Chapter 2 Reckless Breeding

Janet's POV

Two weeks earlier while I was handling the pack’s affairs in Northfield, I was unexpectedly tracked down by my biological family.

The Robinsons. 

As it turned out, I wasn't some abandoned rogue orphan after all. 

I was the long-lost daughter of an elite pack house whose corporate and political influence stretched across the entire continent.

Upon discovering my existence, the Robinson Pack offered to bring me back into the pack house. 

But the rules of the pack were rigid.

To return, I had to accept their terms and enter an arranged marriage to solidify a treaty with another powerful pack house.

Completely blinded by my devotion to Michael, I flatly refused. 

Michael had lied to me for five years. 

He had destroyed my wolf's fertility. 

How could I ever be that foolish?

On the other end of the line, my older brother, James, the Alpha of the Robinson Pack, replied, "I'm glad you finally woke up, Janet," 

James's tone carried a deep, protective bass. "Actually, the Alpha we chose for your alliance has deep roots in the Eastfield territory as well. 

"If you have the time this month, it's worth getting to know him. He has a reputation for being ruthless, difficult and utterly unyielding.

"But his character, his combat ability and his pack lineage are flawlessly solid."

After we hung up, James sent me the Alpha's contact.

Drake Richardson.

My breath hitched slightly. 

Drake Richardson wasn't just any Alpha, he was the legendary Alpha of the Richardson Pack House. 

His name alone made lesser packs fall to their knees in submission.

I stared at the name for a moment, then added him on the messaging network. He accepted almost instantly.

I texted, "Alpha Richardson, this is Janet Robinson. I still have a few loose ends to tie up within the Peterson Pack here in Eastfield. 

"Once everything is settled, I am fully prepared to return to Northfield and go through with our mating rites and ceremony.

"And please, do not take any gossip from Eastfield seriously."

A reply came back within seconds, authoritative, and direct.

Drake texted, "Understood. Let me know if you need any help."

I had expected resistance, or at least a demand for an explanation. 

Five years. 

I had given everything to the Petersons, to their wolves, to their territorial and corporate affairs. 

Now that I knew the truth, I wouldn't just slip away quietly into the night like a rejected rogue.

A fake mating rite?

I wanted to see how Michael and Tiana would play out their little tragedy from here.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated. It was Michael.

"Honey, I heard you are back. Where are you now?"

It was the exact same voice that had whispered honeyed lies and false promises into my ear for five long years.

Before I could even formulate a response, a child's high-pitched voice came from the background.

"Daddy, don't talk to that rogue! Come and play with Liam!"

Then Tiana's voice teased close to the phone, "Michael, look at him. You visit him every single month and he still acts like he hasn't his dad in years."

Liam?

The name hit my chest like a silver blade but I forced my expression to remain deadpan.

I remembered, four months ago, Michael ordered his assistant to procure a custom puzzle game with the inscription.

"Happy 4th Birthday, Liam." 

He told me it was a gift for a Beta's pup.

So, it was for his own bloodline. His and Tiana's pup.

And those mandatory monthly business trips to the Northfield border? 

They were visits to play house with his secret family.

I kept my heartbeat perfectly level so that he wouldn't detect my distress through the phone. "Was that a pup I just heard in the background, Michael?"

A distinct beat of hesitation locked across the line. 

A guilty wolf's silence.

Then, Michael cleared his throat. "Yeah, Tiana is in the Pack Estate. She brought her son with her. 

"My mother's birthday is coming up so Tiana came to celebrate with her."

Years ago, when Tiana was reclaimed by the Anderson Pack, the old Alpha, Caleb Peterson, quietly enacted a territorial ban to prevent a scandalous blood-feud between the Packs. 

Now, she was using a birthday as an opportunity to creep back into the pack Estate.

Pathetic.

I feigned innocent surprise. "Tiana is mated? And she already has a four-year-old pup? She’s only twenty-three. That means she bore a child very early. 

"Did the Anderson Pack not guard her properly? Did some rogue take advantage of her?"

"Tiana isn't like that," Michael cut in sharply, his inner wolf growling defensively before he quickly softened his tone. 

"Janet. You must be exhausted from traveling across territories. Do you want me to send a pack escort to pick you up?"

So considerate. 

So incredibly attentive.

Wasn't he?

The exact same man who had hidden an entire bloodline from me for half a decade.

Tiana was twenty-three now. 

Liam was four. 

Which meant less than a year after she was sent away, she and Michael had conceived a pup together. 

He had crossed territory lines to sire an heir with her while returning to my bed every single week.

A wave of pure disgust turned my stomach.

"I'll take a cab," I said flatly and ended the call.

---

When I arrived at Peterson main Mansion, the oppressive scent of foreign wolves hit my nose. 

Tiana was already lounging in the main living room.

Michael' mother, Margaret, was cooing over the young boy, her eyes beaming with pride as she turned to Michael. "I always said it was a blessing that Janet never got pregnant. 

"What kind of pup can a rogue orphan pass down? Look at our Liam, he is already vibrant and sharp as a tack."

Michael shrugged and took a sip from his glass. "But we can't cast her out after everything. She will stay in the outer pack house."

He wanted me to stay to continue running his pack affairs 

Margaret waved her hand. "Do whatever you want with her. Just make sure she knows her place."

Standing just outside the doorway, I overheard everything.

So Margaret knew.

Of course she did. 

Under the Lycan law, any pack member binding themselves before their legal awakening required parental signature to validate the territorial registry. 

Margaret withheld her signature from my documents just to sign off on Michael and Tiana's hidden bond instead.

And for five long years, Margaret let me serve the Peterson Pack like a common omega. 

I had cooked, cleaned, managed their massive estate and memorized every rival pack’s lineage to please her when she never intended to accept me.

"Mom, don't worry," Tiana purred sweetly, leaning her head on Michael’ shoulder. "It's fair if Janet handled the boring household chores here while I was away securing our alliances."

"Please," Margaret sniffed. "She's a nameless stray compared to you. You gave this pack a grandson."

Before she could utter another insulting word, the head housekeeper gasped from the corridor, her eyes widening in terror. "Ms. Robinson, you're back?!"

I stepped smoothly into the room with a chilling authority that immediately caused the room's temperature to drop.

Margaret’s face flickered with a sudden flash of panic before she forced a bright sweet smile. "Janet! Darling, you're home. When did you get back?"

My cold gaze drifted past Michael, landing squarely on Tiana. "What an intimate family gathering. What were you all discussing so intensely?"

Tiana smirked, pulling Liam closer to her side as if protecting him from a monster. 

"Mom was just saying how much she adores having a true grandson around the estate. 

"Janet, you and Michael have been 'married' for so long. Is there a reason your wolf hasn't been able to provide an heir?"

"Not all of us breed recklessly, Tiana."

I walked over, sliding my arm effortlessly through Michael's, tilting my head with a flawless smile that didn't reach my eyes. 

"You had a pup and we didn't even get to send a gift to the Anderson Pack."

Seeing me standing next to Michael, Liam scowled, his tiny fangs baring as he let out a weak, pathetic pup-growl. "We don't want your trash gifts, you stray wolf! My daddy belongs to my mommy!"