I found out Axton had taken a mate when their child was already born.

In the pack hall, his friend Stefan asked him how he planned to explain it to me.

He just scoffed:

“It’s natural for a future Alpha to have a mate and a chosen companion. She has no right to demand an explanation from me.”

“Besides, Victoria is possessive. It’s better not to tell her yet, or she might do something reckless to harm my child.”

We’d grown up together, and three years ago, I left for a pack ceremony.

He promised me, “It’ll always be just you and me. When you return, we’ll have our mark ceremony.”

This time, I didn’t cry or beg him to explain why he’d broken his promise.

I turned and left, accepting the mate bond with Josue Cruz.

Finally, I let go of my love for him.

......

“Axton, Victoria is returning soon. You can’t keep this secret forever,” Stefan said in the pack’s meeting room.

Axton cradled a baby boy, his face filled with affection as he played with him.

At Stefan’s words, his expression turned cold and indifferent:

“Victoria is possessive. It’s better to keep it from her, so she doesn’t cause trouble for Camila and the child.”

“She’s always been clingy, getting jealous even if I just talk to another female.”

My hand froze as I reached to knock on the door, stunned by what I’d overheard.

I’d always loved Axton. Growing up as an orphan, I’d been insecure, wary of any female who got close to him. But he’d always reassured me.

“You’re right. She’s always been spoiled. She’d definitely make a scene,” Stefan agreed, nodding.

At that moment, a woman emerged from the inner room, calling out to Axton in a soft, sweet voice.

“Axton, let me hold him.”

“Be careful, Camila. He’s grown a lot,” Axton said, handing the baby to her and wrapping an arm around her waist, his eyes filled with tenderness.

“You two should tone it down. I’m still here, you know,” Stefan joked.

“It’s no wonder Camila chose Axton. I’ve never seen him this gentle before. It’s just a shame about her status…”

Stefan’s voice trailed off, filled with pity.

My heart sank. Camila was the rogue I’d saved years ago. Though she’d been an Omega in the pack, I’d treated her like a sister.

Before I left for the pack ceremony, I’d even asked her to keep an eye on Axton, to make sure no other female got close to him.

And yet, she’d betrayed me and climbed into his bed!

I couldn’t believe I’d been betrayed by both my friend and my promised mate.

Anger surged within me, and I wanted to burst in and demand answers, but I stopped myself.

What right did I have to confront him? Our mate bond had only been a verbal promise, never formalized.

I felt dazed, realizing now that he’d stopped writing to me a year ago.

Every time I sent him messages through the mind link about my experiences at the ceremony, his replies had been nothing but a cold “Read.”

“After the mark ceremony, how will you convince Victoria to accept Camila?”

I held my breath as Stefan asked the question.

Axton’s detached voice reached my ears:

“An orphan like her should be grateful to be my mate. What right does she have to refuse my chosen companion?”

“Besides, I’ve never loved her. My heart belongs to Camila.”

“The past few years, I just enjoyed watching her wag her tail like a dog for scraps of my affection.”

“It was amusing.”

I stumbled out of the hall, bumping into several pack members along the way.

When I reached the pack’s entrance, I ran into another of Axton’s friends.

He was holding a rattle and looked surprised to see me.

“Victoria, you’re back early?”

“What are you doing here?”

At his question, I thought back to the past three years.

Three years ago, the Luna of the Lycan Kingdom had invited a few chosen females to a special ceremony. Those who attended would return with honors and titles.

Knowing I was an orphan and feeling unworthy of Axton, I’d begged Margaret Taylor to help me secure a spot.

I’d returned early to visit the pack’s hall and get a protective charm for Axton, only to stumble upon this heart-shattering truth.

I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak, frozen in place, overwhelmed.

Only now did I feel the cruel reality:

Axton had never loved me. He’d deceived me for ten years.

The female I’d treated as a sister had betrayed me.

I didn’t understand why life had been so cruel, denying me any semblance of family, friendship, or love.

Just then, Axton’s voice came from behind me, as gentle as ever:

“Victoria, you’re back early?”

I turned to see him standing at the entrance, his eyes searching mine with a hint of unease.

“The Luna ended the ceremony early,” I replied, my voice steady.

If I hadn’t returned early, I’d still be in the dark.

“You should’ve mind linked me. I’d have come to pick you up. It’s a long journey—you must be exhausted.”

His voice was filled with concern.

“Why did you come here instead of going home?”

“I came to get a protective charm for your mother,” I lied instinctively.

I still couldn’t let go, wanting him to explain or confess.

“Let’s go home. The car’s waiting at the bottom of the hill.”

Axton’s tone was warm as he stepped closer, but when he noticed my intense gaze, a flicker of discomfort crossed his face.

He teased, “You’ve grown so beautiful in three years. I’m almost afraid I’m not good enough for you anymore.”

I didn’t respond to his joke, my eyes fixed on the charm hanging from his belt.

The embroidery was familiar—Camila’s handiwork.

My throat tightened, and I felt a cold emptiness inside.

He’d once said, “Victoria, we’ve grown up together. I promise I’ll take you as my mate and never take a chosen companion. It’ll always be just you and me.”

“I’ll wait for you. I’ll never change.”

But now the brutal truth was laid bare before me. He’d been lying to me all along.

