When He Chose His Mistress, I Chose My Pack's Legacy

On the day my twin sister drowned in the lake, she made me promise to look after her son and mate.

Six months later, her mate James asked me to marry him for his son, Liam's sake.

On the fifth anniversary of her death, I made the mistake of wearing her perfume to the memorial service. Eight year old Liam caught the scent immediately.

Before anyone could stop him, he grabbed the sea water meant for the blessing and threw it directly in my face.

"How dare you wear her scent!" he shouted as the cold water drenched my white dress.

"Take it off!" he demanded. "You don't deserve to smell like her. You don't deserve to stand where she stood!"

When I didn't move fast enough, he tore my sleeve until it ripped, exposing my shoulder to everyone present.

"My mom would still be alive if you hadn't been too scared to help her that day. You watched her drown because you were too pathetic to jump in."

Then he turned to the gathered pack. "She let my mother die! She stood on the shore and watched her sink! She's not our Luna, she's a murderer!"

Five years I'd spent trying to love this child who only saw me as his mother's killer, and suddenly I was done trying.

Three days later, I left without a word. I called my lawyer from a motel fifty miles away.

"I want a divorce," I said firmly.

What I didn't expect was the hunting parties. James had mobilized the entire pack to search for me.

——

"Ella," my grandmother said softly through the speaker. "It's time, child. Liam is old enough now to manage without you. The Northern Pack needs you to claim your inheritance as Alpha's daughter."

I stood suddenly, water still dripping from my clothes. "You're right. I'll leave tonight and reclaim what's mine."

I never wanted to stay in the Wilson pack. I wasn't here for love or power. I was here because of a promise whispered to a dying woman. For five years, I'd kept that promise, enduring everything for Liam's sake.

But now, maybe it was time to let go.

I was about to rejoin the gathering when Liam stepped directly in my path.

"Seems you haven't learned your lesson yet," he sneered. "The dirty water wasn't enough for you? First her perfume, now this.”

I hadn't worn anything of my sister's this time. I'd simply placed a small photograph of her in a locket around my neck. Liam had seen it and decided it was another offense.

"You're not worthy to keep her memory," he snarled. "You're the reason she's gone. You should have been the one to die that day!"

Before I could step away, his small hands shoved me back with strength and I fell straight into the swimming pool behind me.

"That's where traitors belong!" he shouted over the gasps of the pack members. "You deserve to drown just like my mother did! Maybe this time you'll know how it feels!"

The cold water engulfed me as panic seized my chest. I'd never learned to swim because of the trauma. I thrashed wildly, trying to reach the surface but my dress wrapped around my legs like a trap.

Mrs. Turner, our housekeeper, plunged in and dragged me to the surface. She pulled me out while someone else grabbed Liam and took him away.

Dripping and bleeding from some cuts, I limped to my room and tried to clean the wound on my ankle. That's when I heard the cry from outside.

I ran to the window and saw my little pet Cat, Max, lying motionless on the ground. A kitchen knife stuck out from his side, and words were scrawled in the dirt beside him: "BLOODY MURDERER."

I collapsed beside him, sobbing uncontrollably. Max was my only friend here, the only one who listened when I needed to talk. When the nightmares of Amelia's death kept me awake, he'd curl up beside me.

This wasn't the first time Liam had lashed out so viciously. Last Christmas, he'd put crushed glass in my slippers. I spent the holiday in the emergency room getting stitches. When I returned home, bandaged and exhausted, he looked me straight in the eyes without remorse.

For my birthday last month, Liam had replaced my shampoo with hair removal cream. Clumps of my hair fell out in the shower.

I stormed back toward the house, finding Liam in the kitchen.

I grabbed his arm. "How dare you! Max never did anything to you!"

Before Liam could answer, James appeared, pulling him away from me.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded, glaring at me. "He's just a child. He's feeling emotional about his mother. You're overreacting."

"Overreacting? He killed my pet, James! Look at what he wrote!"

James barely glanced at its body. "Don't be dramatic," he said. "It was just a little water earlier. Now you're making too much of this. Liam would never hurt an animal."

He steered me toward the stairs. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and take care of that ankle."

Once in our bedroom, he tried to help me remove my wet clothes. "Let me bandage that wound properly," he murmured, his fingers trailing across my skin.

I pushed him away with all my strength and stood up.