Chapter 2

Jason was the Alpha of the Crimson Pack.

I had never been allowed to touch the pack's hunting vaults.

In the early days of our mating, he still shared portions of game and fine pelts with me every month.

Ever since that woman came into the picture, he started complaining about barren lands and scarce prey.

He mortgaged the ancestral estate his mother left behind to the neighboring Stone Ridge Pack in exchange for massive shipments of supplies.

And he made me the co-signer.

Later on, claiming resources were stretched thin, he cut off the allowances meant for me and our daughter entirely.

Yet that other woman walked around draped in delicate silver jewelry and prime furs.

My daughter and I were merely the past he was gradually throwing away.

I refused to sit back and wait for slaughter.

Otherwise, the day would come when we wouldn't even have a roof over our heads.

A plan slowly took shape in my mind.

The execution went smoother than expected.

Jason's father and that woman had never formally mated back then—she was just a sidepiece.

After asking around, I tracked her down.

When I saw her in person, I was still taken aback.

She was so skin-and-bones she looked like a skeleton, and she reeked of rotting flesh—the unmistakable stench of the Moon Eclipse Curse rotting straight down to the marrow.

It seemed her life after running off with the loot hadn't been easy at all.

She sized me up, a gleam of cunning flashing in her milky, clouded eyes.

"You're Jason's mate?"

I didn't answer.

I felt nothing but sheer disgust toward this woman.

Technically, she was merely Thomas's old fling.

By law, she shared no bloodline or mating bond with Jason.

After several failed attempts by the Beta to negotiate with Jason, the Beta dumped the old hag straight at my door.

I settled her in without delay.

The moment she crossed the threshold, her dull eyes lit up.

She looked around the furnishings as if she already owned the place.

What she didn't know was that Jason hadn't set foot in this house for over six months.

Still, I took great care of her, finding healers and procuring rare herbs.

Because the best way to punish someone is to let them swallow the bitter fruit of their own making.

She thought she had been brought back to live in luxury.

She had no idea she was nothing more than a ticking bomb.

A sudden wave of unrest washed over my senses across the territory.

Jason was back.

Standing in the courtyard, he was utterly dumbfounded.

The pregnant woman was clinging to his chest, sobbing uncontrollably.

The withered woman in the wheelchair gripped the armrests, wailing at the top of her lungs.

Jason pressed his fingers hard against his temples.

Soon, a second Mind Link message hit me:

"Mia, don't think hauling this old hag back gives you leverage over me. Drop the cheap tricks. I was planning to offer you some compensation, but it looks like you don't deserve a damn thing."

The corner of my mouth curved, and I thought back:

"No rush on the compensation. First, settle your mother's herbal bills and healer fees. I itemized every single coin in the contract."

Jason flipped open the parchment, his expression curdling into a scowl.

"Late-stage Moon Eclipse Curse?"

"Aaargh!"

Next to him, Lily shrieked and jumped back.

"What did you say? Who has the Moon Eclipse Curse?"

Bingo.

That was the real reason the Beta dumped the old woman on me.

No healer was willing to take her in, and eight caretakers had already fled in terror.

The only option was to make her family watch over her in person.

Even though she wasn't blood-related to Jason, the Beta had dropped her off with a parting shot: "Deal with it yourself."

So, I had been looking forward to this day more than anyone.

"All this time, I paid for your mother's herbs and treatments out of my own pocket. It comes out to the value of a hundred prime snow-fox pelts. Pay it back soon."

Jason kicked over the stone table with a vicious crash.

Amid the shattering stone, both women screamed in unison.

The old hag in the wheelchair jerked violently, and a rank, foul puddle leaked down her legs.

Nobody dared step forward.

Catching the rancid stench, Lily bent over, gagging violently.

A moment later, she grabbed her bag and bolted outside.

Jason stormed out right behind her.