Chapter 1

After giving birth to Alpha Wesley Silvermoon's pup, I fell into severe postpartum depression.

Whenever the scent he left on me began to fade, I couldn't help but have the urge to hurt myself.

It was Wesley who held me tight in his arms, kissing my forehead repeatedly, saying, "Don't be afraid, Maggie. The pup and I will stay with you, always."

Every morning, he took me to see a therapist. In the afternoon, he handled the pack's affairs. At night, he fed Brett the pup himself.

The dark circles beneath his eyes grew heavier by the day, yet he never once complained.

Until one day.

Brett was crying for his mother, while I hid in the bathroom, hurting myself.

When Wesley saw what happened, he completely lost it. He grabbed me by the throat viciously.

"If you don't want a pup, you shouldn't have had one! You gave birth to it, but you can't even take care of it! You don't deserve to be a mother!"

He bellowed, "How much longer are you going to torment this family? You want to die so badly? Fine! I'll help you!"

The moment he said that, he instantly came back to his senses.

He broke his wrist and apologized to me.

I didn't say anything, merely staring blankly at the phone that had fallen to the floor.

The screen was still lit.

37 missed calls.

All from the same name. Rowena Sawthorne.

She was someone who had recently returned to the pack. Wesley's first love from his youth. She was healthy, beautiful, confident.

She and Wesley were once the celebrity couple that everyone admired.

Even Brett, whom I had nearly died giving birth to, would smile when she held him in her arms.

Perhaps only she was worthy of being his mate, worthy of being Brett's mother.

Maybe, this was for the best.

At last, I could die without any worry.

...

Wesley Silvermoon's hand tightened around my neck. The violent frenzy raging in his eyes was almost spilling over.

I was so suffocated that I started to see black.

I didn't resist. I shut my eyes, resigned to my fate. Dying like this wasn't a bad choice either.

Just when I was about to lose my consciousness forever, Brett the pup's shrilly scream pierced through our minds.

Wesley shuddered. The mania in his eyes was instantly replaced by panic. He immediately let go of me as if he just touched something scalding hot.

Then, he forcefully snapped the wrist that was choking me before.

"Maggie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do it." Wesley apologized in a hoarse voice. His eyes reddened. He wanted to reach out to touch me, but he didn't dare.

I slumped to the ground, violently coughing and catching my breath.

Tears and snot ran down my face. I must have looked utterly wretched.

"Go and check on him," I said with difficulty.

Wesley turned around to coax the crying Brett, moving with practiced ease as he mixed formula and fed him.

Ever since I was diagnosed with post-partum depression, Wesley canceled all of his social activities.

Other than dealing with the pack, his entire day revolved around me.

Slowly, I became what the pack called a burden.

"The Alpha could've led us to conquer more territory if it were not for her! She held us back!"

"All she-wolves become mothers. She's the only one so fragile that she falls apart just because she can't smell her mate's scent."

"If Rowena hadn't returned to help out with the pack, our pack would have been in a mess!"

Rowena Sawthorne. Wesley's first love.

The door suddenly opened.

Rowena stood by the door. When she saw Wesley's exhausted face, her eyes instantly reddened.

"My Luna, Maggie Nyx, I beg you! Please let Wesley go! Look at what you've done to him! You're almost crushing him!"

My heart clenched violently. The suffocating pressure was overwhelming me once more, so that I could barely breathe.

Wesley subconsciously walked over to me. Just when he was about to pull me into his arms, Rowena blocked his path.

She gently held his hand, the one that he broke because he hurt me.

Alphas had strong healing abilities. His bones fully recovered. All that was left was a little red and swollen wrist.

"Wesley, does your hand hurt?" Rowena asked gently.

Wesley shook his head.

She turned to me and said through gritted teeth, "Maggie, can you stop being so capricious? You might not feel sorry for Wesley, but I do!"

Brett was frightened by her sudden rise in volume. He started bawling.

They both looked alarmed.

Rowena instantly went up to pick Brett up to check on him, while Wesley took his phone out to contact a clinic.

The way they huddled together and talked quietly was as if they were a real family. It hurt my eyes.

I pushed myself up and headed over, but Wesley stopped me.

"Don't worry about Brett. Just look after yourself first," he said in a low voice.

Then, he left with Rowena and Brett in a hurry.

He was right. I couldn't even look after myself. How could I possibly look after my pup?

I wasn't a qualified mother, nor a qualified mate.

I chuckled self-deprecatingly.

With a loud slam, the door was shut. I suddenly remembered that Wesley confiscated some Wolfsbane from a traitor in the pack. Apparently, there was no antidote for it.

I walked over to the safe and retrieved the Wolfsbane, adding them to a glass of water.

Then, I drank it all in one go.

My body started to burn.

I knew my life had begun its countdown.