Becky’s Pov

I was mortified staring at my only pet that I had been allowed to bring to the pack mansion nestled deep in Bloodpine Forest, the ancestral land of the Moonclaw Pack. The same way I have taken care ofDorian.

The air was sharp with winter frost, my Beta senses pricking at every sound, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat—andDorian’s angry growl.

“Don’t mess with me and don’t get my father upset with me!”Dorian snapped, his wolf aura flickering in his eyes, golden like his father's.

I watched as he stomped off while I stared at the arrow in my cat’s body.

A silver-tipped arrow. Wolf-forged, cruel, precise.

Fate is indeed mocking me because I was the one who taughtDorian how to shoot arrows. I taughtDorian everything he knows and now he’s using it against me.

I cradled the box as I stared at Lin Lin, my best friend, and a single tear slipped from my eyes.

“Why are you out in the cold, Becky? Don’t get sick on me!” Alpha David Grimsbane’s deep voice carried through the thick wooden door, laced with command and concern.

He immediately stood behind me as he draped me with his jacket, his scent—pine and steel—enveloping me in a wave of unwelcome familiarity, which I shrugged off.

“What’s wrong?” he queried.

His face twisted in slight disgust when he saw the dead cat in the box.

“Your son came to apologize,” I stated.

Alpha David’s frown deepened, “He’s your son too.”

I scoffed, “He hates me, Alpha David! He killed my cat.”

“Come now, let’s go inside. I’ll have a talk with him in the morning, and you can bury the cat tomorrow. I’m sure he was just messing around and it was a silly prank,” Alpha David said.

I shrugged away from him as I carried the cat and headed into the garden. The moon above was nearly full—another cruel reminder that I wasn’t his Luna, only his obligation. I wasn’t going to let my cat stay out all night for some animal to poke at him.

Alpha David followed me, complaining about how I was being stubborn, but he stayed with me while I buried Lin Lin.

When I was done, I went inside. The party was over, and the guests had all gone home. The pack house was silent now, except for the distant howls echoing through the valley.

It was already late and windy.

I sneezed just as Alpha David held me. We got to my room, and he sat me down on his lap. His touch no longer warmed me—it burned like an unwanted bond.

I cringed inwardly.

“What do you want?” I snapped.

Alpha David sighed, “What’s wrong, Becky? I’ll get you a new cat.”

“I want to leave, Alpha David. Tomorrow,” I stated.

Alpha David tensed. A flicker of Alpha command slipped into his gaze, but I held mine, refusing to submit.

“Corvin is a child. I don’t trust anyone to take care of him except you. Besides, where do you want to go? It’s not like you have anyone else.”

I shrugged, “I’ll worry about that. I have no place here. You have refused to marry me after eight years.”

Alpha David sighed, “I already told you, Becky, I can’t take another mate now.”

“I’m not asking you to. In fact, I don’t want to marry you. I just want to leave.”

“Okay, why don’t you have a child for me? That way I can secure your future and that of your child. If you have a child for me, no one would dare say a bad word against you. And thenDorian will have a little sibling.”

I smiled sadly. I had reduced myself to nothing and discarded my pride and yet eight years still he wants me to have an illegitimate child for him.

All this just to protectDorian and keep me in the same house as him.

“I’ve instructed the maid everything she needs to know aboutDorian. He’s homeschooled, so you can get the best tutors for him or send him to school. He doesn’t need me again,” I stated.

Alpha David kissed me, his lips cold despite the heat of his wolf. “Sleep on it and tell me how you feel in the morning.”

That night I didn’t sleep a wink. I packed my luggage and I kept seeing the face of Lin Lin.

In my dreams, Lin Lin ran under moonlight… until the arrow struck again.

Morning came sooner than expected, and after a quick shower, I dragged my suitcases outside.

It was finally happening. I was leaving.

But of course, I wasn’t going to leave in peace.

A slow clap echoed through the courtyard, followed by a familiar, mocking voice.

