Verena Ellington was the Alpha king's daughter but for her mate, Fred Clinton— An average Alpha, she turned down the throne, put her wolf to sleep, and dedicated 7 years of her life to help him rise as his human mate.

She thought life was good. She thought she had the best husband and son. However, when she returned from the hospital after a supposed Panther attack on her, her heart bottomed out to see her husband and son living in their house with his mistress like a family!

"Mommy, there's no need for you to overreact okay! Aunt Tory here was doing what you were supposed to do— Taking care of us. Stop throwing a tantrum and let us enjoy the movie." Those were her son's words when she yelled at them.

"Vera, I can't deny my feelings for Tory. She pulls me in like a magnet. Many Alphas have women beside their Lunas. Why are you so bitter about it? Accept her or the doors are behind you. It's your choice."

"You want that Vixen? Fine, I'll leave you to them. Enjoy your lives."

Heartbroken and burning in the need for revenge, Verena left them. She revived her wolf and decided to pick up where she left 7 years ago— but now, her ex-husband and son want her back.

Will Verena forget their betrayal and go to them? Or will she continue to relish the taste of freedom and wait for a second-chance mate?

1.

Vera woke up in a hospital ward. She froze in shock as she took in her surroundings.

"H-hospital? What am I doing here? I was at my son's sports day event in school. How did I land here?" Vera's forehead creased as she attempted to recall anything about how she ended here.

She moved the white thin sheet away from her body and prepared to get up.

"Aahh!"

A pang of pain shot through her belly when she pulled her knees up to sit up. She froze and squeezed her eyes shut. Tears formed and she held back a sob.

She might have screamed a little too loud because just then the door swung open and an old nurse rushed in.

"Luna, you're awake! Is it paining anywhere?" The nurse asked as she caught her shoulders and helped her lay back.

"M-my belly, it hurts. I was trying to get up and..." Vera trailed off as she pressed her lips together to tame the pain.

"Oh, I see. Let me check the wound on your belly. Please be calm." The nurse said and lifted the hem of the peach colored shirt Vera was wearing. "Ah, your wound is bleeding. You shouldn't have hastened, Luna. I'll clean it for you."

"Wound?" Vera reiterated, her eyes staring in shock.

The nurse looked up, and the pitiful look she gave made Vera's heart bang. She wondered what had happened to her?

"I guess you don't have the memory of that afternoon from five days ago, Luna. I'll help you recall it." The nurse said as she fetched a tray of medicines and gauze from the steel table beside Vera's bed.

She picked some cotton from a roll and gently dabbed it around the blood-soaked bandage on Vera's belly.

"During your son's sports event a stampede broke out, Luna. A panther was sighted around the ground and everyone was disoriented. They started a stampede during which you hurt yourself."

"Hurt myself? I don't remember anything as such— Wait, I think I do!" Vera gasped as the happenings from that day began to spill in her mind.

She remembered getting a call from Tory, his husband's secretary. Tory had been getting on her nerves for four months. She was seen with her husband, Alpha Fred Clinton, in romantic places, and the rumors had it that they were dating. But Fred proclaimed they were only bound by professionalism.

Vera loved Fred. She coaxed herself to believe him because marriages don't survive without trust.

Vera and Fred have been married for seven years and they had a lovely five year old son, Alex. He was the Alpha of Silver Claw Pack. Their life was perfect. Despite being a human for a Luna, she did her duties well; and that's what Fred liked about her.

They never had a banter like other couples, let alone a misunderstanding. They never had any trouble in their lives. Both of them knew each other's boundaries, and gave each other sufficient space.

That's why Vera avoided rumors surrounding her husband and his secretary. However, Tory sent her a picture a night before Alex's sports day event— one where Fred was súcking on her nipples and Tory was enjoying it.

The message that came with the photo also returned to Vera's mind. It was:

'You're such a boring doormat wife, Vera. I wonder how Fred spent seven years with you! He doesn't let me leave the bed even after we've done it several times. He always wants more. And you! When I spoke to him about you, you know what he said?! He said that you're a religious freak and sleeping with you feels like attending a Friday Mass. But don't worry, I'm taking care of your husband on behalf of you.'

Vera's teeth gritted as she tried not to scream. Tory's message and that photo she sent hadn't let her sleep that night. She was left wide awake and wondering all night. And yet when the morning appeared and Fred got up with a bright smile beside her and left the bed after giving her a morning kiss, Vera didn't confront him. It was their son's day.

