Today marks the third anniversary of the passing of the former Luna, Selina.

As I styled my hair in the same manner as Selina's, Angela, my six - year - old daughter, suddenly rushed towards me.

In a fit of rage, she forcefully stuck the chewed - up gum into my hair, and no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't come off.

"Today is my mother's birthday! How dare you style your hair like my mother's? This hairstyle is only for my mom!" she shrieked, her eyes blazing with anger.

Truly, she is the offspring of that man.

The gum had matted my hair into a tangled mess, and every attempt to comb it out only made my scalp sting more painfully.

I could only stare at my own disheveled reflection in the mirror, feeling utterly helpless.

My scalp had turned red from the fruitless attempts to remove the gum, and now it was constantly itchy and numb, making me extremely uncomfortable.

Angela sneered triumphantly, "Don't think that just because you married my father, you're the mistress. That Luna position will always belong to my mother! You shameless home - wrecker, I will never, ever recognize you as part of this family!"

Looking at this child, who had come from my own womb, I suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of weariness.

I carried her for ten months and raised her for six long years, yet her heart remained as cold as ice towards me.

"You don't have to recognize me, because I'm leaving this place, this pack, forever,"

Angela let out a cold, contemptuous snort.

"Serves you right. You'd better drop dead, right this instant."

"You're such a nuisance! Look at yourself. You deliberately styled your hair exactly like my mother's and even wore clothes similar to her style. Do you really think you can pass yourself off as my mother that easily? You're delusional! My mother is one - of - a - kind, and you'll never, ever replace her in my heart. Give up this foolish idea!"

Scenes like this had become all too familiar to me.

I straightened my back, a flash of annoyance in my eyes as I stared straight at her.

"Hey! Stop your baseless accusations. Who said I was imitating your mother? Think about it. Your mother always wore those elegant long gowns with exquisite accessories. Look at me, my style is casual and laid - back, nothing like hers. It's just a coincidence that we look somewhat alike. You look at your mother's photo every day; you know exactly what she looks like. Stop insisting that I'm copying her. There's no truth to that!"

Angela's face turned deathly pale with anger, and she stormed off.

I heaved a weary sigh and dragged my tired body back to my room, longing for a moment of peace.

Just as I was about to slip under the covers, a pungent, putrid smell assaulted my nostrils.

In horror, I flung back the covers, only to find a dead rat lying there. Its eyes were wide open, and its body was already in a state of decay, exuding a nauseating stench.

Instantly, a shiver ran down my spine, and my scalp tingled with horror. I instinctively took a step back, staggering and nearly losing my balance.

Just then, Angela burst into the room, laughing maniacally.

"Surprised? You fool! How does it feel to sleep with a dead rat? I prepared this especially for you. Isn't it so 'thoughtful'?"

"You're taking what belongs to my mother. Now you get to taste this!" she snarled viciously.

With a final look of disgust and a mocking grimace, she darted out of the room.

Suddenly, an unbearable itch spread all over my body, as if thousands of tiny ants were crawling beneath my skin.

Only then did I notice the fine hairs scattered around the dead rat.

I was severely allergic to such fur, and now, my skin erupted in large, angry red rashes.

Unable to resist, I started scratching wildly, but the more I scratched, the itchier it became. In some places, I scratched until blood trickled down, leaving angry red welts.

My breathing grew rapid and labored, my throat constricted .

Years ago, Luna Selina, the once - revered leader of our pack, found herself barren, unable to bear the heir.

In my own life, darkness loomed as my mother teetered on the brink of death, her only hope a staggering sum of money for life - saving surgery.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, I made a fateful decision to become Selina's surrogate.

The months of carrying the child were a blend of physical discomfort and emotional turmoil. But finally, I gave birth to Angela.

Tragedy struck soon after when Luna Selina succumbed to her illness, leaving the pack in mourning.

Alpha Frank, consumed by grief and haunted by memories of his lost love, yet also acknowledging that Angela was born from my body, proposed a three - year contract.

With my mother's life still hanging in the balance, I reluctantly agreed, tying myself further to this complex and often cruel world.

Fast - forward to the present, I found myself in the opulent living room of the pack house.

I turned, and my eyes fell upon Alpha Frank, seated on a massive, intricately carved sofa.

He casually cast a glance at the angry red rashes covering my body, his expression betraying no emotion as he said, "Angela was a bit too rambunctious this time. You'll get an anti - allergy shot shortly. Make sure it doesn't spoil tonight's banquet."

Despite the passing of his wife, every year on their wedding anniversary, Alpha Frank insisted on hosting a lavish affair in the pack house.

Moments after swallowing the medicine prescribed for my allergy, the servants lurking behind Alpha Frank, their eyes glinting with a mix of obedience and cruelty, roughly pushed me onto the sofa.

They held my hands and feet firmly, their grip like iron shackles.

In my moment of utter despair, two women wearing masks burst into the room.

Without uttering a word, one of them lunged forward, grabbing my arm with a vice - like grip and slamming me to the cold, stone - paved floor.

The other reached into a leather satchel and produced a vial filled with a mysterious liquid and a wickedly sharp syringe.

Before I could even process what was happening, the needle pierced my skin, plunging into my vein.

A searing pain shot through my arm. Then, they began forcefully injecting the contents of the vial into my body.

The liquid burned as it coursed through my veins.

