Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
James, who had never once taken our daughter to the training grounds, volunteered to take her today.
I sat inside by the fire and casually opened Instagram, only to see a post from Lily, a Beta in our pack:
[Big thanks to Mr. S for mentoring him this past year. My little boy finally passed his pup physical assessment!]
I scrolled down to another post from a few days ago:
[Mr. S is away on pack patrols again. What a headache—my boy will only listen to his father.]
When I zoomed in on the photo and saw the boy wearing a custom white buckskin hunting coat—identical to my daughter's—my blood ran cold.
That coat had been made from the hide of a white stag James hunted last winter. He tanned the leather himself. It was impossible to buy anywhere.
James hadn't just been away on pack duties. He had been playing father to another woman's pup.
James had crafted exactly two coats from that white stag.
I took one out of the wardrobe for my daughter to wear.
The other was supposed to be in the closet, waiting for the right time.
I walked over and yanked the closet doors open. The shelf was empty.
My chest tightened as my suspicions were confirmed.
"James, have you seen the leather coat from the top shelf?" I called out casually. "I was thinking of giving it to Chloe's son."
Chloe is my best friend. She has a seven-year-old boy.
James froze for a second, his expression stiffening.
"No, I haven't. Did you misplace it somewhere?"
My heart dropped, but I slowly closed the door.
I turned around, opened Instagram, and hit like on Lily's post.
[Nice coat, Lily. Where did you get it? I'd love to buy one for my daughter too.]
In the kitchen, James and our daughter were eating dried venison jerky.
Seeing me walk in, he turned to Emma. "Emma, sweetie, your mom can't find that leather coat. Have you seen it?"
Emma blinked her wide, innocent eyes. "I gave it to my friend."
James let out a visible sigh of relief. He ruffled her hair with a smile. "Good girl. Sharing is good. Once you pass your next pup assessment, Dad will get you a very special gift."
Right then, my phone buzzed.
Lily had replied.
[Oh, Lynn! The boy's Alpha father hunted a white stag deep in the pack territory and made it by hand. You can't buy this anywhere!]
I stared at the words *the boy's Alpha father* until my vision blurred.
For the past six months, James had constantly left home claiming he was patrolling the borders of Oak Bay Pack.
And Lily had constantly taken leaves of absence.
Knowing she was a single mother with a pup to raise, I had never questioned her.
Now, an item from my own home was proudly displayed on her feed.
And the "Mr. S" she affectionately referred to matched James's middle name, Scott.
A warning Chloe gave me months ago suddenly echoed in my mind.
"James Wilson is the Alpha of Oak Bay. He's powerful and handsome. You'd better keep an eye on him, Lynn. Half the females in the pack are dying to mate with him."
"Last time he patrolled the border, the young she-wolves couldn't take their eyes off him. Some even tried to catch his scent."
At the time, I had merely taken a sip of red wine and laughed.
"Did he pay attention to any of them?" I asked.
Chloe had rolled her eyes. "Well, no. But males always crave fresh meat."
I had trusted him blindly. "Not James. He wouldn't."
We met years ago at an inter-pack trade summit. The Carter family supplied weapons to Oak Bay, and I attended as my family's representative. James was the young heir of Oak Bay back then.
During a discussion on wilderness tracking, his insights caught my attention, and I asked a few sharp questions. He was surprised that a human knew so much about survival tactics.
One conversation led to another.
After the summit, he sent a messenger asking to see me again.
Over the years, I stood by his side as we built Oak Bay into one of the strongest packs in the mountains.
Everyone envied our bond.
Yet here I was, realizing he had betrayed me all along.
After dinner, I checked Instagram again. Lily's post was gone.
Instead, a new one was up:
[It's snowing. My pup kept begging his father to take him to the training field. But the heavy snow damaged the east fence, so the hunt is postponed.]
I liked the post and left a comment:
[Need James to come over and fix the fence for you?]Lily replied almost instantly:
[Huh? Ms. Carter, what are you talking about?]
[The Alpha and I aren't like that. You must be mistaken!]
[My pup's father just happens to have a similar name. We recently got back together, that's all.]
I looked at her hurried excuses and scoffed.
Emma came running up, tugging at James's sleeve to go play in the snow. But James sighed.
"Emma, Dad just got back from patrolling the border. I'm exhausted."
I scooped our daughter into my arms. "Come on, sweetie. I'll take you."
James paused mid-step, looking startled. "Don't you hate the cold? Stay by the fire. I'll take her outside for a quick round, and we'll be right back."
Emma chimed in, "Yeah, Mom! We'll be right back."
"Alright," I said, forcing a warm smile. I grabbed a fur coat and helped James put it on.
My fingers lingered on his inner coat pocket for an extra second, slipping in a small tracker.
