I stared at Alpha Ulric, waiting for him to defend me. He hesitated, just for a second, before saying, "Fine, let her hit you back. Don't be mad, okay? Luna Julia, you slapped her first. Let her even the score."
My eyes burned, disbelief choking me silent. Ophelia didn't hold back-her hand cracked across my face, leaving my cheek swollen and stinging.
"There, you happy now?" Alpha Ulric asked her, his tone light, like he hadn't just watched me take the hit.
I stood right there, but it was like he couldn't see me. All his attention was on soothing the she-wolf in his arms. Was this really just a game, like he claimed?
As they walked away, my tears finally broke free. All that talk of a rogue wolf turning over a new leaf? Nothing but a fleeting dream, gone like a flower wilting in the frost.
"Julia, don't wait up. It's past midnight. The pack says Alpha Ulric's already crashed at Ophelia's place."
I pressed a hand to my aching chest, trying to hold myself together.
A month later, Ophelia officially moved into the Sycamore Den. Alpha Ulric was all over her, hauling her stuff, tending to her every whim like a devoted mate. It was like I didn't even exist.
"Alpha Ulric, you know Julia can't stand the smell of those dishes. They make her sick," my maid pointed out, her voice sharp.
Alpha Ulric barely glanced at me. His eyes flicked to Ophelia, who was already tearing up, and he snapped at the maid. "What, my word's not good enough anymore?"
I hid in my room during dinner, clinging to a shred of hope. I waited, and waited, until the dead of night when footsteps finally echoed outside. Alpha Ulric's voice came, soft and warm, so different from the wolf I'd seen earlier.
"Making me worry again, huh?" he said, his eyes brimming with affection, like he was a whole different wolf from the one in the daylight. My tears spilled over, and he pulled me into his arms, his grip tight and reassuring.
"You know you're the only one I love, Luna Julia. All this? It's just to get under Marcus's skin," he murmured.
He told me not to worry, promised we'd take a trip to Norlan-pack to clear my head once this mess was over. He even said he had a plan to help me escape the drama if it was too much. His words felt heavy, like there was something he wasn't saying, but he kept soothing me with that low, honeyed voice.
Then a packmate burst in. "Alpha Ulric, Ophelia's sick-says the pup in her belly's acting up. You gotta come quick!"
I froze, my heart stopping. I must've misheard. But Alpha Ulric was already bolting out the door, panic in his eyes.
I grabbed his arm, my voice shaking. "Alpha Ulric, you... you didn't really..."
I couldn't finish. I was too scared of the answer.
"Luna Julia, I was drunk that night, I swear. It was just one time. When the pup's born, I'll let you raise it, okay? No worries," he said, his voice pleading.
I stared at his face, all sincerity and lies, and my strength drained away. As he turned and left, I collapsed to the floor, my body trembling.
Whatever love we'd had was gone, scattered like ashes.
I picked up a pen and scrawled three words: I lost.
"Send it," I whispered to the maid. "Not many peaceful days left."
If I was leaving, I had nothing left to lose.
