Chapter 3

On the way back, Leo drove faster than he ever had before.

His face was darker than ever, his wolf panicking wildly..

I could only sigh at this. I had always believed I wasn't the one who caused his beloved's death. But seeing him so sure and seeing how many things remained hidden, I was not so sure.

Leo sped all the way, finally slamming the brakes at the gates of my family’s estate.

The once-grand Judy’s family villa had fallen so quickly. Sure enough, one should not fight with a strong pack or make their Alpha your enemy. My family was a big example of this.

As Leo entered, not a single servant was in sight.

“Leo, you still dare to come here?!” My brother grabbed his collar and threw a punch at him, but he was too weak to fight an alpha. Leo casually shoved him away.

“Get out of my way!” Leo’s face was like that of a demon.

“I’m not here to fight you. Just tell me. Where did Judy’s heart come from?!” Leo asked.

“Hahahahaha, where it came from?” My brother laughed wildly, breaking down with madness and rage.

He shouted back like it was all meaningless.

“Of course it came from your ex mate!” Then he raised his fist again and swung at Leo. Leo was irritated and threw him into the ground.

My brother fought wildly, but he was too weak. Leo easily beak him till he bled. The sight of this distressed me so much, I let out wild roars, and tried to intervene, but could not stop them.

I felt so helpless.

“Stop it!” A familiar voice rang out.

My tears fell instantly.

Father.

He had aged so much. His voice was rougher, deeper, worn down by time and grief.

He held a document in his hand. I recognized it. It was a document from the healer about my once failing heart along with a donation agreement I had never seen before.

He flung them in front of Leo.

“Judy’s heart was donated through proper means. The temple acted as our middle man and I gave the family ten million in appreciation afterward. All the paperwork is here. What else do you want to ask?” he asked Leo.

“Impossible…” Leo’s hands trembled as he flipped through the documents.

His face grew paler with every line he read.

I stood beside them, just as tense. I didn’t know how to process this sudden reversal. At the end of my life I started to wonder if I had actually killed her.

I should be happy at this moment. But everything I had suffered in the past year hunted me. Who could ever compensate me for that?

Pain twisted in my gut as my wolf huffed in a rage.

“I don’t believe it… I don’t believe it…” Leo had lost all reason.

He kept murmuring the same sentence, over and over again.

Just then, his phone rang.

“Alpha Leo…” His beta’s voice came through, hesitant, “We… we found Madam’s prenatal report," he said.

I paused when I heard this.

Only the healer and I knew I was pregnant.

At that time, Leo and I hadn’t broken our bond yet. I still loved him with everything I had, so much that it felt like life and death.

I did not know about his revenge yet and was planning to surprise him. So, I didn’t tell him immediately. I had planned to surprise him on our first bonding anniversary.

But that day, I sat alone with the cake for what felt like forever, he never came back. It was storming. I couldn’t reach him at all.

I sat clutching my phone, anxious and heartbroken, praying for his safety. It wasn’t until midnight that he finally stumbled through the door, reeking of alcohol. “Butterfly…”

He collapsed on the couch, mumbling, eyes fixed on a butterfly on the ceiling. I thought he was confused. I walked over to help him up.

“My mate, come to bed.”

“You… you’re not Butterfly…”

"Of course not,” I whispered gently, "I’m Judy.”

But that answer struck a nerve. He suddenly shoved me hard, causing me to stagger back and fell onto the couch.

“Leo…”

Leo had never been so rough. I nearly burst into tears. The alcohol seemed to wear off a little as he blinked at me, dazed.

Moments later, he passed out completely. I swallowed my pain and removed his jacket.

And then I saw it. It was a photo slipped out from the inside pocket, fluttering to the floor.

That was the first time I ever saw his sweet love. A young she wolf with a bright smile, so sweet it could melt hearts.

On the back of the photo, a promise written in neat handwriting: “Leo and Butterfly will be happy forever.”

In that moment, it felt like I was struck by lightning. So this is why he loves butterflies.

Why he always stares at them, even when drunk. Because the girl he love was named Butterfly.

I never told anyone what happened that night.

The next day, I quietly hired a private werewolf investigator to look into it all.

When I saw the report and saw that the she-wolf named Butterfly had died on the exact same day as our bonding ceremony, my inner wolf was hit with a wave of pain. Like a hammer to the chest.

That’s when I knew what it meant to fall into an ice-cold abyss. Her entire life summarized on just a few thin sheets of paper.

And her heart was still beating in my chest. .

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I collapsed over the table, sobbing my heart out.

That moment, I finally understood why Leo mad me his mate.

When I later fell into the bathtub in a daze, I didn’t even notice the blood pouring from me.

By the time I called for help, our pup was already gone from my life forever.

And when I dragged my weak, broken body to our den, I saw Leo sitting calmly on the couch, holding the investigation report I had put together.

The report about the female wolf he loved. He had found out I now knew.