Chapter 2

Ana

I turned around quickly. My heart was pounding against my ribs like a trapped bird.

Max walked into the house with steady, confident steps. He looked as handsome as ever, but there was something in his eyes I couldn't quite name.

Beside him was the girl from the picture. Up close, she looked even more like a replacement. She was small and thin, about the same height as my Lily. She even wore her hair in similar braids.

Then I saw another person behind them.

A tall lady walked in, moving with a quiet confidence that filled the room. She was about the same height as me, with long hair and a calm expression.

I stood still and stared for a long moment. My chest felt tight, making it hard to take a full breath. I looked from the new picture to the small girl, and then back to my husband. Finally, I found my voice, though it sounded small and shaky.

"What is going on, Max? Who are these people?"

Max smiled at me. It was a warm, easy smile, the kind he always used to make me feel safe. He acted like nothing was wrong at all.

"Ana, you're awake," he said smoothly. "This is Emily. She will be staying with us for a while. And this is little Mai."

He gestured to the girl.

"Since you've been so lonely and you miss Lily so much, I thought you could take care of her. It will be good for you to have someone to look after again."

I watched him as he spoke, but his words didn't make the knot in my stomach go away. I looked at little Mai. She stood very quietly, clutching the lady’s hand. She looked nervous.

I pointed a trembling finger at the new picture on the wall, the one where my daughter’s face used to be.

"Explain this, Max. Where are my daughter's pictures? Why is her face gone from our walls?"

Max walked over to me. He took my hands gently in his. His palms were warm, and he squeezed my fingers as if to comfort me.

"Lily has been gone for a week now, Ana," he said, his voice dropping to a low, soothing tone. "Leaving her pictures everywhere would only bring you painful memories every day. Every time you walked down this hall, you would cry. I just want to take care of you. I want to help you move on."

I looked into his eyes for a long moment. He sounded so sure of himself. He sounded like a man who loved his wife and wanted to protect her from more hurt.

For a second, I wondered if I was being unfair. Maybe he was right. If I kept seeing Lily's smiling face on every wall, the hurt would never stop. The house felt like a graveyard with those photos up.

But something still felt off. The logic didn't quite reach the cold spot in my heart.

"So why did you put her picture up?" I asked, nodding toward the photo of the new girl. "If pictures cause pain, why is this one here?"

Before Max could answer, the tall lady—Emily—stepped forward. She took my hands softly, her touch light and kind.

"The Alpha was very sad," she whispered. "He came to me because he didn't know how to help you. I thought it was the right thing to do. We decided to adopt a child and put up the picture so you wouldn't feel worried about the empty spaces. We wanted the house to feel full again."

I looked at her carefully. Her eyes seemed honest, but I felt a strange urge to pull away. I took my hands back and crossed my arms over my chest.

"Okay," I said slowly. "But what is your relationship with the Alpha? How do you two know each other so well?"

Max spoke quickly this time, before Emily could say a word.

"She is my childhood friend, Ana. We grew up together in the old pack lands. She doesn't have a place to stay right now because of some trouble back home. That’s why I brought her here. She can help you with Mai, and you can help her by giving her a home."

I stood there and nodded slowly. I didn't say another word.

I told myself that I must be worked up because of everything that had happened. Losing Lily had broken something inside me. Maybe I was just seeing problems where there were none. I was paranoid and grieving, and Max was only trying to fix our broken lives.

I looked at Max again, trying to force a smile. "I want to go meet my friend. I need some air. I will be back later."

Max nodded and kissed my forehead. "That’s a good idea. Go spend time with Ema. It will do you good."

I walked into the restaurant downtown an hour later. The air smelled of grilled meat and fresh bread, but I wasn't hungry. Ema was already waiting at our usual table in the corner. The moment she saw me, she stood up and pulled me into a tight, meaningful hug.

"Ana, oh my god," she breathed into my hair. "As soon as I heard the news about Lily, I came straight back to the pack. I am so, so sorry. How are you doing?"

I sat down and tried to make my smile look real, but it felt like a mask that didn't fit. "I'm fine, Ema. Truly. It’s just... I feel a bit worried."

"Why? What happened?" she asked. She leaned in, her eyes full of concern.

I looked around to make sure no one from the pack was listening. I leaned closer to her. "Why do I feel like Max is cheating on me?"