Once they left, I sat on the couch, watching the glowing dot move across the screen.
I called a cab and followed them.
The Western District of Oak Bay.
Rich in game and blessed with open borders, it was one of the prime territories in the pack. Only senior pack members had the right to build cabins there.
From what I knew of Lily, she had zero qualifications to live in a place like this.
Through the bare wooden fence, I watched them meet.
Emma ran straight into Lily's arms.
In the dim cab, my Bluetooth earpiece glowed faintly with a blue light.
Their voices filtered through clearly.
"Aunt Lily, you look so pretty today!"
Emma's sweet voice sounded soft and tender, yet every syllable stabbed like a dagger into my chest.
She called her *Aunt Lily*.
She knew. She had known all along.
I stared at my daughter's back through the tinted window in utter disbelief.
This was the child I had poured my heart and soul into raising for nine years.
Emma giggled. "When Dad said we were playing in the snow, I knew we'd get to see you, Aunt Lily!"
Lily slipped a silver bracelet onto Emma's wrist.
"Happy New Year, Emma."
James reached out to stop her. "You work hard for your coin. I already got Emma a gift."
Lily took the opportunity to loop her arm through his. "Emma is my little girl too. It's the least I can do."
Then she looked up at him with longing. "When can you finally spend a real New Year's Eve with me?"
James looked pained. "Next year. I'll spend it with you and our son..."
He cleared his throat. "Let me go check on that broken fence first."
Lily leaned her head gently against his broad shoulder. "I just want to stay like this with you for a moment."
A chill settled over my bones.
Every word out of James's mouth shredded my heart into pieces.
I dialed his number.
He picked up after two rings.
"When are you coming home?" I asked calmly.
James glanced at his watch. "Heading back right now, honey."
The call ended.
Emma's voice came through the earpiece right on cue.
"I wish Aunt Lily was my mom instead."
James's eyes darkened with raw emotion.
He gently ushered the kids inside, pulled Lily into his arms, and kissed her passionately.
A wave of nausea hit me so hard I nearly threw up right there in the car.
Trembling, I hit save on the video recording.
I didn't want this child anymore.
Yet one persistent thought kept nagging at me—that little boy's features looked strikingly similar to Lily's.
With a heavy knot in my chest, I heard James say through the mic,
"I'll take Emma home first. I'll come back to spend the night with you."
Perhaps driven by guilt, James was unusually affectionate that evening.
He wrapped his arms around me in bed, but I shoved him away.
A short while later, his phone rang. He leaned over and whispered in my ear,
"Honey, there's an unfamiliar scent near the border. I need to go check it out. It's snowing hard, and the mountain passes might get blocked by morning."
I kept my eyes shut tight.
Suppressing the tremor in my throat, I muttered, "Go ahead."
I didn't sleep a wink that night.
Through my earpiece, the sounds of their frantic, breathless passion echoed until dawn.I sat numbly on the windowsill.
I watched the snow fall outside, slowly blanketing the world in pure white.
A text from James popped up:
[Honey, the blizzard shut down the mountain passes. I won't be able to make it back for a couple of days.]
A moment later, Lily updated her Instagram again.
[The blizzard is a gift of love from the heavens.]
The photo showed her bare shoulder.
Even covered in foundation, the deep red bite marks and bruises were unmistakable.
Draped around her neck was a sparkling ruby necklace.
I recognized that necklace immediately.
Chloe had texted me about it just this morning.
She heard James had dipped into the pack reserves to trade for an exquisite ruby pendant.
She assumed it was my New Year's gift and asked if I had gotten it yet.
She had even mentioned wanting to save up for it herself, but stepped aside when she saw James bought it, thinking it was for his Luna.
Without a word, I forwarded Lily's post to Chloe.
Her call came through instantly.
I answered.
"Holy shit! The Alpha went all out on you last night?!"
"That's not me," I said, gazing at the frozen wasteland outside. "He's cheating on me."
Silence fell over the line. Then Chloe hung up.
Seconds later, a text arrived from her:
[When I broke away from my old pack, I had to swear a blood oath in front of everyone never to return before the Alpha let me go. If you want to leave, you have to do the same—but first, you need solid proof that James broke his vows first.]
Staring at her words, my heart pounded violently against my ribs.
I replied: [I don't want the kid anymore.]
I sent her the audio recording.
She texted back furiously: [Where is the bitch? I'm going to rip her apart!]
[Western District of Oak Bay.]
[Wait for me!]
I managed to get Lily's exact address from Chloe.
It was the cabin by the creek in the Western District, shaded by two ancient oaks.
One of the most coveted plots in the entire pack. James and I had inspected it six months ago.
