Chapter 1

Three years ago, when I was nine-month-pregnant, my Alpha mate Derek abandoned me alone in the forest for the poor Omega I had sponsored.

The rogue wolves attacked me in my vulnerable state. When I woke up again in the healing center, my pup was gone. Finally heartbroken, I left him behind.

Three years later, when I appeared at a top-tier auction house, Derek’s familiar scent hit me like a punch to the gut.

My hand instinctively moved to my swollen belly as Derek's eyes immediately zeroed in on it. His face twisted with rage.

"Whose bastard are you carrying?" he snarled, stalking toward me. "Let me guess - you got yourself knocked up by some Alpha the moment our bond was severed. What's your game this time, Sylvia?"

The venom in his voice made other auction attendees turn and stare. I frowned, processing this unexpected confrontation.

"You think getting pregnant will make me take you back?" Derek's accusations grew more vicious. "That bearing another man's pup will somehow make me realize what I've lost? You're more delusional than I thought."

Standing beside him was Emma - the omega I'd rescued eight years ago from a remote mountain pack.

She looked nothing like the malnourished girl who'd knelt before me, desperately begging to escape the harsh traditions that forced young omegas into matings at fifteen.

Now she wore a pure white dress that made her look like delicate jasmine, transformed into the kind of beauty that turned heads.

I remembered finding Emma during a territory exploration with Derek. Her fierce will to survive had moved me to sponsor her education despite everyone's objections, helping her integrate into civilized pack society.

I'd never realized her gratitude extended beyond her benefactor to include my mate.

"You could never compare to even half a strand of Emma's hair," Derek continued his tirade. "Did you really think having some bastard pup would win me back through pity?"

The sheer audacity of this Alpha - who had personally destroyed our unborn pup - thinking I would ever want him back struck me as absurdly delusional.

Taking a deep breath, I began calmly, "Derek, our mate bond is already severed, and this pup isn't even..."