Chapter 2

I returned to the den, curling up in the corner, my fingers absently tracing the bond mark on my collarbone.

It was the vow Ashton and I had forcibly made twelve years ago under the moonlight, despite my parents' opposition.

At that time, my father slammed the Silverclaw pack’s debt list on the table: "He doesn’t even have enough money to give you a wolf pack wedding!"

My mother grabbed my wrist, crying: "Do you really want to bind yourself to this Alpha? We can find someone better for you in the Winsor pack!"

But I looked into Ashton’s wolf eyes, burning with ambition, and I bit through the breaking strings my parents had prepared for me to escape.

As the door to the den opened, a cold, unfamiliar rose scent enveloped me.

I stumbled and leaned against the hallway cabinet, my gaze suddenly drawn to the velvet box in the glass display cabinet.

The ring engraved with the wolf pack emblem was the symbol Ashton gave me when he cleared the first debt, saying, "My Luna deserves the best."

And now, on my phone’s Instagram push notification, Ella was wearing the same ring, taking selfies on a private yacht. The caption read: "Ashton said this is the eternal ring he customized for me~"

I shakily dialed Ashton’s number, but after the third ring, it went to voicemail.

Just as I was about to hang up, the sound of fabric brushing reached my ears, followed by Ella's soft laugh spilling through the microphone.

"Ashton~ Don’t worry about Daphne anymore,"

Ella's voice was like a honey-coated dagger. "She’s had injuries to her womb. If she forces the pregnancy, it’s so dangerous~ I’m not just feeling sorry for you; I’m worried you’ll have to handle pack affairs and worry about her safety too."

Macie’s claws scratched at my heart, and I moaned softly in pain: "Tell that fake bitch that your womb was injured to save him..."

Ashton’s voice came with hesitation: "But Daphne... she’s been hurt for me, and the child is innocent."

"I know you value loyalty~" Ella sighed in a teasing tone. "But the council’s old men are pushing for the heir, the Silverclaw pack can’t keep going without an Alpha with a future."

She suddenly softened her voice, "Actually, I have a way to solve everything..."

"What way?"

"Look, Daphne is so weak. Even if she has the baby, she won’t be able to care for it properly~"

Ella’s voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, "Why don’t we take the baby in and raise it? We can say it’s ours. That way, we save Daphne’s life, meet the council’s requirements, and you won’t have to suffer between two choices."

Ashton was silent for a moment. "That’s too cruel. Daphne won’t agree to it."

"Listen, this hypocritical male wolf is still pretending!" Macie’s claws pierced through my consciousness. "What did he say during the avalanche? Now he’s willing to hand your child over to someone else!"

"Silly, I’m doing this for your own good~" Ella softly coaxed, the sound of her fingertips brushing the phone’s microphone clearly audible. "She’s an orphan, as long as we give her enough compensation, what could she possibly do? I’m doing all of this so that we can stand side by side at the top of the pack together..."

I collapsed to the floor, the words coming through the communicator feeling like silver burning my skin.

Seven years ago, during the avalanche, he had clearly said, "Even if I become a crippled wolf for the rest of my life, I will protect you," but now he was scheming with another woman to take my child away.

"Orphan?!" Macie’s roar almost shattered my consciousness. "Her parents fought the entire pack for her! And this ungrateful male wolf, he’s allowing others to trample on her dignity!"

I hesitated for a long time, but finally, I took out the communicator and dialed my mother’s number.

I tried three times before it finally connected.

"Mom... it’s me."

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then her voice, filled with tears, came through.

"You ungrateful child! How could you be so heartless? I just wanted to stop you from being with that poor Alpha, and you cut off contact with me for so many years. Do you know how much this hurt me?"

"Mom... I’m pregnant."

There was a loud crashing sound on the other end—she must have dropped the phone.

After a moment of silence, she sighed softly.

"Fine... if this is your decision, then come back to Winsor pack in three days. I’ll take care of you."

"I’ll come back once I get the bond-break agreement."

After hanging up, a surge of emotion rushed from my chest, churning like a storm.

"Eventually, it proves—being someone’s daughter is the easiest role in the world. If Alpha Ashton doesn’t cherish me, then I’ll leave. Quietly, forever."

I stood on the den’s balcony, taking a deep breath again and again, trying to calm myself.

The final step of leaving requires Alpha Ashton’s signature on the bond-break agreement for it to take effect.