Chapter 2

Matthew had abandoned me, causing me to become the laughingstock of the crowd. He even established his dominance by stepping up to protect Kylie and mating with her. Why didn't he consider how humiliating his actions would be for me?

I reached out to shut the door. "I'll say it one last time—I won't be your lover."

My attitude clearly pissed Matthew off. As he spoke, his voice was tinged with fury. "Don't push your luck, Queenie. You're such a desperate woman. Without me, who else would even want you?"

With that, Matthew kicked the door before turning to leave.

I clutched my chest, dropping the act. I crouched down and sobbed quietly.

The man, who always protected and doted on me, was gone. He had reserved all his love for Kylie.

From the moment he left me behind at the mating ceremony, I should have seen his true colors. But we had been together for ten years. I refused to accept the truth that Matthew had fallen for another woman.

In the end, the sliver of hope I had held onto hit me like a slap in the face.

Edwin had kept his word. The next day, 20 bodyguards stood outside my door, waiting for my orders to move my belongings.

Mom and Dad tried to talk me out of it, saying that Edwin's violence made him a poor match.

Still, I did not back out. Love was nothing compared to loyalty.

Edwin's pack, the Moonbeam pack, valued loyalty above all. Edwin believed in living a life of solitude if one were to lose their mate, and there was no room for betrayal. That was why others began spreading rumors of his violent temper.

Edwin was a responsible and handsome Alpha. If it weren't for Alpha Leonard's orders, Kylie never would have even gotten the chance to marry Edwin.

Just as I gave orders to the bodyguards to move my belongings, I spotted Kylie and Matthew walking arm in arm. They had clearly misunderstood, thinking that I was preparing to move to their place.

Matthew smirked. "Queenie, since you've finally come around, I'll let you have the basement at my manor."

I subconsciously frowned.

When I remained quiet, they assumed they got it right.

Kylie gave Matthew a playful nudge. "Since Queenie's ready to be part of our family, you should quickly give her your welcome gift, Matt."

With that reminder, Matthew took a red box from his bag and tossed it toward me. He must have thought he was being generous, as if he had just given me some precious treasure.

"That's yours."

I did not catch the box and let it fall to the ground. A chipped moonstone, looking as if it had been picked off a street, fell out. It was a stark contrast to the high-quality moonstone necklace around Kylie's neck.

"You should keep that for Kylie. I'm not worthy of such fine things."

Matthew's expression darkened instantly, and he kicked the moonstone toward the trash can. "Since you don't want it, let's get rid of it."

Kylie pouted. "It was just a little something from us. Queenie, did you refuse it because you're holding a grudge against me?"

"What grudge? Once she's living with us, she'll have to follow our rules."

Matthew snapped his fingers, prompting a maid to immediately hand me a list.

The paper was filled with a long list of rules. One of the listed rules was "Every day, Mrs. Graham must have peeled fresh grapes at 8:00 am and fresh prawns at noon…"

I laughed in exasperation. Were those really rules? That was simply a list of chores for the maids.

I lifted my gaze and met Kylie's radiant smile. I finally understood what she was up to—she wanted to show off her status as the wife of the Sunpeak pack's successor.

But I couldn't care less. I looked at Matthew and asked with a smile, "Are you done? If so, get out of my bodyguards' way."

I paused before tossing the list toward Matthew and Kylie. "I'm not moving into your house. You can keep that list for the next person who joins your family!"