I'm accidentally pushed off a cliff when my fiancé and I are enjoying the sunset. I end up with grave injuries.

As I drift in and out of consciousness, I hear Eric Bartholomew speaking to a doctor.

"Gamma Derrina's injuries aren't that severe, Alpha. She can be treated even without her womb being removed!"

"Shut up! Do it because I say it needs to be done. Don't forget that I'm the Alpha here—all you need to do is obey me! Only if Derrina loses her womb can my and Phyllis' pup to become the wolf pack's heir.

"Use copious amounts of sedatives on her. I don't want her to wake up on the wedding day. She'll be sad if she sees that the bride isn't her."

I open my eyes and look at Eric standing outside the room. He's like a monster with hands that can end lives.

I'll make his wish come true since he wants to marry that weak Omega.

I make a call. "I agree with the thing you asked me about before."

The person on the other end of the line laughs. "The Moon Goddess loves the wise."

Half a month before my wedding with Eric Bartholomew, he suggested a pre-wedding trip.

As usual, I couldn't turn down any of his wishes.

We went skiing in the snowy mountains and raced the lions on the grasslands. We even boated down the Serra River.

We wrapped up our trip by watching the sunrise on the peak of Mount Arietta.

Eric clicked the shutter on his camera when the sun peeked through the horizon. At the same time, someone gave me a hard push from behind, causing me to fall and roll down the cliff.

I sustained grave injuries from that incident.

…

I woke up again in an empty hospital room. All I could hear was the halting conversations outside the door.

"We need the most experienced surgeon to lead the surgery. Every detail must be attended to. We can't afford any slip-ups. Got it?

"By the way, sever her tendons too. This way, she can't leave the manor. She'll be kept in the dark!"

That voice belonged to Eric, my fiancé. Who was he referring to? Was he talking about a spy sent by the other packs?

Indeed, cutting off the tendons of a spy was the best decision.

"Alpha, Derrina is the most powerful Gamma in the pack! If we sever her tendons, she won't be able to participate in any battles. It'll be a huge loss for the pack!"

After a pause, the doctor cautiously added, "I know that you're thinking of adopting your cub with Phyllis Miller, but that cub takes after your looks! Gamma will definitely find out with just one glance!"

A resounding slap echoed outside the door. Eric growled furiously, "I'm the Alpha! All you need to do is obey me!"

I had just sat up in bed when the doctor's words knocked the air out of me, making me slump back down.

The two men stopped talking when they heard the sounds in the room. I hurriedly closed my eyes when I heard them push the door open. I pretended to be in a coma.

I felt someone caressing my cheek and smoothing the strands of my hair that had clung together from the sweat.

That familiar hand was once a source of warmth for me, but now, I found it disgusting.

I clutched tightly onto the bed sheet, nearly digging my nails into my palm as I tried my best to suppress my anger and pain.

Eric let out a tender yet fake sigh. He slowly began, "That's why I want you to sever her tendons. That's the only way I can get her to stay in the dreamy castle I built for her. She will never find out that I have another family in the castle next to it. It's a perfect plan, don't you think?

"Even if she's a Gamma who can't fight in battles, she will still be a venerable wife of the Alpha.

"My love for her has never changed, but it's my duty as a man to acknowledge Phyllis and our cub. Got it?"

He sounded so righteous, as though he had no choice but to betray and inflict pain on me.

The doctor sighed. "My honorable Alpha, I shall obey your orders. Everything will go as you wish."

Eric finally removed his hand from my cheek. He opined, "Derrina recovers fast. So, up her dosage of special anesthetic before my wedding with Phyllis. She can't wake up that day. Only then will my plan go smoothly."

Eyes widened, the doctor warned him in a trembling voice, "Alpha, you know that overdosing on the special anesthetic might lead to brain damage for a Gamma. She might even end up in a coma forever! This is no joke."

I instinctively clenched my fist under the blanket.

The special anesthetic in question was only applied to vicious Rogues, whose aggressive tendencies were a ticking time bomb, possibly hurting the weaker werewolves in the pack at any time.

I had led a research team from the pack to develop this special anesthetic over five years.

How ridiculous and ironic was it to fall victim to my own invention?

Eric dismissed the doctor's concern with a wave of his hand. "So what? No matter what happens to Derrina, she'll still be my wife. She will remain the most revered being in the pack.

"I'm doing this to spare her the pain when she wakes up. It's for her own good. Am I right?"

The doctor shook his head in exasperation and sighed. Then, he hurried out of the room.

My eyes flickered open. I watched Eric make a phone call while sitting by the window.

"Have you taken care of that man who pushed Derrina off the cliff?

"Alright. Good job. Turn him into a spy, arrest him, and slaughter him. Great idea.

"Even if Derrina looks into the truth, she won't find any clues."

Tears fell down my cheeks and drenched my pillow when I heard his words.

"By the way, Derrina loves flowers. After the surgery tomorrow, fill her room with her favorite roses. Remember—get more of the purple and pink ones.

