Finally Done With the Lies

A quiet sobbing sound came from inside the room.

I realized then that Serana Allen was also in the room. She was curled up on the leather couch, her eyes red from crying.

"Trey, I'm not worth you risking everything for me. Danny will kill you."

Trey Sutton, my mate and the Alpha of the Sawyer pack, gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. In a voice softer than I'd ever known it to be, he said, "The Gronya pack stands on equal footing with us. If he chooses to strike, he has to consider the future of his entire pack. So, don't worry."

Then, he chuckled and pulled Serana into his arms by the waist. "If you really feel bad, just give me lots of pups in the future. That'll be enough for repayment."

Laughter and whistles filled the room.

Serana's face turned bright red as she buried herself in his chest, too embarrassed to look up. "But Leah…"

"Leah?" Trey scoffed, sounding indifferent. "She loves me to the point of obsession. Even if she finds out about this, I'll just coax her back into line."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a leather pouch. Inside was a white wolf tooth pendant.

That was the heirloom Trey's mother had left for her daughter-in-law, passed down through generations. It symbolized the Luna's status.

In front of everyone, he fastened the pendant around Serana's slender neck.

He didn't say a word, but the gesture spoke volumes.

Shocked, Serana tried to pull away, but Trey held her firmly in his arms. "Since you'll be the one at the bonding ceremony, this is yours to wear."

Then, he gently stroked the pendant and whispered, "Don't let Leah see it. She may be compliant, but she's sharp and has a keen sense of smell. She'll suspect something."

Standing outside the door, I watched the wolf tooth glimmer faintly under the dim light and silently laughed.

That pendant had been handed to me by Trey's mother before she passed.

Since the bonding ceremony hadn't been completed, I couldn't bring myself to wear it.

Three days ago, Trey had come to my place late at night, saying the pendant was needed for the ceremony.

I had opened the wooden box for him.

But I never imagined that it was actually to legitimize another she-wolf.

I turned and ran out, crashing into the pouring rain.

The heavy raindrops hit my skin. In an instant, my thoughts were pulled back to that night 15 years ago.

I was born into the Gram pack, a pack that had disappeared without a trace 15 years ago.

Before that, the Gram pack and the Sawyer pack had been allies for generations, with each Alpha being as close as brothers.

Later, the Sawyer pack was attacked by Rogues, and my father, the Alpha of the Gram pack, had often helped them.

But that also led to my parents being hated by the Rogues.

They bribed the pack's guards and poisoned the entire pack with silver.

In the chaos, Mom hid me in the basement, but she and Dad were brutally murdered by the Rogues.

When the support from the Sawyer pack arrived, Trey was the first to find me.

I was like a wild animal, biting him, kicking him, and clawing at his arms until blood flowed.

But he didn't flinch. His arms were like iron, holding me tightly until I passed out from crying.

After that, filled with guilt, Trey's father, Lucian Sutton, took me to the Sawyer pack and raised me as his own.

From then on, Trey never went anywhere without me. He slowly pulled me out of the nightmare of blood and vengeance.

I grew to rely on him completely. I hunted with him, trained with him, and braved every blizzard in the North together.

I always thought we'd be together forever. I never expected that, in the end, it wouldn't be me standing by his side.

If he had made up his mind, then I would let him go.