Chapter 1 Chapter 1

My mate, Charalambos, was sent to Noctis City, the capital city, for Alpha training. My stepsister, Francesca, went with him. He said no at first, but she clung to him relentlessly. In the end, he caved and agreed to let her tag along. No one told me a thing. It wasn't until I started receiving photos on my phone of Charalambos and Francesca kissing that I found out. One time, I called him on video. The screen was dark, but the audio came through loud and clear. There were unmistakable moans and breathy voices. Yet, our mate bond didn't alert me to any of this. I felt no betrayal. There wasn't even a flicker of doubt. Only when I finally confronted him did he admit she'd been with him this entire time. I was furious. Three years ago, Francesca made me fall, and I lost our pup. I was six months with pup. After the incident, Charalambos was so enraged he cast her out of the Nightshade Pack, forbidding her from ever returning. Who would've thought he'd let her back in his life as his assistant for three full years? During those three years, he kept reassuring me through our mind-link. "You're the only one for me. Just wait for me, baby. I'll come home to you." But the day he returned to the pack, Francesca came walking in right behind him. She had been with pup for five months. She clung to his arm with a smug, victorious smile on her face. I looked at him in disappointment. "Charalambos, you betrayed me," I said softly. He looked at me apologetically. Guilt was written all over his face. "I'm sorry. I've only ever loved you. Once the pup comes, you can raise it." I clenched my fists, and my nails dug into my palms. In the end, he did cheat. The mate bond never warned me over the past three years. It was probably because he deliberately blocked our mind-link. I still couldn't believe he'd gotten together with the woman who killed our pup. I had waited for three years. So I made up my mind to sever our mate bond. "Charalambos, I'm going to reject you," I said coldly. His eyes went wide as he shot to his feet. "I don't accept it.""Francine, don't do this," he pleaded. "This isn't a game. You know how much I love you. I didn't have a choice! I did this for you. It was just so you could have a pup. That's the only way to secure your place as Luna."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

It was a pathetic excuse. "Charalambos, you know damn well it was Francesca who caused me to lose our pup. I can never be with pup again because of her. Do you expect me to forgive her and share my mate with her? There's no way. "If you won't accept the rejection, then I'll go to the Alpha King myself and have him sever our mate bond." I yanked my hand away and refused to look at him. "That's not happening!" Charalambos raised his voice. "The pup is gone. What's done is done! Francesca already paid the price. Stop clinging to the past." I couldn't believe he was defending her. Francesca leaned into him dramatically, resting her entire body against his as if she were weak. She then looked at me with wide, pitiful eyes. "Francine, don't be mad. I know I messed up back then. Can't you just forgive me? "If it'll make you feel better, I'll-" Francesca hesitated. Her eyes darted around. She then grabbed the knife from the table and pointed it toward her stomach. "I'll end it. I'll die to make it right!" But Charalambos moved fast. He snatched the knife from her and yelled, "Stop it! This is madness!" He then turned to me. There wasn't even a trace of guilt in his eyes, only frustration and irritation. "Francine, Francesca is your sister. Can't you be the bigger person? "You can't be with pup, and she's doing it for you. You share blood. It's the same! "As the future Alpha of the Nightshade Pack, I need an heir. This pup that Francesca worked so hard to have is for you. You should be grateful." I chuckled coldly. My heart felt numb. To him, my pup dying was just a tragedy to move past. He could always have another. But to me? That was my only pup. When he died, he took a part of me with him. I could never raise another woman's pup as my own. I opened my mouth to say something, but Francesca suddenly cried out. "Ahh! My stomach hurts!" Without hesitation, Charalambos shoved me aside and rushed to her, lifting her into his arms and running for the hospital. He pushed me so hard I hit the ground. I sat there, stunned, staring at their backs as they disappeared. All I could do was laugh bitterly. Suddenly, I remembered the day I had lost our pup. Francesca and I had both fallen. Charalambos didn't even look at me. He scooped Francesca up and rushed her to the hospital. I was the one who bled out waiting for help. ... At night, I returned home. I headed to the bedroom to change clothes. But just as I got near the door, I heard a woman's seductive voice. "You're so bad." The door was slightly ajar. I pushed it open, and the sight before me made my stomach turn.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Francesca lifted her fair, delicate legs and playfully pressed her toes under Charalambos's shirt. She teasingly dragged it back and forth across his chest. Slowly, she trailed downward, circling over a very specific part of him. Charalambos swallowed hard, letting her tease him without resistance. A few seconds later, he glanced down at himself. He was already growing hard, and his expression was full of lust. He grabbed her by the waist and kissed her deeply. Their kiss turned frantic. I could hear the sound of their tongues and lips touching. "Mmm." She let out breathy moans and surrendered completely to his touch. I stood there, lips trembling, but not a single word could come out. All I could do was turn and leave. Out in the hallway, I slumped against the cold wall. Pain ripped through my chest like claws, and even my wolf howled in agony. I clenched my jaw and forced the tears to stay put. Crying over a man who betrayed me wasn't worth it. As I tried to pull myself together and walk away, my gaze accidentally landed on the bin nearby. There were torn clothes and ripped photographs. My eyes widened in shock, and I ran to dig them out with shaking hands. It was the ultrasound from my pregnancy. It was the only photo I had of my pup. I had bought those clothes while dreaming of welcoming him into the world. Seeing them shredded into pieces made something inside me snap. Burning with fury, I stormed back into the bedroom. The sight of their tangled bodies on the bed nearly blinded me with rage. "You filthy animals!" I screamed. Charalambos jumped up at the sound, scrambling to pull the blanket over Francesca and hurriedly throwing on his shirt. He rushed over to me. He grabbed my shoulders in a panic. "Francine, I was drunk! I thought she was you!" I laughed coldly. Sure, he reeked of alcohol, but he wasn't really drunk. Even if he were, it didn't matter anymore. Holding up the shredded clothes and photos, I looked him dead in the eye. "Who tore these up?" I asked.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