"Plant some roses in the manor, too. Those roses will be a mood booster when she fully recovers.

"Add two cute puppies to the manor. Derrina has always loved animals."

Eric spoke solemnly, but I felt cold from head to toe.

Not only was I the Gamma in the Gray Wolf Pack, but I was born to be Luna—the Alpha's partner.

I had fought for the Gray Wolf Pack for a decade, only to be betrayed and hurt.

The wedding that I had anticipated for five years, and the wedding venue that I had spent one year decorating, would ultimately benefit Phyllis.

The love I shared with Eric turned out to be a web of lies.

Eric finally left my room. All I could hear was the beeping of the medical machines and the sound of my heart shattering.

I had a steeled look in my eyes. I finally reached a decision after much internal debate.

I thought, "Dear Eric Bartholomew… Since you have picked Phyllis Miller—the Omega—as your lover, you two shall receive my blessings.

"I hope you don't regret your decision when we meet again."

I retrieved my phone from the bedside table with great difficulty. Then, I found a number from my blocked list. It was a number that I thought I would never have to dial again in my life.

The person on the other end picked up swiftly.

"Dear Derrina, I knew that you'd reach out one day. The Moon Goddess loves the wise."

I had no time to banter with him.

"I accept your offer to become the future leader of the Silverfang Pack. But you need to help me get out of here quickly, or you might get a crippled future leader. I believe that the sacred Silverfang Pack will not want that."

I tried to get him moving through provocation.

To my surprise, the person on the other end of the line did not sound panicked at all.

"Derrina, darling, do not panic. I have you covered. Dr. Marvin Moss is our man. He will make the arrangements.

"After the surgery, you will focus on recovery. Five days from now, my men will arrive in Aurelia City and pick you up from the Gray Wolf Pack base."

I heaved a relieved sigh after hearing his words. I subconsciously touched my lower abdomen, which had a bloody, gaping wound the size of a bowl.

As a Gamma, I had impressive healing abilities. I needed no surgery or special anesthetic—those were just part of Eric's evil scheme.

At that moment, Darrel Dalton, the doctor, entered the room with pursed lips. He clearly felt sorry for me.

"Gamma Derrina, your surgery is scheduled in three hours. Dr. Moss, the top doctor in our hospital, will lead the surgery.

"Don't worry too much. Dr. Moss will ensure that you have a successful recovery."

Eric clutched my hand tightly.

"Darling, don't be scared. I'll wait for you outside the operating theater."

I slowly removed my hand from Eric's grasp. Then, I stared into his eyes.

"Will you still marry me if I can never walk again?"

Eric bent over and kissed me on the forehead. He solemnly promised, "I will. You are the only woman who will become the wife of the Gray Wolf Pack Alpha."

I forced a faint smile. "Alright. I believe in you."

I gently caressed his handsome but fatigued face. "Darling, you look tired. My surgery is not in a few hours. Why don't you have some rest?"

Letting out a long sigh, Eric seemed exhausted but relieved. "You're right. I haven't slept well because I'm worried about you. Now that you're safe, I think I need some rest.

"Dear Derrina, may I sleep beside you to offer you protection?"

I nodded at him and gave him a soft smile.

Then, I watched him slowly lay down beside me. He drifted to sleep in no time, his breathing even and steady.

I took his phone from the bedside table and easily unlocked it with the passcode.

His phone wallpaper was the photo he took with me when we watched the sunset at the peak of Mount Arietta. In the photo, he kissed the top of my head without warning.

I tapped into his WhatsApp and saw that he had pinned two chats—one was with me and the other with Phyllis.

I couldn't believe a busy Alpha like him would save an Omega's contact—let alone pin her chat!

This was a special treatment that he had not even accorded his most trusted Beta. How ironic!

I tapped into Phyllis' chat and immediately saw multiple GIFs of cute wolf cubs and adorable voice messages from a cub.

Every voice message came with a few photos or videos.

"Daddy, Mommy made me cute and tasty bunny-shaped cookies today.

"Daddy, the birthday cake you bought for me was so tasty. I wished you were here with me, too."

There was a photo of a cub with flour all over his face and Phyllis after that voice message.

"Daddy, a bad wolf bullied me. He said that I did not have a father. I told him that my daddy was a powerful hero, but he didn't believe me.

"Daddy, you're awesome! That bully from yesterday apologized to me today. You taught him a lesson, didn't you?

"Daddy, Mommy and I miss you so much. When can we live together?"

Eric had never replied to any of the voice messages or videos. However, one could easily tell from the cub's voice messages that Eric had been quietly looking after the mother and child.

I tapped into the photo gallery that was filled with videos and photos of Phyllis and her cub. Some photos were clearly his own, not just downloads from messaging apps.

I also saw the notification of the photo gallery. Eric had enjoyed the photos and videos for 219010 minutes.

Eric had once said he wasn't fond of cubs. It dawned on me that his words were a lie. He loved cubs, just not ones that were also mine.

I flashed a self-deprecating smile. Filled with bitterness, I stopped myself from going through the rest of the photo gallery.