Chapter 2

Packing was quick, fitting everything into a single suitcase. As I went downstairs, I saw Shepherd lounging on the sofa, his expression inscrutable, his broad frame dominating the space. His Alpha aura was suffocating, as it always was, but I had long since stopped being intimidated by it.

Ignoring him, I poured myself a glass of water and grabbed my stomach meds before approaching him. Suddenly, he jumped up and slapped me hard, the sound echoing through the room.

“Luna Brinley, you’ve crossed the line!” he barked, his Alpha tone sharp and commanding.

“Who gave you the right to show our mate rejection papers to them?”

“I’ve told you countless times, they’re just flings. They don’t threaten your position as Luna. Once I’m done, I’ll come back to you. Why are you overreacting?”

“People like us all have a few friends on the side, even your father…” His words cut deep, and I fixed him with an icy stare, refusing to let him see how much it hurt.

His tone softened as he closed the distance and enfolded me in his arms, his strength impossible to resist. “Besides, I’ve been faithful to you during our mating. Can’t you feel my love?”

“Luna, I promise, after this, I’ll be committed to you for the rest of my life.”

Years ago, this smooth talker, the Alpha of the Larson Pack, pursued me relentlessly for three years, swearing I’d be his one true mate, promising to protect me and my family at all costs. He’d even used his Alpha command to ensure my compliance back then.

I believed him.

Now, those promises are empty echoes. When did trust begin to crumble?

Was it when his mistresses first disappeared, and he openly proclaimed his affection for them using my pack account, making me the butt of jokes among the pack?

The next day, the pack gossips besieged me. I stood alone, disoriented in the glare of their judgmental stares.

Was it on our anniversary, when he abandoned me for a thrill-seeking adventure with his Deltas, while I faced his family’s accusations for not caring about his safety?

Was it during his getaway with the mistresses, when I sent 101 unanswered mind links, begging for his attention?

Was it when he forced me to donate blood because my type matched one of theirs, resulting in the loss of our barely-formed pup, and then blamed me for not saving the child?

Was it the day before he handed me the rejection papers, when he redirected all pack healers to care for the mistresses, leaving my mother to pass away unattended?

I shuddered, drenched in water, my clothes soaking wet.

He still held me, but the scent on him was one I didn’t recognize, an unfamiliar floral fragrance clinging to his skin—something that wasn’t mine.

Turning away, I noticed a series of numbers tattooed near his collarbone—it was the mistresses’ birthdays, which also happened to be the anniversary of my mother’s death.

Recalling my mother’s last words, I quietly extricated myself from his embrace.

He pressed a deed to a pack estate into my hands. “They love this house. You should vacate.”

I accepted the deed, whispering softly, “Okay.”

I handed him the medication.

Shepherd’s gaze softened, and he reached for my hand. “Luna Brinley…”

A chilling scream pierced the air from outside.

It was Buddy, my wolf companion.

Panicked, I rushed out.

There, Calliope and Noemi, two of his Deltas, were viciously kicking Buddy, who lay barely conscious on the ground.

I shoved them aside, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Buddy, Buddy!”

Despite his weakening state, my little friend tried to wag his tail at me.

Calliope and Noemi watched with smug expressions.

“Oh, it’s your wolf? We thought a rogue had wandered into our territory.”

“Why haven’t you left yet? Didn’t Alpha Shepherd tell you?”

I stood up and slapped Calliope hard, and the next moment, she slapped me right back…