Chapter 1 Chapter 1

Jacob brought Molly back while I was packing up. He looked at me with a regretful expression. “Zoey, please understand. I’m an Alpha, and I need an heir to take over my position. “She’s young, strong, and fertile. We’ve been together for years, but you did not get pregnant. After Molly gives birth, I’ll remove my mark from her, okay?” I did not reply to him, but he mistook my silence for a yes. “I knew you’d understand. You’re looking forward to the pup’s birth just like I am, right? “Once the pup is born, you can take care of him as his mother. As for Molly, I’ll give her a lot of money and send her away.” I smiled at him without saying anything. He patted my head dotingly. “Thank you for understanding. By the way, since Molly is pregnant, it’s not safe for her to stay outside, so—”“So you brought her back,” I completed the sentence before he could. Jacob noticed something and tried to gauge my reaction. “It’ll be easier for me to take care of her if she moves in…” I remained calm. “True. Let her move into my bedroom. It’s big and well-ventilated.” Jacob was delighted, but his expression froze when he saw my luggage. “Where are you going?” He frowned and grabbed my wrist. Molly walked over and got between us. She looked at Jacob with teary eyes. “Please, Zoey, don’t go. If you don’t like me and don’t want to see me, I can live in the basement!”“How could I possibly let you live in the basement?” Jacob frowned and let go of my wrist to put his hand on Molly’s shoulder. “You’re now an important member of my family!” The anxious look on Jacob’s face almost made me laugh out loud. “Then…” Molly levelled me a pitiful look before returning her attention to Jacob. He looked at me. “Alright. Move outside for the time being. Once Molly gives birth, I’ll call you back.” I picked up my luggage. When I moved past Jacob, I thought, ‘No need. This is no longer my home.’ I left without turning back. My feet took me to the nearby lake. When there was no longer anyone around me, the tears I had been holding back finally fell. This was the place where Jacob and I had pledged our love to each other. The oaths we exchanged kept replaying in my head. I just could not understand it. Only the day before, Jacob had passionately embraced me while saying that he loved me. So, how could it be that Molly was pregnant? He had broken all of his oaths and promises like they had meant nothing. Was it just to get an heir? I refused to believe it. Suddenly, I heard a faint whine. There was a hole nearby with a pup inside it. It was gaunt and weak. One of its legs was injured, so it could not even stand properly. I gently picked it up for a better look. “You don’t have a family either?” The pup did not struggle to break free. It stuck its tongue out to lick my tears away, as if it was trying to take my sorrows away. I looked at the docile pup and thought, ‘The Moon Goddess must have sent him so that I wouldn’t be alone.’ I brought the pup back to the house where I lived before I got together with Jacob. Once I started feeding the little one, it got much better. In time, its injuries healed, and it started to walk again. That night, I slept in bed with my new family. The next morning, before the sun even rose, I woke up to rapid knocking. It was Elizabeth, Jacob’s mother. Elizabeth had always thought that I was unworthy of Jacob. She not only looked down on me, but also hated me. After I opened the door, she stared at me in disdain. “Why don't you go home? Don’t you know that you still have chores to do?! You’re lazy and infertile! What on earth does Jacob see in you?!” I pulled a long face and no longer tried to win her favor by waiting on her hand and foot. “I moved out. Didn’t Jacob tell you? Besides, Molly is Jacob’s mate. Ask her to do the chores! Why did you come to me?”“Molly is pregnant! How can she do any chores?!” Elizabeth rolled her eyes at me. “Seriously, spoken like someone who has never given birth before. You have no idea how it feels like to be pregnant!” I gnashed my teeth. How could I not know how it felt like to be pregnant? There was once a time when I was pregnant with Jacob’s pup, but I miscarried to save him. It nearly cost me my life. When I learned that I could no longer get pregnant, I bawled like a baby. At that time, Jacob had teared up too and held me tightly in his arms while saying that he would always love me, even if we did not have any pups. I believed him, but he had lied. Tears came unbidden, but I held them back. I no longer wanted to have any more interactions with Elizabeth. But Molly suddenly showed up and walked over while looking all pitiful and weak. “Elizabeth, don’t blame Zoey. She’s right. I should be doing the chores. “I’m not feeling that bad. I just can’t move around freely and am a little nauseous. It’s fine! I can do it—” Before she could finish, she covered her mouth and gagged. “Look at you!” Elizabeth glared at me. “Molly is feeling so sick, yet you’re still asking her to do the chores?! Don’t you have any shame?!” She shoved me angrily. As I stumbled back, the pup limped over while wagging its tail. It moved in front of me to shield me. Molly grabbed it before I could sweep it off the floor into my arms. “Who is this?!” The brief panic in Molly’s eyes was instantly replaced by joy. “He’s so cute!” She smiled gently and pressed the pup’s injured leg. The pup yelped in pain and bit Molly. “Ah! Get off me!” Molly teared up from the pain and threw the pup on the floor. I hurried over, but Jacob, who had just come in, shoved me away. “What did you do to Molly, Zoey?!”

