Octavia's pov

I stared at Jake with tear-filled eyes, and his dark gaze flickered with remorse as he released my throbbing arm.

"I'm sorry, Octavia. I didn't mean to. It's just..." His rushed apology was cut short when Summer whimpered.

Jake's sister shook her head disapprovingly, crossing her arms. "Now look, Summer is feeling irritated because of your display."

Jake immediately abandoned me on the floor and rushed to Summer, scooping her into his arms and caressing her forehead tenderly.

"I think it's the contamination, Jake. I feel so sick and I can't eat," Summer cried weakly against his chest.

"Let's go eat out," he said to her.

"Clean this mess up!" Jake barked at me without turning around, his voice echoing as he carried Summer away.

His sister stared down at me with disgust, hissed sharply, then walked out.

Sighing exhaustedly, I slowly picked myself up and began cleaning the scattered food and plate fragments, wincing as my knees burned from where I'd knelt on the scalding splatter.

When finished, hands raw and body aching, I dragged myself upstairs to the bedroom I'd shared with Jake for two years without knowing he was such a heartless monster.

I walked straight to the closet, retrieved a suitcase, and started packing every bit of my belongings. All the gifts we'd received over the years, including ones he'd given me, I tossed into a box. The few pictures we'd taken together went in too; there weren't many since our mating bond was secret.

I moved to the frames hanging on the wall. As I reached for one bearing my face, I accidentally knocked down Jake's frame. Files scattered from behind it. As I gathered them, something caught my attention.

My eyes caught a wedding photo of Jake and Summer, dated a year ago. He'd told me he was still in the mating bond process with the elders, that they were still deliberating. But this date told a different story.

All this time, he'd mated Summer while still with me. No wonder he never marked me, even after our intimate moments. Summer held the bigger space in his heart.

My eyes froze as I set the photo aside and saw the next document, a medical form confirming the patient had been informed about contraceptive risks and benefits for Nexplanon. His signature and the healer's were stamped on it. Despite the "fewer viable eggs" warning boldly capitalized, he'd still signed approval.

The remaining documents were for oral contraceptive pills.

I clenched my fists as tears flowed down my cheeks. If he never saw a future with me, why marry me at all?

By the time I finished packing, I'd ensured my departure wouldn't be noticed until after I left. I was about to drag the box out when the door opened and Jake entered.

"What are you doing?" He stood at the door, looking surprised at the room.

Without meeting his gaze, I replied, "I'm reorganizing and getting rid of old things you and I won't be needing anymore."

"You're really throwing everything in this box out?" he frowned.

"Yes, I won't be needing them anymore."

His eyes flashed to a teddy bear with his name customized on it. "This too?"

"Yes," I nodded.

"But you never slept without this," he looked confused.

"It's worn out now. I'll manage without it."

He'd given me that teddy bear for my birthday. It had a lullaby song, and since that day, I'd cherished it like my life depended on it.

He frowned like he wanted to say more, but before he could, Summer's voice called his name from outside. She walked in, gripping his arm possessively.

I didn't flinch when Summer asked, "Do you need help with that? I could help you."

"She's only trying to help. Why are you being so difficult? Summer is nice, and I think you'll like her if you get along," Jake stated.

"Just as you did, right?" I threw back, but he glared angrily and left the room.

"You're impossible," he said, making his exit.

"Doing exactly what you should have done long ago. Why did you take so long to realize Jake is just a snap away from me?" Summer said provocatively.

I stayed quiet, moving the heavy box toward the door.

"You're playing dumb, right?" she asked, moving to sit on the bed.

"If I were you, I wouldn't stay with a man who killed my child just to please someone special..."

I didn't wait for her to finish. "You know, Summer, as much as I hate you, I still pity you. Loving a man who murdered his own child, it could be your child's turn tomorrow for another special person. Haven't you thought about that? If not, allow me do the thinking for you, because only a deranged woman would stay comfortable after witnessing this."

Summer's eyes widened with annoyance, but I didn't care. "Just like these old things I'm throwing away, Jake will do the same to you if he finds someone new. Nevertheless, I wish you the best, Summer."

I saw her clench her fist, about to explode, but I pouted and tilted my head, staring into her face.

"You pathetic low omega, how dare you challenge me? I'll show you what a deranged woman can do. You'll regret this," she snarled and rushed toward the wall, slamming her temple repeatedly against it.

Fear gripped me as I watched in confusion and shock.

After several hits, she dropped to the ground, screaming loudly in pain, blood running down her face. She increased her cries, using her full voice, and the door burst open. Jake and Amaya came running in.

