Blood streamed down my forehead instantly, blurring my vision.
Selene Crowvale looked at me with contempt, her expression triumphant and scornful.
Fenris Blackwood stopped his hand and spoke coldly, "Lyra, as long as you swear to treat this pup well from now on, and publicly acknowledge that you begged Selene to carry it for you, we'll forget what happened today."
I stared blankly at Fenris Blackwood. All my grievances and fury erupted in that moment. I grabbed the teacup from the table and hurled it at him.
"Fenris Blackwood, you're shameless!"
With a crash, a body crumpled softly into Fenris Blackwood's arms. Blood trickled down Selene Crowvale's forehead.
"Fenris, this time I finally shielded you."
"Back then, I betrayed our love, but I had no choice. Fenris, thank you for always loving me."
Fenris Blackwood's face changed drastically. Then he kicked me hard in the stomach, sending me flying two meters away.
"Lyra Ashenmoon, you're seeking death. How dare you hurt Selene."
I laughed bitterly, curled up on the ground. I heard the Pack Matriarch's startled cries and Fenris Blackwood's anxious voice. Wave after wave of sharp pain tore through my belly. Blood ran down my thighs.
What a happy, harmonious family they made. Too bad I wasn't part of it.
Fenris Blackwood's worried figure vanished through the doorway. He didn't look back at me once.
I gathered my last bit of strength and made a call.
"Master, I'm willing to join the sanctuary research. I'm never coming back."
"Good. I'll send someone to get you right away."
A rush of hot fluid poured out of me, and I collapsed to the ground.
When I opened my eyes again, I was lying in a healer's bed. A healer's assistant was adjusting the herb-infusion tubes.
"How could you be so careless? Such a pity about those twin pups. They were only a moon old."
I stared at her in shock and sat up abruptly.
"What... what did you say?"
"You were carrying twin pups. Because of the external force, you lost them. How could you let this happen?"
The assistant shook her head with regret and continued explaining the healer's instructions.
I didn't hear another word. My hand moved gently to my lower belly. Tears fell one by one from my cheeks onto the back of my hand.
So there had been two little pups here. They had come with such joy, but when they saw what a useless mother they had, they left in disappointment.
"Little ones, I'm sorry. Your mother was too weak. Never again. I'm so sorry."
I walked out of the room with empty eyes. I took the bond-severance documents in my hand and easily found the private healing chamber.
Watching Fenris Blackwood tenderly help Selene Crowvale drink water, I felt no sadness or grief in my heart.
I simply threw the bond-severance documents at them calmly.
"Fenris Blackwood, sign it. Otherwise your pup will forever be a bastard that can never see the light."
Before Fenris Blackwood could speak, Selene Crowvale jumped up and slapped me across the face.
"Shut up! Who's a bastard?"
"Lyra Ashenmoon, let me tell you something. The one who isn't loved is the other woman. Fenris didn't even want to have pups with you. What right do you have to stand here pretending to be his true mate?"
She grabbed my collar and whispered quickly in my ear.
"Fenris said you're nothing but lowborn trash raised on scraps. How could the Blackwood bloodline ever mix with your inferior blood?"
"Fenris doesn't dislike pups. He just doesn't want them with you. Every time he was intimate with you, he imagined he'd hired a common pleasure-house omega."
I looked coldly at Fenris Blackwood. I curved my lips slightly, then suddenly slapped Selene Crowvale across the face.
"Fine, I'm a pleasure-house omega. And you found yourself a client who's been used by one. You really think you're something special."
Selene Crowvale let out a sharp scream and collapsed immediately.
My forehead slammed against the edge of the healing den's stone ledge with a sickening crack. Blood poured from the wound, warm and thick, dripping down my face.
Fenris Blackwood's expression shifted into something terrifying. He kicked me again, sending me sprawling across the cold floor. His voice erupted in pure rage, echoing off the chamber walls.
"Lyra Ashenmoon, you just had to come here and attack her. You won't rest until Xiaoyu is dead, will you?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but the searing pain stole my voice completely.
Fenris gathered me up in his arms and stormed out of the room, his grip bruising.
The wolves who had gathered in the corridor whispered among themselves, their voices carrying clearly to my heightened senses.
"The Alpha's mate is completely feral. Barging into a healing chamber to attack someone."
"Well, she's been bound to the Blackwood Pack for ten years without producing a single pup. Now that another female carries the Alpha's heir and threatens her position, of course she's lost her mind."
A healer's assistant arrived and looked at me with pity in her eyes. She helped me back to my own recovery chamber.
I had barely settled onto the bed when a group of pack enforcers filed in, their expressions stern.
"Are you Lyra Ashenmoon? Someone has filed a formal grievance claiming you attacked a pregnant Omega. You need to come with us for questioning before the Pack Council."
I lifted my head, my voice hollow. "Was it Fenris Blackwood who filed the complaint?"
The lead enforcer nodded.
I swallowed the metallic taste of blood in my throat and forced my trembling body to follow them.