“Well, well, well,” Kiera’s shadowed voice cut through the early dawn fog. She leaned against the stone pillar of the eastern gate, her Beta aura bristling beneath her flawless skin. “Have you finally come to your senses?”

I sighed. Kiera, my Alpha David’s mistress, always knew when to strike with her venomous charm.Dorian adored her. She never let me forget it.

I ignored her and kept walking, but she stepped into my path, tilting her head in amusement.

“Eight years, Becky,” she continued, crossing her arms. “Eight years of playing house, of waiting for an Alpha who never claimed you. And now, after all that time, you’re finally leaving.” She chuckled. “Took you long enough to realize that Alpha David andDorian will never love you. You’ve been nothing but a worthless concubine.”

I met her gaze, my expression unreadable. “Enjoy it, then,” I said simply. “Do whatever you want. None of this concerns me anymore.”

Her smirk widened. “Oh, I will. Don’t worry,” she whispered. “Soon, I’ll move in and take your place.”

Before I could respond, the front doors swung open.

Alpha David stepped out, followed closely byDorian.

And in an instant, Kiera’s entire demeanor changed.

She gasped dramatically and dropped to her knees, clutching the hem of my coat as if her life depended on it.

“Becky, please!” she sobbed, her voice thick with desperation. “Please don’t go!Dorian needs you! You’ve been taking care of him all these years—how could you just leave him like this?”

I stared down at her blankly.

“Corvin loves you, he really does,” she continued, her voice cracking. “He’s just a child! Please, don’t leave him. I’m so sorry for everything, just please, Becky—”

Alpha David let out a harsh sigh, his patience clearly worn thin.

“Enough of this nonsense,” he snapped. “Stop creating a scene and go back inside.” His eyes were cold, as they always were. “I’ll get you another cat if you want. Stop making Kiera stress herself.”

Kiera. The one he always called by her name. She had a place. A title. I had nothing.

I clenched my fists, but before I could say anything,Dorian ran toward Kiera, throwing his arms around her.

“Stand up, Kiera,” he said softly, his small hands wiping away her tears.

And just like that, the bond I’d nurtured for years shattered.

Becky’s POV

"Don’t think that putting on a pitiful act will make me accept you as my new Luna!"

"If you’re leaving, then leave for good! Don’t ever return to this territory!"

Corvin's roar—half-voice, half-growl—cut through the air like a blade, sharp with rejection and rage.

The arrow he released from his training bow shimmered with residual moonlight. I barely moved fast enough. It still nicked my shoulder, sinking into flesh. A guttural cry tore from my throat, half human, half wolf-pain.

Alpha David was by my side in seconds, his scent—oak and iron—wrapping around me as he held me upright.

"I’m so sorry, Becky," he whispered, voice thick with guilt.

But the moment was shattered by shrieks. Kiera was crying. AndDorian—my student, my blooded kin-in-training—was calling for help.

“Papa, Aunty Kiera twisted her ankle while trying to help that witch!”

Alpha David’s eyes flicked between us. His jaw clenched. And then, just like always, he turned from me.

“It’s a clean wound,” he said, not meeting my gaze. “Becky, go to the hospital. I’ll come after. I need to help Kiera—she can’t walk.”

I didn’t say a word. I didn’t have to. Pain was my language now.

He lifted Kiera into his arms like she weighed nothing—like I had once—and carried her toward the waiting vehicle. Her smirk was the last thing I saw before the car vanished into the forested driveway, withDorian seated proudly beside her.

I remained there, slumped in a puddle of blood and betrayal—shot by the very boy I’d trained in archery under the moonlight, taught to steady his paws and focus his breath.

The irony bit deeper than the arrow ever could.

I was struggling to rise when I heard the unmistakable thump of polished boots on the stone path.

"You’re still here, you ungrateful girl? Didn’t you howl your goodbye across the entire pack lands?"

I knew that venom-laced voice. Sara—Alpha David’s mother, a matron of the old bloodlines. She had never accepted a Beta like me in their prestigious Alpha lineage.

I turned slowly, baring my wound. Her eyes widened, but not from concern—from calculated alarm.

