I reached out, trying to catch this little rascal. But Karter grabbed the half-empty IV bag, causing the medication to spill all over himself.
"When my parents walk in, who do you think they’ll believe, you or me?"
Like mother, like son. He’s just like Louisa. But even when I’m most upset, I’d never throw my lifesaving medicine at him. Yet, somehow, people still believe him.
Louisa burst into the room and swept Karter into her arms. “Karter, what’s wrong? Who’s been mean to you?”
“Auntie called me a stray! She wanted to hit me and told me to go die,” he sobbed, clutching Shepard’s leg as he entered, his tears looking heartbreakingly genuine.
Louisa’s eyes filled with tears. “Mallory, how could you say such things to Karter? I know you’re upset, but direct it at me; the child is innocent.”
She spoke to me, yet her eyes, falsely innocent, were fixed on Shepard. Watching her act so naive, Shepard’s expression darkened. He threw the dinner rolls he was holding to the floor.
“Mallory Dixon! Do you have any decency? Louisa cares so much about you; she even came with me to grab lunch. And you repay us by bullying Karter in the hospital room? Is this your idea of gratitude?”
Just like when I fell down the stairs, he ignored the footprints across my bandages, focusing solely on Karter’s tears. Before I could explain, a slap collided with my cheek.
“Apologize!”
He loomed over me, his Alpha aura pressing down like a weight, demanding I confess to something I didn’t do.
My voice quivered, “I didn’t bully him. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the nurse in the next room. She was here the entire time.”
Another slap punctuated my protest.
“You work here; you must’ve conspired with the nurse, right?”
“Slandering a child—how could you!”
The truth stood within reach, but he closed his eyes to it.
What could I do?
Tears of sorrow trickled down my face as I pulled out a weathered keepsake. “Why is our child’s charm on Karter?”
Shepard once swore he’d always remember our child, promising we would cherish that memory together. But now, a flicker of confusion crossed his face.
It was brief, but I caught it.
He forgot. He had to pause to even recall what it was.
“Mallory, that child is gone. No matter how much you cling to that charm, it won’t bring him back. But Karter is alive, just being a mischievous kid.”
“It’s just a charm. Why make a fuss?”
His indifferent attitude, as if discussing something trivial, never considered that his callousness hit every rational nerve I had.
I was the only one stuck in place.
In that moment, all my expectations and love for him were completely extinguished. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, a faint echo of the bond that once held us together. But even she had gone silent now, as if she too had given up on him.
Shepard’s Alpha aura still lingered in the room, heavy and oppressive, but it no longer held the same power over me. He stood there, tall and imposing, his muscles taut with frustration, but his strength felt hollow. The man I once thought of as my mate, my Alpha, was nothing more than a shadow of the person I thought he was.
Louisa’s soft sobs filled the room, her performance as convincing as ever. She clung to Karter, her golden hair framing her face like a halo of innocence. But I knew better. She was a predator, cloaked in the guise of a Luna, and she had won.
Shepard turned to her, his voice softening. “Let’s go. Karter doesn’t need to be here anymore.”
As they left, the door slammed shut behind them, leaving me alone in the sterile hospital room. The scent of antiseptic and spilled medication filled the air, but all I could smell was the faint trace of Shepard’s Alpha musk, a reminder of what once was.
I clutched the charm in my hand, the small piece of metal cold against my palm. It was all I had left of the life we once shared, a life that had been torn apart by betrayal and lies.
My wolf stirred faintly, a quiet growl of defiance in the back of my mind. She was still there, still fighting, even if I had given up. And for the first time in a long time, I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, there was still a future for me beyond Shepard and the Munoz Pack.
But for now, I sat alone, the weight of the past pressing down on me, and the faint glimmer of the future still out of reach.
