5

Denver seemed confused by my answer. But he was just waiting in silence, as if he was still expecting a response to his proposal.

“Alright, Denver. Listen to me now. Even if I have known your name and your identity, we are still strangers.

“Also, I will never tell you about my name. But one thing you should know, I am a wolfless. So, a Beta like you will never like me or marry me in the future. I even start to think if maybe my partner in the future is a human.

“What’s more, you will have your own mate, while I never will,” I explained.

But before I could continue, Denver had cut me and said, “I indeed have not met my mate yet. But I promise, even if I meet her, I will stay faithful for you. Perhaps the reason why my mate has no one around is because I am actually your mate.”

I shook my head and told him, “No way. Just forget it, I forgive you.”

When I was about to leave, he grabbed my hand and said, “We can start getting to know each other from now on.”

So, the most embarrassing day for me was becoming our first day.

During our relationship, Denver always showered me with extraordinary love.

I even felt lucky at that time, considering myself the happiest woman in the world if I could be his wife in the future.

Denver accepted all my shortcomings and made it the thing he was most proud of, saying that I was unique and lucky to have me.

Until the day before my graduation, my parents, who were supposed to come to attend the event, had an accident because they were driving in heavy rain.

Their car was struck by lightning, causing it to swerve and fall into a ravine. Even the evacuation was very slow because of the difficult terrain that had to be passed.

While my friends were enjoying a happy graduation day, I returned to the Silentcrest Pack to attend the funeral of my parents who were Alpha and Luna.

The title turned to my uncle, who was my father’s brother, in the end.

He promised to take care of me, but despair still swallowed me and the light in my world when I realized that I was orphaned at that time.

I could not help coming to my parents' grave every day to vent my complaints and also ask things that had no answers.

Why did they leave me first?

Why didn't they take me with them, so that I would not be alone in this world?

Why had everything happened to me?

In my most difficult times, Denver came with his black umbrella, sheltering me not only from the rain at that time but also from the suffering I felt.

I looked up to see his charming face.

Denver said sincerely, “Marry me, Ivy. I promise I will look after you forever.”

Right, I should have graduated from Fantomhide Academy by now. But because I had to grieve, I didn't attend the graduation ceremony and chose to drown in sadness.

I answered in a low tone, “You deserve to marry a better person, Denver. Don’t do this out of guilt. I have said I forgave you, right?"

“It’s not guilt. I love you, Ivy. I want to be the only person you can rely on in this world,” he said while crouching down to hug me.

When he hugged me, tears could not help falling from my eyes again.

It was so warm, the thing I didn’t expect to get after my parents were gone.

However, I still denied it. It was precisely because of my love for him that made me unable to receive his proposal.

When I was young, everyone was proud of me because I was the daughter of an Alpha. Moreover, I could quickly grasp every lesson given by my teachers.

I always won every match held specifically for young warriors, so many people thought that I would be a very helpful Luna candidate for my future mate.

But all that changed when I was 14 years old, when most werewolves started to get their own wolves.

My parents continued to encourage me, saying that one day, my wolf would also come. There were some cases that had to wait until 16 years old, so I was not worried.

However, after I was over 16 years old, I still did not have it. So, my parents sent me to the Fantomhide Academy for my own sake.

Although my family always supported me, I realized that I was not worthy of being together with other werewolves, so I was determined to join the human race after graduating.

That was the reason why I did not want him to be stuck with a wolfless like me forever.

In the end, I reasoned, “A Beta like you marrying a wolfless like me? I’m not worthy. You’ll face the gossip of the people if you bring a woman like me into your Pack.”

He locked eyes with me, sincerity in his voice when he said, "Ivy, I repeatedly said I did not care about it. What’s more, since you entered the Fantomhide Academy, I already have my eyes on you.”

“You reasoned about mate, but I never met my mate. When you reasoned about your condition, that's still not enough to make me stay away from you.

“I still love you and will always love you forever.”

His voice was soft, but there was a firm determination that touched my broken spirit. It ignited a glimmer of hope in my desperate heart.

Before he said his last sentence, the rain had already stopped.

“Will you marry me, Ivy Shannon?”

6

When I agreed to his proposal, we went to my uncle’s house to ask his permission.

When we came, my uncle looked so happy. But before giving his permission, he asked about my decision first.

After I said “Yes,” he gave me his blessing.

One month later, we got married and I moved to the Highridge Pack.

Everything went smoothly, I even became close to the Luna and noticed that no one was gossiping about my situation.