Ema looked at me with wide eyes, her mouth dropping open slightly. "What? How? Ana, Max loves you. What do you mean?"

I explained everything that had happened that morning. I told her about the missing pictures and the new girl. I told her about Emily and how she was already acting like she lived there. I told her about Max’s quick, rehearsed answers.

Ema reached across the table and held my hands tightly.

"Listen to me. Maybe she really is just his childhood friend. Max is a good man, and he’s an Alpha. He has a lot of responsibilities. Don't think too much about it right now. You've been through so much. Your brain is trying to find things to worry about because the big worry—Lily—is too much to handle."

I sighed and nodded slowly. "Maybe. Maybe I am just stressed out and thinking too hard. It just feels so fast, Ema. She’s only been gone a week."

Ema stood up and smiled brightly, trying to change the mood. "Today I came to make you happy, not to see that sad face. Look happy and smile for me. Let's go."

She was determined to distract me. She brought out a bag of things she had gathered—my favorite spicy snacks, little gifts from her trip, and she told me funny stories about the people she met while traveling. She forced me to eat a few bites of cake even when I said I was not hungry.

After lunch, she took me to the beach. We walked along the edge of the water where the waves rolled gently over the sand. The air felt fresh and cool against my skin. We went to the park and then to a small shop to look at jewelry.

She turned the whole day into a series of small, fun moments. For a few hours, the heavy pain in my heart actually felt a little lighter. I laughed at one of her jokes. For a moment, I felt almost like the old Ana again.

By the time I got home and went to bed, I was exhausted. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

In the middle of the night, I opened my eyes suddenly. My throat felt dry and scratchy, and I desperately needed a glass of water. I reached over to the other side of the bed to see if Max was awake, but my hand hit nothing but fabric.

Max was not there.

I felt the spot where he usually slept. The sheets were cold.

Has he gone to check the pack border again without telling me? I wondered. He often did that when things were tense, but usually, he told me.

I got up quietly, not wanting to wake anyone else in the house. I walked downstairs in the dark, my bare feet silent on the wooden floors. I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. I drank it slowly, feeling the cool liquid soothe my throat.

When I was finished, I started back up the stairs, holding the empty glass carefully. The house was deathly quiet, except for the faint sound of the wind outside.

As I passed the guest room on the second floor, I stopped.

A soft sound was coming from inside. It sounded like a moan.

At first, I told myself it was nothing. Maybe Emily was having a bad dream or Mai was crying. But then I heard a man’s voice. It was low and full of a deep, familiar feeling.

"I love you so much," the voice whispered. "I want you to bear another child for me. A son this time."

It was Max.

My stomach dropped as if I were falling from a great height. I felt cold all over. I moved closer to the door without even thinking about it. My heart was thumping so loud I was sure they would hear it.

I took a small peek through the door, which was slightly open.

Right there on the bed was my husband. My Alpha. He was held in the arms of the lady he had called his childhood friend. They were together, their bodies close, lost in each other in the moonlight.

The sight hit me harder than the car crash ever could. I felt as if the air had been sucked out of the room. My legs went weak, turning to water beneath me.

I tried to steady myself, but the glass slipped from my numb fingers before I could stop it.

It fell to the floor with a loud, shattering crash.

Chapter 3

Ana

I stood still in the long, dark hallway. My hands gripped a fresh glass of water so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I made sure my fingers did not shake.

The coldness of the glass felt like ice against my palms, but it was nothing compared to the coldness spreading through my chest. I stayed hidden in the shadows by the door and slowly, carefully, peeked inside the guest room.

The moonlight through the window fell across the bed. Max was there, sitting close to Emily. He held her tight against him, his arms wrapped around her in a way that used to make me feel safe. I watched his face as he leaned in to speak softly to her. His voice was a low murmur, full of a warmth he had not shown me in days.

"I can't wait for you to give me another child," he said.

The words hit me like a physical blow. I felt a wave of confusion wash over me. I did not understand what he meant at first. My mind raced, trying to make sense of the sounds coming from that room.

For eight long years, I had loved Max with everything I had. I had given up my home and my pride for him. I made sure to be his perfect Luna. I was always supporting him, always standing by his side during pack troubles, and always there the moment he needed me. I thought we were a team.

But here he was, in our own home, cheating behind my back.

