Chapter 3

Becky’s Pov

I was mortified staring at my only pet that I had been allowed to bring to the pack mansion nestled deep in Bloodpine Forest, the ancestral land of the Moonclaw Pack. The same way I have taken care ofDorian.

The air was sharp with winter frost, my Beta senses pricking at every sound, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat—andDorian’s angry growl.

“Don’t mess with me and don’t get my father upset with me!”Dorian snapped, his wolf aura flickering in his eyes, golden like his father's.

I watched as he stomped off while I stared at the arrow in my cat’s body.

A silver-tipped arrow. Wolf-forged, cruel, precise.

Fate is indeed mocking me because I was the one who taughtDorian how to shoot arrows. I taughtDorian everything he knows and now he’s using it against me.

I cradled the box as I stared at Lin Lin, my best friend, and a single tear slipped from my eyes.

“Why are you out in the cold, Becky? Don’t get sick on me!” Alpha David Grimsbane’s deep voice carried through the thick wooden door, laced with command and concern.

He immediately stood behind me as he draped me with his jacket, his scent—pine and steel—enveloping me in a wave of unwelcome familiarity, which I shrugged off.

“What’s wrong?” he queried.

His face twisted in slight disgust when he saw the dead cat in the box.

“Your son came to apologize,” I stated.

Alpha David’s frown deepened, “He’s your son too.”

I scoffed, “He hates me, Alpha David! He killed my cat.”

“Come now, let’s go inside. I’ll have a talk with him in the morning, and you can bury the cat tomorrow. I’m sure he was just messing around and it was a silly prank,” Alpha David said.

I shrugged away from him as I carried the cat and headed into the garden. The moon above was nearly full—another cruel reminder that I wasn’t his Luna, only his obligation. I wasn’t going to let my cat stay out all night for some animal to poke at him.

Alpha David followed me, complaining about how I was being stubborn, but he stayed with me while I buried Lin Lin.

When I was done, I went inside. The party was over, and the guests had all gone home. The pack house was silent now, except for the distant howls echoing through the valley.

It was already late and windy.

I sneezed just as Alpha David held me. We got to my room, and he sat me down on his lap. His touch no longer warmed me—it burned like an unwanted bond.

I cringed inwardly.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

Alpha David sighed, “What’s wrong, Becky? I’ll get you a new cat.”

“I want to leave, Alpha David. Tomorrow,” I stated.

Alpha David tensed. A flicker of Alpha command slipped into his gaze, but I held mine, refusing to submit.

“Corvin is a child. I don’t trust anyone to take care of him except you. Besides, where do you want to go? It’s not like you have anyone else.”

I shrugged, “I’ll worry about that. I have no place here. You have refused to marry me after eight years.”

Alpha David sighed, “I already told you, Becky, I can’t take another mate now.”

“I’m not asking you to. In fact, I don’t want to marry you. I just want to leave.”

“Okay, why don’t you have a child for me? That way I can secure your future and that of your child. If you have a child for me, no one would dare say a bad word against you. And thenDorian will have a little sibling.”

I smiled sadly. I had reduced myself to nothing and discarded my pride and yet eight years still he wants me to have an illegitimate child for him.

All this just to protectDorian and keep me in the same house as him.

“I’ve instructed the maid everything she needs to know aboutDorian. He’s homeschooled, so you can get the best tutors for him or send him to school. He doesn’t need me again,” I stated.

Alpha David kissed me, his lips cold despite the heat of his wolf. “Sleep on it and tell me how you feel in the morning.”

That night I didn’t sleep a wink. I packed my luggage and I kept seeing the face of Lin Lin.

In my dreams, Lin Lin ran under moonlight… until the arrow struck again.

Morning came sooner than expected, and after a quick shower, I dragged my suitcases outside.

It was finally happening. I was leaving.

But of course, I wasn’t going to leave in peace.

A slow clap echoed through the courtyard, followed by a familiar, mocking voice.

“Well, well, well,” Kiera’s shadowed voice cut through the early dawn fog. She leaned against the stone pillar of the eastern gate, her Beta aura bristling beneath her flawless skin. “Have you finally come to your senses?”

I sighed. Kiera, my Alpha David’s mistress, always knew when to strike with her venomous charm.Dorian adored her. She never let me forget it.

I ignored her and kept walking, but she stepped into my path, tilting her head in amusement.

“Eight years, Becky,” she continued, crossing her arms. “Eight years of playing house, of waiting for an Alpha who never claimed you. And now, after all that time, you’re finally leaving.” She chuckled. “Took you long enough to realize that Alpha David andDorian will never love you. You’ve been nothing but a worthless concubine.”

I met her gaze, my expression unreadable. “Enjoy it, then,” I said simply. “Do whatever you want. None of this concerns me anymore.”

Her smirk widened. “Oh, I will. Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Soon, I’ll move in and take your place.”

Before I could respond, the front doors swung open.

Alpha David stepped out, followed closely byDorian.

And in an instant, Kiera’s entire demeanor changed.

She gasped dramatically and dropped to her knees, clutching the hem of my coat as if her life depended on it.

“Becky, please!” she sobbed, her voice thick with desperation. “Please don’t go!Dorian needs you! You’ve been taking care of him all these years—how could you just leave him like this?”

I stared down at her blankly.

“Corvin loves you, he really does,” she continued, her voice cracking. “He’s just a child! Please, don’t leave him. I’m so sorry for everything, just please, Becky—”

Alpha David let out a harsh sigh, his patience clearly worn thin.

“Enough of this nonsense,” he snapped. “Stop creating a scene and go back inside.” His eyes were cold, as they always were. “I’ll get you another cat if you want. Stop making Kiera stress herself.”

Kiera. The one he always called by her name. She had a place. A title. I had nothing.

I clenched my fists, but before I could say anything,Dorian ran toward Kiera, throwing his arms around her.

“Stand up, Kiera,” he said softly, his small hands wiping away her tears.

And just like that, the bond I’d nurtured for years shattered.