What stunned me was Denver turned out to be the most respected Beta in the Pack, that was why he used to be busy since he was the one that the Alpha chose to accompany him.

He was also a caring type man, showering me with love and attention. Every day was like the best day in my life when I was spending time with him.

Under his faithful care, we welcomed our son into the world.

The first time Denver held our boy, he promised me that he would take care of him all his life. Denver even said that he would be the first to defend him when Gabriel was in trouble.

At that time, I saw him as a guardian who would protect us from everything.

Like a soil who would make the plant could thrive and lean on him without worry.

What was more, no matter how busy Denver was with his work, he would always make time for our son.

He learnt to feed him, change his clothes and bath him. Denver also became the first one who saw our son walking.

I could not ask for more at that time, since everything was getting better day by day.

But like a storm in broad daylight, everything changed when Rosalyn came back to the Pack. She was Denver’s childhood friend, who shared a long history with him.

I actually never knew about Rosalyn before, but the Pack member itself who told me.

She was an Omega’s daughter that used to be in Denver’s house since then.

Because they shared the same house, Denver and Rosalyn were so close. Some of his friends even thought that they had been dating for one or two years before Denver went to the Fantomhide Academy.

However, Denver denied it and said that he only considered Rosalyn as his childhood friend.

Moreover, after her mother died, Rosalyn chose to leave the Pack and worked as a servant for the other Pack’s Alpha she met at the banquet.

Denver's family decided to let Rosalyn choose what she wanted after all, that was why she was not the Highridge Pack’s member anymore since then.

After her departure, Denver entered the Academy.

Since that time, no one had ever known about their relationship. But I remembered Denver told me that he was interested in me since he entered the Academy.

For some reason, my instincts suddenly told me that he was just venting his loss to me, but I tried to get rid of those negative thoughts when I first heard about Rosalyn.

However, after Denver's change in attitude towards me and my son, I began to validate my thoughts again.

Denver rarely came home, always distracted and started to distance himself from me. I even often noticed he smiled at the messages in his phone, something he wouldn't share with me.

Our once happy home started to feel strained, the love and attention he once showered on me and our son becoming a distant memory.

One evening, I confronted him.

"Is it Rosalyn?" I asked, my voice trembling.

He sighed, looking away when he replied, "She needs help and I’m just being a friend."

But his eyes told a different story.

The days turned into weeks and the tension grew. The warmth that once filled our home was replaced with an icy silence.

He still made time to spend the weekend with me and my son, but it didn't last long, especially after I had always talked about Rosalyn and asked about the reason for her return.

The time I dared to question him, I was always painted as the villain. In the end, I tried to find the clue about it by myself.

I found out if she was kicked out of the Pack, because the Alpha she served had already gotten a mate. It was said that Luna from the Pack didn't like her.

Since then, I had been worried that Rosalyn would endanger our relationship.

But when I argued about it, Denver would turn into a madman and give me a silent treatment. Until one day, he started to ignore us more and only came back once every few days.

7

I still thought positively and tried to ask the Luna, thinking that maybe he got many jobs from the Alpha. But she said that everything was handled in the right way, so there was no overtime work these days.

I was stunned and could not help asking again, “Is there any overseas visit in near future?”

The Luna shook her head and said, “No, there is not. It is almost the holidays, so we reduce the workload in the hope that everyone can spend their time with their family.”

If there was nothing important, why did Denver look like a busy man every day?

So, starting from that day, I started to stalk Rosalyn’s social media and found out that she often spent time with my husband.

Our family suddenly became a lower priority for Denver.

Night after night, I laid awake, wrestling with sadness. But for our son's sake, for the family and because of my undying love for Denver, I kept tolerating him.

I figured as long as I could hold down the problem quietly, our son would have a happy, secure life. But days turned into weeks and the truth became undeniable.

He spent time for dinner with Rosalyn on the night that was supposed to be our anniversary.

On our son’s birthday, Denver said he forgot and just bought many presents for him to make Gabriel happy.

Even when Gabriel had a fever, Denver was no longer panicked like before. He even chose to take care of Rosalyn who sprained her foot instead of coming home.

I could still accept it if he abandoned me, but when it came to Gabriel, I could not tolerate it anymore.

I stormed at him and yelled angrily when he came home the next day, “Gabriel asked for you last night. He had a high fever, but you were not there to accompany him.

“Denver, if you do not love me anymore, that is fine. But at least, do not ignore Gabriel. He….”

But then, he slapped my cheek before I finished my sentence.

