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.