Chapter 3

Back then, she was just the illegitimate daughter of the Barlow family, a stray among nobles, tolerated but never truly accepted.

At a grand banquet, her sister, Miss Fiona, treated her like a mere servant.

When she accidentally spilled wine on Fiona’s silk gown, the entire hall fell silent. A hush of anticipation rippled through the crowd as Fiona, ever the perfect lady in public, cracked her fan shut with an audible snap and delivered a sharp slap across Sandra’s cheek.

"Know your place," Fiona hissed. "Kneel."

Sandra hesitated, her hands trembling. No one moved to help her. No one ever did.

That was when Alpha Lawrence stepped forward.

His golden eyes flashed with barely restrained fury as he caught Fiona’s wrist mid-swing. "Enough," he said, his voice dangerously low. "She’s still your sister."

The crowd gasped. Fiona’s face burned with anger, but she swallowed it down, retreating with forced grace.

From then on, Lawrence became Sandra’s silent protector. He offered her food before anyone else, took her on runs through the pack lands, even made sure she had the best training gear.

I should’ve seen the signs.

Whenever I pouted about it, he’d ruffle my hair and laugh. "I just feel sorry for Sandra," he’d say. "She’s had it rough."

And I believed him. Like a fool.

Until the day Sandra was set to marry Alpha Emmett, the most feared rogue Alpha along the Mississippi River.

Lawrence stormed the rogue den like a man possessed, challenging Emmett in broad daylight.

He didn’t just stop the wedding. He married her himself that very night. And to make sure no one could ever take her away, he marked her under the moonlight.

That was when I finally understood.

Pity had nothing to do with it.

The night before my wedding, the Blue Moon Pack held its annual harvest festival—my favorite time of the year.

Every year, Lawrence and I would set off fireworks together, laughing like pups as they painted the sky with streaks of silver and gold.

But this year, I stood alone in the empty streets.

The vendors were gone. The familiar scent of caramel apples and roasted nuts was missing. Something was off.

Then, I heard two women chatting nearby.

"Alpha Lawrence really went all out for Luna Sandra this time. Did you hear? He bought every single firework on this street just for her."

“No kidding. If I were Luna Sandra, I’d be moved to tears.”

“That’s not even the best part. Alpha Lawrence went as far as offending the Rogue Alpha for her and even made Gamma Audrey to be a mistress. Alphas this good only exist in TV dramas!”

Hearing that, I scoffed mockingly.

I was about to leave when a familiar voice called out from behind me.

“Audrey.”

Instinctively, I turned around and saw Alpha Lawrence and Sandra standing not far away.

Sandra was holding a sparkler and ran over to me, beaming. “Audrey, are you here to set off fireworks too?”

Alpha Lawrence was still angry about what happened yesterday. Seeing me, he let out a cold snort.

Sandra, ever the show-off, extended the sparkler in her hand toward me.

“I’m sorry, sister. Lawrence bought all the fireworks on this street for me. Why don’t you take this one?”

“No, thank you.”

I stepped back, wary of her trying to frame me again.

Besides, I had no interest in using something that had already been touched by someone else—whether it was an object or a person.

Hearing my response, Alpha Lawrence’s expression turned icy, and his tone dripped with sarcasm. “Gamma Audrey wouldn’t deign to accept anything from us. Leave her be, Sandra. Let’s go.”

With that, he pulled Sandra toward the riverbank.

As they walked away, a man in a suit approached me.

“Gamma Audrey, this is from Alpha Emmett,” he said.