Chapter 3

The Alpha's main house was even more opulent than I remembered.

Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting off the polished marble floors. A new, massive crystal chandelier cast glittering patterns across the room. Clearly, the North American Alliance had been generous with their gifts to celebrate the "birth of the new bloodline."

When the Enforcers escorted me into the living room, I walked into a perfect portrait of domestic bliss.

Sebastian was leaning back on the sprawling leather sofa, cradling a sleeping infant. He wore an expression of tenderness I had never seen on his face. Elena sat beside him, cooing at the other pup, who was awake and had its tiny hand wrapped around her finger.

The scene was so complete. I was the intruder.

"Sophia's back," Sebastian said, looking up. His tone was as flat as if he were commenting on the weather. "You've lost weight."

"Six months as a hermit will do that to you," I replied, my voice just as cool.

The others in the room—including Sebastian's parents, the former Alpha pair Marcus and Lydia—froze. An awkward, heavy silence filled the air.

"Oh, look who it is," Lydia broke the silence, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Our noble Luna Sophia, finally deigning to return to the pack that's 'not good enough for her'."

Marcus set down his wine glass and sneered. "Now, Lydia, be fair. Our 'Luna' was once our son's mate. Even if she couldn't provide a strong bloodline, she can at least help maintain Sebastian's reputation."

"Reputation?" Lydia scoffed. "What reputation can a barren Omega provide? If it weren't for Elena, our bloodline would have ended with this generation."

I felt my blood boil, but I forced a mask of calm onto my face. This was what they wanted—to see me break, to see me lash out. It would only confirm their judgment of me.

"Father, Mother," Sebastian finally spoke, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Sophia just got back. Let her rest."

"Yes," Elena stood up suddenly, a harmless smile on her face. "Luna Sophia does look exhausted. But..." She paused. "Before you rest, would you like to hold the little ones? They're very sweet."

She held the pup in her arms out to me. The baby had golden hair and green eyes, and was looking at me with wide, curious eyes.

"I don't think that's a good idea," I said, taking an instinctive step back.

"It's okay," Elena's smile widened. "She's a good baby, she won't cry. Besides..." she lowered her voice so only I could hear, "you should feel what a truly powerful bloodline is like."

With everyone watching, I had no choice. I reached out and took the infant.

She was so light, it made me nervous. She stared at me, her little mouth slightly open as if studying this strange new face.

Then, everything went wrong.

The pup began to seize violently in my arms. Her small face turned a blotchy red, and a thin line of foam appeared at her lips. Her breathing became rapid and strained, her tiny hands clenched into fists.

"Oh, Moon Goddess!" Lydia screamed.

"What's happening?" Marcus shot to his feet.

Sebastian moved with a speed I'd never seen. He snatched the baby from my arms, his eyes so cold they sent a chill down my spine.

"What's wrong?" he murmured to the infant, his voice trembling. "Shh, baby, Daddy's here. It's okay, it's okay..."

Elena collapsed onto the sofa, looking more panicked than anyone. "I... I just wanted Luna Sophia to see how sweet she was," she stammered. "I had no idea... the rejection... it would be so strong... Gods, I almost killed our child..."

"Rejection?" Marcus frowned. "Are you saying Sophia is hostile toward the pup?"

"No, not hostile," Elena shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "It's... it's the raw despair of a rejected mate. I should have known. Luna Sophia... her heart must be filled with so much resentment and jealousy. That kind of profound negative energy... it's like poison to a newborn pup..."

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but no words came out. Because, in a way, she was right. My heart was filled with resentment and jealousy.

"Enough," Sebastian finally spoke, his voice as cold as the arctic wind. "Sophia, until you learn to control your emotions, you will move to the West Tower. Stay away from the children."

The West Tower.

The most remote building on the pack estate, used to confine pack members who had broken laws, or to quarantine the dangerously ill.

"Sebastian..." I tried to explain.

"This is not a discussion, Sophia," he looked up at me, his eyes devoid of any warmth. "It's an order. Oliver will escort you. Your things will be brought over."

He paused, glancing down at the pup in his arms, who had stopped seizing and was now sleeping fitfully.

"I don't want to see this happen again. If you have a single shred of decency left, you will stay far, far away from my children."

In that moment, I felt my heart being crushed into dust.

Not because I was being imprisoned, but because of the cold, alien look in his eyes.

It was as if I had truly become a monster to him.

"I understand," I nodded, my voice so calm it surprised even me. "I'll move to the West Tower."

I turned and left the living room. Behind me, I heard Lydia's satisfied hum and Marcus's low muttering. Only Elena's sobbing sounded out of place—the hypocritical sympathy of a victor.

Oliver was waiting for me at the door, his expression conflicted. "Luna Sophia, I've prepared a room in the West Tower. It's basic, but..."

"Thank you, Oliver," I said sincerely. "At least you still call me 'Luna Sophia'."

The path to the West Tower was long, cutting across the entire estate garden. The snow was still falling, my footsteps leaving a lonely trail behind me.

Looking back, I could see the warm light glowing from the main house's windows. I could imagine Sebastian rocking his children to sleep, with Elena watching lovingly by his side.

That should have been my life.

But now, I was just an exile. A stranger in my own home.

The room in the West Tower was even more stark than I'd imagined. A metal bed, a table, and a chair. A small, barred window looked out at the estate's formidable outer wall.

I sat on the edge of the bed, watching the snow fall, remembering that night six months ago.

Maybe Sebastian was right.

Maybe I really should have just left and never come back.

But now, even leaving was a luxury I no longer had.

I was trapped here, a bird with broken wings, forced to watch as another woman lived the life that was stolen from me.

This was the price of betrayal.

Not death, but a long, slow sentence of humiliation and solitude.