Chapter 2

Kamden Ross’s furious glare bore into me, his Alpha aura pressing down like a weight I couldn’t escape. Even if I told him the truth, I knew he wouldn’t believe me. Not now, not after everything that had happened.

“My son, his name is Micah Ross. He’s not some illegitimate child because you are his father!” I said, my voice trembling but firm.

I picked up Micah’s hospital wristband and held it out to Kamden, hoping that, for the sake of his own flesh and blood, he might set aside his anger toward me, even for a moment.

But Estelle Alexander, the daughter of a powerful Alpha and Kamden’s current mate, snatched the wristband from my hand before he could take it. She raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a smirk.

“Ellis, you’ve been plotting this for a long time, haven’t you?” she said, her tone dripping with condescension.

Kamden didn’t even glance at the wristband. Instead, he sneered, his Alpha tone cutting through the air like a blade. “You’re shameless. Just changing a kid’s last name doesn’t make him mine.”

He turned to Estelle, his expression softening as he pulled her close. “Sweetheart, even though forty thousand dollars might not be much, I’d rather buy you a handbag than give a dime to this woman to save her illegitimate child.”

Estelle blinked at me, her eyes gleaming with triumph. Beneath her sweet facade, I could see the fierce determination to destroy me. “Back then, you betrayed Alpha Kamden, and now, for money, you change your child’s last name to deceive us. It’s truly despicable.”

She paused, her voice softening as if she were the voice of reason. “But the child is innocent, and saving him isn’t out of the question. Alpha Kamden suffered so much because of you, and my heart aches for him. Unless you kneel and apologize to him, there’s no forgiving you.”

My blood ran cold as I looked past Estelle, searching Kamden’s face. Did he really despise me enough to trample on my dignity like this?

“I defer to my mate’s judgment,” Kamden said, avoiding my eyes and softly gazing at Estelle.

I bit my lip. This was Micah’s last chance. At this moment, my pride and grievances meant nothing. Tears welled up as I bent my knees and knelt before them.

“Alpha Kamden, Luna Estelle, it was all my fault back then. I left Alpha Kamden when he was gravely ill and even had a child with another man,” I said, my voice breaking. “I deserve everything, but I beg you to spare my child. If there’s any justice, let it punish me instead.”

I was about to continue when Kamden abruptly cut me off. “Enough!” he barked, his Alpha tone reverberating through the room.

Even Estelle flinched at his sudden outburst. Kamden’s face darkened as he muttered, “I don’t want to see my ex-mate making a scene here. Seeing her just drags me back to unpleasant memories.”

Estelle obediently nodded, wrapping her arm around Kamden’s. “Alpha, let’s not stay here then. The limited edition sports car I ordered has arrived. Will you come with me to pick it up?” she asked, her voice sweet and coaxing. “A six-hundred-thousand-dollar car, I’m afraid I might accidentally scratch it.”

The figure, six hundred thousand, echoed painfully in my ears. Here I was, humiliated over a forty-thousand-dollar surgery fee, while she could easily buy a car worth six hundred thousand.

As they prepared to leave, I couldn’t help but call out. “Alpha Kamden.”

He stopped, slowly turning his head to look at me. Our eyes met, and for a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something—hesitation, perhaps even regret—in his gaze.

My mind went blank for a moment. “Alpha Kamden, I’ve already knelt. Will you lend me the forty thousand?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Kamden’s expression quickly turned cold again. Without answering, he wrapped an arm around Estelle and walked away.

But less than ten minutes later, forty thousand dollars showed up in my bank account.