Chapter 4

From that night on, Leo dropped all pretenses.

He would hurled vicious insults at me, lock me inside the den, and forbid anyone from speaking to me. As the alpha of the pack it was easy for him to do anything he wanted to me.

He confiscated my phone, and every time my father or brother called, I could only answer under his watchful, icy gaze.

He said I needed to atone for my sins, the sin of taking the life of the she wolf he loved.

Without me knowing, he had come to hate me so deeply that he wished I would die without a trace. And later, he got what he wanted.

But why? Why was he still not happy? Did I suffer for nothing? Pain wretched through my wolf.

Now, standing there with my prenatal report in hand, Leo was trembling with rage. It said I was seven weeks pregnant.

The pup was only the size of a bean, barely able to be called a life yet but that was my pup. I could feel his heartbeat.

But Leo couldn’t. So why did it hurt him too? Why is he acting all hurt when he hurt us?

Why did he cry heavy tears that fell onto the paper, soaking the final image of our pup?

“Go and find Butterfly’s parents,” Leo said through his teeth and ordered his beta in a broken voice.

Maybe he still refused to believe that the truth was different from everything he had believed. But had to dig it all up all the secrets before he could be satisfied.

It seemed like he was punishing himself. One wound was bad enough. He had gotten his revenge, Now he wanted to reopen the wound for more pain?

She’s dead. Even if the truth clears my name, what does it change? He had already killed me. He had already killed our pup.

I resisted the urge to curl up and cry. I needed to see how this ended.

I sat beside him, waiting. As I looked at his wretched state, I wondered, if only he had woken up a little earlier.

Why didn't he find this out earlier? Then he would not have pursued me, I would never have bonded with him. I would never have died. What was the use?

I felt that we were cursed. Cursed to destroy each other.

Butterfly’s parents hadn’t gone far. They had used the money to build their family and moved to a pack in a different territory.

When Leo showed up, they were so frightened they didn’t even dare breathe. Leo was no more that scrawny wolf in love with their daughter. He was the alpha of a powerful pack.

“Two years ago, when Butterfly’s heart was donated to the temple, what happened?” Leo asked icily.

Their faces turned dark.

Clearly, they knew he had uncovered something.

"Isn't she just a she wolf? An omega at that. It was her job to contribute to the family," Butterfly's father said.

Crash.

A chair slammed into her father. Leo lost all control.

He attacked with his claws extending, smashing blow after blow. “She was your daughter! Your daughter!” how could they fight an angry Alpha? It was utter chaos as Leo raged.

I stood off to the side, watching coldly. What was the use of all this now? Did I not pay the price for her death?

Leo came from a poor pack and knew the power of position. He had seen families sacrifice weaker wolves or she wolves for a better life, but he could not understand this.

He tore their house apart. A punch went through the walls, cracking it.

Under torture, the family confessed what had happened to Butterfly.

One day, while leaving the infirmary, they had overheard a healer talking about my case. They heard that my family had money and came to an idea.

They orchestrated a tragic accident for Butterfly, and through a middleman, they "donated" her heart to me in exchange for ten million dollars from my father. They deceived the temple. This was surely a lot of work.

The truth finally came to light, and Leo was left shattered.

He returned to the den, his usual composure gone.

The den was empty, nothing I owned reminded.

He lay on the couch, surrounded by silence, with only the butterfly chandelier above us as though to remind us of our past.

Our relationship was of love and hate and had ended in destruction.

Leo's behavior at first had made me conflicted. He was angry, yet still showed moments of tenderness. I struggled to understand his emotions, so I walked on eggshells around him.

We continued to play the role of each other's mate, but it was a twisted bond that was sure to end badly and it did.

I could feel my body slowly slipping away. Maybe my obsession for Leo was what kept me longer than I should.

Now that my name was cleared, I felt like I had no reason to stay. I shouldn't exist anymore.

Tomorrow marked the seventh day since my death, and I hope tonight will be my last night by his side.