Chapter 3

After sending Madison away, Keith returned to the autopsy room.

Elliott stood by the door with a mixed expression on his face.

"Alpha, that shewolf shouldn't have come in. This is a crime scene. According to protocol–"

"I know the rules."

Keith cut him off impatiently.

"But her situation is different. She's carrying my pup. Her emotions are unstable. She needs me to take care of her."

Elliott fell silent for a moment. Then he said softly, "Juliet is carrying your pup too."

The air suddenly went still.

Keith paused for a fraction of a second, but he quickly regained his composure.

He didn't respond. Instead, he walked straight to the autopsy table.

I floated beside him and watched the side of his face.

I searched his expression for even the slightest trace of worry, but there was nothing there except irritation and anger.

Keith put on gloves, took a deep breath, and bent forward to examine the body.

Suddenly, he froze.

There was a scar on the corpse's left shoulder.

It was an ugly scar. It wrapped around the skin like a centipede.

Keith frowned.

My heart clenched.

Would he recognize that scar?

Would he realize it was mine?

Back when Keith wasn't Alpha yet, the pack had been full of undercurrents. Some werewolves refused to accept a young leader inheriting the position and set up an ambush.

By the time I arrived with reinforcements, the ground around him was littered with dead werewolves. He was already gravely injured and nearly out of strength.

One of the traitors tried to stab him in the back.

When I saw the dagger aiming for his heart, my body reacted faster than my mind.

I threw myself forward without thinking.

The feeling of silver piercing flesh was something I'd never forget.

It wasn't ordinary pain. It burned, it tore, and it felt like fire was raging through my veins.

The blade pierced straight through my shoulder.

The tiny life that had only been two months old inside me quietly faded away because of the injury.

At the time, I didn't even know I was pregnant.

When Keith saw me collapse in a pool of blood, he went mad.

He slaughtered every traitor on the spot.

He then carried me and ran for three entire days to search for the best healer in the pack, begging them to save me.

The healer said the wolfsbane had already reached my bone marrow. I couldn't be saved. Keith refused to believe it.

"Save her! I'm begging you. Please save her! Take my wolf, take anything! As long as she lives!"

He searched through every ancient book in the pack. He found three witches and traded away half of his lifespan to drag me back from hell.

The day I woke up, he was sitting beside my bed. His eyes were bloodshot. His beard was scruffy. He looked like a homeless man.

When he saw me open my eyes, the first thing he said was, "I'm sorry."

Then he cried.

It was the first time he had ever cried in front of me.

"I'll never let you get hurt again!" he said while gripping my hand. His voice was hoarse but firm, and he made every word clear.

"Juliet, in this life, in the next life, and in every life after that, I won't ever let you get hurt again."

Back then, he loved me so much, and I believed his promise.

But now, I was dismembered. My body was hollowed out, and I was thrown on the riverbank like trash.

My pup was torn into pieces.

Meanwhile, my Alpha and also my mate personally blocked my cry for help.

If he recognized me, would he feel sad?

Or would he feel relieved?

He could finally mark Madison openly.

He'd finally be free from a nuisance like me.

Just as Keith's fingers were about to touch the scar, a commotion outside interrupted him.

I drifted out and saw a young werewolf kneeling on the ground. His eyes were swollen red from crying.

"Alpha! Please help me find my wife!" His voice was hoarse.

"She went out to gather herbs three days ago and never came back! She's with pup and can't heal herself. I don't know what to do anymore!"

Keith's expression turned stern as he questioned him carefully.

Three days.

His wife had been missing for three days, and he was already this desperate.

I had been missing for five days, and my mate hadn't even bothered to ask where I was.

Keith and Elliott exchanged a glance.

Keith pursed his lips before speaking carefully.

"Yesterday, we found the body of an unidentified shewolf.

"She'd been dismembered."

The young werewolf's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground.

"No," he muttered. His face was pale. "No, that's impossible. She's always been kind. She never caused any trouble."

When the white cloth was lifted and the body revealed, he suddenly shook his head violently. "No! This isn't her!"

He pointed straight at the corpse's shoulder.

"My wife doesn't have this scar on her shoulder!"

Keith's gaze followed the direction of his finger and landed on that scar.

Suddenly, his hand began trembling uncontrollably.

Did he finally realize that the scar belonged to me?