The Northern Pack had one unbreakable rule: the Alpha heir could never bond with a human girl. Despite that, Alpha Kieran Wolfe still formed a mate bond with me.

To be with me, he openly defied the Elders' Council. He endured 99 lashes and was forced to kneel at the altar for three days and nights.

Even as blood soaked through his shirt, he smiled at me and said, "Elise, don't be afraid. I only want you."

Eventually, the Elders' Council finally relented and agreed to let Kieran leave with me. However, there was one condition: he had to leave a pure-blood heir behind for the Pack.

From that moment on, the phrase I heard most from Kieran was "wait".

The first time, Kieran asked me to wait while he got another she-wolf to carry his pup.

He slept with Cecelia Donati 33 times until she was carrying his pup. The second time, he told me to wait again because the first pup was a female, and the Elders wanted a male.

So, Kieran slept with Cecelia 99 more times until she was carrying his pup again.

Just when I thought our ordeal was finally over, their daughter, Tyra Wolfe, accidentally ate wolfsbane at her Meet the Pup Party.

Everyone was convinced I had poisoned her.

When they threw me into the freezing cold storage room, Kieran stood at the doorway with bloodshot eyes.

"I told you to wait..." His gaze was ice-cold and cutting. "You know what wolfsbane means to our kind. Why would you hurt my pup?"

The words "my pup" hit me like a knife to the heart. My fingernails dug deep into my palms as the pain tore through me.

When the storage room door opened again, I loosened my bloodied hands.

This time, I was not going to wait anymore.

I dialed the Elders' Council's number. Forcing myself to keep my voice steady, I said, "I'm willing to leave Kieran Wolfe. But I have one condition: I want you to send me somewhere he'll never find me."

On the other end, Elder Lucian Pearce let out a satisfied laugh. "If only you had been this sensible sooner. Spending one night in the cold storage truly showed you your place. A human like you was never worthy of our noble Alpha bloodline."

His voice dripped with contempt as he said, "On the night of the full moon in ten days, we'll arrange everything to send you away. And when that time comes, you'd better never show your face in front of Kieran again."

The call ended abruptly, and I leaned against the mansion's cold wall.

In the main hall, Kieran had shifted into his massive wolf form and was gently letting his daughter, Tyra Wolfe, tug at his thick fur. Cecelia was curled against his warm belly, smiling with tender satisfaction.

The perfect family of three looked so blissfully happy together.

The sight hit me like a bullet to the chest.

"Ms. George, you're back?" Cecelia Donati noticed me first and immediately sat up with alert eyes. She instinctively pulled Tyra behind her protectively.

Kieran almost reflexively shifted back to human form and handed Tyra to a servant to take upstairs. Their wary looks cut into me like knives.

The man who once said, "I'll only acknowledge pups that come from your belly," now watched me like I was a murderer.

After Tyra was taken away, Kieran approached and reached out to check my frostbitten body. He asked, "You're back. Did you get hurt in the cold storage?"

As I looked at this man who had once taken 99 lashes for me, my heart ached with bitterness as I turned away from his touch.

He frowned slightly. "Elise George, given last night's situation, the more I defended you, the harsher the Elders' punishment would have been. With your human body, they might have even executed you…

"We're leaving soon anyway, and I don't want any more complications. Also, Tyra is innocent. Why would you..."

"I told you, it wasn't me," I growled, my eyes burning with tears. "Wolfsbane is a deadly poison. How could I possibly use something like that to hurt anyone?"

Kieran seemed startled by my intense reaction and paused before softening his tone. "Alright, fine. It doesn't matter now. Tyra is fine now."

His dismissive words felt like ice picks stabbing into my heart.

He still did not believe me.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Cecelia approached while rubbing her slightly rounded belly. "Ms. George, I owe you an apology, too. I was too panicked at the time. You're not a wolf, so you probably don't understand a mother's instinct to protect her pup."

She raised her hand to brush her hair back, and the delicate crystal bracelet on her wrist glowed with a soft luster.

My eyes widened as I grabbed her wrist. "Where did you get this bracelet?!"

