Chapter 3

Over the following days, Jason stayed home drowning his sorrows in liquor, while I quietly tracked the movement of pack provisions behind his back. Today, Jason didn't touch a drop of alcohol and slipped out early in the morning. A report came back from my informant—he had secretly hoarded a hidden stash of game and medicinal herbs. Armed with evidence, I waited for him to return so I could corner him.

That afternoon, Jason came home, his voice brimming with excitement. "Sarah, I found a way to resolve the pack's crisis!" His cheerful tone cut off the words I was about to say. "A distant cousin of mine was killed in an ambush while on patrol, leaving behind a widow and an orphan. Lisa can't afford to raise the boy alone, and she's willing to let us adopt him."

"Oh, that's wonderful! Little Ethan shares our bloodline anyway, so it counts as continuing the family line!" Margaret exclaimed from the side, beaming with joy.

Ethan? That name triggered a memory. "What is your cousin's widow's name?"

"Lisa."

A cold smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. Lisa—the exact mother listed on the pup registry.

"Sarah, what do you think? We adopt the boy, host a family gathering, and solve the pack's crisis first. If we have our own biological child later, the pack will still be passed down to our child."

"Sure," I nodded. A family gathering, is it? The more people, the livelier the show. I gripped the evidence hidden inside my sleeve.

The day before the gathering, Jason brought the widow and orphan home. The moment Lisa walked through the door, she yanked the boy down to kneel. "Quick, kneel before your aunt. Thanks to her adopting you, she will be your new mother from now on."

"I won't kneel! I don't want a new mommy!" Ethan screamed, lunging forward and clawing at me, raking sharp scratches across my arm.

Jason was too busy helping Lisa up to care. "Sarah, Lisa is giving you her child. Even if you aren't grateful, how could you let her kneel like that?"

Lisa leaned delicately against Jason's chest. "It's fine, Jason. As long as you both treat Ethan well, that's all that matters."

Caught off guard, I was shoved hard by Ethan and tumbled to the ground. With a sharp snap, the carved bone amulet on my wrist shattered into pieces—the only keepsake my late mother had left me. Seeing red, I slapped the boy across the face.

Jason immediately pulled Ethan behind him. "Sarah! Are you out of your mind? Why are you picking a fight with a child?!"

"He broke the bone amulet my mother left me!"

A brief flicker of guilt crossed his eyes, but it vanished instantly. "It's just an amulet! I'll find you an identical one in a few days!" Jason brushed it off dismissively and turned right back to inspect Ethan’s cheek. He had completely forgotten that on the day of our mating ceremony, he had held that very amulet and sworn to protect me on my mother's behalf for the rest of my life.

During dinner, Ethan scooped all the best meat into his own bowl and deliberately spat into my plate. Jason and Margaret acted as if they saw nothing, dining together like a tight-knit family of four, while I sat there like an unwanted ghost.

After dinner, Jason approached me with a document in hand. "Sarah, to process Ethan's pack induction, we need the deed to the hunting grounds under your name as proof of status. Sign here so we can wrap this up quickly." I took the parchment and moved to flip to the front, but Jason pressed his hand down over mine. "Sarah, don't you trust me? Just sign it."

In the past, I never doubted a single thing he did. But now...

"Are you certain this document is only for proving status for his adoption?" I asked loudly.

"Don't worry, Sarah. When have I ever lied to you?"

Watching him treat the paper like a prized treasure, I lowered my head and memorized the look on his face. Later that afternoon, when I checked, the document had already been carefully stashed away by him.

That night, Ethan threw a tantrum, crying that he wanted to sleep with Jason. Jason turned to me with an apologetic expression. "Sarah, Ethan is still young. Could you sleep on the floor for just one night? Just tonight." Before he could finish, I turned and walked away. That bed disgusted me anyway.

Waking in the middle of the night, I overheard Jason and Lisa whispering in the adjacent tent.

"Jason, when can we finally be together out in the open?"

"Soon. The supplies are almost completely transferred. Once the family gathering is over and I secure the hunting grounds, we can kick her out," Jason chuckled under his breath. "My mom can't wait either. She's been dying to openly spoil her grandson."

I clenched my fists in the dark. If that was their game, they had only themselves to blame for what was coming.