Chapter 1

Jacob brought Molly back while I was packing up.

He looked at me with a regretful expression. “Zoey, please understand. I’m an Alpha, and I need an heir to take over my position.

“She’s young, strong, and fertile. We’ve been together for years, but you did not get pregnant. After Molly gives birth, I’ll remove my mark from her, okay?”

I did not reply to him, but he mistook my silence for a yes.

“I knew you’d understand. You’re looking forward to the pup’s birth just like I am, right?

“Once the pup is born, you can take care of him as his mother. As for Molly, I’ll give her a lot of money and send her away.”

I smiled at him without saying anything.

He patted my head dotingly. “Thank you for understanding. By the way, since Molly is pregnant, it’s not safe for her to stay outside, so—”

“So you brought her back,” I completed the sentence before he could.

Jacob noticed something and tried to gauge my reaction. “It’ll be easier for me to take care of her if she moves in…”

I remained calm. “True. Let her move into my bedroom. It’s big and well-ventilated.”

Jacob was delighted, but his expression froze when he saw my luggage. “Where are you going?”

He frowned and grabbed my wrist.

Molly walked over and got between us. She looked at Jacob with teary eyes. “Please, Zoey, don’t go. If you don’t like me and don’t want to see me, I can live in the basement!”

“How could I possibly let you live in the basement?” Jacob frowned and let go of my wrist to put his hand on Molly’s shoulder. “You’re now an important member of my family!”

The anxious look on Jacob’s face almost made me laugh out loud.

“Then…” Molly levelled me a pitiful look before returning her attention to Jacob.

He looked at me. “Alright. Move outside for the time being. Once Molly gives birth, I’ll call you back.”

I picked up my luggage. When I moved past Jacob, I thought, ‘No need. This is no longer my home.’

I left without turning back.

My feet took me to the nearby lake.

When there was no longer anyone around me, the tears I had been holding back finally fell.

This was the place where Jacob and I had pledged our love to each other.

The oaths we exchanged kept replaying in my head.

I just could not understand it. Only the day before, Jacob had passionately embraced me while saying that he loved me. So, how could it be that Molly was pregnant? He had broken all of his oaths and promises like they had meant nothing.

Was it just to get an heir? I refused to believe it.

Suddenly, I heard a faint whine. There was a hole nearby with a pup inside it.

It was gaunt and weak. One of its legs was injured, so it could not even stand properly.

I gently picked it up for a better look. “You don’t have a family either?”

The pup did not struggle to break free. It stuck its tongue out to lick my tears away, as if it was trying to take my sorrows away.

I looked at the docile pup and thought, ‘The Moon Goddess must have sent him so that I wouldn’t be alone.’

I brought the pup back to the house where I lived before I got together with Jacob.

Once I started feeding the little one, it got much better. In time, its injuries healed, and it started to walk again.

That night, I slept in bed with my new family.

The next morning, before the sun even rose, I woke up to rapid knocking.

It was Elizabeth, Jacob’s mother.

Elizabeth had always thought that I was unworthy of Jacob. She not only looked down on me, but also hated me.

After I opened the door, she stared at me in disdain. “Why don't you go home? Don’t you know that you still have chores to do?! You’re lazy and infertile! What on earth does Jacob see in you?!”

I pulled a long face and no longer tried to win her favor by waiting on her hand and foot. “I moved out. Didn’t Jacob tell you? Besides, Molly is Jacob’s mate. Ask her to do the chores! Why did you come to me?”

“Molly is pregnant! How can she do any chores?!” Elizabeth rolled her eyes at me. “Seriously, spoken like someone who has never given birth before. You have no idea how it feels like to be pregnant!”

I gnashed my teeth.

How could I not know how it felt like to be pregnant?

There was once a time when I was pregnant with Jacob’s pup, but I miscarried to save him. It nearly cost me my life.

When I learned that I could no longer get pregnant, I bawled like a baby.

At that time, Jacob had teared up too and held me tightly in his arms while saying that he would always love me, even if we did not have any pups.

I believed him, but he had lied.

Tears came unbidden, but I held them back. I no longer wanted to have any more interactions with Elizabeth.

But Molly suddenly showed up and walked over while looking all pitiful and weak.

“Elizabeth, don’t blame Zoey. She’s right. I should be doing the chores.

“I’m not feeling that bad. I just can’t move around freely and am a little nauseous. It’s fine! I can do it—”

Before she could finish, she covered her mouth and gagged.

“Look at you!” Elizabeth glared at me. “Molly is feeling so sick, yet you’re still asking her to do the chores?! Don’t you have any shame?!”

She shoved me angrily.

As I stumbled back, the pup limped over while wagging its tail. It moved in front of me to shield me.

Molly grabbed it before I could sweep it off the floor into my arms.

“Who is this?!”

The brief panic in Molly’s eyes was instantly replaced by joy.

“He’s so cute!”

She smiled gently and pressed the pup’s injured leg.

The pup yelped in pain and bit Molly.

“Ah! Get off me!”

Molly teared up from the pain and threw the pup on the floor.

I hurried over, but Jacob, who had just come in, shoved me away.

“What did you do to Molly, Zoey?!”