Chapter 3

One day until the flight. I needed to go to the Little Tree Hollow to get some things.

That was the estate Julian had built for me five years ago. Many precious memories had been made there.

His ninety-seventh declaration of love had succeeded at the Little Tree Hollow. We'd held hands for the first time there, kissed for the first time. It was also there he'd proposed to me, swearing a blood oath to love only me for life.

He said it was a sanctuary that belonged only to me—when he made mistakes and I didn't want to see him, I could go there.

But I wasn't going this time to bury my head in the sand—pretending the betrayal hadn't happened, waiting for him to apologize.

I was going to retrieve the few things that were mine—some journals, a few photos, and a wooden box my mother left me.

As I approached the estate, I found the entrance filled with cars.

The Blackthorn Pack elders' vehicles, the Alpha and Luna's cars, and some cars belonging to relatives and friends I recognized.

An ominous feeling rose in my heart.

I didn't enter through the front door but circled around to the back. My sharp wolf hearing picked up cheerful laughter and chatter from far away.

I crept closer, hiding in the shadows of the trees, peering through the windows inside.

The estate was decorated with colorful balloons and banners. A huge cake sat in the center with two candles.

It was the twin cubs' birthday.

Julian held the two children, his face showing a tender smile I'd never seen before. Nina stood beside him in an elegant dress.

The Blackthorn Pack's crest hung in the most prominent spot—formal recognition of the cubs' status by the pack.

Everyone was there.

The Blackthorn Pack's Alpha, Luna, the elders, Julian's siblings, his friends.

They all knew.

"Julian, these two children look more and more like you." Julian's mother, the Luna, said with a smile, her eyes full of affection.

That was a warmth I'd never seen in her eyes when she looked at me. When facing me, her gaze was always cold and critical.

"If not for Nina, how could I enjoy family happiness like this?" The Luna gently touched the twins' hair. "Julian, you mustn't wrong Nina. Treat her well, understand?"

Julian nodded with a smile. "When have I ever treated her poorly?"

His voice was relaxed, with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Everything Lydia has, doesn't Nina have too? Clothes, jewelry, rare treasures—all the same."

He paused, then added:

"And what Lydia doesn't have, Nina has too."

In that instant, I felt the world tilting.

What did he mean "everything Lydia has, Nina has"?

What did he mean "what Lydia doesn't have, Nina has too"?

So what I thought was unique was just his carefully maintained "fair distribution"?

So everything I had, Nina had a copy?

And she even had what I didn't—like the approval of the Pack Alpha and Luna?

I heard Julian's cousin say quietly, "Cousin, aren't you afraid your wife will find out?"

Julian smiled. "She won't. Lydia is very innocent. She trusts me. And I'm good enough to her that she won't suspect anything."

"But you can't hide fire with paper—"

"Then I'll just keep hiding it." Julian's voice was calm, as if discussing something trivial. "I love Lydia, but Nina has borne me cubs. I can't abandon her. Living like this for a lifetime is fine. I'll treat Lydia twice as well to compensate her."

Compensate.

He said compensate.

Did he think buying me the same jewelry, giving me the same gifts, being tender and considerate would compensate for deception and betrayal?

Did he think he could maintain this "balance" forever?

I'd thought I could calmly accept everything. I thought after the miscarriage, my heart had died and couldn't hurt anymore.

But in this moment, I realized I was wrong.

All the past affection exploded in my mind, the fragments turning to stab back into my heart.

The breakfasts he made for me—he'd made them for her too.

The embraces he gave me—he'd given them to her too.

The vows he made to me—he'd said them to her too.

And more ironically, everyone knew.

The Blackthorn Pack elders knew. His parents knew. His friends knew.

Only me, his nominal mate, was kept in the dark like a fool.

I was the only victim in this carefully orchestrated deception.

I turned to leave but stumbled.

I leaned against a tree trunk, struggling to breathe. But my chest grew tighter and tighter, my vision darkening.

I heard my own rapid breathing, felt my wolf instincts screaming inside.

Shift. Run. Tear everything apart.

But I couldn't. I was a defective lone wolf. I couldn't even complete a full shift.

I stumbled out of the woods, onto the road.

The sunlight was blinding. The world spun.

My last thought: Thank God. Thank God I killed that child.

I didn't want it born into this hypocritical world, didn't want it to become part of this deception.

Then everything went dark.

When I woke again, I found myself in an unfamiliar room.

The air smelled of disinfectant, but this wasn't a hospital. More like a private clinic.

"Awake?"

A deep male voice spoke.

I turned my head and saw a man sitting in a chair by the bed. He looked to be in his early thirties, with deep gray eyes and defined features, emanating the steady presence typical of mature Alphas.

But unlike Julian's oppressive dominance, this man's aura was more restrained, carrying a kind of rational distance.

"You are..."

"Adrian Wright." He closed the file in his hands. "Julian's uncle. You collapsed by the roadside. I happened to pass by."

I froze.

Adrian Wright. I'd seen him a few times, but he'd been abroad for years and we'd barely spoken. I only knew Julian was somewhat afraid of this uncle who was three years his senior.

Julian had said this man was "rigid and serious, everything had to be by the rules."

"The healer examined you." Adrian's voice was calm, devoid of excess emotion. "You just had a miscarriage and experienced severe emotional distress, so you fainted."

My body went rigid.

"Julian doesn't know about your miscarriage, does he?" Adrian looked at me. "Otherwise, given his temperament, he'd have gone mad already. He wouldn't have let you collapse alone on the street."

I was silent for a long time, my voice hoarse. "Thank you for today. But this matter... please don't tell him."

Adrian didn't immediately agree. He just watched me, his eyes holding inquiry and some complex emotion.

"Please," I said softly.

After a long pause, he slowly nodded.

"I'll agree to that."

I relaxed.

"But I need to know," Adrian continued, "what are you planning to do?"

"Leave," I said calmly. "Leave completely."

"He won't let you go." Adrian stated it as fact. "You should know an Alpha won't easily give up a mate he's marked. Especially someone with Julian's personality."

"So I'll leave in my own way." I looked at him. "Please keep my secret. Just this once."

Adrian was silent for a long time.

"Do you know what you're doing?" he asked.

"I'm very clear," I said. "More clear than at any point in these three years."

He watched me, seeming to assess something. Finally, he sighed.

"I'll keep your secret." He handed me a business card. "But if you need help, you can contact me. This is my private number."

I took the card without speaking.

This was the first time in my life someone stood on my side.

Not because of love, not because of obligation, but because of rationality and boundaries.

Adrian didn't try to convince me to return to Julian, didn't say "he really loves you," didn't say "give him another chance."

He simply respected my decision and offered help.

This was a kindness I'd never experienced—calm, restrained, respecting boundaries.

"Thank you," I said softly.

Adrian had someone drive me home.

Julian wasn't there. He was probably still at the Little Tree Hollow with Nina and the children.

I walked into the bedroom, looking at this place where I'd lived for three years.

Tomorrow, I would leave.

And he still knew nothing.