Chapter 1
In the fourth year of being locked in a psychiatric hospital by my husband, Emberfang Pack Alpha Airs, I finally learned to be compliant.
He came to pick me up with his pregnant mistress, Vivian.
I naturally took the bag from the mistress's hand and considerately opened the car door.
"From now on, you'll take care of Vivian. She and the baby are your family."
I nodded obediently.
After he drove my parents to their deaths, he found me two new family members.
After returning home, I woke up at five every morning to research pregnancy meal plans.
At eight o'clock sharp, I'd wake Vivian and accompany her to prenatal yoga classes.
At ten, I'd prepare snacks and listen to her and her girlfriends praise me for being such a thoughtful, useful dog.
Day after day, until Vivian gave birth to Jack.
The day they put up the new family portrait, Airs stared at the intimate trio in the photo, his voice trembling.
"Sera, why didn't you insist on being in the picture with us?"
Insist? But in the psychiatric hospital, I'd only learned how to be obedient—and how to drive sane people insane.
Hearing Airs's words clearly, I calmly wrung out the cloth in my hand.
"Airs, I don't like taking photos."
He frowned, his gaze burning into me as if trying to determine whether my words were true or false.
I quietly wiped the dust off the family portrait, adjusting the frame's position bit by bit until it was perfect.
Vivian stood on the stairs, a flash of triumph in her eyes.
She threw herself into Airs's arms and stood on her toes to kiss his lips.
"You're back! I tried putting the baby to sleep by myself today, and I actually succeeded."
Airs instinctively looked at me.
I nodded, my lips curving upward with genuine praise.
"Vivian really is amazing—she put Jack to sleep so easily."
Airs's frown deepened.
Unfortunately, I had no time to play guessing games with him—I still had a nourishing soup simmering on the stove for Vivian.
I hurried into the kitchen, put on heat-resistant gloves, and carefully carried out the soup.
Vivian sat at the dining table, her smooth legs brushing suggestively against Airs's lower body.
Airs smiled indulgently, but that smile vanished the moment he saw me.
I carefully ladled the soup into Vivian's bowl and thoughtfully let it cool.
Vivian smiled gently at me.
"Sera, you should sit down and eat too."
Airs proactively pulled out a chair and nodded softly.
"Taking care of the baby must be tiring. You should rest."
I lowered my eyes and smiled, declining.
"It's my honor to help Vivian take care of Jack. I'm not tired at all."
Vivian's lips curled with satisfaction as she clung to Airs's arm and acted coquettish.
"Sera really knows how to take care of people. Remember to give her extra pay, okay?"
I stood obediently by the dining table, remembering the last time Vivian saw Airs holding my hand and deliberately said the soup was too salty.
She'd thrown me to the edge of the pack's territory, deliberately letting wandering Rogues attack me.
In the end, my whole body was covered in wounds, and I dragged my injured leg slowly back home.
The first day back, Vivian ordered me to wash Jack's diapers.
I understood she was warning me.
Airs wasn't someone I could seduce or approach.
After dinner, Vivian pushed the leftover scraps from the soup tureen toward me.
I didn't understand her meaning and, as usual, dumped the scraps into the trash can.
Vivian suddenly cried out loudly.
"Sera, if you don't like it, you can tell me!"
"I know you haven't felt well since those Rogues attacked you, so I specially saved the rare herbs from the soup for you."
"Those are premium medicinal herbs—how could you waste them?"
Airs looked over while holding Jack, his brow slightly furrowed.
I hurriedly bent down in panic, picked the dirty, rare herbs from the trash can, and shoved them into my mouth without hesitation.
"Vivian, thank you for your generosity."
Airs rushed over with concern in his eyes, forgetting about Jack in his arms as he extended his hand toward my mouth.
"Spit it out now."