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

“I didn’t do anything.” I met Jacob’s gaze squarely. Jacob had shoved me by pure instinct. The anger on his face was swiftly replaced by guilt. “Zoey, I—” Before he could continue, Molly clenched her hands into fists and bit down on her lip. “I’m sorry, Jacob. It’s my fault. I touched her pup without permission. That’s why it bit me…”“Whose pup did you say it was?!” Jacob yelled before shaking his head. He first looked at Molly’s palm, which was not bleeding much, then at the pup in the corner. The little one had shrunk away into a corner after being thrown aside. It was trembling and whimpering while looking at all the strangers. “Where did this brat come from?” Jacob frowned. “That brat bit Molly!” Elizabeth suddenly strode over and kicked the pup. It flew into the wall with a yelp. “What are you doing?!” I pushed her away and shielded the pup behind me before she could hurt it again. “How dare you push me?!” Elizabeth gnashed her teeth in anger and looked at Jacob. “If this brat had bitten Molly’s stomach and not her hand, what would have happened to your pup?!”“He didn’t do it on purpose!” I looked at Jacob as well. “Molly pressed on his wound, so of course he bit her! He did it in self-defense!” Molly started crying and raised her hand on purpose. Blood poured out from her wound again and flowed down her fair arm. “It was cute, so I wanted to touch it, but…” Jacob flew into a rage. He shoved me away and picked up the trembling pup. Right when he wanted to throw it out, I blocked him and snatched my pup back. “Have you forgotten, Zoey? Our pack doesn’t accept outsiders, especially pups of unknown origin, like this one.” Jacob narrowed his eyes at me. His expression and words were both cold as ice. “It’s just an injured pup. It won’t be a threat to us or the pack.”“Won’t be a threat? What a joke!” Elizabeth screeched. “It bit Molly’s hand! What if it carries some sort of virus or bacteria?! What’s going to happen to my unborn grandson, then?! “Jacob, we’re talking about your pup! Hurry up and throw that brat out, then punish Zoey! Before you came, she was asking Molly to do chores! She’s clearly jealous of Molly’s pregnancy, which is why she told the brat to hurt her!” The wolf inside me howled in rage from those ridiculous accusations. “I did not!” Jacob frowned as well. “Enough, Mom.”“Jacob, how can you continue protecting her after she abused Molly? Molly is carrying your pup!” Elizabeth then scoffed at me. “Instead of being mates with a barren one like her, it’s better to take care of your pup and your mother.” Jacob did not say anything back to Elizabeth. Instead, he turned to me. “Zoey, you’re in the wrong this time. Molly is pregnant with our pup. After she gives birth, you’ll be the pup’s mother. You should be more tolerant and accommodating and take care of her with me. It’ll be good for you too!” Elizabeth looked at Jacob in disbelief, but he stood firm. “What’s so good about Zoey that you love her so much? She’s so lucky…” she grumbled. Molly was stunned as well. She clenched her fists and glared at me with resentment and jealousy. I ignored her gaze and sneered at Jacob. “Let’s break up.” Jacob froze. Just as he was about to speak, Molly suddenly cradled her stomach and cried out, “Jacob, my stomach hurts!” He panicked and pulled Molly into an embrace to check on her. Meanwhile, Elizabeth pushed me out of the way and anxiously ordered Jacob to move. “Send her to a healer! We don’t know where the brat came from, so he might have infected her with something!” Before leaving, Jacob gave me a cold glare and snapped at me, “Throw that brat away, or else!” I understood his threat all too well. After everyone left, I bandaged the trembling pup’s injured leg. Molly had almost broken it. What a witch. “Don’t be scared. I won’t abandon you.” I held it gingerly and tried not to cry. “You’re my pup and the only family I have from now on. Once you get better, we’ll leave the pack together.” The pup seemed to have sensed my love, for it fell asleep in my arms worry free. However, when midnight came, Elizabeth suddenly barged in and disturbed our rest. “You witch! It’s all because of you that Molly went into shock!” Despite me fighting back, Elizabeth got hold of my arm and dragged me to the healer’s house while screaming all the way there. “You have to take responsibility and give your blood to Molly!” The guards pushed me into a chair and held me down. “Take her blood. No matter how much you need, it’s fine as long as my grandson lives!” Elizabeth looked at the healer, who was watching Jacob. Jacob’s forehead was covered in sweat. When he received news that Elizabeth had dragged me over, he rushed to the healer’s house as well. I pleaded with Jacob wordlessly while struggling against the guards holding me down until he gave a nod to the healer. All of my hope withered away in an instant. I stared at him fixedly. Jacob squatted down in front of me and said gently, “Zoey, Molly is in shock, and they don’t have her blood type in the blood bank. Don’t be mad. Once Molly gives birth, you’ll be the pup’s mother. Save her now, okay?”