I had mentioned wanting to build a greenhouse there to grow winter herbs.
James had told me the land was reserved as a supply depot for the hunting party.
What a joke.
He lied to my face, only to hand it over to Lily.
Chloe met me, and we crept behind the cabin.
Hiding behind a stack of firewood, we spotted James and Lily in the distance.
"How do we get in?" Chloe whispered.
I pointed to a narrow trail leading toward the creek. "Circle around that way. Let's see what's happening first."
We staked out behind the woodpile for nearly an hour.
Finally, James walked out with Emma. Lily walked them to the door, lingering as she held his hand.
Once they disappeared into the trees, I walked up to the front porch and knocked.
A middle-aged werewolf answered, wearing a bloodstained leather apron and holding a meat cleaver.
"Who are you looking for?"
"I'm the pack's inventory manager," I lied smoothly. "I'm here to audit winter reserves. This property is registered as a communal supply post. I need to take inventory."
The man eyed me suspiciously, then glanced at Chloe behind me.
"Hold on. Let me call Jim."
He turned inside to grab his phone.
Chloe tugged at my sleeve. "He's calling James."
"I know," I muttered. That was the whole point.
Sure enough, after a brief exchange on the phone, the man's expression changed.
He hung up, walked back to the doorway, and puffed his chest out.
"Sorry. This is a private residence, not a communal depot. You've got the wrong place."
"Is that so?" I offered a cold smile. "Then please let Jim know that the Luna stopped by."
I turned on my heel and left.
Chloe hurried after me. "We're just leaving like that?"
"No rush." I glanced back at the cabin. "I already have all the proof I need."Back home, I sat before the fireplace, staring into the flickering embers.
My phone chimed.
A message from Chloe:
[Word on the street is you've been digging into the warehouse ledgers?]
I replied: [Who told you that?]
[The whole pack is whispering. Some say you and James had a huge fight. Others say you suspect something between him and Lily.]
My fingers trembled as I typed back:
[Did you know too?]
Chloe went quiet for a long moment before sending a voice message.
Her voice was hushed and strained:
"Lynn... I never knew how to bring it up. I thought you already knew and just looked the other way. You know how wolf packs are—it's not uncommon for an Alpha to have multiple partners. I honestly thought you were okay with it."
The moment the recording ended, I hurled my phone against the floor.
*Normal?*
*Okay with it?*
No one had ever told me.
No one had ever asked if I accepted it.
They just assumed I knew, assumed I approved, assumed I was simply a gracious, permissive Luna.
And I had been kept entirely in the dark.
I picked up the phone. A crack ran across the glass.
I texted Chloe:
[I didn't know. I didn't know a single damn thing.]
Chloe called right back.
"What did you say? You really didn't know about James and Lily?"
"Why should I have known?"
"Because..." She hesitated. "They've been together for nearly ten years. Lily's boy is his. The entire pack knows. James marked her—her scent gives it away instantly. We all thought you knew and just chose not to care."
*He marked her.*
When an Alpha marks a mate, their scents intertwine.
Any werewolf could smell it from a mile away.
No wonder everyone knew—they could smell it.
Only I couldn't. Because I was human.
"Lynn? Are you still there?"
"Yes."
"What are you going to do?"
I stared at the dancing flames in the hearth and spoke slowly, deliberately:
"I'm going to make them pay."
With the mountain passes snowed in, all trade between the pack and the outside world ceased.
Oak Bay relied entirely on pre-winter reserves to survive.
In previous years, I would sit with the elders to audit the granaries and meat stores, ensuring every family received their fair share.
This year, James had excluded me completely under the pretext of "Alpha authority."
Sensing foul play, I asked Chloe to pull the warehouse transaction logs.
Three days later, Chloe slipped into my room holding a handwritten ledger.
Her face was grim.
"For the past three years, right before winter hit, James pulled supplies under the guise of 'border outpost provisions.' Small amounts each time, just under the threshold of suspicion."
She opened the book and tapped a line with her finger.
"None of those provisions ever reached the outposts. I asked the western guards—they said the outposts have been starving. Two elderly wolves froze and starved to death before winter even set in."
A sick chill crept down my spine as I read the numbers.
"Where did the food go?"
"That cabin in the Western District," Chloe sneered. "And guess what? The cellar is packed with enough cured meat and grain to feed a family of five for two full years."
I closed my eyes.
The pack's reserves were literally lives. With the mountain cut off, every scrap of food meant life or death.
And James Wilson had stolen food meant for dying pack members to feed his mistress and bastard son.
"There's one more thing," Chloe lowered her voice. "The handler who signed off on those supply transfers... her name is Grace Miller."
My eyes snapped open.
*Grace Miller.*
A name etched deep into my memory.
So it was her.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
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