"I gave it to her. Cecelia likes antique pieces," Kieran said matter-of-factly as he pulled my hand away.

He said, "Consider it your apology gift to her. Besides, it's just a bracelet."

My voice trembled with rage. "This is the only thing my mother left me! How could you give it away? You know how much it means to me!"

I reached to snatch the bracelet back, but Cecelia suddenly staggered backward and clutched her stomach in apparent pain. She moaned weakly, "My belly..."

Kieran immediately shoved me away roughly, his eyes turning frighteningly cold. "Elise! She's carrying my pup! Haven't you caused enough trouble?!"

He was so strong that I crashed hard into the bookshelf behind me. My head struck against it heavily, and warm blood immediately began trickling down my neck.

Yet, Kieran did not even look back as he swept Cecelia into his arms and rushed out.

"Kieran..." Cecelia sobbed weakly against his chest. "Will our pup...be okay?"

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," he replied, his voice tenderly reassuring, each word piercing my ears. "You'll be fine, and so will the pup."

When Kieran carried Cecelia out of the mansion, I was still slumped on the floor with blood trickling down my neck from the back of my head. I watched his retreating figure, so urgent and panicked. Yet, he never looked back once.

Suddenly, I remembered how he used to be just as anxious about me.

Back then, I had just arrived in the Northern Pack territory and was working as an apprentice at an herbal medicine shop, studying plant remedies while earning my keep.

The first time Kieran saw me, I was being harassed by some street thugs, and he stepped in to save me. During the fight, his arm was slashed by a silver blade, and the silver poison quickly spread through his bloodstream.

Fortunately, I had learned about herbs that could neutralize silver toxicity, so I stayed awake for three days and nights caring for him until the poison was completely purged.

After that, Kieran began appearing outside the shop more frequently.

I was working late one night when he walked in and handed me a black credit card. He said, "Come with me. You don't need to work this hard anymore."

I was stunned for a moment before pushing the card back to him. "No, thank you, sir. I work hard for my living, and I don't find it burdensome."

He stared at me quietly for a long time, then handed me a business card instead. "My name is Kieran Wolfe, and I'll be back tomorrow."

Sure enough, he returned the next day in a black Maybach. Seeing that I was busy, he waved his hand and bought out our entire stock of herbs just to have dinner with me.

Over the next three months, Kieran did many outrageous things to pursue me.

When I refused his roses, he had fresh bouquets flown in daily to fill the entire shop.

When I refused to ride in his luxury car, he walked with me through the muddy, filthy streets of the poor district to see me home.

When I said we were not from the same world, he crouched beside my dirt-covered herb boxes, personally helping me clear dead leaves and debris.

He stood in that shop for three whole months. Every time I refused him, he would come back a second time, a third time, a fourth time, and so on.

It was not that I never felt my heart flutter, but I was too aware of the gap between us. I could not and did not dare let myself fall for him.

However, that changed when he shielded me from acid thrown by a rival business, leaving a horrific scar across his back.

Even as he was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, he smiled at me and said, "Elise, now that I'm scarred, you'll have to take responsibility for me."

I tenderly touched that wounded flesh as my tears fell onto his burning skin.

After I agreed to be with him, he spoiled me beyond reason.

When I cut my finger while gathering herbs, he called his private healer in the middle of the night. When I casually mentioned liking a certain cupcake, he bought the entire bakery for me. When I had period cramps, he would stay up all night rubbing my stomach.

Once, I tripped and scraped my knee slightly. He was so heartbroken that his eyes turned red as he carried me to the hospital, his hands shaking the entire way.

I laughed through my tears, telling him I was a healer myself, so why were we always going to the hospital?

However, Kieran argued, saying, "Healers can't heal themselves. It looks like a surface wound, but who knows if there's a bacterial infection or bone damage?"

He even insisted on getting a CT scan and having the best healers treat me.

I looked down at the pool of blood beneath me and suddenly laughed, and the sound was bleak.

Later, I took a cab to the hospital, alone. The healer saw how severe my injury was and immediately began stitching and bandaging the wound. By the time they finished treating me, I had lost so much blood that I was dizzy and could barely stand.