I stayed hidden, my back pressed against the hard wall, and kept watching. Emily, the lady he called his friend, stood up from the bed. she smoothed her hair and laughed. It was a light, cruel sound that rang through the quiet room.

"We can't believe she can be so easily played, Max," she said, her voice full of mockery. "It's just so funny. She risks everything just to be a perfect wife, while her dear Alpha already has a Luna and a child."

Those words froze the blood in my veins. I could not move a single muscle. It felt as if a sharp blade had been pushed straight into my heart and twisted. The pain spread fast, deep into my bones.

Max spoke again. His voice was calm and steady, as if he were discussing the weather rather than a lifetime of lies.

"She loves me so much, Emily. Whatever I tell her, she believes it without question. So you should not worry about her. Even if I bring in another child, I will just tell her I adopted the child, and she will believe it. She always does."

I moved back a step, my legs feeling like lead. I almost lost my balance. My mind went to Lily, my sweet girl who was gone. The truth started to fit together like broken pieces of glass.

So mai was his real child after all. She was not a pack orphan that we had adopted like he had always told me. He had lied to me from the very beginning.

That meant Max had been keeping a mistress and a biological child all these years, right under my nose. I thought back to all the nights he was late, all the times he claimed he was busy with urgent pack meetings or border patrols. He had never gone to any of them. He had been with her. He had been building a second life while I worked myself to the bone to be the perfect Luna for his people.

"What about me?" I whispered to the empty hallway. "What about my life?"

I held my breath, trying to stay silent. I needed to leave before they saw me, but my feet would not move. Then, Emily spoke again, and her words were even worse than the ones before.

"What if she finds out the truth, Max?" she asked, her voice dropping. "What if she finds out you caused the accident and killed your child? What will you do then?"

Max laughed. It was a low, dark sound that made my stomach turn.

"I am an Alpha, Emily. There is no way she will find out. Besides, this was the only way I could keep her close to me. After the accident, she became so broken. With this pain, she will keep thinking I care for her more and more because I am the only one left to hold her."

My vision blurred. I had to close my mouth tight to hold back the scream of agony that wanted to burst out. I had to keep the tears from making a sound.

He had killed my daughter. He had planned the crash. He had fucking killed her just to make me depend on him.

I moved back carefully, inch by inch. I tried to get away from that door without making a single sound. But my body was weak, and as I turned, I accidentally hit a small wooden table in the hall. It made a soft thud.

Inside the room, the voices stopped instantly. I heard Max’s voice turn sharp and dangerous. "Who is there?"

I ducked behind the corner of the wall, pressing myself into the darkness. My heart was pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it through the wood. The door creaked open. I heard his heavy footsteps as he walked out into the hallway and looked around. I held my breath steady, forcing my lungs to stay still. I stayed completely still, like a statue.

After a long minute, he sighed and went back inside, closing the door.

I didn't wait. I hurried down the stairs, my heart still racing. I reached the kitchen and leaned against the counter, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I slowly took out my phone. My hands were shaking so much I almost dropped it. I dialed a number I had not called in years. I placed the phone against my chest, waiting, until I heard the line click open.

"Dad," I said. My voice was a broken whisper, barely audible. "Can I come back? I'm sorry, Dad. I promise... I promise to marry whoever you want me to this time. Just let me come home."

I ended the call before he could say anything else. I leaned my head against the cool surface of the refrigerator and tried to hold myself together.

I had abandoned my family for Max. I had left my own pack and everything I had ever known just to be his Luna. I had secretly helped him in every way, even begging my father—a powerful Alpha—to send resources and support to Max’s pack when they were failing. I made Max the man he is today.

That night in the car, I had planned to tell him everything. I was going to tell him that I was the daughter of the most powerful Alpha of the Dark Rose Pack. I wanted us to have no more secrets.

But who could have thought the man I loved could be this cruel?

Pain burned in my chest, hot and fierce. Deep inside me, my wolf began to howl. She wanted to come out. She wanted to light up with anger and tear Max apart. She wanted to make him pay for every lie, and most of all, for what he had done to our little girl.

I forced myself to go back upstairs. I entered our bedroom and lay down on the bed, pulling the covers up. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing, acting as if I had been asleep the whole time.

