The night before the audition for the pack’s theater company, everything went wrong.

Someone threw acid on me, leaving my face scarred and my eyesight lost. Jason Russell, my childhood friend and the Gamma of our pack, was outraged, vowing to uncover the truth. Despite my appearance, he marked me as his mate in an elaborate ceremony, solidifying our bond in front of the entire pack. I was overcome with gratitude, believing the Moon Goddess had blessed me with a mate who stood by me in my darkest hour.

But then I heard him say, “I was the one who bought the acid. I arranged for it to be thrown on her.”

“Only then could I ensure she wouldn’t compete with Sage Olson for the spot in the theater company.”

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“Amber used to be the beauty of our pack. If it hadn’t happened, the role would definitely be hers,” Santana Gilbert, one of Jason’s closest allies, chuckled, scratching his chin. “But Gamma, don’t you feel any remorse?”

Jason, lounging in his chair, shrugged dismissively. “What’s there to regret?”

“You regret marking her, right? Doesn’t looking at that ruined face and blind eyes every day make you feel sick?”

Jason remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Santana’s eyes widened. “No way, have you two never fulfilled the mate bond?”

Jason smirked slyly, a glint of dark amusement in his eyes. “Her face might be ruined, but you wouldn’t believe her figure. Turn off the lights, and you’d never guess how incredible her body is.”

Santana slapped his knee, laughing hard, and gave Jason a thumbs up. “I knew you wouldn’t end up losing out. Amber’s still got the best body in the entire pack. Smart choice!”

Jason’s expression softened with unsettling tenderness. “Plus, being mated to someone less attractive ensures Sage won’t get jealous. You know how possessive she can be.”

Standing outside the hospital room, I felt frozen to the core, my heart aching with betrayal. I quickly set down the mixing bowl I held, pressing my chest fiercely to keep from collapsing. My wolf whimpered faintly in the back of my mind, a sound of shared pain.

No wonder ever since the pack’s theater company announced their auditions, I’d been met with endless obstacles. With quick thinking and caution, I’d sidestepped one problem after another and finally got called in for an audition.

I was so thrilled when I heard the news, eager to share it with Jason. Little did I know, despite all my precautions, I’d walked into the biggest trap of all.

Leaning against the wall, I felt my strength leave me as I slowly slid down, tears rolling down my cheeks, sharp and stinging. The mate bond, once a source of comfort, now burned like a brand, a cruel reminder of the man who had betrayed me so deeply.

Grandma Miriam stirred in her hospital bed, and Alpha Jason carefully adjusted her blanket. The room was immaculate, a testament to my relentless care, and the blanket was cozy, just the way she liked it. Grandma’s cheeks had a healthy glow, a small comfort amidst the chaos of our lives.

Beta Santana couldn’t help but commend, “You made a wise choice marking Amber as your mate, Alpha. Look how well she cares for Grandma Miriam. If it were Sage, she’d never manage so capably!” He brought up last year’s incident when Sage was supposed to look after her mother in the hospital but ended up causing more harm, a story that still made me wince.

Alpha Jason frowned slightly, his broad shoulders tense under his tailored shirt. “Sage is here to enjoy life, not to endure hardships,” he said, his voice firm but distant, as if he were defending her even now.

“She’s not Amber; it’s no surprise she’s not nurturing,” Beta Santana added, his tone light but cutting.

I felt a sting in my eyes as I glanced at the basin by my feet. Inside were clothes stained by Grandma’s vomit. It had taken me two full hours to clean them meticulously, my hands raw from scrubbing. Three years into life with the Russell Pack, I had indeed proven the perfect caretaker, enduring every hardship without complaint.

When the pack house was being renovated, the construction workers needed extra hands for mixing mortar and passing bricks. Alpha Jason was on a mission for the Lycan Kingdom, unable to return. Grandma Miriam said she was too old, her back in poor condition, and I suggested hiring some help. But she chided me for not understanding the value of money and wasting Alpha Jason’s hard-earned resources. Unable to reach him, I had no choice but to tackle the labor myself.

It was June, and the sun was fierce and relentless, scorching my skin painfully. For three straight months, I worked under the blazing sun, shedding over twenty pounds before the house was finally completed. My wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, urging me to rest, but I ignored her, driven by duty and the need to prove myself.

Later, Grandma took up more laundry jobs at home. With scars on my left cheek and a blind left eye, finding a job was nearly impossible. She had me help her with the laundry work, which led to a significant increase in the volume of clothes she accepted.

Initially, she only took in light, easy-to-wash garments, but soon even heavy coats and military jackets piled up. During washing, she insisted she was too old and frail to handle those clothes alone, leaving it all to me.

I lost track of how many clothes I washed on the freezing winter nights. My once soft and delicate hands had turned as rough as sandpaper, utterly unrecognizable. But I never complained. I couldn’t. Not when Grandma Miriam had taken me in as a pup, saving me from the fate of an orphanage. Not when Alpha Jason, despite everything, had marked me as his mate, binding me to this pack, this life.

Yet, as I stood there, scrubbing clothes until my fingers bled, I couldn’t help but wonder if it was all worth it. The bond between us was still there, faint but unbreakable, a constant reminder of what I had lost—and what I had yet to lose.