All Chapters of After I Lost Our Child, My Mate and Adopted Daughter Betrayed Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

1

After I lost the baby, my wolf sank into despair and never surfaced again.Without my rapid healing, I spent a year convalescing at the recovery center.Ryan came to pick me up the day I was discharged.He walked to my bed and stopped a full step away, head down, not daring to meet my eyes.I could smell his cedar scent, which had once belonged to me alone, fading beneath the sweet, cloying scent of an Omega eager to please.I forced a smile and turned toward him. "It's all right... I'm feeling much better now..."Ryan's fingers clenched around the hem of his shirt. His eyes were already red-rimmed."Vera... I don't know how to face you..."Grief lodged in my throat, and I fought to keep a sob from escaping.We would never have children of our own.We had been bonded for five years, yet time had never dulled our love. We were as happy as the day we completed our marking ceremony.We had always longed for a child of our own. We were supposed to give the pack a strong pup, but a year ago

2

An hour later, Ryan's car pulled up outside.He gathered me into his arms and apologized, "I'm sorry. I was so busy today that I forgot you'd come home... After what happened to you, I couldn't live alone in this house at all, so I moved out."He stroked my face with infinite tenderness. "I had the lounge redone for you. I'll take you back to the den tomorrow. I'll only feel at ease with you beside me."There was a trace of the perfume Nina always wore on his shirt.But I was lost in the warmth of his skin, and I chose to ignore all of it.The next day, Ryan drove me to the den and told me about everything that had changed over the past year.He had told me the same stories countless times during his occasional visits to the recovery center, but I still listened eagerly.We were the couple every wolf envied. From the moment we met at eighteen, I knew he was my fated mate.For my sake, Ryan had cut ties with his original pack and joined mine.At the recovery center, my wolf had warned m

3

At the restaurant in the canyon, Claire held me tight and refused to let go. "This is outrageous. You didn't let me visit you even once all year!"Her eyes filled with tears as she shook my shoulders. "Do I really matter less to you than Ryan? Why was he allowed to visit you when I wasn't?"Claire's expression darkened the instant she saw Ryan behind me. The warning in her next words was unmistakable."Lucian is negotiating with the Black Moon pack. He'll be back in a few days. Certain wolves had better keep their tails tucked in for the next few days."The whole time, her eyes never left me. She didn't give Ryan so much as a glance.My eyes stung. It was the first time since my discharge that anyone from my own pack had made me feel cared for.The door to our private dining room opened, and Nina slipped inside cautiously.Claire shot to her feet, bared her claws, and pointed at Nina. "Who told you to come?"Ryan stepped in front of Nina, displeasure sharpening his voice. "Vera and I a

4

On my second day back at the den, Ryan asked me to help care for the newborn pups.Holding a pup's soft little body, I couldn't stop the tears.A year had passed and the pack was full of children I didn't know.If my baby had lived, he would have been nearly a year old by then.One of Nina's friends snatched the bottle from my hand and took the pup from my arms, her face twisted with disgust."You can't even manage a feeding. A worthless she-wolf like you should be banished from the pack."I bit down hard on my lip, refusing to let my tears fall. "Do you know who I am? This pack would never banish me."She burst out laughing as if I had told the funniest joke in the world. "Of course I know who you are. You're barren and useless. What could you possibly contribute to this pack?"It cut deep, because every word of it was true.A year ago, I had been one of the pillars of the pack, helping newcomers settle in and resolving territorial disputes.Now Ryan had taken my place completely.I s

5

At the sound of that familiar voice, all the anguish I had suppressed for days burst free.I threw myself into his arms, unable to speak through my sobs. "Lucian, Ryan and Nina, they..."He ruffled my hair, his voice gentle despite the deadly edge that chilled the room. "I know. I know everything. I'll make them pay."When I had finished crying and looked down again, Ryan and Nina had already gone.Nothing stirred in my heart. I knew I had let go of every last hope I had placed in those two.Lucian took my hand and said quietly, "Come on. Claire is waiting for you. We'll tell you everything that happened this year."In the warmth of the sitting room, Claire sat on the sofa and told me everything."The day it happened, Ryan nearly fell apart. After he took you to the hospital, he wandered around like a wolf without a soul. Lucian and I handled everything that came after."While you were in the ICU, Ryan did not know how to face Nina. He would hit her and scream at her, then hold her and

6

Four years later, I returned to the pack. Standing before the new clinic, I finally felt grounded.The clinic was small, but it had everything we needed, including a counseling room for pack members carrying trauma.Lucian assigned me an entire support team, and Claire volunteered to serve as my deputy.My feet barely touched the ground most days, yet my life felt more vivid than ever.When the first pup I delivered came into the world, I could not hold back my tears of joy.The mother licked the blood from her pup, then looked up and gave me a weak smile.At that moment, I felt my wolf, dormant for five full years, slowly stir awake.After I came back, I deliberately never asked about Ryan or Nina, as though those two had never existed.All I knew was that shortly after I left, Lucian used his authority as Alpha to announce the dissolution of my mate bond with Ryan.The official explanation was carefully worded: "Their relationship had broken down, and both parties had willingly agree

7

Ryan stood frozen until the pup in his arms gave a weak cough. Only then did he jolt back to awareness."Vera, the baby is sick. He's had a fever for days and hasn't eaten a thing...""Bring the child here." I focused on the pup without sparing either of them a glance.He came forward quickly and laid the child carefully on the table.I felt the pup's forehead, checked his eyelids and the coating on his tongue, then pressed his abdomen. I already knew what I was dealing with."It's a viral infection that has gone untreated for too long. He needs an IV."I turned to the medicine cabinet, prepared the medication with practiced speed, and drew it into a syringe. "Leave the children with us and wait outside. There isn't enough room in here."Ryan didn't move.Nina called softly behind him. "Ryan..." Only then did he come to his senses. He took two steps back but still refused to leave.I raised my eyes and looked at him impatiently.Four years had passed, and time had left too many marks o

8

Nina collapsed to the floor, boneless.I stood and returned to my seat behind the examination table. "I'll do everything I can for your children. If you cannot support them, I know suitable foster families willing to take them in.""Escort these two out."The guards dragged the limp pair out of the room.Once both pups were receiving IV fluids, I called toward the door, "Next."After a long day, Claire invited me to her place for a late dinner.She handed me a glass of wine. "I'm glad you've made your peace with it."I took the wine and sipped it. "I stopped caring about them a long time ago. Whatever happens to them has nothing to do with me."Claire rested her head on my shoulder and laughed under her breath.After that, Ryan and Nina never appeared again.The two pups stayed at the clinic for ten days. Their fevers broke, they gained a little weight, and their color improved.I placed them with an older, childless couple in the pack who loved children and were willing to foster rogu

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