"Trying to drag my son down with you? Dying here like this—what are you scheming? Take your theatrics outside and perish there!"

“I was leaving,” I hissed through clenched teeth, “until your grandson decided I’d make a good target.”

She sneered. “Typical. Hurt yourself for attention and blame a child. You want Alpha David’s pity, don’t you? As if that would ever make you Luna. You lost your place the moment you chose to walk away.”

“I never wanted a place bought with pain,” I snapped back. “But your family keeps handing it out.”

She scoffed again. Then, with alarming strength for her age, she yanked my boxes and tossed them out into the night like trash.

“Then begone. And die outside, Beta trash.”

She shoved me hard, and I stumbled across the dirt, nearly blacking out as agony flared in my shoulder. I fell again, panting.

Something inside me cracked—but not my bones. My spirit. My faith.

“You’ll all regret this,” I swore, voice like thunder beneath a stormy sky.

I barely managed to haul my box to the road before my ride arrived.

"Apologies, Miss," the driver said, startled by the sight of me.

“It’s fine,” I muttered, collapsing into the backseat, the scent of blood saturating the leather.

He glanced back at me nervously. “Still heading to the airport?”

I shook my head. “Hospital first.”

The pain dragged me into darkness soon after.

I woke to the rhythmic beeping of machines, the antiseptic scent of healing salves stinging my nose.

My arm throbbed like it had been gnawed by a wild animal—which, ironically, wouldn’t be the worst thing I’d endured today. My suitcase sat dutifully near the hospital bed.

The pack doctor walked in, clipboard in hand.

“Miss Becky, how are you feeling?”

I groaned. “Last thing I remember, I was in a car. Then nothing.”

“The driver said you passed out en route. He brought you here just in time. You’d lost quite a bit of blood.”

I checked my phone—one missed flight, one unread message. I replied quickly:

"Emergency. Reschedule my flight. Now."

“Miss Becky?” the pack doctor prompted gently.

“Yes?”

“You’ve stabilized. With a bit of rest, we’ll discharge you soon.”

“Perfect. Thank you.”

He gave a short bow and exited. I slid out of bed slowly, grabbing my suitcase.

No missed calls. Not even one from Alpha David. The father of the pup who shot me had no interest in how the target was doing.

The door opened. And in floated Kiera, her limp magically gone.

I rolled my eyes. “Shouldn’t you be nursing a twisted ankle?”

She giggled—that grating, sugary sound that made my wolf bare her teeth.

“Oh, I’m fine now. I only wanted to see who he’d save. Me or you.” She twirled a strand of hair. “And he chose me. Isn’t that romantic?”

I turned my back on her. “Congrats. I’m leaving.”

But she blocked the door with the smugness of someone about to deliver a death sentence.

“There’s something you should know,” she whispered, honey-sweet and venomous.

“I’m pregnant with Alpha David’s pup.”

The world stopped.

I felt the ground vanish beneath me, my heart split wide open. But I refused to show her weakness. I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction.

Eight years. Eight damn years I stood beside him. Training his son. Healing his wounds. Sharing his bed when the moon called us together.

And every time, he made sure I took the pills.

He wanted another heir. Just never from me.

Becky’s POV

I turned my back on Kiera, my voice flat.

“Farewell.”

But she didn’t budge. Her presence lingered like a bitter scent, clinging to the air, testing my already-thin patience. My phone had just buzzed with the updated flight time—if I missed it again, I wouldn’t get another chance. And the Moon Goddess knew I needed to get out of here. Away from this toxic pack, away from their lies.

“What are you playing at?” I asked, my voice low, barely concealing the growl under my breath.

She smirked, her lips curling like a she-wolf who just found prey.

“I want to see tears, Becky. I want to see you break.”

I huffed. “You’ll die waiting.”

I dragged my suitcase along the linoleum floor, the wheels squeaking against the sterile silence. And then, like some cheap insult, she flicked a couple of crumpled bills at me.

“Here. For your pathetic human fare,” she giggled cruelly.