Without a trace of guilt, Francesca said, "Sorry, Francine. I thought those photos were unwanted, so I just threw them out. "And besides, that pup's gone. Keeping those things around is bad luck for the one I'm carrying." My tears welled up, but before I could cry, she beat me to it. "Francine, looking at those clothes and pictures only brings you pain. I did it for your own good." She had the audacity to say she did it for me. "You liar! You did it for yourself! "You destroyed those clothes and the photos. You destroyed the only memory I had left of my pup!" Furious, I stormed up to her, grabbed her wrist, and shoved the torn clothes and photos into her hand. "Fix them. Now." Francesca yanked her hand back, yelping dramatically. "Ow! Francine, what are you doing? That hurt!" Charalambos saw this and pushed me hard. My back slammed into the nightstand. A sharp pain shot through me. Shocked, I stared at Francesca. The moment I saw the way she was grimacing, it all clicked. She was trying to frame me. Charalambos rushed to check her arm with a worried look on his face. Then Francesca, without hesitation, threw the clothes and photos onto the ground. "That pup's gone. Keeping those clothes and pictures is pointless. So she tore them up and tossed them. Your jealousy is out of control. How could you hurt Francesca over something so small? She's with pup, for god's sake. Don't you realize that?" Charalambos yelled. My eyes brimmed with tears as I looked up at him. "You don't care, but I do. "Because those clothes and those photos are the only proof I have that my pup ever existed. "She tore them up on purpose! And I didn't hurt her. She's faking it!" But Francesca only cried louder, as if she were the one who had suffered the greatest injustice in the world. "Francine, I didn't mean to. You misunderstood me. "Maybe you should just get rid of the pup in my belly. Maybe then you'll finally be happy." She reached for Charalambos's arm with trembling fingers. She sounded pitiful. It worked. Charalambos felt sorry for her. "No. That pup will be born." He then turned impatiently to me and warned, "You're going to be a Luna one day. A Luna must have a child under her name. We're doing all this for you. Why are you being so unreasonable?"