I had just stumbled out of the examination room when someone grabbed my wrist roughly.

"Elise! Cecelia almost miscarried. Yet you still wouldn't stop? You followed us to the hospital to cause more trouble?"

Kieran's voice was tight with rage. His brow was furrowed deeply, and his eyes held a bone-chilling coldness. He still carried Cecelia's suffocating perfume scent on his clothes.

"I came to the hospital, but not for her." I pointed to my freshly bandaged forehead. "I was injured too, and I couldn't treat it myself."

Kieran's expression froze. He finally noticed the strong scent of blood on me, masked by antiseptic, and the thick gauze still seeping red.

"Kieran, you said that once she delivered the pup, you'd take me away," I said, looking at him as my nose began to sting. "But now, do you even see me anymore?"

Kieran's frown deepened as he reached out tenderly to touch my wound. "What happened here?"

"You pushed me," I said calmly, dodging his touch. "I hit the bookshelf. To you, it was just a casual shove, wasn't it?"

Kieran's pupils contracted as he recalled the force he had used in his moment of rage. For a human, it could have been fatal.

He pulled me into his arms guiltily. "Elise, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I was just afraid something would happen to Cecelia. She's carrying the pack's future. If anything went wrong, the Elders' Council would never forgive us, and our departure would be delayed again..."

I let him hold me while staring blankly at the sterile white ceiling. I had heard these excuses too many times before.

"I understand," I said, pushing him away. "Go take care of her."

I turned to leave, but he grabbed my wrist again. "Elise, no matter what, you have to believe that I only love you. Everything I do is to help us escape this prison as quickly as possible."

He touched my bandage gently and said, "I'll have Brad drive you home, and don't let the wound get wet."

Brad Pennyworth was his butler.

Kieran released my hand and, as he walked away, said, "When I get home, I'll bring you your favorite cranberry cupcakes."

With that, he headed toward the VIP room at the end of the corridor, where Cecelia was being cared for by the pack's finest healers.

I stood there watching him disappear into the distance. Suddenly, I laughed, and tears began streaming down my face.

"I don't believe you anymore..." I whispered to the empty air and to my own dying heart. "Kieran, I will never believe any of your promises ever again."

Kieran was gone for three days straight. During those three days, Cecelia sent me taunting videos every single day.

In the clips, Kieran was gently coaxing Tyra with toys while Cecelia leaned intimately against his shoulder, smiling sweetly as she watched the father-daughter interaction.

I endured the heartache and watched every video she sent. There were clips of him keeping watch by Cecelia's hospital bed deep into the night, feeding her soup, and holding Tyra with nothing but adoration in his eyes.

Each video felt like a needle piercing my heart.

The pain kept coming until suddenly, I realized I could not feel it anymore. Perhaps my heart had already died the moment I was locked in that freezer.

I was about to block Cecelia's number when my phone buzzed again. It was a photo of my mom's crystal bracelet being toyed with in Cecelia's hands.

[Want your mother's keepsake? Then come get it.]

I shot to my feet so fast that my vision went black from the lingering blood loss. Yet, I did not care.

I grabbed my coat and rushed out.

In the hospital room, Cecelia was holding Tyra and humming a lullaby softly. "Daddy loves you the most, doesn't he? Daddy's Alpha power will be passed down to you someday..."

She looked up when she saw me, her smile deepening. She said, "You came? Did you know that during my stay here, Kieran hasn't even gone on his territory patrols? He's been right here, using his pheromones to comfort me and our future heir."

She deliberately emphasized the word heir.

My nails dug deep into my palms as I asked coldly, "Where's the bracelet?"

Cecelia leisurely picked up the antique crystal bracelet from the bedside table and dangled it from her fingertips. "You mean this?"

She flashed a cruel smile and said, "Here's the deal. With your human body, bow to me, Kieran's future Luna, and I'll consider giving it back."

I trembled with rage. "Don't go too far."

