Chapter 3

Alpha placed the swaddled baby in the cradle beside my bed and then slipped out without a sound.

From start to finish, he didn't spare me a glance while I was sleeping in bed.

Blood still seeped under me, and I had only managed to recover a little strength, but my mind was clear.

I steadied my breath, forcing myself to pull back whatever energy I could muster.

After lying there for a longer moment, I slowly propped myself up and gripped the edge of the bed to stand.

After my legs stopped feeling completely weak and I got a bit of strength back, I forced myself to walk over to the cradle and gazed at the baby inside.

This wasn't my pup. I saw him being swapped in front of me.

When my baby was born, I got a look. He was bigger than this one, and his cries were strong. This was clearly smaller.

I picked up the baby and gently eased the door open. In case anyone found out, I had the knockout drops I'd prepared earlier tucked in my arms.

It was late, and the night was silent, with only a few raindrops falling now and then.

Step by step, I headed toward Lia's room. Luckily, Alpha had arranged for her to stay close to our bedchamber.

I wasn't wearing any shoes, only the socks the midwife had slipped onto my feet, and I walked over the wet ground.

Along the way, I came across some night guards and sprinkled knockout drops on every one of them.

Lia's courtyard gate was left slightly ajar, and the maid on night watch was fast asleep. I made sure she'd stay out cold with my knockout drops.

I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dim, lit by only one lamp.

Lia was lying in bed, sound asleep.

I still couldn't take any chances, so I sprinkled the knockout drops on her before heading over to the cradle.

Before I blacked out after giving birth, I heard the midwife mention that my baby had a red birthmark on the sole of his left foot.

I checked under the dim light and saw that this was truly my child.

I switched the babies back, placed Lia's child in the cradle, and then returned to my bedchamber the same way I came.

I put my pup back in the cradle, kicked off my wet socks, and tossed them into the brazier.

No one noticed me from start to finish.

It wasn't long before it started raining again, washing away any sign I'd been there.

*****

The next day, Alpha came to check on me.

He was beaming. "Luna, you've been through so much. This is our first child, a handsome little prince. I've decided to name him Lucas. What do you think?"

"Lucas. That's a good name." I settled back against the pillow. I was amazed at how composed I seemed.

He lingered by the cradle for a while, sharing every detail he noticed about the baby. "Lucas has such beautiful eyes. His cries are so loud."

His eyes were full of joy at having a son, and his pride was so overwhelming it felt like the whole room could barely contain it.

Alpha thought the baby in the cradle was Lia's.

He believed he'd gotten away with it completely, unaware I was right on his heels. His scheme amounted to nothing.

I wasn't about to expose him. Instead, I'd let him think his plan was flawless and bask in his so-called success.

A polite smile crossed my face, and I didn't respond to what he said.

"It's quite a coincidence. You and Lia both had boys. She asked me to name hers, so I chose the name Alphons," he said.

"Okay," I replied.

"The two babies are only a few days apart. Lucas is our son, and he'll be raised to become the next Alpha. Alphons will be his guardian." He looked at me, waiting for my response.

I gave him a satisfied smile. "As you wish, Alpha."

He nodded contentedly, said a few more words about getting some rest, and left.

After his footsteps faded away, I had the maid bring the baby to me. I gazed down at his chubby cheeks.

"Lucas," I whispered.

As if he could feel my presence, his fingers twitched and curled around my fingertip.

In our werewolf world, mates were each other's one and only. Once marked, we'd be bound together for life.

I had no clue how Alpha managed to break the bond and hook up with Lia.

All I knew was that if a werewolf wanted to be with someone besides their mate, they'd have to use witchcraft to lift the ban. The process was gut-wrenching.

As Alpha, he couldn't openly mate with a witch, so he had to do it behind everyone's back.

I wondered whether they were that close.

I closed my eyes, finally letting go of my ridiculous dream.

I had to admit that my mate didn't care for me, both deep down and on the surface.

Even the wolves' fierce mating bond couldn't stop him from chasing after what he really wanted.

In this case, it was time to start settling the score, little by little.