When I returned to the pack house that evening, my belongings were scattered across the living room floor, while Delilah lay soundly asleep in the bed that had once been mine and Quinn’s. The Alpha emerged from the bathroom, his tall, muscular frame filling the doorway, his expression shifting to awkwardness when he saw me standing there.

He approached me, his deep voice soft but carrying the weight of his Alpha tone. "Just tolerate this for a few months, Mavis. I need to take care of Delilah. Once the pup is born, we’ll move out."

In the past, I would have erupted, demanding answers, but what was the point now? I was already preparing to sever the mate bond, to leave this life behind.

I turned away, my face blank, but Quinn’s smug chuckle followed me. "If you’d been this compliant earlier, you wouldn’t have suffered so much."

His words froze me in place, rage flooding my senses, leaving me momentarily speechless. I suddenly remembered his infidelities over the past five years—always with flight attendants from the Moonstone Pack, and this time was no different.

The first time I caught him in bed with another female, I had torn the room apart, demanding to know why he had betrayed our mate bond. Quinn had just laughed, dismissing my anger, accusing me of imagining things and ruining the pack’s harmony.

After that, he frequented hotels with different females, pretending I didn’t know, as if his silence would somehow preserve our bond. Little did I realize that he used his affairs to test my limits, training me to submit without even realizing it.

That night, I moved my things into the cramped storage room, the space barely large enough to hold my belongings. At midnight, I made myself a cup of warm coffee to soothe my nerves. When I stepped out, I found Delilah on the floor, clutching her belly, a pool of spilled coffee around her. Her wailing brought Quinn rushing from the bedroom.

"Alpha, the coffee she made... it’s poisoned," Delilah gasped, her voice trembling.

Before I could defend myself, Quinn’s hand struck my face. The metallic taste of blood spread quickly, and my heart trembled with fear.

"I didn’t—" I started, but Quinn hit me again, blood now dripping from both corners of my mouth. His eyes blazed with fury, his Alpha aura pressing down on me like a weight.

"Thought you’d changed, but you’re still scheming. Now, tell me! What did you put in it?"

I clenched my teeth, trying to stay calm, but the wave of indignation and fear overwhelmed me, piercing my heart. My hands trembled uncontrollably, my breath becoming shallow. I knew another panic attack was coming and fumbled for a small bag of pills in my pocket, only for Quinn to seize my wrist.

"Still denying it? This is evidence! I’ll deal with you when I return!"

He shoved me to the ground, crushing the pills under his boot, then rushed out with Delilah in his arms. My vision blurred with tears as I scooped up some of the crushed pills and forced them into my mouth; the bitterness spread, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. Then everything went black.

When I woke, Quinn’s furious face loomed over me. He dragged me by my hair into the yard, where he had set up a fire pit and began tossing my belongings into the flames.

When he pulled out my parents' photo, I collapsed in front of him. "Please... don’t do this... I know I was wrong..."

My voice quivered almost beyond comprehension, my hands clutching the fabric of Quinn’s trousers desperately. Tears streamed down my cheeks, mingling with the blood stains around my mouth, my eyes filled with terror and pleading.

It was the only photo I had of my parents. Their work for the Lycan Kingdom had been so secretive that I was forbidden from asking questions or taking pictures with them.

But Quinn didn’t hear me; he kicked me aside, my head thudding against the edge of the fire pit, the pain nearly knocking me unconscious.

"Afraid for me to investigate, yet acting all virtuous. You’re just jealous that Delilah is pregnant, and this is your punishment!"

The photo was consumed by the flames instantly. I reached out to recover it, blistering both hands, only to grasp charred remnants. At that moment, I couldn’t hold back my cries.

Mom, Dad, your daughter is powerless to protect your memory...

I was battered and bruised, retreating to that tiny storage room in the Silver Crescent Pack house, never expecting Alpha Quinn still wouldn’t let me be.

In the dead of night, after lulling Delilah to sleep, he barged in, pinning me down with the force of an Alpha’s dominance. His power pressed against me, making it hard to breathe, let alone fight back.

"Delilah’s pregnant and can’t manage things right now," he growled, his voice low and commanding. "You’re still my mate, Mavis. You should fulfill your duties."

His hand slid down my arm, his touch like fire against my skin, but not the kind that warmed—it burned, leaving me feeling violated.

"You’ve wanted this all along, haven’t you?" he sneered, his breath hot against my ear. "That’s why you keep causing trouble for Delilah. You’re jealous she has me."

I gritted my teeth, my wolf stirring weakly in the back of my mind, her growl a faint echo of my own anger. "Alpha Quinn, you’re a pig! Get out, or I won’t be so nice!"

I grabbed a pair of scissors from the nearby table, pressing them against my throat. My hand trembled, but my resolve didn’t.

"Leave, or I’ll die right here in front of you!"

Alpha Quinn’s eyes narrowed, the cold glint of disdain unmistakable. For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something else—hesitation, maybe regret—but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. He stepped back, his lips curling into a sneer.

Before leaving, his gaze lingered on the chest behind me, the one thing I had left of my parents. My heart clenched, but I held my ground until he was gone.

Once the door slammed shut, I rushed out of the pack house, desperate for somewhere—anywhere—to escape. I couldn’t stay there, not with him. But after wandering through the city, hope dwindled. There were scarcely any places available for rent, most already packed with too many wolves. Continuing my search felt pointless.

I decided to go back, grab my things, and leave, even if it meant staying in a motel for a few days. I had no choice.

When I returned to the pack house, I was alarmed to find a crowd gathered outside my door. Panic surged through me as I pushed my way through, only to see Alpha Quinn holding an axe, standing over the wooden chest.

It was the last relic my parents had left me.

"Alpha Quinn! Stop!"

Seeing him lift the axe high, I dove forward, shielding the chest with my body.

“That’s my stuff. What right do you have to trash it?”

Delilah emerged from the crowd, her hand resting on her belly, playing the victim for the onlookers.

“What everyone doesn’t know is that yesterday she almost cost me my pup by poisoning me,” she said, her voice trembling with false emotion. “And this morning, the pup’s charm was missing. Everyone knows who took it; she just can’t stand me…”

Her words were followed by tears, and the crowd began to whisper, their accusing eyes turning toward me.

Alpha Quinn yanked me up by the hair without hesitation, his Alpha dominance making it impossible to resist. He swung the axe at the lock, and with a loud "clack," it fell to the ground.

My heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible force, tight and painful. I wanted to cry, but no sound came out. All strength drained from my body.

Alpha Quinn tossed the axe at my feet, his voice cold and unyielding. "Since you became my mate, you’ve boasted about being the daughter of heroes, but now you resort to stealing a pup’s charm."

"Today, everyone will witness what shameful secrets you’ve been hiding!"

I stared blankly at him, my mind racing back to five years ago. The day I received my parents' portraits, this chest came with them. For all those years, I never dared open it, fearing revealing my parents’ identities might bring trouble to the pack.

It was my talisman, my constant companion, like my parents were always with me, providing comfort.

But now, even this chest I could no longer protect.

Delilah stepped in front of me, her smug expression dripping with disdain. “If you’re willing to reject the mate bond, I won’t hold it against you for stealing.”

I clenched my fists, my wolf stirring weakly, her growl a faint echo of my own anger. But I said nothing. There was nothing left to say.