Chapter 2
When Eric saw me take off the white dress stained with red wine, he frowned.
“I heard what Ann did from my mother. Don’t take it to heart. She’s just a child. She loves you.”
It had been Nine years. Even his excuses hadn’t changed.
I thought, maybe even when Ann turned eighteen, she would still be nothing more than a pup in Eric’s eyes.
I smiled faintly, the sarcasm unmistakable. “But in that child’s heart, I’m just a murderer.”
Eric’s expression darkened. “Don’t say that. How could she possibly think that?”
I stepped back a few paces, deliberately putting distance between us, and turned toward the mirror to reach for the zipper at the back of my dress.
“I’ll help you,” he said, taking the zipper from my hand before I could refuse.
His fingertips brushed my bare back, warm and lingering.
If this had been years ago, I would have blushed without even realizing it. I would have fallen for it again. Maybe even felt desire stir.
But now, it only made me disgust.
“Be more patient with her,” he said softly. His familiar scent brushed against my neck.
My wolf shuddered violently in rejection. I pushed him away instinctively.
“I need to talk to you.”
Eric frowned. “Can’t it wait? Ann’s birthday banquet has already started.”
“No,” I said firmly. “Today marks nine years. I’m leaving.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
Eric snapped.
I looked at his tense, furious face. The air froze between us.
But I didn’t back down. “It’s been nine years, Eric,” I repeated calmly. “I’m leaving.”
He glared at me, irritation written all over his face.
“Have you still not had enough? Ann is just a child. Don’t take everything so seriously. Today is her birthday banquet. As the future Alpha of the Pack, I have other Alphas and elders from different Packs here. I’ll talk to her later.”
He reached out and grabbed my wrist, trying to drag me toward the door. I yanked my hand free.
“Wasn’t it you who got talked into this by my stepfather back then?” I raised my voice. “You said you didn’t trust anyone else to raise the child, so you graciously gave me these nine years. Now that I want to leave, why are you suddenly unhappy about it?”
Before he could respond, an angry voice cut in from behind me.
“Ashley, can you stop throwing tantrums at the worst possible times?”
I didn’t need to turn around. I knew exactly who it was.
My stepfather.
Back then, he and Eric had agreed that once Ann turned nine, I would be free to leave.
So why were they stopping me now?
“I’m not throwing a tantrum, Father,” I said, exhausted but steady. “You were the one who said I could leave after nine years.”
He let out a cold laugh. “Did you really have to bring this up on Ann’s birthday?”
“She probably didn’t mean it,” Eric immediately jumped in to smooth things over.
If this had been years ago, I might have felt my heart race at his defense.
Now I understood it perfectly. This was just another one of his tactics to keep me here, to make me willingly stay and continue being Edna’s substitute.
“Come on,” Eric said, grabbing my arm again. “Let’s go to the banquet.”
I didn’t resist this time. I let him pull me into the hall where the party was already in full swing.
Ann was laughing and playing with her cousins.
But the moment she saw me, her smile vanished.
“Look, Ann! Your mom’s here!”
The younger members of the Pack knew exactly where I stood and jeered without restraint.
Ann sneered.
“She’s not my mom.”
I stood right beside her.
Eric sighed and grabbed Ann’s arm. “You’re not allowed to talk like that. Ashley is your mother. She’s taken good care of you all these years.”
Ann’s face flushed with anger. “No! She’ll never be my mom! Everyone listen! This woman is the one who killed my mother!”
All eyes turned to me. The Alphas and elders whispered among themselves, their gazes filled with disdain.
“Isn’t she the child’s stepmother?”
“Why does the kid hate her so much?”
“Clearly she didn’t treat the child very well.”
“Apologize to her. Now,” Eric ordered Ann, though there was no real sincerity in his voice.
I stopped him. “Forget it. There’s no need.”