That was the first time he slapped me.

“Shut up! I am tired of your noisy grumbling,” Denver yelled, leaving me alone again in that icy living room.

Since then, I stopped caring and silently came to the court.

The officer seemed shocked when seeing me come to the court. But when I explained about my problem, he started to understand it.

After we finished discussing the terms and conditions, I signed the document. The last thing I should do was to ask for Denver’s approval.

However, every time I asked about it, he rejected it.

“You have abandoned us already, so just sign this document and let us go from your grip,” I ordered him by showing the document.

His forehead wrinkled when he read the document. Denver became even more furious when he found out about the term and condition.

“Your wish will never come true, Ivy,” he said while tearing the document apart.

But I had not given up. I always brought back the new one, until one time Denver agreed, but with one condition.

He agreed to the divorce as long as Gabriel came with him.

I was furious when I heard that.

He even did not come back when Gabriel had a fever. I could not imagine what would happen to my son if he lived with his father when we divorced.

I ended up giving up my decision to divorce him and acted as if everything was fine in front of Gabriel.

I ignored Rosalyn’s post on her social media that showed off about her happiness for having Denver beside her.

She might never show Denver fully. Sometimes, it was only his hand, his shoulders, or his shadow. Maybe because they did not want others to know about it.

But I still could notice it, since Denver was my husband and we had been together for so long.

However, my patience only seemed to enable Denver’s neglect, culminating in that reckless demand for a silly thing during a storm.

He knew if I lost my parents in a storm, but why could he risk our son the same way?

How could he be so heartless?

Looking at the divorce paper on the table, I made up my mind.

I had always been the one to apologize and give up, but not this time.

I should return to my home and move Gabriel's grave to the Silentcrest Pack.

That was why I decided to handle it tomorrow morning, while that night, I packed my things in the luggage and secured my son's urn.

But when I marched out with my suitcase in the morning, Rosalyn came to our house.

“Why do you come here, Rosalyn?” I asked coldly.

Without fear, she sneered, “Can’t you think of the reason, mother?”

Mother?

Why did she call me that, after all?

8

When I thought about the reason, Denver stormed into the house with his bodyguards.

His eyes scanned every corner with a frantic intensity before settling on me.

His demand sliced through the air like a knife, "Where's our son?"

“You acted like you did not care yesterday, but now you ask? It is a bit too late to look for him, isn’t it?” I replied in a hoarse voice, with grief and anger.

After four days ignoring his only son, how could he just start to realize it on day five?

Even everyone in the Pack had stopped grief about him. The doctor who said that he was gone had worked on another patient and the tears on my eyes had been dry for so long.

His face twisted with anger and his eyes blazing when he asked again, "I have been looking for him non-stop, calling him repeatedly, but I can't find him. Tell me, where are you hiding him, Ivy?"

Clutching the luggage that had the box of our son’s urn, I could hardly believe that he thought I was hiding my son. Did he not accept the fact that he was the one who killed his only child?

“Don’t act like an innocent mother. We know you are hiding him right now,” Rosalyn continued with a rage in her face.

They really suited each other, dumb and dumber.

“You can’t hide him forever, Ivy. If you do not tell us where he is, I will take this matter to the court!” Denver said, treating me by something I did not understand.

In confusion, I furiously asked back, "What is that supposed to mean? You two are the ones who made me lose my son. The one who should be in court is both of you."

Suddenly, Rosalyn’s angry face changed into sad and pampered. While clutching her fingers into Denver’s shirt, she said sadly, “Look at her, Denver. She will never admit her son’s mistake. I told you, right? That is fine, I will forgive them.”

What happened here actually?

Why did suddenly Gabriel and I become the villain between the two of them?

"Ivy, look at what you do! As a mom, you should teach your son to have good behavior."

I could not help sneering and snapped back, “My son? He is your son too, Denver. Gabriel is your only child, the one who suffered a lot because of your selfishness.”

If I could explain all of Denver's mistakes, it would probably take me days to do so.

But rather than wasting my time on unimportant things, I would rather leave them forever and find peace for Gabriel.

His tone was sharp when saying, "I never teach him to take Rosalyn's lingerie!"

All my questions from the beginning about why they came there were answered.

Apparently, they didn't want to apologize and regret their actions for killing Gabriel, but to accuse my son who had not even been seen on this earth for the past five days.

I laughed like an insane woman. It was so funny to deal with heartless humans like them.

"Why are you laughing, Ivy? Is this funny to you, telling your son to steal and act like a pervert like that?" Rosalyn asked in an angry tone.