Alex had participated in several events and he was very excited about it. Vera didn't want to ruin his day or mood. Hence she kept quiet. She was going to talk to Fred about Tory after dinner. But to her dismay and to rub salt on her bleeding heart, Tory appeared on the sports ground. She claimed that she had come to support Alex.

Vera remembered trembling in anger but she kept quiet for the sake of her son. After all, he liked her. He called her Aunt Tory, though she had been jealous when Alex ran to hug her knees. The affection he held for her seemed more than what he showed to Vera although she was his mother.

Vera clenched her teeth as she felt the sting from the cleaning of her wound. She was too lost in her memories to react. She remembered sitting on Fred's left side in the stands and Tory on the right side. She had demanded that they sit away from her, but Fred eyed her.

"Babe, she's here to support our son leaving her daughter at her friend's house. How will she feel if we leave her alone or ask her to sit elsewhere? Everyone knows that she's my PA." He had whispered to her, and no matter how badly she disagreed, she kept quiet.

Vera was compelled to wonder how come a young girl like her became his secretary? Tory was 21 years old. Did she even have the degree or experience to work in Fred's PA's position? Not to mention, Fred was a rising Alpha and his business was becoming bigger every month as they signed new deals and treaties with other packs.

Vera was trying not to react when Tory giggled like a school girl or when she jumped to cheer for her son when he was participating in the Long Jump event. It was annoying and sounded like a hornet buzzing right across from her ear. Everything was fine until Vera noticed how Tory was sitting.

She couldn't avoid how Tory kept leaning into her husband. How she giggled across his ear and how she cheered for her son. What stripped Vera's patience thin was when she saw Tory place her hand on his lap.

"Can you scoot away, woman!" She had snapped and almost all the eyes turned to them.

Tbc…

A new book. Hope you enjoy reading it~

2

Fred was embarrassed at his Luna's behavior. It was as if he’d become someone else altogether when Tory clutched her mouth and ran out of the stands after making an excuse.

"You're unbelievable, Vera! What's wrong with you? Why did you do that? Are you insecure? Or jealous? Tell me, which one is it? I am totally done with you and—" Fred faded out when he noticed his son looking their way from the ground.

Alex looked disappointed on Tory's leave. He was about to start a 400m run and his eyes screamed to ask: Where did my Aunt Tory go?

"Just think about Alex. How would he feel if he heard about this? Tory didn't come here on her own. Our son insisted on her! Now go and find her. Apologize to her and bring her back before Alex starts his run."

Vera got up with a red face. And no, she didn't go to apologize, but to confront Tory about the picture she sent.

She was going towards the restroom area when she heard Tory's voice from the space under the stands, "Where are you going, Luna?"

The biting sarcasm was audible in her words. Vera went to meet her beneath the stands.

The crowd was roaring in excitement above them. The stands were shaking. Vera was a little afraid. She thought that the stands might collapse down on them. One look at Tory's face in the flashlight of her phone and her lips twisted in rage. Tory was smirking at her and that felt like she was rubbing salt in Vera's wounded heart.

"Oh, so you're not really crying. I knew that."

"But you came here to apologize, didn't you? So apologize!" Tory said with an attitude, escalating Vera's anger.

Without thinking twice, she delivered a resounding slap across her cheek.

"You bloody whóre! How dare you seduce my husband! Now I know why your husband left you with a daughter. You aren't loyal or as innocent as you look. You're a monster hiding behind a pretty face. Women like you live off rich men for comfort and a luxurious life. I'm warning you! Stay. Away. From. My. Husband. And. Son." Vera pointed a finger at her, her eyes blazing. "I don't want to see you after today. You'll leave us alone."

"I never had a husband." Tory said calmly, face still tilted by the slap. Vera was taken by surprise.

"Then the little girl you have. Who does she belong to? Did you kidnap her or adopt her from somewhere?" Vera growled angrily. "You're young yourself. Who would let you adopt a child, it's insane! But the first idea could be possible."

"I'll choose 'none of the above' to answer your multiple choice question, Professor! Molly is mine. I had her when I was sixteen."

"Are you kidding me? How can you have a daughter at sixteen? It's illegal."

"Ever heard about Teen Pregnancy, Professor?"

"It's impossible."