A few minutes later, the door opened slowly. I felt the bed sink as Max sat down on the edge. He leaned over and held me close, his scent filling my nose. He kissed my chin gently and whispered into my ear, "I love you, Ana."

He thought I was still sleeping. A week ago, those words would have made me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Now, they sounded disgusting. They sounded like poison.

The next day, I went to the bar at the edge of the pack territory. I sat on a high stool and drank one bottle after another. I did not care how many I had finished. The alcohol burned down my throat, a sharp fire that I welcomed, but it could not touch the deeper, colder pain inside my soul.

Ema appeared beside me. She looked worried. She reached out and took the last drink from my hands, setting it firmly on the counter.

"Ana, stop this. You are trying to get yourself killed. You are a Luna. You should act like one."

I turned my head and looked at her with tired, bloodshot eyes. I gave a short, bitter laugh. "Really? Do I look like a Luna to you, Ema? I thought I was just his plaything. Just a puppet he uses."

I tried to reach for the bottle again, but she moved it further away.

"Stop," she commanded. "Look at me. Tell me what is going on. This isn't just about grief."

I looked at her, and the walls I had built finally started to crumble. The words poured out of me.

"Have I not been good, Ema? Have I not been kind? I tried to be a perfect wife every single day. Why did he have to do this to me? Why?"

I realized too late that the last part came out as a shout. Most of the people in the bar stopped talking and turned to stare at me. I didn't care. I felt broken, weak, and completely destroyed. Ema leaned closer, her voice soft and urgent.

"Can you tell me what the issue is? What did you find out?"

I looked at her through a blur of tears. My voice was thick with emotion.

"Ema, help me. I can't do this anymore. I can't stay in that house. I want to break my bond with Max. I no longer want to be his Luna."

Chapter 4

Ana

Ema held my hands gently across the table. Her grip was firm and steady, but I could see the deep worry in her eyes. The restaurant lights reflected in her pupils, making her concern feel even more intense.

"Did Max hurt you?" she asked, her voice low. "Did he lay a hand on you or do anything to you?"

I looked back at her and shook my head slowly. The physical pain from the accident was still there, a dull ache in my side, but it was nothing compared to the weight on my soul.

"What could he possibly do that he hasn't done already?" I asked. My voice was flat. "He has decided to choose his path, so why can't I choose mine? He thinks I am just a quiet little girl who follows him. He is wrong."

She pulled me into a warm hug, her familiar scent of vanilla and spice surrounding me. For a brief moment, I felt safe in her arms, as if I were back in my father’s house. Then she pulled back and searched my face, her brow furrowed.

"Ana, listen to me," she said softly. "You just lost your daughter. It is a terrible, unthinkable thing. Do you really want to lose Max too? Are you sure you aren't just acting out of grief?"

I took a deep breath. It was time to tell her the full truth, even if the words tasted like ash.

"The lady he brought into our home... she has been his mistress all along, Ema. They have a daughter together. The same little girl he lied about and said he adopted. I saw the way they looked at each other. That child is seven years old. Do you understand? That means Max has been cheating on me for seven years. Nearly our entire marriage."

Ema’s eyes widened until they were completely round. She stared at me in absolute shock, her hands dropping from mine.

"Is it true? How can Max do this? He’s the Alpha. He’s supposed to be honorable." She paused, shaking her head. "Maybe there is a misunderstanding. A child could be from anything. Why don't you talk to him first? Give him a chance to explain."

I looked straight at her. My voice stayed firm even though my heart ached with every beat.

"What misunderstanding, Ema? I heard him with my own ears. He was in that room with her, talking about their future. He didn't even deny that he caused the accident. He killed his own daughter just to control me. How heartless can a person be?

He thinks because he is an Alpha he can do whatever he wants and I will just stay in my place. I swear, I will make him pay for Lily. I will make him pay bit by bit."

I slowly stood up from the chair. My legs felt heavy, and the bar felt too loud now. The music and the laughter of other people were making my head spin. I looked at Ema one more time.

"I'm going home," I said. "It's already late."

She stood up quickly, grabbing her bag. "I will help you get there safely. You shouldn't be alone right now."

We walked out of the restaurant section together. As we passed one of the private dining rooms, a sound stopped me in my tracks. I heard voices inside—voices I knew better than my own. I quickly turned and looked through the doorway, which was slightly open.

There he sat. Max was having a grand meal with Emily and the little girl, Mai.

