Chapter 2

I didn't answer. I turned off my phone and shoved it into my pocket.

I walked to the side of the road and hailed a cab.

Halfway through the ride, I instinctively took out my phone and adjusted the air conditioning.

Kayson's missed calls and messages flooded in like a wave. Seeing the screen filled with red notification dots, my eyes welled up with tears

After a moment's hesitation, I called him back.

He answered in less than a second, his voice full of concern. "Serena, are you upset? I was busy just now. I wasn't deliberately ignoring you."

I took a deep breath. "Come home early tonight. I need to talk to you."

Kayson's voice turned hesitant. "Tonight? I'm afraid I can't. There's a pack feast tonight. If it isn't urgent, we can talk when I get home."

"Tonight." My tone was firm enough to leave him speechless. After all, I'd always put him first and accepted everything without complaint.

He sounded irritated too. "Are you still throwing a fit over the registration? You don't need to manage pack affairs, so why are you so hung up on having an official status? Isn't it enough that I'm protecting you?

"And the ceremony will happen sooner or later. It's only a matter of time before the pack accepts you.

"That's enough. Stop being unreasonable. I'll bring home your favorite fruit."

The call ended again, just like that.

He was always like this. Every reasonable request I made was unreasonable in his eyes. Afterward, he'd placate me with some cheap fruit.

Without another thought, I took a cab straight to the feast.

Since I wasn't good at handling pack affairs, I rarely went to the place where Kayson dealt with official business.

After the guards confirmed my identity, I learned that he'd already taken Lyanna to the feast.

But the laughter coming from inside the feast hall made me stop outside the door.

When I arrived, the people inside were already talking. From the voice, I could tell it was Warren Weiss, one of Kayson's trusted subordinates.

"Alpha, when exactly are you and Lyanna holding the Bonding Ceremony? We've already prepared the gifts."

"Yeah, you've been registered as mates for so long. Why are you still hiding it from Serena?"

"And Lyanna's already two months pregnant. If she gets any bigger, she won't look good in a wedding dress."

A pup?!

They actually had a pup!

I was so shocked I couldn't speak.

Then Lyanna's coy voice drifted out, "Oh, stop teasing me. Kayson only agreed to register a fake mate bond with me because he wanted to take care of me. If Serena finds out from you guys, she's definitely going to make a scene again."

Warren burst out laughing. "What right does she have to make a scene? Everything she eats and wears comes from our Alpha.

"Besides, all she knows how to do is cook and clean. She's basically a housekeeper. You're different. You can actually help the Alpha with his work."

Then he lowered his voice, "Kayson, if you ask me, you should just make the fake bond real. Serena's been completely dependent on you all these years. She can't cause any trouble.

"Just send her back to her old pack. You and Lyanna can officially hold the ceremony."

My hand stopped on the door as I waited for Kayson's response.

He merely took a sip of his drink before answering along with them, "Enough. Lyanna's shy.

"As for Serena, she's been a little moody lately, but she's always been sensible. She'll understand."

Once again, he used the word "sensible" to bind me to him, as if he'd already decided I would never leave.

Amid a round of laughter, I pushed open the doors to the feast hall.