Chapter 5

"You still haven’t figured it out, have you? Beta Corwin has always been mine!"

A sharp pain shot through me as my fists clenched tightly.

"What... what did you just say?" My voice trembled, a mix of shock and disbelief.

"Do you even understand why Beta Corwin spends all his time locked away in the study these past two years? That room is filled with his desire and longing for me! He even said, if you could have pups, he'd find a way to make you lose it."

"He’d never let anyone threaten the inheritance of his pack bloodline! Hahaha!"

Anger, mingled with disbelief, surged within me.

"Aren’t you worried that Alpha Leif will find out?"

At that very moment, the heavy footsteps of Alpha Leif echoed from the stairwell. Thalia’s face shifted instantly.

She quickly seized my hand and slapped it across her own cheek.

Then, as if struggling to maintain her balance, she staggered back, falling straight into Alpha Leif ’s arms.

At the same time, Beta Corwin and the elders of my pack rushed into the room, their voices filled with fury.

"Selene! Have you lost your mind?!"

Thalia, clutching her red cheek, let tears spill down her face, her expression that of a fragile, delicate flower in distress.

"Leif , I never imagined… that after two years, my sister would still hate me for taking you away."

But that wasn’t even the truth!

"You married me for the good of the Lovell and Graves Packs. And still, she’s jealous that I’m carrying your pup… She even said she wanted me to suffer like she did, to experience what it’s like to—"

Before I could explain, Alpha Leif , Beta Corwin, and the pack elders turned on me, their fury palpable.

"Selene, if anything happens to Thalia’s pup, you’ll regret it!"

Alpha Leif didn’t hesitate—he scooped Thalia up into his arms and stormed out.

Beta Corwin pounded the door in frustration, his eyes glowing with an unnatural red hue.

"Selene, I never thought you could be so cruel."

"Everything that happened to you had nothing to do with Thalia—why take it out on her?"

Even my pack elders joined in, scolding me for being reckless and immature.

Nothing to do with her? Beta Corwin actually dared to say that?

Rage boiled inside me, but I was too consumed by it to speak.

Before I could, the world around me blurred, and darkness overtook me.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a sterile hospital bed.

Beta Corwin’s hand was clasped around mine, his grip tight and unyielding.

"Selene, why didn’t you tell me you were carrying our pup?"

A cold, bitter glint flashed in my eyes. So he knew now.

Well, if he wanted a surprise, I was more than happy to deliver.

Tears welled up as I whispered, my voice breaking,

"The pack doctor said it’s only been just over a month. With my health, there's no guarantee the pup will survive."

"I didn’t want to tell you until things were stable."

My eyes filled with tears, and they slowly traced down my cheeks.

"Why would I be jealous of Thalia or want to harm her? I’m carrying your pup, Corwin… She’s the one who set me up."

Beta Corwin’s grip tightened, his face full of determination.

"I’ll speak to Alpha Leif and our pack elders. Thalia has gone too far this time!"

I closed my eyes, weary, and murmured, "I’m tired. I don’t want to see anyone right now."

Beta Corwin, understanding my exhaustion, nodded without speaking and left the room.

"I’ll fix this, I promise. I’ll clear your name."

A few hours later, the pack elders arrived at the hospital, wearing fake smiles and showering me with praise, calling me lucky.

Right before me, they scolded Thalia for being immature and reckless, acting as if nothing had happened.

Then, with casual indifference, they mentioned that if I managed to safely give birth to the pup, Graves Pack would gain another heir.

Their greedy, false faces made my stomach churn.

Feigning illness, I had Beta Corwin send them away.

As soon as they were gone, I called my lawyer to prepare the pack separation papers.

I slipped the papers between my prenatal checkups and coaxed Beta Corwin into signing them without a second thought.

In one month, after the mandatory cooling-off period, the separation would be official.

The date? Beta Corwin’s birthday.

The same day I planned to leave this pack for good.

For the next month, Beta Corwin was euphoric.

He couldn’t stop talking about the pup and our future—completely unaware that soon, everything would change.

He even remodeled two rooms in the pack villa into nurseries—one pink, one blue.

He said it didn’t matter whether the pup was a boy or a girl; everything would be ready.

He even began talking about a second pup, already dreaming of a perfect pack with a strong heir and a younger sibling.

I sneered inwardly.

Corwin, I hope you’ll still be smiling on your birthday.

The day finally arrived.

That morning, he wrapped me in his arms, saying he wanted to take me out to celebrate.

But before we could leave, Thalia called.

For the past month, she’d been using the excuse of visiting me to stay close to Beta Corwin, constantly trying to seduce him.

To my surprise, he’d rejected her every time.

He told himself that since he had chosen to be with me and raise our pup, he had to take responsibility.

But just as we began to believe he had truly changed, Thalia played her final card.

She claimed she only wanted to drop off a birthday gift for Beta Corwin.

However, on her way, she got into a car accident.

She was terrified, her stomach hurting.

As expected, Beta Corwin panicked.

He turned to me and lied, saying there was an urgent issue with the pack business and he’d return later.

I smiled sweetly at him.

"When you come back, I’ll have a special surprise waiting for you."

His gaze softened when he saw the small gift box in my hand.

He kissed my forehead with tenderness.

"I can’t wait. We’ll open it together when I get back."

As soon as he left, my phone rang.

It was Thalia.

"Selene, two years ago, I was the one who hired rogues to kidnap you."

"I only found out recently—it wasn’t your pack elders who saved you."

"It was Beta Corwin."

"He spent a fortune to protect me, and he married you just to keep you from uncovering the truth."

"Back when I was staying at your house, he came to the study every night, taking me over and over again."

"He said he found you repulsive and had to picture my face just to get through it with you."

"Did you really think he’d ever love the pup you’re carrying?"

Thalia’s laughter was sharp and mocking before she hung up.

"You will never take his love from me!"

I recorded the call and glanced at the message I had carefully prepared to send at just the right moment.

A smirk tugged at my lips.

Thalia, that laughter of yours won’t last long.

Then, Beta Corwin called.

I let it ring.

Then blocked his number.

And every other way he could reach me.

Clutching my plane ticket, I headed straight for the airport.