After being released from the healers’ward,I took a carriage back to the Hamilton Pack Estate.
The moon was waning,its pale light spilling over the grand manor that had once felt like home.
I entered quietly,heading straight to my chamber to gather what little still belonged to me—when I heard the faint rustle of silk,followed by a soft giggle.
Stephanie.
She stood before the mirror wearing my Luna gown.
The pearl-laced dress that my grandmother had hand-stitched on her deathbed—her final blessing to me after realizing that the Winslet Pack never cared for her true-born granddaughter.
I had worked five shifts across pack borders to buy that silk.
And now?
It hung loose on Stephanie’s frame,the front torn open,her claws gripping the fabric like a predator playing with its prey.
“Oh,sister,”she beamed,twirling.“You’re alive.Pity.I was hoping you’d die.But guess what happened last night?”
My chest tightened.I already knew.
She stepped closer,the shredded hem dragging across the marble floor.
“Alexander took me to the Moonspire Suite—you know,your favorite?The one where you spent your last birthday alone?”
Her voice dripped with false sweetness.
“He said he wanted to see the same view you adored.The same balcony where you and he first marked each other.”
My stomach twisted.That had been our place—the place where he’d first whispered“mine.”
“We left the curtains open,”she smirked.“I howled his name loud enough for the staff to hear.”
I tried not to flinch.
“Alexander said I taste sweeter,”she added,tugging at the ripped neckline.Red-purple bite marks shimmered across her skin.
“When I told him I wanted to start a family,he didn’t hesitate.Who knows?Maybe I’ll bear his heir soon.”
My hands trembled,claws threatening to unsheathe.
“You’re vile,”I whispered.
She tilted her head,feigning sympathy.
“Funny.That’s not what your husband says when he’s inside me,growling my name.Maybe I’ll give him what you couldn’t.”
Something inside me snapped.
Slap.
The sound cracked like thunder.Stephanie staggered,falling backward in shock.
“You—!”
“Lavina?”
Alexander’s voice boomed from the doorway.
He stopped dead,eyes flicking between us—Stephanie half-naked in my ruined gown,me standing rigid and furious.
Stephanie’s tears came instantly.
“I’m sorry,sister!”she sobbed.“I was just trying on your gown for a modeling campaign!It ripped—I didn’t mean it!I already stole your parents’love,but please forgive me!I can’t bear this guilt—I’ll just die!”
Before I could react,she grabbed a fruit knife from the table.
“Stop,”Alexander barked,snatching it away.She twisted dramatically in his arms,then darted toward the wall as if to smash her head open.
He caught her mid-lunge,arms circling her waist.She collapsed against his chest,crying as if she were some fragile creature deserving rescue.
“Stephanie,”he murmured firmly,“I invited you here as my guest.If anyone dares harm you—they’ll answer to me.”
I stared,numb.Stephanie weeping in his arms.Alexander shielding her like a wounded pup.
A bitter smile curved my lips.
When he turned to me,his voice was colder than steel.
“Lavina,apologize to her.”
“Apologize?”I asked quietly.“Alexander,aren’t you even curious where I was last night?”
“I don’t care!”he snapped.“You don’t lay a hand on her!If you don’t apologize right now,I’ll cut off your access to pack funds and move you to the servants’quarters!”
My heart lurched.
Our pup had nearly died.
And all he cared about was her.
“That should humble you,”he sneered.“Maybe I’ve spoiled you too long.”
I said nothing.
Because I finally understood.
To him,I was never a mate—just a pet.A servant.
He thought taking away comfort would break me.
But I’d already known hunger,loneliness,and humiliation long before I met him.
He turned to the guards.
“Move her things.She’ll stay in the servants’quarters until she apologizes.”
And just like that,I became the villainess in their love story.
After Alexander and Stephanie left the manor,my communicator buzzed.
An unfamiliar number flashed on the crystal display.
“Where was he,”the voice thundered,low and furious,“while you were locked in that cold chamber,barely breathing,Miss Winslet?”
I froze.I knew that voice.
Alpha Damien Stone.
“He was…with her,”I whispered.
“I can’t stay away anymore,”he said,his tone trembling with restrained fury.
“How long?”
“One week,”he vowed.“After that,I’ll come to take you home.”
My fingers tightened around the crystal.
“Alright,”I breathed.
