Chapter 4

Thalia sprawled across the sofa, radiating the confidence of an Alpha’s Luna, her smug satisfaction clear in every word she spoke.

"Oh, come on, you're treating me like I'm fragile just because I'm carrying pups. Don't you think they're making too much of it?"

Before I could reply, she suddenly feigned regret, her smile mocking.

"Oh, right, I forgot you can't have pups."

Her eyes glinted with mischief as she continued.

"Are you upset by all the attention I’m getting as the pregnant one?"

My silence only deepened the tension, and my pack quickly moved to intervene.

"Of course not! Selene has always been kind. She cares about you just as much as we do."

Thalia shot them a skeptical look, then fixed her gaze on Beta Corwin.

"And you, Corwin? Do you love me too?"

Her eyes flicked to me, and for a moment, I saw a flicker of hesitation in Beta Corwin’s expression.

His discomfort was obvious as he struggled for a response.

Looking at my pack, their faces full of fake affection, a coldness washed over me.

"Of course."

"Your Corwin sees you as part of the pack, so of course, he loves you."

I didn’t spare them another glance, turning on my heel and muttering an excuse before storming out.

I was done playing their games.

By the time I returned home, after making arrangements to leave the pack with the orphanage director, it was past ten.

My pack had already left, and the villa was dark, save for the faint glow seeping from Beta Corwin’s study.

On a whim, I pulled up the security footage from that room.

There she was—Thalia, draped across his desk, her clothes in disarray, still awake and very much in control.

She was supposed to be upstairs, resting.

She leaned in, her arms wrapping around Beta Corwin’s neck, her voice low and seductive.

"So, you married Selene just to make sure Alpha Leif stays loyal to me?"

Her fingers trailed down his chest, her voice thick with allure.

"You’ve loved me for so many years, yet you married a Luna who can’t even have pups.

"Corwin, don’t you regret it?"

Beta Corwin’s breath caught as he turned his face away.

"As long as you’re happy, nothing else matters."

But Thalia wasn’t going to let him slip away.

She seized his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes before she kissed him fiercely.

"You’ve been so good to me… I need to repay you somehow.

"Tonight, I want to be yours."

Beta Corwin froze, but before he could pull back, Thalia’s smoldering eyes and smile told him everything.

"Relax… I’m already seven months along.

"The pack doctor said it’s fine as long as we take it slow."

Those words shattered whatever restraint Corwin had left.

He pulled her into his embrace, and they succumbed to the moment.

Outside, lightning cracked across the sky, thunder rumbling ominously.

Just as Beta Corwin reached the peak of their passion, a thought struck him.

"Selene is afraid of thunderstorms—I should check on her!"

In a panic, he scrambled to get dressed and rushed out, only to find the soft light of the bedroom lamp glowing faintly.

I was already asleep.

He exhaled in relief, kissed my forehead tenderly, and slipped into bed beside me.

For the next two weeks, Beta Corwin played the role of the devoted mate during the day.

But at night, he was lost in Thalia’s arms behind the closed doors of his study.

Eventually, Alpha Leif returned, ready to reclaim Thalia and take her back to where she belonged.

When he saw me, a fleeting look of surprise—maybe even admiration—crossed his face.

He asked how I’d been over the past two years, then sighed, almost apologetic.

"It’s not that I didn’t care about you," he said.

"But for the sake of the pack’s image, I had no choice."

"I hope you don’t hate me."

BANG!

The bedroom door flew open, and Thalia stormed down the stairs, her heels echoing with fury.

"Alpha Leif , I forgive you! Go upstairs and pack my things—I’m coming home with you."

The moment he disappeared from sight, her mask dropped.

Her eyes narrowed with malice as she turned on me.

"Selene, you pitiful leftover—do you honestly think you can compete with me for Alpha Leif ?"

I started to walk away, unwilling to engage, but her anger only flared.

She lunged, grabbing my arm with a grip that dug her nails into my skin.

"I actually thought you had some luck in you.

"Even as an abandoned Luna, there was still someone ready to accept you." Her laugh was harsh and mocking.

"But it turns out, Beta Corwin never loved you! How pathetic is that?"

Her eyes sparkled with contentment as she drove the knife in further. "So what if you were once bonded to Alpha Leif , the true heir of the pack? In the end, he still married me, didn’t he?"

She leaned in close, her voice venomous as she whispered in my ear.

"Listen to me, Selene—while I’m here, no one will ever love you.

"Not your father. Not your mother. Not Alpha Leif . Not Beta Corwin. Not the pack."