"Oh, but it happened." Tory said in a mock sweet voice. "My parents kicked me out when I conceived. They said I better abort it but I refused to. Who would get rid of their ticket to a rich world? My child was the key to my happy life."

Vera cringed. Only a money-minded woman would call her child a ticket to something.

"Besides, what did my parents give me other than lectures on religion and faith! They were stupid to think there was a moon goddess who controls the universe. I say you become the goddess of your own life and control it." Tory giggled. "Wait, they did give me something— This young-looking body and an innocent-looking face. I'm 21 but I look even younger. And with a 5 year old daughter, I have the perfect, tragic sob story.

"I lie to men I meet. I tell them that I was ràped and I conceived. But then I was so young that my parents didn't believe me and accused me of whóring around, which isn't wrong, if you ask me. I cry and they run to me to give me their shoulder. They whisper nice things to comfort me but my attention stays more on how their hands hold me. It's what tells me that a man is interested in me.

“When I'm convinced that they are under my spell, I play my next move— I take my daughter to meet them. They instantly take pity because of the age of my daughter and they fall in my trap. That's what happened to your husband, you know. In fact, I didn't have to do much! I just jumped in front of his car with a cleavage-revealing dress and he was smitten."

Tory batted her eyes and asked her if she wanted to know how she bagged the place of Fred's secretary.

“I've been wondering a lot about that. Mrs. Walls was a reliable employee and PA. I would definitely want to know why Fred fired her.”

Tory grinned at that and replied, “I told my sob story to Alpha Fred, but also told him that I'm about to leave my daughter in foster care because I can't afford to feed her. He was tongue-tied when he heard that. You see, my daughter looks even more innocent and pitiful. She's smaller for her size and she flinches back when she sees new men I take her to meet. The fact that she never speaks makes her look sadder and more miserable.

“Fred fell in love with my daughter and offered me a place of janitor in his office. But you see my figure and face, will I look good holding a mop or carrying those smelly trash bins? Nah! So I lied a little about how it would leave me exposed to workplace bullying and give men more chances to take advantage of me. Being a ràpe victim it'll traumatize me more.

“I swear that's all I said.” Tory pinched her throat. “But the next morning, he asked me to meet him and told me that I'll be his PA and get a good salary so I don't have to give my daughter up. What he did to his previous PA… I don't know.” She shrugged carelessly.

“You little slút!”

Indignation swirled through Vera like a hurricane. She cursed Tory and hit her again.

"Whatever! I don't care where you come from and what you want. Just leave my family alone if you love your life."

"What if I don't?" Tory spoke menacingly.

Vera slapped her again. Her face tilted again by the slap, she grinned eerily. She made Vera uncomfortable. She gave off a weird, unstable vibe like she was a psycho.

"What!"

"I said..." Tory's face came up with a dark smile. "What if I don't leave them alone? What if they want me?"

Anger clawed through Vera's guts, "You rotten whóre!"

She advanced towards her with her palm raised higher, ready to strike Tory again. However, Tory beat her to it. She kicked her in the knee, unbalancing her. Just as Vera sat down on her knees with a wince, Tory outgrew her claws.

Vera panicked. She tried to crawl away but she was held, pinned down, and struck in the stomach. Blurriness spread across her eyes as sickening pain shot up her belly. The last thing Vera heard was Tory's malicious voice.

"It's you who should leave us alone, so-called Luna Vera! Your son and husband don't want you either. Why do you think I came here? It's because they didn't want to attend this event alone with you. You make the men in your house repulsive. It's better if you die so I can take your place as Luna in Fred and Alex's lives!"

Tory grew her normal nails back and ran out crying, "Panther! Panther! There's a panther in the restroom. I saw him drag Luna Vera away! Somebody help! There's a Panther. He'll kill Luna Vera!"

Tbc...

3

Vera thanked the nurse once she was done. She drowned in her thoughts back when the nurse stopped, and came back to her.

"Luna Vera," the nurse called out to her gently. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, I'm." Vera smiled, but the instant she saw worry in the old woman's eyes, her smile faded.

She had questions and uncertainty dancing in her gaze. It's like she had something to say. She chose to keep quiet and began to leave again.

Vera quickly called after her and asked, "What is it, ma'am? You seemed to have doubts lingering in your mind? Ask away."

