Chapter 3

I accepted the call and heard Rose's usual warm, enthusiastic voice over the line. "Lily, Walter was so tired that he fell asleep, so he won't be going back tonight. You don't have to worry. Listen, he's even talking in his sleep."

Following that, I heard Walter mumbling, "Rose, don't be scared. I'm right here…"

It felt like a large hand had clamped around my heart and squeezed tightly. The agony made me feel as though I were suffocating, and I hurriedly ended the call.

However, in the next second, my phone chimed. Rose had sent me another photo.

In the photo, Walter was lying on his side on the bed, while Rose was curled up against him like a docile kitten. She was even using his arm as a pillow.

Without a doubt, this position was almost exactly like the one in the photo I had sent her last night.

But what truly shattered me was the sight of the moonstone necklace around her neck.

That necklace was a Zimmer family heirloom that symbolized the Luna. It was said to bring good luck and help calm the mind.

I distinctly remembered Walter gifting it to me when he first marked me, but now, it seemed that he had stealthily snuck it out and given it to Rose to comfort her.

My vision went dark as my phone slipped from my fingers, dropping to the carpet.

It took me a while before I managed to regain my composure and pick up my phone. Then, I started to contact the pack elders. I wanted to break my mate bond with Walter.

I had barely stood up when an intense wave of nausea crashed over me. Rushing toward the toilet, I practically puked my guts out.

When it was finally over, I used the wall to shakily stand up. Suddenly, a terrifying thought occurred to me, sending the alarm bells blaring in my mind.

I searched frantically through the drawers and cabinets before I finally found a pregnancy test kit.

My hands shook as I followed the instructions. When two red lines appeared, my very last wall of defense crumbled to dust.

It was positive. I was pregnant with Walter's pup.

I returned to bed and lay there in a daze, unaware of how much time passed. At last, as dawn peeked over the horizon, I drifted off to sleep.

When I woke up, Walter had already returned.

He had tidied up the living room and was currently cooking breakfast in the kitchen, as though everything that happened yesterday was nothing to be bothered about.

All these years, he had looked after me in this manner. He cared for me so meticulously that I had been tricked into thinking that he actually loved me. Yet in the end, all these romantic and touching gestures were nothing more than pretty lies.

While frying me an egg, he spoke up with furrowed brows. "Rose has always been quite pitiful since she was young. You already have everything you could possibly want, so why can't you let her have her way more often? Must you always have it out against her?"

He couldn't sound any more accusing if he tried. He made it seem like I was narrow-minded and mistreating Rose.

I didn't have the energy to argue with him, so I silently headed back to our room to pack my luggage. After I was done, I headed to the dining room again.

Walter set the table with the breakfast he had made before beginning to lecture me like a pup. "Lily, stop being so impulsive and childish. We already agreed to try for a pup, so you're going to be a mother soon. You need to grow up and be more mature."

At the mention of pups, I subconsciously looked down at my abdomen, feeling my heart break even further.

Would my pup have a blissful and happy life if they were born into such a family?

In the past, I wouldn't have hesitated to say "yes". But now? I wasn't so sure anymore.

Before I could respond, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Shooting me a glance, Walter smiled and said, "Have you forgotten? Today is your birthday, so Rose specifically bought you a cake."

With that, he rushed over to open the door.

Rose stood in the doorway, looking all pitiful with her arm wrapped in bandages after the wild beast attack yesterday.

"Happy birthday, Lily!" she said in a saccharine sweet voice that utterly disgusted me.

I honestly wondered just how shameless she could be to show up in front of me now and wish me happy birthday after everything she had done.

Not bothering to answer her, I silently turned away. I didn't want to look at her pretentious face for even a moment longer.

The atmosphere grew awkward at my silence. Immediately, Rose's eyes reddened as she lowered her head in an aggrieved manner. She sounded like she was about to cry as she asked Walter, "Walter, does Lily not want me here? Maybe I should leave..."

Hearing that, Walter quickly moved to stop her before leveling me with a cold gaze.