That was it. My wolf surged, my hand moved faster than thought, and the slap echoed through the hospital corridor like a gunshot. Her face jerked to the side.

“How dare you,” I growled through clenched teeth, fury burning just beneath the surface of my skin.

She wailed like she was being gutted, right as Alpha David and youngDorian burst into the room, the scent of panic trailing after them.

“What the hell happened here?!” Alpha David roared, his eyes locking on Kiera’s reddened cheek.

I scoffed. “What happened? You ran the moment she cried, like a dog chasing a bone. Where were you when your son nearly maimed me? Where was your concern when I passed out in my own blood?!”

Corvin pointed a trembling finger at me, his baby-blue eyes wide.

“Bad woman! She hurt Kiera!”

Kiera whimpered from the floor, her voice trembling with perfectly timed innocence.

“I-I only came to ask her to stay. I even offered money. She attacked me…”

“Cut the crap, Kiera!” I snapped, claws of rage pressing against my will. “Stop pretending you’re the victim.”

“You stop!” Alpha David barked, his Alpha voice laced with command. “I’ve tolerated enough. You’ll return with us—if you apologize.”

I stared at him in disbelief, then let out a cold, humorless laugh.

“Even if you were the last Alpha on this continent, Alpha David, I would never return to your side.”

He bristled, jaw tightening.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I stepped forward, my voice sharp as a silver blade.

“Eight years, and you never wanted a pup. But the day your son shot me, I find out Kiera is carrying your heir.”

His head snapped toward Kiera, guilt and confusion flashing across his face like a cloud passing over the moon. She had told me, and now he knew it.

“We’ll talk about that later. Just come home. We can fix this,” he said softly, trying to reclaim the Alpha charm.

“In your dreams, Alpha.”

I turned on my heel, tuning out his enraged shouts as I walked away from the only pack I'd ever called mine.

Minutes later, I was at the airport, my boarding pass in hand. Relief coursed through me like the first breath of a new moon. I was leaving it all behind.

Just as I powered down my phone, it rang again. Alpha David. I picked up, already regretting it.

“What now?”

“I understand you’re angry about Kiera,” he said, tone low and coaxing. “But come back. Give me a pup, Becky. If you do, I’ll name you in my will. You’ll have security—for you and your bloodline.”

I nearly choked on my laughter.

“Burn in hell, Alpha David.”

I hung up. Then blocked him. For good.

The flight was long. I drifted in and out of sleep, haunted by memories, by betrayal. But when the plane touched down, I felt lighter—as if my wolf had finally found a breeze to run with.

I stepped into the arrivals hall, where a tall man in a tailored tuxedo held a sign that read: Becky Blackridge.

He spotted me instantly.

“Miss Blackridge,” he greeted, bowing slightly. “I’m Joe. Your personal guardian.”

Guardian? Not just a driver, then. My grandfather wasn’t taking any chances.

“Thank you, Joe.”

He took my luggage, loaded it into a black SUV that smelled like new leather and pine. The drive through the hills was quiet, comforting. Then, rising from the woods like a fortress, stood the ancestral estate of the Blackridge lineage.

It had been three years since they contacted me—Elder Appleby and Luna Liora Blackridge, my mother’s estranged parents. I’d been shocked when they first reached out. My mother had eloped with a low-ranking wolf from another territory, choosing love over the mate bond arranged for her. She’d been cast out… until she was dying. That’s when she told them about me.

I was their blood. And now, I was their legacy.

“Becky!” My grandmother’s voice rang like a lullaby across the courtyard.

She and Elder Appleby wrapped me in warm, welcoming arms. The scent of herbs, family, and old power lingered in their embrace.

“We’re so glad you came,” they said, their voices trembling with joy.

“Thank you,” I whispered. “For letting me in.”

“Nonsense,” Luna Liora said firmly. “You are of our blood. This pack, this legacy—it’s yours.”

Elder Appleby placed a strong hand on my shoulder.

“You’re now the rightful heir of the Blackridge Empire. And of this land.”

And I smiled.

Because the time for retribution had come. And my enemies had no idea who they had tried to cast out.