Chapter 5 Chapter 5

"That's not my pup! Our pup would've been so adorable!" I cried out to Charalambos desperately. I clung to the hope that he might still have some love left for the pup we never got to meet. But he only replied coldly, "Francine, the pup's gone. Holding on to old things and grieving like this? You're just fooling yourself. "You're making a scene over nothing. What will the rest of the pack think of me? "You're being immature. Calm down, will you?" Then, right in front of me, he scooped Francesca into his arms and left. I collapsed to the floor, sobbed uncontrollably, and finally let it all out. Once the tears ran dry, I gathered the torn clothes and the shredded photos, carefully piecing them together by hand. I found glue and mended the photos. I touched them as if they were sacred relics and cradled them gently. For the first time in days, the pain in my chest eased just a little. These photos were all I had that said my pup ever existed, but Charalambos would never understand what this meant to me. Not long after, he returned. He knelt down beside me and reached out to stroke my hair. "Don't touch me!" I jerked away, unable to bear his hands on me anymore. His expression darkened. The next moment, he yanked the photos from my hands and threw them into the fireplace. The flames devoured them in seconds. I screamed and lunged forward, trying desperately to save the remnants. But he held me back, wrapping his arms around me and forcing my face toward his. He grabbed my chin and made me look into his eyes even as mine filled with tears. "Francine, our pup was never born. He's gone. He died years ago." His words cut sharper than any knife. At that moment, I saw things for what they really were. His heart wasn't big enough even for a photo. Yet he was the father! He didn't want me to hold on. He wanted me to forget, but that pup was a part of me. If I didn't remember him, then no one else would. "When Francesca has her pup, we'll raise the pup as our own." He picked me up as if to carry me back to my room. Just then, Francesca appeared at the door in a lace nightgown, her eyes pleading as she looked at Charalambos. "I had a nightmare," she said softly. "I'm scared to sleep alone. So is the pup." Charalambos frowned. He glanced at me. Clearly, he was torn. Francesca bit her lip and said in a trembling voice, "What if I get so scared I lose the pup?" That was all it took. He hesitated before gently setting me down. "Francesca isn't well. I'll stay with her for a bit. Just wait for me, okay?""There's no need. Go be with her," I replied. He sighed in relief after seeing that I wasn't upset. "I knew you'd come around." I watched as he wrapped his arms around Francesca and led her into the room. I waited all night, but he never came back. I knew he never would. Charalambos was right about one thing. Holding onto the pup's clothes and photos had been a form of denial. Even so, I'd keep my pup alive in my heart, and that would be enough.

Chapter 6 Chapter 6

Francesca used the excuse of needing rest for the pup as an excuse to move directly into our home. Neither of them made any effort to hide their affection for each other. The entire pack knew about Charalambos and Francesca, but everyone chose to look the other way. That was why I did the same. I turned a blind eye and started planning my escape. That night, just as I was about to drift off, I felt an intense ache in my chest. It felt like someone had driven a knife deep into my heart. Clutching my chest, I forced myself out of bed and staggered down the hall to Charalambos' bedroom. Through the crack in the door, I saw Charalambos holding the fully naked Francesca while they kissed. Her arms were looped around his neck, and her lips brushed against his throat as she whispered something only he could hear. Sensing a gaze on him, he started to turn, but Francesca caught his face in her hands. "Don't look. For tonight, keep your eyes on me, my wild wolf." She pulled him in for another kiss. The kiss quickly deepened, and their bodies pressed so tightly against each other it was obscene. His hands roamed freely over her, as if trying to memorize every inch of her skin. Seconds later, he pushed her down beneath him. Their bare bodies became entwined. It was hurtful to watch. Francesca arched her back eagerly. Her legs hooked around his waist. She offered herself up like a gift. Their heavy breathing and moans filled the room. Francesca turned her head toward the door and locked eyes with me. Her expression was smug. "Charalambos, who has the better body, me or Francine?" She asked. Without thinking, he answered, "Obviously you do.""Good thing we made Francine take those pills to block her mind link four years ago. Can you imagine how crushed she'd be if she felt all this?""You little temptress. Of course she can't find out. You know I love her, but you really do drive me wild!" At that moment, it wasn't just my heart that shattered. My whole body felt like it was breaking apart. Even my wolf roared in agony. It started before he ever left for Noctis City. They'd been together for four years. Francesca met my gaze with a triumphant smile. She was gloating. It turned out she had planned this all along. As they moved together in bed, my suffering only worsened. The pain in my body intensified until I was writhing on the floor helplessly. I tried to howl, but no sound came out. I didn't know what Francesca had done to me. She probably used some kind of forbidden spell on me. Inside the room, his voice echoed one last time: "You drive me crazy in bed, Francesca." I was left outside, alone and in agony, while watching them get all tangled up in bed.