“Okay.” I held back my tears. “If you insist, I’ll give her my blood.” ‘But after this, we’re done,’ I thought while holding his gaze.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Jacob scowled like he was greatly troubled. Another healer suddenly barged in and shouted anxiously, “Alpha, Luna Molly has lost too much blood! She needs a blood transfusion right now!” The troubled expression vanished from Jacob’s face, and he turned to me. “Zoey, your wolf is really strong, so you’ll be fine. Please save my pup, okay?”“Take her blood! Stop wasting time!” Elizabeth screeched. The healer looked at me hesitantly. I held back the tears that were threatening to spill out and raised my arm. “Take it. This is the last thing I will do for Jacob and Molly.” After this, I would have nothing to do with Jacob anymore. This was me returning all of the love and devotion he gave me over the past five years. Jacob was stunned. He frowned while staring at me. “Take her blood! What are you waiting for? Save my grandson!” Elizabeth screeched again. Her words removed all of Jacob’s uncertainty. I turned my head away and shut my eyes as I felt the needle pierce my vein. Unnoticed by anyone, one last tear for Jacob slid down my cheek. The blood bag soon filled up. But Elizabeth continued screeching, “Take more! One bag isn’t enough! Take more as backup for my grandson!” Troubled, the healer said, “Ma’am, if we take more, Zoey won’t be able to handle it.”“Mom, that’s enough! One bag is enough.” Jacob gave me a worried look before he glared at his mother. “Enough? If she hadn’t brought that brat back, Molly wouldn’t have gone into shock! Did you forget that Molly’s carrying your pup? “Zoey’s a barren woman! All that’s useful about her is her blood!” Jacob clenched his hands into fists and said nothing else. He walked over to me and caressed my pale face. “I’ll make it up to you, honey.” I turned my head away. I did not fight back nor say anything. The moment he turned around, I felt my heart die. The second bag of blood filled up as quickly as the first, and my strength slowly faded away. When they brought the third bag, I started trembling, and my breathing quickened. Even my vision started turning black. I focused on the pup they had brought along and told myself that I could not faint. The little one was waiting for me to bring him back home. But the moment the third bag filled, my vision turned black, and I fainted. “Zoey!” Jacob cried out anxiously, but I did not hear him. When I opened my eyes again, the pup and I were the only ones left in the treatment room. I struggled to push myself up and pick him up so that we could go home. A few steps away, I saw Jacob sitting beside Molly’s bed in the treatment room across from mine as he whispered, “Thank goodness you’re both okay.” Molly’s face was red. It was a stark contrast from my pale face. I put a hand over my aching heart. I had no wish to see any more of it. As I was turning away from them, I saw a disheveled Elizabeth. She looked like she had fought some animal and lost. When she saw me, she cried out in joy, “I told Jacob that you’d wake up soon, but he refused to believe me! “Since you’re awake, go hunting! The healer said that Molly needs protein, and she loves wild boar—”“I fainted from loss of blood, and you want me to go out hunting?”“What else? It was just a bit of blood, and you didn’t die from it, did you?! You’re strong! You’ve already recovered from it!” Elizabeth’s piercing voice caught Jacob’s attention. When he walked over, Elizabeth immediately started wailing, “Jacob, are you still going to ask your poor mother to hunt wild boars?” Jacob gave me a troubled look. “Zoey, my mother can’t do it, and I need to keep Molly company… If you’re feeling sick, why don’t you go after taking a rest?” I said nothing and just kept staring at Jacob, who was looking increasingly guiltier. When I still did not move, Elizabeth yelled, “Why does she need any rest?! She’s just putting on an act because she doesn’t want to do it! Go unless you want me to drag you out!” She stabbed me with her finger as if it was a knife. “If you don’t go, I’ll take that brat you adopted and turn him into a stew for Molly! He’s made of meat too!” Jacob frowned, but did not stop her. I could not see his love for me at all. I blinked away my tears and said hoarsely, “Alright, I’ll go.” I picked up the pup and shuffled toward the door. “Zoey…” Jacob’s pained voice came from behind me. I did not turn around. I was never going to turn around again.