"Rose only went into the forest because she was upset about your harsh words. Despite that, she didn't blame you and even brought you cake to celebrate your birthday. Yet, you're giving her such attitude? How could you be so inconsiderate?"

Once again, he was telling me to be considerate. Just how considerate did I have to be to be able to accept their betrayal and even smile at the very people who had deceived me?

Suddenly, I found all of it pointless. I turned to return to the dining table. As I passed by Rose, I caught the triumphant look that flashed in her eyes.

Walter placed the biggest slice of cake before me. Just like he did the many times he had angered me in the past, he was using gifts or food to appease me and defuse my bad mood.

I numbly took a few bites, but my body abruptly started itching badly. I could also feel my throat closing up.

Realizing something, I dropped my fork to the floor and stared intently at Rose. "Is there mango in the cake?"

With an innocent expression on her face, she replied, "Yeah, why? Fruits make cakes taste so much better."

I was allergic to mangoes, a fact that anyone close to me knew. So how could she possibly be unaware?

All the minute details I had previously deliberately ignored suddenly flooded my mind.

At my graduation ceremony, Rose had accidentally broken the zipper to my dress.

When I had to undergo training before becoming the next Luna, she gifted me a pair of sports shoes that chafed badly at my feet.

As it turned out, those were careless mistakes. She had intentionally done it to humiliate me at important events. Not only was she trying to snatch my mate, but she also wanted to ruin me.

I couldn't help but think of my unborn pup. At last, I couldn't stand it anymore and stood up, tears streaming down my face.

My voice shook as I pointed at the door and said, "Get out. I don't want to see you anymore."

Rose took a step back, staring at me in shock and disbelief. In contrast, Walter had a stony expression on his face as he moved to stand protectively in front of her.

"This is my house. You have no right to chase anyone out!"

My heart sank when I heard him say this was his house.

Back when we were still deeply in love, he had promised that this place would be our safe harbor, our home. Now that we were arguing, it was suddenly just his home.

I should've realized long ago that I never truly belonged here.

Nonetheless, I had no energy to spare arguing with him. My throat constricted more and more, as though a hand were choking me, and I struggled to breathe.

My skin itched terribly, driving me insane as I scratched at my neck and arms. My vision spun and gradually began to darken as I ran out of air.

I knew I had to find the allergy medication. Otherwise, I really would die right here.

I rushed toward the medicine cabinet, stumbling, and crashed straight into it due to my rapidly depleting energy. The medicine scattered to the floor.

Seeing that, Walter finally seemed to take pity on me and subconsciously moved forward to help, but Rose grabbed him.

"Walter, I've known Lily since we were young, and she's never been allergic to mangoes. Could it be that she doesn't want me here and is deliberately putting on an act to make me leave?"

She sounded like she was on the verge of tears, making her appear innocent and aggrieved.

When Walter heard that, he crossed his arms over his chest and said to me coldly, "Then continue with your act. I'd like to see how long you can keep it up."

In that instant, all my love, indignation, and hurt turned to ashes. All I knew was that I was about to die.

Thankfully, right before I suffocated to death, I found the bottle of allergy medication.

Using the last of my strength, I opened the bottle and poured the pills into my mouth, swallowing them without any water.

At long last, the suffocating feeling gradually eased. Fresh air surged into my lungs, making me violently cough.

I pushed myself up from the ground and slowly lifted my head, only to see that Walter was still shielding Rose behind him. A bubble of laughter burst from my lips as I laughed at the utterly ridiculous situation and how foolish I had been all these years.

I no longer bothered arguing, nor did I try to explain anything. I simply got to my feet using the wall as support and left that oppressive house without looking back.

Originally, I had planned to tell Walter about my pregnancy, but there was no point now.

I thought I heard him calling out my name anxiously. Nonetheless, I refused to turn back.

Why would he possibly want me to stay? My leaving was the best thing that could happen to him.

"Goodbye, my Alpha. This will be the last time I address you like this. Let all those promises of forever get scattered away by the wind. I will never love you again," I thought.