My heart, already numb, twisted in agony at her words.

Her eyes were wary when seeing me stare at her sharply. She could not help asking for Denver’s help, “Denver, Ivy has turned a blind eye to it.

“Yesterday, when her son sneaked over and some of my clothes vanished, she had to be aware of it. That’s why she shut her mouth tightly now.”

Denver's forehead could not wrinkle when hearing Rosalyn’s words, he shouted at me again, his words sliced through me like daggers. "Ivy, hand over Gabriel now. He needs to learn his lesson today!"

My heart shattered as I heard Denver’s threat.

"What a terrible father you are, Denver! He is your flesh and blood. Don’t you know your own son? Think about it, would he really steal and be a pervert like that?

“We raise him together. Even if you ignored him some time ago, it did not change his good attitude at all,” I explained helplessly.

Rosalyn interjected, "I wish it was not Gabriel, but I bumped into him outside my place yesterday. He said he was looking for his dad, but the way he eyed me was... creepy."

Could it be that it was my son’s ghost?

9

Even if it really was my son's ghost, I was proud of his accomplishments.

After all, how could he leave this world peacefully if his father didn't care about him at all?

But I used my common sense again and said that it was impossible.

Suddenly, Rosalyn directed her venom at me and sneered again, "What kind of mother are you? How can you raise him that way and defend him after that?"

Denver's momentary doubt turned back into a cold glare.

He directly ordered the bodyguards behind him, "I know he is here. Find him and bring him out now!"

I wanted to scream that our son was gone, telling him that Rosalyn was lying. But I was certain that Denver believed her more than me, since that kind of thing had happened many times.

So, I let them search the house eventually.

After all, he had been dead for five days. If they really wanted to find Gabriel, at least they should die first.

However, when I was slightly off guard, Rosalyn immediately snatched the luggage from my hands with surprising strength. I watched in horror as she dropped all the stuff inside, including the urn box that crashed to the ground, scattering the contents and the ashes.

"I thought it was the thing your son had stolen, but it’s just some unnecessary thing and box of powders," Rosalyn sneered.

My knees collapsed to the ground hard as I saw my son’s urn scattered everywhere. The anguish of losing my son was already unbearable, but then, his final remains were desecrated, amplifying my sorrow.

That was why tears that I thought had been dried, started to streamed down my face again.

I was overwhelmed by guilt and sorrow, feeling like I was falling apart.

On my knees, I desperately began to gather the ashes, my hands shaking as I sobbed uncontrollably, "Gabriel… I am so… I am sorry. I still can’t be a good mother for you.”

Rosalyn looked on, smirking with cold eyes.

She taunted me with icy disdain, "Really, Ivy? Crying over a pile of powders that's insignificant? If you're going to act like the protective mother, find a less dramatic script."

I could not hold it anymore. In rage, I slapped her check hard.

"You’re slapping me in the face!" Rosalyn shouted in shock.

Denver turned to me. His face twisted with anger when he grumbled, "Ivy, you’ve crossed the line. For a box of ashes, you attack Rosalyn? Apologize to her now!"

Before I could defend myself, the bodyguard had come back and reported to Denver.

“Sir, the house is empty.”

“Yes, Sir. We have searched every possible hiding place, but there was no sign of a boy at all."

"There's no scent of someone hiding in this house either, Sir."

A surge of anger crossed Denver's face when he heard the report.

He went on a tantrum and stomped on the ashes, his voice cold as ice when he sneered, "Ivy, whatever you have planned for our child will not end well. You are his accomplice and are hiding a perverted criminal."

“Don’t do it, Denver!” I screamed and pushed him hard, to keep him away from my son’s urn.

Then I sat on the floor, protected the urn and collected them all even if it took forever.

“When I find him, I will handle him by myself and not let you get to see him again," he said in anger and pulled out his phone to call someone.

I didn’t care about his threat at all.

After all, no one could see Gabriel anymore since he had been on the Moon Goddess’ side.

I even thought that fate was kind to him at that moment. Because in that way, he could be safe from his father's heartless grasp.

Soon, the call connected.

“Marcy, is my son at your training place? I need to see him now," Denver said without feeling any guilt, making Marcy confused by it.

Marcy was hesitant to respond, but before he could answer, Denver had continued, “If he asked for your protection, do not need to hide or protect him, it is all his fault, he should face it.”

Marcy could not help telling the truth eventually, “Denver, don't you know? Your son died five days ago!"