Chapter 1

Paolo Greco had not expected me to be so considerate.

He scoffed sarcastically when he saw my bleeding abdomen. “Drop the act, Grace Williams. The wound is so shallow. You shouldn’t be bleeding so much!”

He ignored the pain the silver dagger caused me and shoved me aside.

The dagger went even deeper.

I could feel the pup in my tummy silently pass.

Paolo held Ayla gently. His voice was soft and reassuring as he said, “Don’t worry. I’ve already found the best healers. You’re going to be fine.”

Ayla only had a scratch on her arm, yet he was so gentle with her.

My lips trembled, and my heart was so broken that I could not speak.

He saw me staying silent and grew impatient. “For such a powerful werewolf, bleeding that much is implausible! If you want my attention next time, try a different trick!”

I grasped my abdomen. Blood kept oozing from between my fingers.

Ayla leaned weakly against his chest and whispered. “Captain, I’m scared… Will you come in with me for the treatment?”

Paolo nodded lovingly and carried her into the infirmary. He did not even glance back at me.

I let out a bitter laugh as tears fell.

Was it because I was a sufficiently powerful wolf, so the notion of me being wounded seemed impossible?

In the infirmary, Ayla’s tears did not seem to stop. “It hurts so much… I can’t even lift my arms. If I can’t wield a weapon anymore, how would I stand by your side and protect the pack?”

Paolo comforted Ayla as he berated my colleagues. “Why is your medical treatment so lousy? Go get the best healer in this hospital now!”

My colleagues could not hold themselves back. “Captain Greco, our best healer is out there bleeding! She’s your mate, and she’s carrying your pup. She got hurt that badly trying to save you. Please, just let us go out and treat her!”

My other coworkers chimed in. “Grace has lost too much blood. It’s already more than what a werewolf could heal from naturally. If we don’t intervene soon, it could become life-threatening!”

Paolo froze for a moment, clearly weighing the truth of those words.

He glanced back at me. My face was pale as snow. Just as his expression began to soften, Ayla burst into tears. “It’s okay… My injuries aren’t serious. Let them treat her instead. They’re her colleagues, after all. They’ll definitely be biased toward her. I have no parents anyway. Nobody loves me. Even if I die, no one would care.”

Paolo’s heart ached, and his tone turned sharp and mocking. “Grace, you really are something. Just one year working at our pack’s hospital, and you’ve already gotten so many colleagues speaking up for you, helping you stage this whole ‘critically injured’ drama!

“You’ve always been good at winning people over. First, you won over my mother to force me into marrying you, and now you’ve won over your coworkers to defend you!”

He glanced at my abdomen, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So much blood… Who knows how many blood bags you’ve wasted?”

I looked at Paolo in despair. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a scheming manipulator.

My colleagues stared at him in stunned silence, but Paolo turned to them and said, “Don’t worry about Grace. This weak, pitiful act is just a performance to make me feel sorry for her and to grab my attention. Her belly’s stuffed with cotton and blood bags! She’s just jealous that I treat Ayla so well.”

Behind him, Ayla gave me a mocking smile, like she was saying that she had won.

When the rogue attacked, Ayla looked at me with a taunting smile and said, “Grace, if you got hurt alongside me, do you really think Paolo would save you?”

I knew the answer: he would not.

My coworkers were about to speak on my behalf. I rejected it. “It’s alright, go save Ayla. I’ll be fine.”

I held my tummy, holding on to the corridor wall, and walked away from the infirmary entrance.

Fresh blood drenched my clothes and dripped onto the floor.

Staring at the startling red on the floor, Paolo frowned. “Why? Can’t keep up the act any longer? I called out your scheme, so you’re running?”

In the past, if he had favored Ayla, I would have been eager to defend myself. But today, when I gave up defending myself, he felt that I was the one who had been exposed and felt guilty!

“Hmph, hurry home. Change into clean clothes and come to the hospital to take care of Ayla. If it wasn’t for the fact that Ayla just tried to protect you, she wouldn’t have been injured! You have to take care of her!”

I would not argue, never again.

After leaving the infirmary, I took off the ring he gave me during the bonding ceremony and threw it into the trash.

I was never looking back.