They were laughing and talking easily, the table filled with expensive dishes. They looked happy. They looked like a big, complete, perfect family. There was no sign of the grieving father I had seen at the hospital.

"Is that Alpha Max?" Ema asked quietly from behind me.

I just laughed. It was a short, empty sound that had no joy in it. I did not say a word. I just watched him pour a drink for Emily, his eyes full of affection. Then I turned away, the image burned into my mind.

"Let's go," I whispered.

I walked out of the building and looked up at the dark sky. The stars were hidden by clouds. Max had never taken me out like that. Every time I asked for a date or a simple dinner, he always complained. He said he was too busy with pack business, too tired from meetings, or had no time for "human things."

But here he was, taking his mistress and their child out for a nice dinner night.

As I reached the parking lot, I stopped suddenly. A shiny, black Lamborghini sat parked nearby, reflecting the streetlights. My heart twisted.

It was the car he had bought for our third anniversary. He told me it was a gift for me, but he had never let me drive it. He promised he would take me out in it one day for a special occasion. Every time I asked, he gave excuses about the engine or the weather.

Now, he used it to take his mistress out instead.

I got into my own car, my hands gripping the steering wheel until they hurt. I looked at Ema through the window.

"Tomorrow I have made up my mind," I said, my voice cold and hard. "I'm severing my bond with that bastard. I’m done being his plaything."

I drove away before she could argue, leaving her standing there in the parking lot.

When I got back home, the whole house was dark and quiet. The silence felt like a heavy blanket. I sat down on the couch and stopped moving, staring into the darkness. Then, I saw them.

Lily’s pictures—the ones Max promised to "put away for my own good"—lay scattered on the floor near the trash bin. I leaned down and picked one up carefully. It showed her smiling face, her eyes bright and full of life. She was wearing her favorite yellow dress.

I looked at it for a long time, and then the tears finally came.

I had kept this one photo on the side table and told Max specifically not to take it away. I told him I needed it. But here it was, thrown on the floor like it was nothing but garbage.

I cried hard into the photo, holding the cold frame close to my chest. I sobbed until my throat was raw, blaming myself again and again. I was a bad mother. I should have seen the truth. I should have protected her from him.

The front door opened suddenly, letting in a gust of cold air. I looked up with tearful, blurry eyes. Max walked in, followed by Emily and the little girl. They were all laughing together, sharing some private joke.

The moment Max saw me sitting there on the couch in the dark, he looked shocked. The smile vanished from his face instantly.

He turned to them quickly. "Go on inside," he said, ushering them toward the stairs. "Go ahead."

I slowly stood up from the couch, wiping my face with the back of my hand. Emily dropped the shopping bags she was carrying and gave me a small, fake smile.

"I brought some food for you, Ana," hee said.

I laughed inside, a bitter, stinging feeling. If I had not seen them at the restaurant earlier, how could I have known? I knew exactly what was in those containers. It was their leftover food. They had eaten their fill and brought the scraps home for the "grieving wife."

I looked at Max, then at Emily. My voice was steady. "Where are you coming from?"

He stepped toward me, his expression smooth and calm again. He reached out as if to touch my shoulder, but I stepped back.

"I was busy with pack work, honey," he said easily. "I stopped to get you your favorite food on the way back. I saw Emily and the girl walking nearby and gave them a ride home. It’s a dangerous night."

I smiled back at him. It was a thin, sharp smile that did not reach my eyes. "In the Lamborghini, Max? You took them for a ride in that car?"

He looked at me and frowned a little, his eyes darkening. "You should not speak that way, Ana. I know you want to ride in it badly. I promised that next time I go out, I will take you. You're just stressed."

He ignored my look and took out the food containers, placing them on the dining table. He opened one up.

Sea crab and pizza.

I almost laughed out loud. He stood there, looking proud of himself. He said it was for me, his favorite wife, but I never ate this. I couldn't.

I was deathly allergic to seafood.

He had been my husband for eight years, and he didn't even remember the one thing that could kill me. Or maybe he did remember.

I looked at him, then at Emily, and said nothing. I didn't scream. I didn't throw the food. I simply turned around and walked upstairs, still holding my daughter’s picture tightly in my hands.

This was not the man I had married. It felt like a monster wearing his skin. This was someone else entirely.