Chapter 2

Late that night, the pain kept me from sleeping, so I decided to go for a walk in the garden.

As I passed Kael's study, I saw the light was still on inside.

I hadn't planned to stop, but the voices inside made me freeze.

Lira's voice was soft and tearful.

"Kael, I keep having nightmares tonight, dreaming of the day Rurik left, covered in blood..."

She choked up.

"Can you let me stay here for a while? I feel so cold alone in the bedchamber."

After a brief silence, Kael's voice sounded, low and restrained:

"Have a maid keep you company. It's not appropriate for me to stay with you."

"I don't want a maid."

"Kael, you smell like Rurik. It soothes my heart."

Hearing Lira's words, my heart clenched violently.

Lira didn't wait for Kael's response and continued:

"I don't have any other intentions. I just want this child to be close to his father."

"Feel this—he's already moving. Kael, you promised Rurik you'd protect us, didn't you?"

Standing at the door listening to their conversation, I hazily recalled the five years I'd been with Kael.

Kael and I had been through countless things together, but he'd never had sex with me.

He said he wanted to save the most sacred act of making love for our wedding night.

I believed in his restraint, believed he would keep his boundaries.

But even if Kael hadn't crossed the line, he still had a child with Lira.

That fact alone was like a knife stabbing into my heart.

I still remembered five years ago, the first time I saw Kael at the academy training grounds—I fell for him at first sight.

Kael was the most dazzling presence at the academy then, never lacking admirers.

But I knew he had a thorn in his heart.

After his brother died, everyone said he only became Alpha because of his brother's death.

He desperately wanted to prove himself, but always lived in the shadow of not being as good as Rurik.

So I hid my identity as the only daughter of Whitepeak Pack's Alpha and pretended to be a lone wolf.

I pursued him for half a year before he finally agreed to be with me.

He hated being deceived, so when he found out I was the heir to the most powerful pack in North America, he was angry with me for half a month.

I coaxed him for a long time before he finally forgave me.

Back then, my whole heart and eyes were filled with him.

Whatever he said, I agreed to.

He said he didn't like me using Whitepeak Pack's resources, afraid people would say he was living off me, so I put away all the premium herbs my father sent.

He said he wanted to establish himself on his own merit, so I only helped him quietly behind the scenes, not daring to let him know.

The only time he actively asked for help was during the winter when Blackrock Pack had internal rebellion.

At that time, Blackrock Pack faced both internal and external troubles.

I pestered my father until Whitepeak Pack provided Blackrock Pack with supplies to get through winter, helped him suppress the rebellious forces within the pack, and even helped him fend off three ambushes from rogues.

Kael proved himself capable, stabilizing Blackrock Pack's situation completely in just one year.

He held me then and said I would be his only woman in this life.

But at this moment, through the crack in the door, I could clearly see Lira kneeling on the carpet in front of Kael, her soft chest pressed tightly against his legs, rubbing gently.

Her tears slid down her cheeks as she looked up at Kael, fragile and devout.

"Kael," she said softly, "I don't expect anything from you. I just want this child to feel his father's warmth before birth. Just once—pretend it's Rurik holding us."

Kael's hand, which had been about to push her away, slowly lowered.

I didn't want to watch anymore and fled toward the bathroom.

With Lira seducing him like this every day, how could two adults living together day and night truly not do anything?

It didn't matter anymore.

Since I'd already decided to leave, whatever happened between him and Lira had nothing to do with me.

It's just that five years of feelings had ultimately been fed to the dogs.