterfly. She settled into his lap and handed him a document simultaneously. "Alexander, why don't you look at this proposal for that troublesome issue with the gem mine at the border?" she said in a sweet tone.

Alexander flipped through the document, but his face darkened after reading only a few pages. "Who the hell came up with this idiotic proposal?"

He slammed his hand on the table, making the pen holder jump from the impact. "They want me to give away our precious gem mines for peace? Do I look like a pitiful mutt who would go and beg others for mercy?"

Vivian was shocked by his reaction. She shuddered, and her eyes turned red. "Alexander… you scared me. Actually, I made that proposal. I just wanted to share the burden with you…"

Alexander froze at that moment. Her again? Ever since Vivian returned, she had been screwing things up one after another!

A heavy sense of fatigue weighed on his shoulders. However, he couldn't bring himself to rebuke Vivian when he saw her on the verge of tears.

Alexander said in a low tone, "Cecilia used to handle all these things, so let her do her job after this. You can learn from her first and take over once you've gotten the hang of it."

A flash of contempt crossed Vivian's face. "You want me to trail after that lowly Omega and obey her every word?"

Although I was already promoted to Beta, I would always be considered a low-born Omega with impure blood in Vivian's haughty eyes.

"I believe you'll do better than her once you learn—" Alexander tried to soothe her.

But Vivian merely cut him off with a wave of her hand. "Save it! I won't let that Omega step all over me!"

With that, she stormed out without looking back.

Alexander opened his mouth. He wanted to chase after Vivian and coax her, but in the end, he didn't move. He looked at the awful proposal in his hand, and his expression became colder. He remembered how I never made such dumb mistakes when I was doing these things back then.

However, Alexander seemed to have forgotten…

I was only able to reach that level because of his severe and cruel demands on me. He threw all the unwanted and difficult tasks at me. I would be scolded mercilessly if I failed.

Thus, I had no choice but to work harder. I often ended up covered in injuries. As an Omega, I forced myself to develop abilities that exceeded my rank.

But none of my hard work earned me the slightest recognition from Alexander. He cherished Vivian so much, so how could he possibly let her suffer the same hardships I did?

Alexander started trying to contact me for the first time ever. However, I had already blocked his number and refused to answer his calls.

Alexander couldn't rely on Vivian to help, and he couldn't bring himself to pressure her. The tasks on hand began piling up. Alexander knew he was in urgent need of help, but I still refused to respond to his calls.

Frustrated, Alexander slammed his fist on the table and called in Silas. "Listen, I never approved extended leave for my Beta—Cecilia! Order her to return to work immediately!" he shouted angrily.

Silas was taken aback. "Cecilia had applied to leave the pack a while ago. Did you… not know?"

"What?" Alexander's eyes widened in disbelief. Silas pointed at the towering stack of documents in the corner.

Alexander muttered under his breath, "That's impossible." But he knew Silas wouldn't lie to him.

He rushed over and rifled through the pile. Sure enough, he found the application form.

"What kind of trick does she have up her sleeve?" Alexander was convinced that I wouldn't really leave him. This was just some petty trick to get his attention.

At that moment, the package that he hadn't had time to open slid off the table and landed at his feet. The vivid, blood-red header on the document immediately caught his attention when he looked at it.

It read, "Bond Termination Agreement of Cecilia Ross and Alexander Smith." The date of the signature was Noah's birthday.

At that moment, Alexander felt as if all the blood in his body had gone cold. He froze in shock, and his heart felt as though it was being gripped and torn by an invisible hand. He finally realized that I was serious!

"Cecilia… left?" he muttered in a daze. Panic washed over him. A wave of unprecedented, crushing panic engulfed him in an instant.

"No!" Alexander shoved his chair aside and rushed out of the office like a madman!