“No,” I said softly, meeting his eyes.

“Good. Let’s get you home to rest. We’ll have a welcome celebration once you’re settled.”

Axton exhaled almost imperceptibly, a smile returning to his face.

After getting into the car, I noticed a woman’s coat and a child’s rattle in the backseat.

“A friend of mine and his mate came with me to the pack run today, but their car broke down. They left these behind when they switched cars,” Axton explained quickly, his voice tinged with nervousness.

I thought of what he had said during the pack run, how he had claimed to still care for me, yet here was evidence of another life he was building—one that didn’t include me.

He had once sworn to me, under the Moon Goddess, that I would be his only mate. But now, it seemed those words meant nothing.

I said nothing, instead turning my gaze to the window, letting the passing scenery blur as I tried to steady my thoughts.

Throughout the drive, Axton kept asking about how I had been these past three years. His questions felt hollow, and I answered distractedly, my mind elsewhere. I didn’t want small talk; I wanted the truth.

The chill from the pack run air lingered, and I coughed lightly. My eyes fell on a handkerchief resting on the car’s console.

I reached for it, but Axton stopped me.

“That one smells like jasmine. I remember you hate jasmine,” he said, pulling out another handkerchief from a hidden compartment. “Here, use this one.”

The scent of roses wafted from the new handkerchief. Roses—the smell I despised most, the one that always made my eyes sting and my throat tighten.

He had once seen me in tears after smelling roses and promised, “I’ll always remember. No roses for you.”

But now, he was handing me a rose-scented handkerchief, oblivious to the irony.

“What’s wrong? You used to love roses,” he said, his brow furrowed as he noticed my discomfort.

I didn’t bother explaining. Instead, I closed my eyes, pretending to rest.

Back at the Taylor pack house, Axton had the kitchen prepare a lavish meal for me.

“Eat up. You’ve lost so much weight these past three years,” he said, his tone soft but distant.

The table was filled with spicy dishes, each one a reminder of how much he had forgotten. I couldn’t eat spicy food—it always upset my stomach. He used to know that. The meals in the pack house had always been tailored to my tastes, light and mild.

He didn’t notice my hesitation, eating heartily as he spoke.

“With the marking ceremony coming up, you should stay here and prepare. It’ll be good to have you back,” he said casually.

My hand tightened around my fork. He had forgotten everything—my dislikes, my preferences, even my dreams. I had written to him about my desire to teach at the pack academy, but he seemed to have dismissed it entirely.

I forced myself to take a bite, the spice burning my throat.

“I mentioned in my letters that I wanted to—” I began, but a pack member interrupted, knocking on the door.

“Alpha—” the pack member started, glancing at Axton with a mix of hesitation and urgency.

Axton’s expression shifted, a flicker of panic in his eyes. He stood abruptly, tossing a quick excuse my way.

“Victoria, I’ll be right back. Something urgent came up.”

Before I could respond, he was gone, leaving me alone at the table.

I watched him leave, my heart aching. For three years, I had counted the days, longing to return to him, to our life together. But now, those hopes felt like sand slipping through my fingers, impossible to hold onto.

I was seven years old when I came to the Taylor pack, only because my father had done a great service to Alpha Taylor, and they had become close allies.

After my parents tragically died at the hands of rogues, Alpha Taylor brought me into their household. But both Alpha Taylor and his Luna, Margaret, were often busy, and their care for me was inevitably a bit lacking.

Added to that, when I first arrived, I was unfamiliar with the pack and extremely timid.

I tiptoed through every day, careful in everything I did, even afraid to eat too much at meals.

Being an orphan, the pack's lower-ranking members gradually began to bully me.

Once, I remember an Omega slacked off and forgot to bring me food, and I went hungry for an entire day.

Starving, I snuck into the kitchen to get something to eat.

But I was caught by the kitchen staff, who accused me of stealing.

Just as I was in despair, it was Axton who helped me. He scolded them fiercely:

"Victoria is the daughter of our pack's savior. Who dares to treat her like this?"

He reprimanded the staff and reported it to Luna Margaret.

Luna was furious and exiled several of the Omegas who had been bullying me. After that, my life improved.

That was the first time I met him, and later I learned he was the eldest son of the Taylor pack, the future Alpha.

He was also the one with whom I had a verbal promise of becoming mates.

After that, he would ask about me every day when he returned to the packhouse, taking great care of me.

He always said, "Victoria, don't be afraid. From now on, I’m your family."

On the day of my Come of Age Ceremony, he was drunk and, uncharacteristically bold, barged into my room, holding me tightly in his arms.

He said he loved me and wanted me to be his Luna.

At that moment, I was overjoyed and couldn’t help but nod.

From then on, I always dreamed of becoming his mate.

Back in my room, I was still lost in those memories when the door suddenly burst open.

It was Camila.

She was wearing a stunning dress, her eyes brimming with a mix of feigned innocence and hidden triumph as she said to me:

"Victoria, you’re back. I have something to tell you. Axton has taken me as his chosen mate, and we’ve had a child. Once you join the pack, he’ll formally mark me as his mate."

"I’m sorry, Victoria, but Axton fell for me, and I couldn’t refuse…"

She shed two tears, her eyes red, but deep within them was a glint of challenge.

In that moment, she finally revealed the ambition she had been hiding all along.