Chapter 3

Better treatment? By that, did Chad mean downgrading me from the pack's once-future Luna to a maid who must bow and scrape before Yelena?

Even now, he still wanted to control my life.

How pathetic.

I calmly withdrew my gaze from their interlocked hands and shook my head with steady resolve.

"That won't be necessary," I said.

My composure left all three of them momentarily stunned.

Maddox, who had followed closely behind, let out a derisive snort.

"Tessa, what are you trying to pull now? Drop the act already. The future Luna's place you stole has already been taken back, and now you're trying to play hard to get? How ridiculous.

"Well, let me tell you something—even without that false prophecy, you would never measure up to Yelena. The fact that Alpha heir Chad is allowing you to stay in the pack as Yelena's maid is already the greatest mercy you'll ever get."

He was still as blind as ever, utterly unable to read the room. He had no idea that I no longer loved any of them.

Upon seeing my expression remain cold, Chad frowned and said with reproach, "Tessa, this isn't the time for your stubbornness. I'll handle things here. You should go back first.

"Yelena's already shaken, and your presence will only make it harder for her to recover. Return to your cabin, and don't come out until this is resolved. That's an order."

As he spoke, he stepped forward and seized my hand, intent on dragging me away by force.

But the next second, the warriors—already on the verge of losing control—suddenly erupted completely. A devastating shockwave that was visible to the naked eye burst forth, and a massive boulder was jarred loose from above.

Chad and Maddox lunged almost at the same time toward Yelena, who was standing exposed in the clearing.

Chad, acting on instinct, shoved me aside just to clear a path for his charge toward Yelena.

That shove sent me reeling, unable to steady myself. I toppled, and the back of my head slammed hard against a rolling stone. Pain exploded through me, then everything went black.

When I came to, I found myself lying in the pack's infirmary. A sharp pain throbbed at the back of my head, and there was no one at my bedside.

After noticing I was awake, the pack's healer came forward to change the dressings on my wound.

"Why would you exhaust your own energy instead of protecting yourself?" the healer asked with concern. "That rock nearly crushed your brain. You're lucky your body's strong.

"Otherwise, you might never have been able to shift into your wolf again. Darling, you need to be kinder to yourself."

I stared calmly at the ceiling and replied softly, "Thank you. It won't happen again."

This power of mine once existed just so I could be worthy of Chad. But from this moment on, it belonged to me alone, and I would never again allow anyone the chance to destroy it.

When the healer finally had me carried out on a stretcher, I learned it was the pack's guards who had brought me here.

As for Chad? He sent me only a single message, "Yelena was so shaken up by your injury that it unsettled her and the pup, so I took her back to rest. As her maid, remember to come and take care of her once you've recovered."

It turned out he didn't care in the least that I was hurt.

In the end, the identity I gained after 15 years of blood and tears, of sacrifice and endurance, was nothing more than that of a maid. A lowly maid, forced to drag the very leg he himself had injured, just to serve his new lover.

The despair seeping through my heart left only a dull ache, yet even that was enough to make every breath hurt.

After wiping the corners of my eyes, I unlocked my phone and opened the pack's intranet social feed.

Yelena's latest post just happened to be right at the top. The photo showed her lying on the soft fur rug in Chad's main house, her face pale and tears stains still at the corners of her eyes. Besides her was a heap of get-well-soon gifts.

Her caption read, "I had a really bad scare today. Thankfully, Chad and Max were with me, and with all the gifts they gave, I feel a little better. I wonder how Tessa is doing, though.

"She was hurt so badly. I hope she recovers soon. After all, I'm still waiting for my new maid to come take care of me."

Pinned at the very top were comments from Maddox and Chad.

"Yelena, you're just too kind for your own good. Why bother worrying about that thief? You should focus on getting better. Once she has recovered, I'll personally drag her over to serve you," Maddox wrote.

"Your health is what matters most. Don't waste your thoughts on anyone else. Rest well. I'll always be by your side," Chad commented.

I read through the posts without a flicker of expression, then opened the chat group I had once pinned to the top of my message. It was a group that consisted only of Maddox, Chad, and me.

The name was still the one I had personally changed years ago—"The Three of Us". Looking at it now, I felt nothing but irony.

Without the slightest hesitation, I tapped softly on the option "Leave Group".

Almost the very next second, Chad's call flashed across my screen. I hesitated for a moment but ultimately answered.

"Why did you leave the group chat?" he asked in a voice that carried no discernible emotion. "Tessa, we've known each other for 15 years. I always thought you were someone who knew how to put the bigger picture first, someone who could tell right from wrong.

"Yelena has already suffered too much injustice, and this is my time to make it up to her. So, why must you choose this moment to seek attention in such a way?

"Allowing you to remain as her maid is already the greatest courtesy I can offer you out of respect for our past. Are you trying to force me to erase even that last trace of consideration?"

I listened to his entire speech in silence.

Just as I was about to speak, I heard Yelena's deliberately sweet and innocent laugh drift through the line.

"Chad, Tessa cares so much about you, so there's no way she truly wants to cut ties. She just wants you to fuss over her while she's hurt. Some she-wolves really do like to use this kind of tactic."

At her words, Chad's tone instantly turned cold. "She's right. Tessa, I'm utterly disappointed in you. You scheme and claw just to stay by my side, and now you're resorting to this pathetic trick to threaten me?

"Well, let me make it clear to you—if you keep this up, I won't even grant you the place of a maid. Instead, I'll banish you from the pack."

After saying that, he fell silent, as if waiting for me to break down crying, apologizing, and begging him not to be so heartless.

But I simply stayed quiet for a few seconds before calmly saying, "Fine."

"What?" Chad uttered in disbelief. Clearly, he was stunned.

"I said fine. Go ahead and banish me from the pack," I repeated evenly, enunciating each word so there could be no mistake.

With that, I hung up without giving him a chance to reply.

The moment the call ended, the composure I had been forcing myself to maintain completely gave way. A single scalding tear slid from the corner of my eye, blurring my vision.

Through the haze, I managed to dial the secret phone number with my trembling fingers. When the call connected, a steady voice answered on the other end.

With a choked but unwavering voice, I said, "It's me, Tessa. Please come take me away."