“I don’t want it,” I said quietly. “I don’t feel well.”
Every second near him made my chest hurt more.
He frowned immediately, stepping closer again.
“What do you mean you don’t feel well?” His voice dropped, full of concern. “Did something happen? Clara, look at me.”
I didn’t.
“I’ll call the doctors,” he said quickly, already turning. “You shouldn’t ignore this. You’ve been weak since…”
He stopped, but I knew what he meant.
Since our daughter died.
“Jonas!” he called sharply.
His Beta appeared almost instantly.
“Get the best pack doctors here. Now. And bring the supplements I told you about.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
Everything moved fast after that.
Doctors came. They checked me. They said I was fine.
Samuel didn’t believe them.
He kept asking, kept watching me like I might disappear if he looked away for even a second.
He brought me warm milk himself and pressed the glass into my hands.
“Drink,” he said softly. “Please. Just a little. You need strength.”
I didn’t want to.
But I drank it anyway.
That night, I fell asleep from pure exhaustion, my body too tired to fight anything anymore.
But sometime later, I woke up.
My throat was dry. Burning.
The room felt too quiet.
I pushed the blanket aside and stepped out, moving slowly through the hallway. I just needed water. That’s all.
But then I stopped.
The door across the hall was open.
Moonlight spilled inside, pale and cold. And there…
On the bed… Two bodies tangled together.
Ivy’s voice drifted through the quiet, soft but clear enough to cut through me.
“That necklace you gave Clara… it’s worth a fortune, right?” she said, her tone turning a little sharp. “I asked you for one before, remember? You didn’t even bother. But she doesn’t say a word and you give her something so precious.”
I stood there, unmoving.
Waiting.
Samuel shifted on the bed. I could hear the rustle of sheets.
“I already told you,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “It’s not the time yet. Clara and I will separate soon. I do love her… but for now, we keep this hidden. If she finds out, everything gets complicated.”
Complicated.
Is that all I am now… a complication?
Ivy moved closer to him. I didn’t have to see to know it.
“I know,” she whispered, “I just, I love you too, Samuel. I can’t stop myself from feeling jealous.”
There was a pause.
Then a drawer sliding open.
Samuel let out a quiet breath and said, “You’re really troublesome.”
I heard something small being placed in his hand.
“Here. Stop making that face,” he added. “I got you one too.”
My chest tightened.
A necklace.
The same design as mine. Just a different stone.
“Wear it when you’re alone,” he continued, voice lower now. “Don’t let Clara see it. If she does… we’re finished.”
Finished.
I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood.
Ivy’s voice lit up, bright and happy.
“Really? You got me one too?” she said, almost laughing. “Thank you! I love it. I love you.”
There was the sound of movement, soft and close.
Then she asked, quieter this time, almost curious.
“Samuel… why are you so afraid she’ll leave you?”
For a second, everything went still.
Then he answered.
Fast. Steady. No hesitation.
“I’m not that afraid,” he said. “I have you, don’t I? But Clara, my grandmother favors her. Once I take over the pack and inherit everything… then I’ll deal with her properly. I’ll reject her and make you my Luna.”
My legs almost gave out.
So that’s it…
That’s all I am to you…?
Just something you have to get through first…?
The bed shifted again. The sounds that followed were low, muffled, careless.
I pressed my hand against the wall, trying to stay quiet, trying to breathe.
My eyes lifted without meaning to.
Our wedding photo was hanging there.
Right across the hall.
Samuel in that picture was smiling so gently, holding me like I was the only thing in his world.
I stared at it until my vision blurred.
“Thirteen days…” I whispered, my voice shaking.
“Just thirteen days, Samuel.”
“I’ll be gone.”
“Let’s see what you do when I’m really not there anymore.”
...
I stepped outside for air.
The morning was still cold, the kind that should have felt calm. It didn’t.
A child’s voice cut through the quiet.
“Why doesn’t Mama sleep in your room anymore?” he asked, louder this time, voice shaking. “Did you choose another she-wolf? Is that why?”
I stopped. Just ahead, near the small house by the path, a man stood stiff, his back to the door.
He didn’t answer. Then a woman stepped out, fixing her clothes, her fingers still on his shirt like she belonged there.
“No! That’s Mama’s place!”
The man finally moved. “This isn’t your business, young boy!”
“I’m your son!” the boy shouted, voice breaking. “How is it not my business?!”
Before the man could answer, another voice cut in.
“Because he’s a coward.”
The real mate. She was already there, standing a few steps away. I didn’t even see when she arrived. Her eyes were red, but her spine was straight.
She walked forward slowly, stopping right in front of the other woman. “You couldn’t even wait?” she asked, her voice shaking but loud. “Not even until he told his son?”
The mistress lifted her chin. “Watch your tone.”
The mate snapped. Her hand flew before anyone could stop her.
“You think you can walk into my home,” the mate said, voice rising now, raw and shaking, “wear my place, touch my mate, and tell me to watch my tone?!”
The man grabbed her wrist.
“Enough!”
She yanked free.
“Don’t touch me!”
The child started crying louder, full sobs now.
“Mama… stop… please stop…”
No one listened.
“You said it was nothing,” she shouted at the man. “You said she meant nothing!”
“It is nothing,” he snapped, anger flashing now. “You’re the one making a scene!”
“A scene?” she laughed, broken, hysterical. “You bring another woman into our home and I’m the problem?!”
The mistress recovered, stepping forward again.
“If you couldn’t keep him, that’s on you.”
Another slap.
Harder this time.
Then suddenly, a hand covered my ear from behind.
Warm. Familiar.
“Don’t listen to that nonsense, Clara,” Samuel murmured close to me.
My body went stiff.
I didn’t turn around.
I couldn’t.
“Samuel…” I said quietly, my voice barely steady, “tell me the truth. Do all men end up betraying their mates?”
He went silent for a second.
Then he gently turned me to face him.
His eyes locked on mine, deep and steady, like he had never lied to me before.
“I can’t speak for other men,” he said softly. “But me… I won’t. I only want you. Always you.”
Always.
The word almost made me laugh.
I searched his face.
Perfect. Calm. Sincere.
How many times has he practiced this…?
“You’ll only love me for a lifetime?” I asked, my voice trembling just a little. “A lifetime is really long, Samuel.”
He pulled me into his arms without hesitation.
“It is,” he whispered against my hair. “That’s why I want to spend all of it with you. There’s no one else I want.”
I let out a small laugh.
It sounded wrong.
“What if you betray me?” I asked.
He didn’t even pause.
“If I ever do,” he said firmly, “may the Moon Goddess strike me down where I stand.”
My fingers curled slowly.
Because I already knew.
His scent… it wasn’t clean. It carried traces of someone else. Faint, but there.
Every time he came back to me, he still held me, still spoke gently, still acted like I was his whole world.
“How are you not afraid?” I whispered. “What if that promise comes true?”
He looked straight at me.
“No one understands how much I love you, Clara,” he said. “If words aren’t enough, I’ll prove it. I’d give you my life if that’s what it takes.”
I lowered my eyes.
If you can give me your life…
Then why can’t you stop hurting me…?
