Gift

One by one, the contestants removed their upper garments. In front of Amelia were the well-built bodies of the men joining the contest. She was already used to seeing abs and broad shoulders among Crescent Moon members—it was normal to her. But what she couldn’t explain was why, the moment she saw Lorcan’s body, her heart began pounding three times faster.

“Alpha Lorcan is really handsome. You can’t deny it.”

“That’s true! If he weren’t the black sheep and a headache for Crescent Moon, I would’ve already thrown myself at him.”

Amelia heard the she-wolves’ comments inside the hunting ground. All of them were staring at Lorcan’s impressive body, openly desiring him.

She didn’t know why those comments affected her so much. It made her want to claw out the eyes of the women around her so she’d be the only one who could see the beautiful sight in front of her.

“Let’s go, Olivia,” Amelia urged her stepsister, but she noticed Olivia was also staring at Lorcan—with desire in her eyes.

“Olivia!” Amelia called irritably as she grabbed her by the arm. Olivia was startled, feeling the force behind Amelia’s pull.

“Alright, you’re in such a hurry,” Olivia said, finally following her.

Meanwhile, Lorcan’s gaze followed Amelia. He knew she’d been looking at him earlier, and he couldn’t help but smile. Amelia was finally noticing him.

At last, after years of suppressing his feelings, he would finally be able to show Amelia how he truly felt. Of course, he wanted to tease her a little first. He also knew Amelia was planning something. He would let her use him for now—and then he would collect the love owed to him by his Luna.

“What are you doing here? Why did you suddenly decide to join the hunting contest this year?” Lucas asked, having noticed the exchanged glances between his fiancée and his brother Lorcan.

“Nothing. Is it wrong to join? I’m still part of the West family, aren’t I?” Lorcan replied sarcastically, smiling at his older brother.

Before Lorcan turned away, Lucas once again saw the scar near his brother’s right eye. Lucas lowered his head, avoided Lorcan’s gaze, and walked away to prepare for the contest.

The drum sounded three times. After the final beat, all the contestants transformed one by one. Lorcan became a massive wolf, his fur pitch black like a moonless night, his eyes glowing gold like the moon. Lucas’s wolf, on the other hand, was brown—like dry desert earth.

They sprinted into the forest, with Lorcan and Lucas taking the lead, while Lucien lagged behind, clearly unenthusiastic about the event.

The spectators cheered, able to see the contestants from the hill. But once the wolves disappeared into the densest part of the forest, they vanished from sight.

Time passed quickly. While waiting for the contest to end, the women chatted and placed bets on who would win.

“I’m sure Alpha Lucas will win again. He’s won this contest four years in a row,” Olivia said to the other she-wolves.

Amelia stayed quiet in a corner, simply waiting for Lucianna to approach her. She knew Lucas’s mother well enough to know she wouldn’t let last night’s dinner party incident slide.

“Amelia, stand up. We need to talk.”

Amelia looked up and saw Lucianna standing beside her. She secretly smiled—her guess had been right.

Amelia stood and followed Lucianna toward a room. Almost all eyes were on them. Some people were excited about what was about to happen; others were eager to see how Lucianna would humiliate her.

But among everyone present, Olivia was the most eager for the outcome. She wanted Amelia’s image to be destroyed in Lucianna’s eyes and for her status in the pack to fall even further. If she could make a wish, she would ask Lucianna to exile Amelia from the pack entirely, removing the final obstacle to her and her mother’s plans.

Inside the room, Lucianna shut the door. Arms crossed, she glared at Amelia with fierce eyes, then stepped forward and slapped her hard across the face.

“What do you think you did last night? And you still had the nerve to show your face here today?!” Lucianna screamed. Even with the door closed, people outside could clearly hear her humiliating Amelia.

Amelia clutched her cheek, feeling the heat from the slap and tasting blood at the corner of her lips. She looked at Lucianna calmly. That slap was nothing compared to what she had endured at the hands of Solana and Olivia.

“Why? Didn’t you want me to break up with your son anyway?” Amelia said, fixing her hair and meeting Lucianna’s gaze directly. Lucianna grew even more irritated by Amelia’s boldness.

“What more do you want? I’m already doing exactly what you wanted, and you’re still not satisfied?” Amelia asked innocently, feigning ignorance.

“Lucas doesn’t want to break up with you! I know you’re doing this because you know how to manipulate my son!” Lucianna shouted in rage.

“I can’t control what your son wants. But as for me? I want nothing more than to stay away from your cheating son,” Amelia replied, fully aware that everyone outside could hear their conversation.

That revelation shocked several Crescent Moon members. They couldn’t believe that Alpha Lucas—the loyal, loving man they knew—had cheated.

To the pack, Lucas was a fair Alpha with a good heart, a man who didn’t care about status. They believed he chose Amelia out of love, not rank. That was why they were so stunned to hear that he had betrayed her.

Now they finally understood why Amelia, known as weak and non-confrontational, was acting this way.

“What did you say?” Lucianna asked, unable to believe it. She was certain her only son would never do such a thing.

“I said your son Lucas cheated on me. He’s not the perfect Alpha you all think he is,” Amelia said firmly. She then walked out of the room, glancing at the members who had overheard everything, rolling her eyes before leaving the waiting area.

“Wait, sis!” Olivia called out.

They both stopped when the drum sounded again—the signal that the hunting event had ended.

Everyone headed toward the hunting area. Amelia didn’t want to go, but she froze when her eyes met Lorcan’s.

He walked toward her carrying a massive elk and a fox, one in each arm. Amelia nearly gaped at the size of the elk—but she was even more shocked when Lorcan placed them at her feet.

“Amelia, will you accept my gift?” Lorcan asked with a mischievous smile.