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Even if my wolf was strong, my body was weak from blood loss, and every step I took toward the forest was incredibly difficult. The pup limped after me. It seemed to have sensed just how weak I was, since he nuzzled against my ankle as if it wanted to give me some strength. I looked at it and said gently, “I’m fine. If I manage to hunt down a wild boar, I’ll give you its blood so that you can recover a bit of your strength too.” The pup gave a little yip as if he understood. Soon after, a sounder of wild boars in the distance smelled my scent. They did not run away in fear. The leader seemed to have sensed my fragility. Before I could turn into a wolf, it charged wildly at us with its sharp tusks held low. I used whatever strength I had left to turn into a wolf, but my aching limbs told me that I could not; I was too weak. “Careful!” My hands moved on their own as they grabbed the pup, and I turned my back to the charging boar to protect the little one. Just as a tusk pierced my shoulder, I gritted my teeth and used all of my remaining strength to pull out the dagger at my waist to stab into the creature’s heart. I did not miss. The leader screeched in pain and swung its body around to fling me off. Then, it collapsed with a loud thud. The other wild boars disappeared in all directions. With much difficulty, I managed to land on my feet, but the wound on my shoulder kept on bleeding. I could not hold on and collapsed on the ground. My consciousness faded away again. The pup whined and did his best to crawl out of Zoey’s embrace. He licked away the dirt on her face to wake her up, but she did not move, and the pup howled toward the sky in grief. Footsteps sounded from the forest. The pup sniffed at the air before it ran further inside. “Alpha Mike!” A male werewolf saw the pup limping toward him and cried out in delight to the packmates behind him. “It’s the lost pup! We found it!” When Mike, an Alpha of another pack, saw the pup’s injured leg, he frowned. “Someone’s bandaged his leg.” The pup whined and bit down on Mike’s robe before tugging him along. “I think he wants you to follow him…”“Let’s go.” The pup barked and brought them to Zoey’s side. When they saw the dead boar beside her, the male werewolves were shocked. “Did she kill the leader of the wild boars by herself?”“She’s hurt and unconscious. Her breathing is also really weak. We have to bring her back to camp to treat her.” At Mike’s orders, the werewolves quickly picked Zoey and the pup up, then vanished into the dark forest. … At that moment, Elizabeth was pacing up and down in Molly’s room. “Where did Zoey run off to?! She knows that you need food, yet she’s not back despite the sun already setting!” Molly caressed her belly and turned to the silent Jacob. “It’s fine, Jacob. If hunting wild boars is too hard, I’m fine with mutton…”“That won’t do! You’re pregnant! She should bring whatever you want to eat!” Elizabeth screeched. “She should have returned a few hours ago! She must have run off somewhere to be a lazy bum or is only going to come back after she fills the stomachs of both her and that brat!” Her words received no reaction. She followed Molly’s line of sight toward Jacob. He still had not said anything. He was staring at the forest outside with a scowl. “Are you worried about Zoey? What’s so good about that wicked woman?”“I should have insisted on her resting before going. She was weak, and it was already dark outside…” Elizabeth scoffed and mumbled, “So? She can’t get pregnant. It’d be better if she died. You could then raise your pup with Molly.”“Mom!” Jacob snapped at Elizabeth. “I told you that my mate is Zoey, regardless of whether you like it or not! My pup will also only accept her as her mother!” The atmosphere turned awkward. Elizabeth cowered and said nothing else, since she had never seen Jacob this angry before. Molly gnashed her teeth and gave Jacob a pitiful look. “Jacob, I’m a little hungry. Could you give me some mushroom soup?” Jacob picked up the mushroom soup bowl next to him with a dark expression. The room descended into deafening silence until a patrolman stumbled in. “Alpha!” he cried out anxiously. “We found tracks of intruders near the wild boar area! “They didn’t seem hostile, but they took a female werewolf away with them. It was… Zoey.” Jacob’s hand froze, and the bowl fell on the floor. The mushroom soup spilled all over the place. “What did you say?!” he roared. The patrolman did not dare to look into Jacob’s eyes. He shrank back into himself and delivered an even worse piece of news. “Zoey… seemed dead.”