Chapter 2

Clara lay against my lap, her little hands clutching my clothes as she looked around.

Karen had said this morning he'd be out all night entertaining clients and couldn't come home.

But our daughter kept insisting she wanted to find Daddy and surprise him, so I pulled some strings to get VIP access and quietly brought her here.

The banquet hall's crystal chandeliers were dazzling. Everyone here belonged to the upper echelons of werewolf society.

I had just sat down with Clara when the Omega next to us turned and smiled, offering Clara a macaron.

"What a beautiful little girl, like a little angel."

Lena smiled warmly. As she raised her hand, the diamond-encrusted wolf-head brooch on her dress collar sparkled brilliantly.

"My man loves children too. He always says he wants us to have one as sweet as your baby."

I blocked her hand offering the macaron, my gaze falling on the brooch.

"That's a White Pack custom piece, isn't it? I feel like I've seen it somewhere."

"You have a good eye." She deliberately straightened up, making the brooch more visible, unable to hide the pride in her voice.

"My mate gave this to me. He said it's an exclusive piece only top-tier Alphas can get. You can't buy it anywhere no matter how much money you have.

I actually thought it was too showy, but he insisted I wear it, saying only I'm worthy of it."

My fingertips turned white from gripping so hard, though my expression remained unchanged:

"White Pack custom pieces are only given to Alphas recognized by the clan. Your mate is quite generous."

This brooch was given to Karen by my father personally when he ascended to the Alpha position.

Years ago, when Black Pack's old Alpha stepped down,

it was my father who used his connections with the Elder Council to push Karen into the Alpha position.

Since our marriage, although Karen was nominally the one in power at Black Pack,

most of Black Pack's resources still relied on White Pack connections.

Obviously his Omega lover didn't understand these inside details.

"Of course, he's always generous with me."

She tossed her hair, revealing a moonstone wolf-tail bracelet on her wrist.

The milky white glow stood out especially under the crystal lights.

"Like this bracelet—he specially gave it to me last Valentine's Day.

He said it's a Black Pack heirloom, only given to the Pack's Luna. I've worn it for almost a year and haven't wanted to take it off."

My breathing stopped for half a second. This was what Karen had personally put on my wrist when we got married, saying it was a testament to our love.

Half a year ago Karen said he accidentally lost this bracelet when we moved, and I'd felt regretful for so long.

Turns out he gave it to his mistress.

"And he's given me more than just these." Lena raised her right hand. The pink diamond's brilliance hurt my eyes under the cruise ship lighting. "This is what he gave me for my birthday last year. A pink diamond this large is very hard to find."

I grabbed Lena's wrist and examined it carefully.

This was the pink diamond I'd bought at auction for forty million dollars. Karen actually dared to steal my things and give them to his mistress!

"Mommy!" Clara suddenly tugged at my sleeve, her childish voice clear. "You're hurting that lady."

I saw Lena's twisted expression and released her wrist.

The day the pink diamond went missing, I searched the entire house and couldn't find it. Finally Karen had held me and laughed, saying:

"Don't be upset. I'll buy you an even better one."

At the time I'd thought Karen was so considerate, that I really hadn't married the wrong person.

Now thinking back, I just felt Karen was hypocritical to the extreme.

I suppressed the urge to retch and tightly gripped Clara's hand.

"Are you feeling unwell?" Lena finally noticed something was wrong with me.

"A bit of low blood sugar." I forced a smile and took the water a server handed me.

"When did you and your mate meet?"