Chapter 2

William looked at me as if I were crazy as I walked into the heavy rain.

"Julia! You stop right there!"

I turned a deaf ear to his roar.

The blood from the wound on my knee flowed to the ground with the rainwater.

The wounds were healing, but the pain wouldn't fade.

Only then did William hurriedly try to pull me back into the car.

But just then, the car door suddenly opened, and Rita carefully took a step out.

"Brother..."

Almost instinctively, William turned around and shoved Rita back into the car:

"You've always had trouble keeping your wolf strong when you catch a chill. You shouldn't be out in the rain; your wolf just can't handle it."

The car door was slammed shut.

Rita looked through the car window and silently forced a smile towards me.

As if mocking my worthlessness.

But I didn't care anymore. I had already made up my mind to leave.

I found the nearest hotel and checked in.

I looked at the long string of report messages on my phone. They used to be dense and frequent, but now the replies were sparse.

I couldn't even be bothered to tell William.

I caught a fever from the rain and quickly fell asleep.

Unexpectedly, I was awakened in the middle of the night by a rapid ring.

"Where are you? Why aren't you home?"

I said nothing. Before, he would've checked on me the moment I showed even the slightest sign of feeling unwell.

But tonight, he only thought to call me this late.

My silence displeased him.

"Did you bring your wolf-strengthening elixirs and vitality supplements for the pregnancy?"

"I don't know how you're being a mother, a pregnant woman staying outside, aren't you afraid that the child will have a bad reputation after being born? Please, take better care of yourself, for both of you."

Reputation?

By the time Rita spread the news about my out-of-wedlock pregnancy and everyone found out, I had already lost any claim to it.

"William, you've been dragging your feet on the mating ceremony. Are you actually considering the child's reputation?"

William paused, then quickly said,

"Don't pressure me. I promise I'll arrange it. Just give me a little more time, okay?"

I've heard this countless times since I got pregnant.

William's mother looked at my belly and said, "You must take care of yourself."

But then she turned around and told the pack, "She's already pregnant, what's the rush? She won't leave anyway."

William's father even stated explicitly that the mating ceremony was just a formality and that I shouldn't take it too seriously.

With my big belly, I could only endure, only wait, and couldn't dare to leave.

William allowed Rita's capricious behavior to drag things on and on.

In early spring, Rita said it was too cold to wear a wedding dress.

In summer, she complained it was too hot and her makeup wouldn't stay perfect.

By the time autumn arrived, the invitations were finally sent out.

My father drove with relatives for a full 30 hours to arrive at the mating ceremony.

But Rita said her dog was sick and she didn't want to have any regrets, so she postponed it again.

Rita's chosen mate broke off with her on the spot, and my father was so angry that he was hospitalized.

But I've suffered enough.

I said seriously to William, ‘I've canceled the mating ceremony.'

At the same time, Rita's scream came from the other end of the phone: ‘Brother! Puppy is foaming at the mouth!'

William's attention immediately shifted to Rita.

Half an hour later, a series of notification sounds exploded on my phone.

Rita posted an update:

"I thought Julia was being kind and cooking for the puppy, but I didn't expect she was actually trying to poison it. The puppy foamed at the mouth after eating the food she made. How could anyone have the heart to hurt such an adorable dog? [Heartbroken] Even if she doesn't like me, she shouldn't take it out on the puppy. Thankfully, my brother spoils puppy~"

The accompanying picture showed them sitting in a couple's booth at a fancy restaurant.

The chef was on the ground feeding the dog.

The comment section was unanimously tagging me:

"How shameful that a child has a mother like her. That omega is absolutely vicious. How could anyone be so heartless as to poison such a cute puppy? She should be the one crawling on the ground and feeding the dog, not the chef."

"Disgusting. And she dares to act innocent after doing something like that?"

"Poor puppy… to be treated like this, just because she couldn't handle her own jealousy."

I didn't engage in self-doubt and tried to justify myself like I used to.

Instead, I calmly blocked Rita and slept soundly.

The next day at the checkout, William was waiting in the lobby.

"It was finally discovered that the puppy was ill because it ate chocolate. It wasn't your fault. You were wrongly accused before, and I will clear your name."

He softened his tone with rare gentleness:

"I told Rita that a specialist will be responsible for the dog's food from now on. You're pregnant for months, it's not convenient for you."

After saying that, he stared at my face with a hint of expectation.

But he was disappointed.

I didn't burst into tears of gratitude and throw myself into his arms like I used to.

I just nodded calmly.

In the past, I treated everyone in William's pack with sincerity, even the dog.

But all I got in return was disdain and contempt.

Even maids know I am nothing for William's family.

So, they forced me to clean up the dog's poop, therefore I suffered from severe morning sickness.

I threw up so much I couldn't eat for three days.

I will never do such a stupid thing again.