"What the hell did you do to her?" he asked with bloodshot eyes.

Octavia's pov

I stood there frozen, my hands trembling as I witnessed the rage in Jake's eyes when he looked at me.

Summer whimpered softly as she lay on the floor, and eventually it transformed into loud sobs.

"After you left, I was consoling her about losing her pup. I only said she'd conceive again and bear more pups for you. She pushed me and slammed my head against the wall repeatedly. She attacked me violently," Summer fabricated.

I tried to speak, but no words came. In a flash, Jake appeared before me, pinning me against the wall as he grabbed my neck tightly.

The moment my back hit the wall, I felt a crack at my lower spine.

"Aaaargh," I cried as my voice returned.

"I swear I didn't touch her. She's lying. She slammed her own head to frame me," I pleaded, but Jake showed no mercy, his eyes blazing with fury. Instead, he threw me aside like nothing, and I landed hard. My right hand hit the wall and went numb instantly.

I moaned softly as hot tears streamed down my face. "Please help me. I didn't do it."

"You better pray to the moon goddess that nothing happens to Summer and my pup, or I'll become your greatest terror," he said, scooping Summer into his arms while she continued crying.

"You deserve this and more. Next time you'll know your place and how to maintain boundaries," Amaya stated, kicking my belly and spitting on me.

I watched as they left the room, and I was left behind in agony, dealing with the crime I did not commit.

The pain became unbearable as my eyelids closed slowly and darkness took over. There was only one thought on my mind as I fell deeper into the silence.

*I hate you, Jake.*

I was only a low ranking she wolf in the pack. This was due to the fact that my mother was the pack's slave, even lower than an omega.

That night, after I heard the news that my crush, Jake, was involved in an accident and lost a lot of blood because his girlfriend left him for the alpha of the pack, I ran to the pack's hospital and donated blood to him. I stayed by his side until he recovered.

After the incident, he ignored his family's threats and vowed to love me and make me his mate.

I remembered my mother's warning against Beta Jake when she discovered our love, but I was infatuated and ignored her warnings.

The things we do for love.

Now Summer came back to him after everything she did to him in the past, and he still chose her over me.

Finally, I regained consciousness. I didn't know how long I'd lain on the cold tiles. My head throbbed intensely, my body weak from exhaustion. I rested against the wall when the door swung open. Jake walked toward me, pulled me up by my hair, and dragged me out.

"What do you want this time?" I managed to speak, but he ignored me and shoved me to the corner.

My gaze met with that of Summer, who was sitting in a wheelchair with her head bearing a slight bandage on the side. She gave me a triumphant smirk.

"Jake, do not let her go unpunished. She has already bitten off more than she can chew," Amaya stated.

I turned to my other side, where two guards were standing with a clipper set on top of a long mirror on the table in front of them.

Terror gripped me as my heart pounded violently against my chest, each beat louder than the last, but I managed to stay composed.

"Jake, you need to believe me. I didn't touch her. She started this and now she's using it against me," I pleaded, hands trembling in fear.

"Even after what you did, you're still calling her a liar when you should be apologizing. What level of jealousy would make you do this to a pregnant woman?" Jake said.

When he said that, I looked straight into his eyes as tears dropped, and at that moment, everything he had done to me flashed back through my memory.

He stood in front of me, lecturing me about being wicked for something I did not do, but he murdered my unborn pup and pretended like nothing happened, not even showing a form of remorse for what he had done.

Lily snarled inside me as my eyes flashed golden light, giving him a warning. I pushed her back inside. As someone barely hanging on to survive until I leave for good, I could not bear risking it all now, as I was still in my healing phase. I could not shift properly due to the presumed childbirth, and even if I did, I would be dead with all of them struggling to hold back their wolves from devouring me.

"Look what you did to your fellow she wolf. Her hair is shaved because of you, cut off so they could access the injury," he growled.

"She won't be the only one with shaved hair. You'll bear the consequences for causing her pain and making her look this way," he said, commanding the guards to shave my hair.

I glanced at Summer's hair. Only a small strand was removed from her temple, barely visible unless closely examined.

"No, no, no..." I cried. "You can't do this to me. Please, I can't lose my hair." I shook with all my strength so they couldn't access it, but a hard blow landed on my chin, leaving me motionless as I fell to the ground.

Octavia's pov

I awakened to rolling tire sounds. I was sitting in a wheelchair, hands and body tied to it, moving rapidly toward a mountain cliff. I looked around, trembling in fear, and shouted.

