CHAPTER 2

Rachael POV

Standing before me was a young woman, her eyes sharp and dripping with arrogance. She looked at me like I was a ghost, unwanted and invisible.

I felt fury surge inside, raw and fierce. “Who did this?” I shouted, my voice breaking the silence like thunder. “You devil! How dare you throw my things out of my room, my mate's room?”

As the anger surged through me, I felt the old fire ignite deep within the fire that had kept me alive through every battle, every loss.

 I wasn’t always just the quiet mate everyone underestimated. I was a warrior once, trained under the fiercest leaders of the Grey Moon Pack. I remembered the nights I bled in silence, the mornings I woke with bruises and bruised pride, but never defeated. Ezekiel and everyone including his lover thinks I’m weak now but he has no idea what I carry inside…

She laughed at a cold, cruel sound that echoed around the empty hallway.

“And who do you think you are?” she spat. “Weak. You are no longer needed here. Take your things and leave. Find somewhere else to hide.”

I could feel my hands trembling, my body screaming to attack her, to make her regret those words. But I swallowed my rage. No one knew the warrior I truly was not even Ezekiel.

Lucy’s lips curled in a cruel smirk.

“So, what? You’re thinking about fighting me? You’re nothing.”

Before I could speak, Ezekiel burst through the door like a storm unleashed. His eyes never met mine. He went straight to Lucy, pulling her close with a possessiveness that cut like a blade.

He kissed her, whispering words only lovers share words meant to twist the knife deeper into my heart.

Lucy’s smile was too perfect, too rehearsed. But her eyes flickered with something else, a shadow of doubt, or maybe guilt?

 Ezekiel’s hand rested possessively on her waist, but his jaw was tight, clenched, as if hiding a storm beneath that calm exterior. Neither of them noticed my gaze, but I saw the cracks in their perfect little world.

Then, cold and calm, he turned to me.

“Don’t worry, Rachael. We’re not throwing you out of the pack.” His voice was soft, but laced with poison. “I’ve arranged a better room for you. Much better.”

He glanced back at Lucy, smiling as if the whole world belonged to them.

“When we have a baby, Rachael will care for it.”

I stared at them, disgust twisting my stomach into knots.

“You’re a fool, Ezekiel,” I spat. “A blind, selfish fool.”

They laughed at me with a harsh, mocking sound that filled the room.

“Jealousy suits you,” Lucy sneered.

Just then, a guard appeared at the doo, said something in Ezekiel's Ears

“Your new room is ready, Princess,” Ezekiel said, his tone dripping with mockery.

I called for a maid to pack my belongings. I needed to be alone away from their lies, away from their cruelty.

But my mind was a storm of thoughts, memories of my family, my lost pack, and the promises I made to honor them.

Ezekiel’s mother had been gravely ill. I had given resources… my resources, my pack’s money to care for her.

Was this how Ezekiel repaid me?

No. He would regret this.

Went to My room, arranged my things…

I moved toward Catherine’s room, my heart pounding with anger and hope.

From outside, I heard laughter soft and warm.

Could she really be well again?

I opened the door quietly.

And froze.

There, in the dim light, was Catherine Ezekiel’s mother holding Lucy close. Her eyes shone with affection.

“You’ll be the best daughter I ever had,”

  she whispered.

Ezekiel stood nearby, his grin wide and proud 

They were so lost in their happiness, they didn’t notice me at first.

When I stepped inside, all eyes turned to me surprise flashing across Catherine’s face.

“Oh, Rachael,” she said gently, “I know this is hard, but don’t be so hard on yourself. You still have Ezekiel. If you love him, support his relationship with Lucy.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

His own mother telling me to accept betrayal?

“Mother, please,” I whispered, voice trembling with a mixture of desperation and hope. “You don’t have to side with her. I have given everything for this pack... for this family.” But her eyes, once warm and gentle, hardened like stone. “Rachael, it’s time to accept reality. This is the way it has to be.” Her words cut deeper than any blade.

My hands shook as I slammed the door.

Back in my room, I sank onto the bed.

Betrayal was a weight crushing my chest.

I vowed they would pay Ezekiel, Lucy, and that family.

This was evil.

I looked out the window. Warriors trained below, swords clashing, bodies moving with deadly grace.

A young boy watched them, eyes wide with wonder, trying to mimic every move.

That sveney reminded me of my pack. Of my family.

I missed those days the loyalty, the strength, the love.

Slowly, I closed the window, shutting out those memories.

I lay down, but sleep refused me.

Something wasn’t right.

Later, restless and unable to sit still, I wandered through the ancestral hall.

The place was heavy with silence, shadows clinging to every corner.

Drawn by some strange urge, I pushed open the door to a forgotten room.

Dust hung thick in the air.

I pulled open a drawer, and my fingers brushed against something hidden beneath old papers.

An old letter… 

The letter was old, its edges yellowed and brittle with age. A faded wax seal lay broken on the envelope, its emblem nearly erased by time. 

My hands trembled as I unfolded the parchment, the delicate script flowing like a secret whispered across decades. 

My heart pounded in my chest, and a cold sweat broke out as the words revealed a truth I never imagined it.

What I read stopped my breath….