Cecelia's eyes were full of disdain, her arrogance on full display. "So what if I do? Elise, you're nothing but a fragile, short-lived human, while I possess the purest Alpha bloodline! What right do you have to compete with me for Kieran's affection? Bowing to me is an honor!"

She pretended to loosen her grip. "I'll count to three... If you don't get on your knees, I'll drop it. One, two..."

I bit my lip so hard I nearly drew blood. My knees felt like they were filled with lead, but they finally crashed heavily onto the cold floor as I bowed down with my forehead touching the ground.

Cecelia burst out laughing. "Look at you! You really do look like a pathetic dog."

She raised her hand, and I reached out to catch it. However, she released her fingers just half a step away from me.

The crystal bracelet shattered on the floor, breaking into several pieces.

Cecelia covered her grin with a look of mock surprise. "Oh, my! How careless of you! You couldn't even catch it."

I trembled and had just lunged forward to gather the pieces when Cecelia suddenly screamed and fell backward against the wall.

At that moment, the door was violently pushed open. Kieran and Lucian stood in the doorway with grim expressions, followed by several other elders.

"What are you doing?!" Lucian demanded sternly, his voice carrying Alpha authority that made me feel suffocated.

Cecelia threw herself into Kieran's arms, crying. "Kieran! My stomach hurts so much... Oh, and check Tyra quickly! I just saw Elise pinching and hitting her..."

Kieran frantically picked up the pup to examine her, lifting her clothes to reveal tender skin covered in purple bruises from pinching.

I stared in disbelief. "I didn't! I never even touched her!"

I shook my head desperately as Lucian glared at me with venom in his eyes. Suddenly, a blow heavy with werewolf strength struck me across the face. My vision went black, my ears rang, and blood dripped from the corner of my mouth.

"You vile woman!" Lucian's voice sounded like an echo. "You dare harm a pregnant she-wolf and an innocent pup!"

Another Elder said coldly, "The last punishment was too lenient. Guards, drag her to the punishment chamber and give her 20 lashes!"

Kieran clenched his fists tightly and stepped forward. "Elders!"

"You still want to protect her?!" Lucian interrupted harshly. "She harmed your own bloodline! Even if you plan to run away with her, it doesn't change that this pup carries your blood!"

I trembled, instinctively looking toward Kieran.

He still stood there with his knuckles white from clenching. He looked at me with such struggle, such pain in his eyes. Yet, under Lucian's unyielding stare, it slowly shifted into hopeless calm.

Kieran slowly turned his face away, silently accepting the punishment. I stared blankly at his averted face, feeling my heart being torn apart.

Then, unexpectedly, the corners of my mouth slowly curved upward as I began to laugh.

I laughed at myself for being so foolish as to actually believe he would take me away.

I laughed at my stupidity for thinking those vows could outweigh a pureblooded heir.

I laughed at my naivety for still hoping he would choose me at the crucial moment.

...

In the punishment chamber, wolf guards pinned me down, forcing me to kneel on the stone slab in the center.

The first lash came down, and my vision went black.

In a daze, I remembered when I had broken up with Kieran on the day he decided to rebel against his family to be with me. That night it poured rain, and he stood outside my window, letting the storm drench him until he burned with a high fever.

When I went to see him, he was delirious with fever. Yet, he still grabbed my hand and said, "Elise, remember... Even if it means fighting the whole world, I want only you as my mate."

The second lash fell, and I bit through my lip, the metallic taste spreading through my mouth. I remembered how he had flown halfway across the country overnight just because I had accidentally transmitted a hint of fear through our mind-link in the middle of the night.

The third and fourth lashes quickly came after. Each strike felt like it was tearing my soul apart, hurting more than the wounds splitting open on my back.

At the 15th lash, I seemed to hear his gentle voice from years ago when I was injured. "How did you get hurt again? Let me lick it... It won't hurt for much longer..."

By the 19th lash, my consciousness was fading, and my ears were buzzing. I thought I heard someone calling my name, but I could not tell if it was real or a hallucination.

Finally, the last lash struck, and I could not hold on anymore. My vision went black as I completely passed out.

Just before losing consciousness, I saw Kieran anxiously pulling me into his arms.