Chapter 3

"The one messing with pack affairs is you!"

"My mother is fighting for her life in the recovery ward, and here you are throwing a celebration for your new mate bond!"

A few wolves quickly lowered their heads, pretending to organize medicinal herbs.

Suddenly, Tina clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I... I feel sick to my stomach..."

The crowd instantly broke into hushed murmurs and whistles.

"Pregnant right after the mark? Ryan works fast."

Ryan's expression shifted immediately.

He hurried to hold Tina steady.

"Let's see the head healer right now and get you checked out."

My mother was still lying critically ill in the recovery ward.

Yet here he was, refusing to leave Tina’s side for even a second, escorting her to the clinic.

Standing at the entrance of the herbal dispensary, I watched with my own eyes as he personally brewed her a cup of soothing tea.

His movements were so gentle, so meticulously tender, it burned my eyes.

Tina cradled her stomach, smiling softly with downcast eyes.

"I just hope the pup grows up healthy and strong."

Right in front of our pack members, Ryan proclaimed,

"Once the pup arrives, I promise to give you a proper home."

I thought that promise had nothing to do with me anymore.

Until that night, when I returned to our shared house and spotted a piece of parchment resting on the table.

*Notice of Residential Reallocation.*

It read: *In order to provide Tina with a suitable environment for her pregnancy, Emily Carter voluntarily relocates from the master bedroom.*

I held the parchment, letting out a hollow, unbroken laugh.

The building materials for that house had been bartered with supplies I personally scrimped and saved for eight long years.

Every single piece of furniture had been hauled back on my own back from human towns.

During the pack’s expansion, I handed over my entire hunting quota every single month.

The property was technically assigned under the Alpha's name, but only because Ryan insisted that, as the lead warrior, it was easier for him to file the application.

He had told me: "Emily, what's mine is yours. There's no line between us."

Now, he was drawing the line with surgical precision.

The master bedroom went to Tina.

I had to give up the very bed I slept in.

I asked, "What is the meaning of this notice?"

Ryan leaned back in his chair.

"Tina is pregnant. The master bedroom gets the best sunlight. It’s the healthiest environment for raising the pup."

I slammed the parchment onto the table right before his eyes.

"What about all the materials I saved up?"

"What about my hunting quotas?"

He scowled, clearly displeased.

"We were together for eight years. Don't make it look so petty and transactional."

Tina emerged from the kitchen carrying a cup of warm water.

She was wearing my kitchen apron, looking every bit like the lady of the house.

"Emily, please don’t worry, I won't take it for free."

"I can share eight hundred pounds of my game ration with you every month. Would that be okay?"

A hysterical laugh caught in my throat.

"Eight hundred pounds?"

"Are you out of your damn mind?"

I ripped the notice to shreds.

Ryan instantly gripped my wrist with bruising force.

"If you keep acting out like this, I'll have no choice but to cut off your mother's medicinal supplies."

I snapped my head up to look at him.

He pressed on, completely callous:

"After all, her treatment schedule doesn't necessarily have to be arranged by me."

The house went dead quiet.

Tina stopped crying.

She stood behind Ryan, looking down at me.

Her expression was perfectly obedient.

And undeniably smug.

Slowly, deliberately, I pulled my wrist free from his grip.

"Ryan, are you threatening me with my mother’s life?"

He averted his eyes.

"I just want you to calm down."

I nodded slowly.

"Fine."

"I'll be so calm that you'll regret every single breath you take."

The next morning, I showed up at the herbal dispensary as usual.

The very first thing I did was gather every single supply record I had allocated to Ryan over the years.

That included the life-saving herbs I risked my life to harvest alone in the treacherous northern forbidden zone when his father was mortally wounded—the time I was nearly bitten by a venomous serpent and burned with a high fever for three days straight.

I also pulled up every SnapChat log where he promised to handle my mother's medical care on my behalf.

I systematically copied and backed up every single file.

Ryan sent a mind link:

*Don't make this a bigger scene than it needs to be. Come home tonight, and we’ll talk.*

I didn't bother to reply.

At ten in the morning, Tina appeared at the dispensary counter.

She slid a stained cloth towards me.

"Emily, I'm pregnant. Could you run the test to confirm it for me?"

The entire dispensary fell pin-drop quiet.

I kept my voice purely professional. "Sign the register, take a number, and wait for the official healer to process it."

Tina's eyes welled with tears.

"Are you still holding a grudge against me?"

I pushed the cloth straight back across the counter.

"This is a pack medical dispensary, not your personal living room."

Biting her lower lip, she turned and left.

To protect myself from any accusations of tampering, I handed the sample directly to the head healer for testing, recording every step in the log.

By noon, the official results were out.

She wasn't pregnant at all!