The dosage was far beyond what was normal, and I felt as if I was being consumed by an inferno from within.

My veins seemed on the verge of bursting, and I let out a guttural scream.

As the potent medicine continued to flood my veins, my consciousness began to fray at the edges.

I teetered on the precipice of unconsciousness.

And all the while, Alpha Frank stood by, watching with cold detachment.

After what felt like an eternity, Alpha Frank loomed over me.

"Angela may be mischievous, but you should have known better than to wear your hair like Selina's on her memorial day. I've made it clear that nothing Angela dislikes shall exist in this house," he growled. Lying on the bed, my forehead beaded with sweat, my face ashen, my white nightgown was soaked through, exposing my chest partially in front of Alpha Frank.

Alpha Frank's eyes glazed over in an instant, as if he had been transported to a different realm.

"Selina..." he murmured, his voice thick with longing.

Then, without warning, he lunged forward, his lips crashing onto mine with a ferocity that took my breath away.

His kiss was desperate and wild, and I felt the sharp sting of his teeth as he bit my lip, drawing blood.

Before I could even begin to comprehend this unexpected assault, his gaze fixated on the red rashes dotting my skin.

In an instant, his expression contorted into one of pure revulsion, as if he had touched something vile and unclean.

With a violent shove, he pushed me away, and I toppled off the bed, landing on the cold, hard floor with a thud.

He stood above me, his eyes filled with warning. "Don't delude yourself. You will never be Selina," he sneered.

"And no matter who gave birth to her, Angela belongs solely to Selina," Alpha Frank declared.

On the very first day I entered this place, several burly servants, their eyes glowing with the ferocity of wild wolves, swiftly surrounded me. They roughly seized my arms, paying no heed to my desperate struggles and terrified screams.

With brute force, they pinned me down onto the cold, stone - carved chair.

Frank strode forward with measured, intimidating steps.

In his hand, he tightly grasped a small vial, within which lay several tiny contraceptive pills.

"You thought you could enter this pack and easily claim the right to bear my children?"

Then, with a firm grip, he clamped his hand around my jaw, forcing my mouth open.

I thrashed my head wildly from side to side, hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

He shoved the pills into my mouth, and without a moment's hesitation, he snatched the water cup from the side table. Ignoring my choking and coughing, he poured the water down my throat.

"No one but Selina can bear my offspring," he growled.

"You're nothing but a surrogate. The only reason you were allowed to raise Angela is because it was Selina's dying wish. " Alpha Frank snarled.

His lips were trailing along my skin, but this time, I didn't submit as I had in the past.

Summoning all my courage, I pushed him away.

"Alpha Frank, I'm not feeling well. I won't be attending the banquet either,"

"Our three - year contract has expired, and I'm leaving."

The moment the words left my mouth, the lust in Alpha Frank's eyes vanished completely, replaced by a cold, steely gaze.

"Angela may not be from your eggs, but she was born from your womb. You've raised her for three years, and now you want to just walk away? Sana, you're being incredibly selfish!" he roared.

At his words, I was momentarily struck dumb.

A surrogate, yes, but also a woman who had grown to love a child as her own.

Once, Alpha Frank and my half - sister, Selina, were the golden couple of the pack.

Selina, the gentle and nurturing soul that she was, was cursed with infertility.

She yearned for a child with a desperation that only a mother - to - be could understand.

And there I was, a young woman drowning in a sea of financial despair, struggling to pay for my mother's life - saving medical treatments.

In a fateful meeting, Selina saw an opportunity, and I saw a glimmer of hope.

She paid off my mother's mounting medical bills, but in return, she took away my first - born child.

As the years passed, tragedy struck again.

Selina was diagnosed with a terminal illness, and her health deteriorated rapidly.

On her deathbed, her thoughts were not of herself, but of her beloved Angela.

Fearing that her daughter would be left alone in a world filled with danger and uncertainty, she begged me to take care of her.

Alpha Frank, who had loved Selina with a love that burned brighter than the hottest flames, could not deny his dying mate's final wish. And so, a three - year contract was forged between us.

I would raise Angela as my own, showering her with love and care, while the pack would cover all of my mother's medical expenses.

"Back then, I signed the three - year contract solely to save my mother. It was a simple exchange of needs. Now that my mother has passed away, there's no reason for me to stay any longer,"

"Moreover, Angela doesn't like me. If I continue to stay, I'll only make her more unhappy."

"If you're worried about Angela not being close to you and leaving you without support in the future, I can father another child with you," he offered.

I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh inwardly.

On the very first day I arrived here, fearing that I might conceive, he had forced me to drink a potion that would render me infertile.

I calmly interrupted him, pulling out the contract we had signed three years ago. "Thank you for your offer, but our three - year contract has expired." Over the past few years, because of my lowly status as a surrogate in this proud pack, I had endured countless disdainful looks and cruel mockeries from the other pack members.

Alpha Frank's patience finally snapped.

With a growl, he snatched the contract from my hands and tore it to shreds, the pieces fluttering to the ground like fallen leaves.

"Sana, it seems you've had too easy a time here and are deliberately trying to provoke me! You won't be attending tonight's banquet. I won't let you ruin the celebration I've prepared for Selina!"

By the time the banquet ended, it was deep into the night.

Outside, the sounds of laughter and merriment drifted in.