The nurse whirled around with an unhinged jaw. It was clear that being called with respect was rare with her. But despite being Luna herself, Vera was treating her with such respect made her break into a small smile. Then without hesitation the woman said what she had on her mind.

"You've been here for five days, Luna. Unconscious and burning in high fever. Which I think is pretty normal given you're a human." Vera lowered her head.

It wasn't done in embarrassment because she was a human Luna to an Alpha who was becoming stronger everyday, but because she needed to hide her smile. The truth was that— Vera was the Alpha king's daughter, Verena Ellington. She had an alpha king's blood and power.

She was her father's chosen heiress for the throne, but for the sake of living a life of freedom and not one tied down by responsibility of hundreds of pack, Vera chose to walk out of her house and pack— The Silver-blood empire that ruled over and provided protection to Two-fifty packs.

Vera didn't want to be known as an Alpha king's daughter, or the queen sitting on the Alpha king's throne and maintaining peace between all the packs. She wanted to do something different. She wanted to be known for being herself. That's why she respectfully refused the throne and left the kingdom in quest of making her identity.

It's just been two months since her living alone with a new identity— Vera Ellen, an orphan— when she met her mate, Fred. They instantly fell in love due to the mate bond and decided to get married.

However, Vera hid her powers because her husband was an average Alpha ruling over a not so strong pack. She was afraid he might feel inferior to her if he realized that she was much stronger and more skilled than him.

So for her mate's happiness, she willingly drank 'Elixir of death' that put her wolf (Verity) to a long induced sleep and banned her from interacting with her or making her presence known.

Vera happily embraced the life of a human for her mate.

"You don't have a wolf and with your mortal body, healing is slow and painful. But the thing that bothered me alot... is your family." The nurse said with a hiss, making Vera's eyes jump back to her face. "They're careless. They don't deserve you. Don't get me wrong, Luna, but you've been here all alone since you're brought. I mean, I get it your husband is an Alpha and he has a developing pack to look after, it's still no excuse to not come here. And then your son... What about him? I heard other nurses talking in the changing room that your son was seen going to a mall with your husband's secretary happily like she was his mother and not you. That's not the first time! Since your admission here, he has been seen in various places with her like the kids playzone, Mcdonalds, ice-cream parlour and more."

"Luna," The old nurse heaved a nervous sigh. "Something is not right."

"I-it's nothing. I'm sure you're misunderstanding my husband and son." Vera tried to cover up even if she felt a hot pang of pain in her chest.

The old nurse's lips curled up in a mock smile, "You see my white hair here, Luna? They didn't turn white from old age... But from experience. I've seen enough home wreckers to know when one is working her way up to take someone else's place. And this cute-looking young woman... I have a feeling she doesn't have good intentions!"

The nurse covered Vera's hand on the bed beside her body. Giving it a light squeeze she resumed, "You're like a daughter to me, Luna. And you're kind. You've done things the Alpha couldn't have done alone. We've seen the pack rise like never before since you joined us. You've contributed to this pack's success and fame. It's because of your efforts and hard work that we're recognized as a rising pack. It's because of you Alpha Fred is respected by the other Alphas. Your research and development plans worked for the best of the pack. I don't like how it's paying you back." With infidelity— The nurse didn't add them but Vera heard those two words in her voice too.

She lowered her eyes and clenched her jaw tight to keep from crying. She recalled the state of the pack when she joined. It was mostly dust and bricks. She worked on it to build it into a prosperous pack. She gave the people of the pack houses, protection, assurance and what not.

It was her who motivated Fred to go and meet other Alphas to make alliances. She encouraged him to invest in agriculture and grew crops that brought insane money to their pack, with which they further developed the pack. Fred was nothing without her. She cemented the title of Alpha permanently before his name with her hard work.

Not to mention the attacks some greedy packs did on their pack to expand their territory and to instill their fear on other packs.

Fred always gave up during an attack. The strength of their army was lesser in the beginning. Who helped him? Who commanded the small army, fought with them on the war grounds, and returned victorious but still gave the credits to the Alpha? Who made strategies and strengthened his army? Who fought at the last minute during an unexpected attack and created an example for others to not try to target them ever again?

Vera. It was Vera all along.

Although disoriented and feeling heartbroken, Vera faked a smile again and tried to distract the nurse into believing that she was being paranoid.

"Luna, my own husband cheated on me with a younger girl." Vera's breathing faltered.

Tbc…