Isaiah, who had looked guilty moments ago, suddenly changed his expression upon seeing me slap his childhood friend across the face. Bette, a delegate from an ally pack and another Alpha's daughter stood there, stunned. But I knew he wasn't just angry because of who she was—he was furious because I had hurt someone dear to him.

He stepped protectively in front of her, his eyes cold. "What are you doing, Phoebe?"

I glared at Bette, my voice icy. "You'd better keep your mouth shut."

Bette's eyes filled with tears, her voice trembling with indignation. "Was I wrong? If your mother hadn't pretended to be sick and threatened Isaiah, he would never have thought of marrying and claiming you! Not when you're a threat to his candidacy to be the next Alpha!"

I smiled bitterly, turning my gaze to Isaiah. "Do you think the same? You think my mom was faking it? That her suffering was something we concocted for fun? Really?"

His silence was deafening. He didn't need to answer; I saw the truth in his eyes. His silence was enough.

Years ago, my mother had suddenly fallen ill. One day she collapsed, and from that moment, her veins began to darken, growing worse each day. She knew her time was limited, and her greatest wish was to see me claimed by my fated mate, bestowed by the Moon Goddess. She wanted me to marry a good man, someone I could depend on when she was no longer there to protect me.

Desperate to grant her dying wish, I begged Isaiah. I even knelt before him, pleading to be claimed. The pain of that memory, of begging while my wolf suffered, was almost unbearable. And now, to hear that he thought my mother was pretending just to force him into marriage was too much. He had always looked down on me.

Isaiah, the privileged heir of the Oceans Howl Pack, had captured my heart the moment we met at his coming-of-age ceremony. When we discovered we were fated mates, I shamelessly pursued him, drawn to him as if by a force beyond my control.

Isaiah liked obedient women, so I did everything to please him, giving him whatever he wanted. But after Bette re-entered his life, I saw a different side of him—a side that was gentle, but only to her. She could act spoiled and playful, holding his hands and hugging him. She did all the things I longed to do but didn’t dare.

Once, I tried to emulate Bette's behavior, acting spoiled to win his affection. But he pushed me away, his face cold. "Phoebe, you really aren't suitable for this."

I felt like I had been slapped in the face and humiliated in front of the pack members. I never acted spoiled again since that day.

He never initiated any physical contact with me. My wolf ached to be near him, but we were always neglected.

When we were together, I was always one step behind. The only one who could stand beside him was Bette. Even in the eyes of the pack, Isaiah and Bette seemed destined for each other, regardless of the Moon Goddess's choice. They didn’t care that I was his fated mate; to them, Isaiah and Bette belonged together.

He paraded her at banquets and gatherings, introducing her to everyone as an ally's daughter. If it weren't for my mother's imminent death and my desperate pleas, there would never have been that ridiculous wedding and mateship ceremony.

I looked at Isaiah with disappointment. This was the man I had loved for years. I began to doubt my feelings, wondering if I was just drawn to him because we were fated mates.

Bette's voice broke through my thoughts. "Isaiah, come see if my face is swollen. How could she be so vicious? My face hurts."

Isaiah's attention shifted back to her immediately. The slap had left visible finger marks on her cheek.

His expression turned ugly. "Phoebe, apologize!"

"And if I don't?" I challenged, my voice steady despite the turmoil inside.

I raised my head, my eyes filled with stubbornness.

Meanwhile, Isaiah suppressed his anger. "Don't make me angry, Phoebe!"

To be honest, I had always been afraid of Isaiah. He was one of the sons of Alpha Farrell, after all. Who knows? He might become the Alpha of Oceans Howl Pack soon. Whenever he frowned, I would subconsciously give in and admit my mistakes; he wouldn't even need to say a word.

Aside from his authority, I always gave in because I cared about him. But now, I don't care about anything. My wolf was becoming unresponsive, though the pain he inflicted on us because we were mated was still there. I hated how much power he had over me, but at the same time, I was so tired of it all that I would rather walk away right now than feel any of it.

However, Bette was not satisfied. "Isaiah, I don't want her to apologize. She hit me, and I want her to pay."

Hearing this, Isaiah glanced at me, expecting me to give in. But I still looked rebellious.

My attitude provoked him. He deliberately wanted to teach me a lesson. So, with just one glance, his two wolf guards appeared out of nowhere and held me down.

Damn it!

I didn't have the strength to struggle, nor did I want to. The next thing I knew, Bette walked up to me proudly, raised her hand, and slapped me several times.

I felt the sting of her slaps deep inside my face. Blood flowed from the corners of my mouth, and my head rang. That bitch! She knew it would hurt me more because she used a bit of her wolf power!

Despite the pain, I said nothing and sat down on the floor in disarray.

Isaiah looked down at me. "You owe Bette this. Apologize to her now, and I can pretend that nothing happened."

Upon hearing that, I suddenly laughed like a madwoman.

"You wish!" I mocked them.

Isaiah narrowed his eyes. "Phoebe, as long as you are obedient, I can give you everything you want, including being claimed by me. Have you really thought it through?"

He didn’t want to claim me when I wanted it. Now that I didn’t want it anymore, he was trying to use threats and inducements to make me compromise.

I endured the pain on my face and said coldly, "Isaiah, didn’t I say I wanted to break whatever is between us? I will not marry you anymore! I don’t want to be claimed!"

Maybe it was because I loved him too much before that Isaiah didn’t believe I would leave him. Not when he promised me the marriage I had always dreamed of.

He sneered. "What? Don’t you want to fulfill your mother’s dying wish?"

I detected a hint of contempt in his words. Indeed, he didn't believe that my mother's illness was real. Bette already manipulated him enough to control him with her dainty fingers.

Before I could say anything, Bette interjected. "Isaiah, I told you she was lying to you. If her mother was really dying, how could she have such an attitude? Don’t be fooled by her."

I couldn’t stand it anymore. "Shut up! You have no right to talk about my mother, you bitch!"

At that moment, my continuous disobedience completely infuriated Isaiah.

"I hope you won’t regret this," he said.

Isaiah sneered and called his right-hand man, whom he intended to make his Beta if he won the succession. To make sure I could hear clearly, he turned on the speaker.

"Tristan, about the preparation for my mateship ceremony, cancel everything!"

The preparation was already done, but even so, I didn’t care anymore. The thought of mating with him scared me to death. How much more sensitive to pain would I be if that happened?

"And cancel Phoebe’s mother, Annalise’s, appointment with our top wolf healer."

It was funny. Isaiah thought he could still threaten me, so he stared at me while he spoke. However, I just looked at him without any reaction.

Meanwhile, Tristan hesitated for a moment before finally speaking. "Isaiah, Annalise passed away three days ago, on the day of your supposed wedding and mateship ceremony!"