Chapter 4

Lynette's smile widened. "Oh, that? I saved that for you," she said lightly. "After all, you're still the mate of my pup's father."

The mockery in her eyes burned, and rage surged inside me.

Unable to control myself any longer, I grabbed her arm.

I was about to slap that smug look right off her face, but before I could do anything, Xavier walked out of the kitchen with a glass of water.

Lynette suddenly shook off my grip and slapped herself across the face.

She then clutched her stomach and collapsed to the floor. "Ah! My stomach hurts! I've already admitted I was wrong. Why would you hurt me like this?"

Xavier rushed over and shoved me aside.

My calf slammed against the coffee table's sharp corner. Blood immediately began pouring from the wound.

Xavier didn't even glance at me. Instead, he gently pulled Lynette into his arms. She leaned against his chest and sobbed.

He gently stroked her head. "Zoey, what changed you?" he said coldly. "Apologize."

The weight of his Alpha force came crushing down on me.

My legs buckled, and a metallic taste rose in my throat.

After losing my wolf, my body had been weaker than even an ordinary human's.

I couldn't harm a healthy she-wolf like Lynette, much less an Alpha.

Xavier seemed completely unaware of that. Or rather, he just didn't care.

Even though I've witnessed his betrayal countless times, my eyes still burned red.

For a movement, Xavier's force faltered.

"Zoey, Lynette came here to apologize. The way you're acting damages a Luna's image," he said. "I'm only trying to protect your reputation. Just apologize, and we'll forget this ever happened."

My nails dug into my palms, but the pain in my chest didn't lessen in the slightest.

"I won't apologize even if my life depended on it."

Lynette's sobbing abruptly stopped. She pulled herself out of his arms, tears still clinging to her lashes. "I shouldn't have come. I thought Luna Zoey would like the gift I picked. I didn't think it'd cause trouble between you two.

"I'm sorry."

With that, she turned and ran out of the villa.

Xavier roared in anger. A massive claw slammed down onto the coffee table beside me.

His eyes were bloodshot. "Zoey, you're being unreasonable! You're banned from the pack office until you apologize!"

Glass shards sliced into my injured calf. The pain was sharp, but it couldn't compare to the ache in my heart.

"This is your punishment for hurting Lynette."

Xavier glanced at my bleeding leg and let out a mocking laugh before chasing after her.

My gaze fell on the teddy bear lying on the floor.

I started to wonder if I really lost my pup by accident.

When I was five months pregnant three years ago, Xavier had been ambushed while patrolling outside the pack territory.

Lynette's eyes were red from crying by the time she came back with the news. Without hesitation, I followed her to save him.

I managed to save Xavier from danger, but the Rogue I had subdued and left in Lynette's custody suddenly lunged forward and bit into my neck.

I lost consciousness on the spot.

When I came to, my wolf was gone, and the pup I was carrying was dead.

Lynette begged for forgiveness, claiming she had been negligent and failed to stop the Rogue from escaping.

I wanted to punish her, but Xavier stopped me. He said the Rogue was strong and that an ordinary wolf like Lynette couldn't have handled it alone.

He even said that everything happened because of his incompetence.

Back then, I thought Xavier blamed himself.

Now, it seemed far more likely that the two of them had already been involved with each other.

The more I thought about what happened that day, the more suspicious details emerged. The realization sent chills through my entire body.

With trembling hands, I sent my dad a message.

Less than half a day later, I received a report. My vision blurred when I scanned through it.

According to it, the Rogue who attacked Xavier back then had known him for years. What I believed to be an accident had actually been a carefully planned trap.

But that wasn't the part that chilled me the most.

The last page of the report was a notice of pregnancy termination.

"Zoey Jmaison, five months with pup. Pregnancy terminated by mutual agreement of both partners."

The applicant was Xavier.

Every word on the page felt like a knife stabbing into my chest. The pain was so sharp it felt like I was being torn apart.

When I first discovered his betrayal, I thought it was just love fading. But now I knew that our relationship itself was a scheme.

Not only was it a scheme against me, but it was also one against my unborn pup.

After quickly treating my wound, I packed my belongings into a suitcase. I quietly left the villa and followed a pre-planned route to the pack's border.

My dad, Leo Jamison, was already waiting outside the territory.

He didn't say a word, but I could feel the surge of force when his gaze passed over my leg.

The car silently slipped away as scenery rushed past the window.

When the Moonlight pack had completely disappeared from sight, Dad finally spoke with suppressed anger. "What are you planning to do next?"

I lifted my head with a fierce determination in my gaze.

"I'm going to make Xavier pay."