"Somebody help me, please," I sobbed. The wheelchair stopped when I heard footsteps approaching from behind. I turned to see Jake.

"You're awake," he said mockingly as he squatted behind me.

"Jake, please, you have to free me now. You can't treat me like this. I'm your mate. Please show mercy."

He rubbed his hand through my shaved scalp. The realization hit me, my hair was gone, everything was gone. I was exhausted from crying, but tears still came.

"You have the right to plead for mercy when you treated my Summer with such disdain. I told you that you'd feel every bit of my anger if anything happened to Summer or my pup."

"What else do you want from me? You've already shaved my hair off. Please, I'm in so much pain," I pleaded.

"Shaved your hair? That was what Summer wanted, and this is for my unborn pup that you caused stress and pain before it can see the world," he said, pressing the button in his hands. The wheelchair kept moving until it reached the cliff edge.

I looked down. One wheel was almost over the cliff. My heartbeat dropped, and I threw a look at Jake, who was playfully tossing the remote up and down.

"Why are you doing this? If you want me dead, why torment me this way?" I cried.

"If you really want to live, then I'll let you do that on one condition," he said.

"Okay," I nodded without hesitation.

"The alpha contest is fast approaching, and I mistakenly showed Summer to them as my she wolf, but it didn't go well because you're in the picture. They want to cancel me until they hear your response."

"See, Octavia, you have to hand over being my she wolf to Summer, since she's already carrying my pup, and I promise you that once I become alpha, I'll make you my luna."

I clenched my fists tightly upon hearing the garbage from his mouth.

"You needed an heir for the contest. Why did you kill our child then?" I asked with resentment in my eyes.

"I'm running out of patience with you, Octavia," he barked and held my jawline upward. "If you really want to survive today, you better shut your damn mouth up, or else..."

"Do you still not get it? We're talking about status here, and Summer has it all, considering her uncle is alpha king Dominic Sinclair, and he's the most powerful and richest lycan bloodline alive, so there's every chance I'll win."

"Dominic what?" I laughed so hard my stomach almost burst open, forgetting for a second that I was on the verge of life and death.

I darted a look at Jake, and his eyes were filled with fury. Now I know why little Summer has so much pride. Everything is making sense now.

"So you want to toss me aside and get mated to Summer just because you think her powerful uncle would make you win the alpha title," my voice rose.

"You just have to step down and do as I said, and I don't want you annoying or hurting Summer ever again because she holds the key to this golden opportunity. Do you understand me?"

I nodded gently, and after he was sure of my assurance, he pulled the wheelchair back and untied me. I felt my right hand numb and painfully throbbing.

Three years of marriage crumbling before my face, and he was happy playing with the marriage like it was a game of chess.

I stood there and waited for him to reverse his car. He opened the door, and I entered.

This is exactly what I was looking for, but he presented it to me on a platter of gold. Who am I to say no to his honorable request? But I have to leave no trace of my actions until I'm ready to leave.

My phone kept buzzing nonstop. I picked it up from my back pocket and started texting.

"Who are you chatting with?" Jake asked sharply as he grabbed my phone.

"Watch the road. You would kill us," I said, relaxing against the seat when the car stopped.

He tried unlocking it with his fingerprint, but it failed.

"Did you remove my fingerprint? Really? Is that what we're doing now? Keeping secrets?" he asked, his voice low.

Throwing my face toward the windshield as I shrugged, "Afraid of what you might find out?"

He stared at me for a moment and, with his deep voice, asked, "What's the password?"

"Our anniversary date," I said as I watched him type random dates, but they failed. He then raised a brow at me and handed the phone back.

Three fucking years with him, and he has forgotten our anniversary date.

As I collected the phone, I didn't bother texting again, and silence took over both of us as we drove down the street. Almost close to the pack, I told him I wanted to get an X-ray to examine my right hand.

"I think my right hand is fractured. I need to get an X-ray done." The moment I spoke, he glanced at me with pity. He halted, and I left the car and watched until he zoomed off the street.

The moment I got down, all eyes were on me as if I had done something, but I know what their looks were about.

My hair.

I didn't care at all. Instead, I hurriedly hailed a cab and rushed to the pack's affairs department.

Thank goddess the papers were ready. I took them and left to meet someone at a restaurant. I got there expecting to see him, but instead he sent someone. He introduced himself as his beta and gave me a drafted contract file to sign. We concluded everything, and he took a full picture of me, and a huge amount of money was wired into my account as I had requested.

As I came out of the restaurant with boldness, I straightened my dress and headed home.

Now I'm fully ready to play that game of chess with Jake. With my next action, let's see who wins.