Rhea’s POV
“Don’t think that if you play the victim, I will let you stay and be my stepmother!” Marc’s voice cracked with adolescent rage. “If you have the strength to leave, then go and never crawl back!”
The silver-tipped arrow, heavy with the boy's hate, hissed through the air. I tried to twist away, but the bolt grazed my shoulder, tearing through my skin and embedding itself in the muscle. A pained scream ripped from my throat as I collapsed onto the cold stone.
Malachi was at my side in a heartbeat. He gathered me into his arms, his face pale as I gritted my teeth against the searing fire in my shoulder.
“I am so sorry, Rhea,” he choked out, his voice trembling.
Suddenly, a sharp cry pierced the air. Casey let out a wail, and Marc screamed right after her.
“Father! Come quickly! Lady Casey twisted her ankle trying to help that witch!” Marc cried out, pointing at the grass.
Malachi’s eyes darted between my bleeding wound and Casey’s pitiful sobbing. He looked torn for a single second, then he let out a heavy sigh and released his hold on me.
“It is a clean wound, Rhea. Go to the pack’s healers; I will meet you there. I must carry Casey inside—she cannot walk,” he stated, his voice regaining its Alpha coldness.
If my heart broke further, I didn't let it show. I stayed on the dirt, watching as the man I had loved for eight years walked away from me again. He lifted Casey in a bridal carry. Over his shoulder, I saw the smug, viper-like look she gave me as they disappeared toward the carriage, Marc following close behind.
I was left in a pool of my own blood, shot by the very hand I had guided in the hunt. Fate was a cruel goddess.
I struggled to find my footing when a shadow fell over me.
“You wretched girl! Why are you still on our lands? Did you not howl to the whole city that you were leaving?”
I knew that bitter scent. It was Hestia, Malachi’s mother. She had never seen me as anything more than a stain on her family’s name. I managed to stand, facing her with a trembling jaw. She gasped, but not with pity—only with disgust at the blood on my clothes.
“Do you wish to bring shame to my son? Why must you choose to die here? Go and breathe your last outside our borders!” she hissed.
“I was leaving... but your grandson shot me,” I whispered.
She scoffed, her eyes cold as Moonstone. “You probably hurt yourself just to look pitiful. You want Malachi to take pity on you and beg you to stay. You know you have no rank here the moment you turned your back on the Pack.”
“I want nothing from your bloodline, Hestia! It was the boy who did this!” I snapped, the pain making my wolf growl.
“Then you should have no trouble leaving,” she sneered. Before I could move, she grabbed my travel boxes and tossed them out past the iron gates into the dirt.
“Get out!” she snarled, shoving me toward the boundary line. “Go and die in the wild. Leave my son in peace!”
I staggered and fell, my hand clutching my shredded shoulder. The iron gates slammed shut behind me.
“You will all regret this!” I swore into the wind, my heart burning with a new, dark rage.
I managed to drag my boxes to the road just as the carriage I had summoned arrived. The driver, a beta from a neutral territory, hopped out. “Apologies for the delay, Lady.”
“It is fine,” I muttered, pulling myself into the seat.
He stared at the blood soaking my dress. “Are you still heading for the Great Border?”
I shook my head, feeling lightheaded. “Take me to a healer first.”
I leaned my head against the glass, and the world went black.
---
The next thing I knew, the steady thump-thump of a heart-monitor filled my ears. I was in a clean, white room. I tried to sit up, but a sharp spike of pain shot through my arm. My boxes were stacked by the bed.
The door creaked open, and a healer in a white coat walked in. “Lady Rhea, how are you feeling?”
“What happened?” I groaned. “The last thing I remember was the carriage.”
The healer nodded. “You lost consciousness. The driver brought you straight to us.”
I sighed and reached for my phone. No missed calls. No messages from Malachi. His son had nearly killed me, and he hadn't even bothered to check if I was breathing. I quickly typed a message to the contact I had reached out to before.
Something happened. Reschedule my departure ASAP.
“Lady Rhea?” the healer called. “You lost a great deal of blood, but the herbs have done their work. You will be discharged shortly.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice steady.
I stood up and reached for my bags. I was ready to vanish. But the door swung open again, and Casey sauntered in. She wasn't limping. In fact, she looked perfectly fine.
“What do you want? I thought your ankle was broken,” I said coldly.
She giggled, a sound that made my skin crawl. “Oh, that? I just wanted to see who Malachi would choose if we were both in pain. And he chose me! Isn't it wonderful?”
I scoffed, turning away. “Have your victory, Casey. I am leaving.”
Casey stepped into my path, a slow, poisonous smile curling her lips. “There is one more thing you should know,” she whispered, her voice dripping with triumph. “I am carrying Malachi’s pup. I am pregnant.”
The world seemed to stop. My heart shattered, but I kept my face like stone. I would not give her the satisfaction of seeing me bleed.
Eight years. Eight years at his side, and every time we were together, he made sure I took the mountain-root herbs to prevent a pregnancy. He had always told me he wasn't ready for more children.
He had always wanted another heir. Just... never with me.
