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Synopsis
I was Allison, the adopted daughter of Alpha Robert of the Silver Creek Pack.
To let his biological daughter marry the man she loved, the entire family forced me to take her place in an arranged marriage.
I was to marry her notorious, ruthless fiancé—Alpha Victor of the Crimson Pack.
Just as Alpha Robert asked for my consent, a voice that did not belong to this world echoed in my head.
[Mom, say yes! Hurry! If you hesitate any longer, Sophia wins—just like in your past life.]
[You think you’re walking into hell, but it’s heaven. Victor is my real father!]
[That gentle, sweet lover of yours is a complete hypocrite. He’s only marrying Sophia to seize control of the Silver Creek Pack!]
[Say yes! Otherwise, tonight, he’ll stage an accident and drown the two of us in the river!]
My head snapped up, my eyes locking onto the man rumored to be heartless and cruel.
I stood under the blinding lights of the Mate Ceremony, Alpha Robert’s voice ringing in my ears.
"Allison, do you accept Victor as your mate and Alpha?"
Did I?
My hand drifted to my lower belly, where a three-month-old life was quietly growing.
To keep anyone from finding out, I had been drinking wolfsbane blends bought off the black market every single day to suppress my pregnancy scent. It tasted foul and nauseating, but compared to the consequences of being discovered, the bitterness was nothing.
For the sake of my child, I had to refuse.
I couldn't marry a tyrant like Victor and ruin both our lives.
Below the dais, Liam, my gentle lover, looked at me with heartbreak in his eyes.
Beside him stood Sophia, my sister in name, clinging affectionately to his arm with the smug grin of a victor.
I took a deep breath, ready to utter that final "No."
[Mom! Are you out of your mind? Say yes!]
A strange voice resonated in my mind—deep, calm, and composed. It didn’t sound like an infant; it sounded like a dormant beast.
I froze, instinctively glancing around.
Who was speaking?
[Stop looking around. It's me. The wolf in your belly. Your son's wolf. I came back from the future.]
[Don't tell me you still want to ruin your life for that scumbag? That’s how you died in your past life! Just this morning, he was hooking up with Sophia in the lounge, saying that once you marry that devil Victor, you'll be driven insane within three months. Then he’d play the hero, swoop in, and get rid of both you and the pup in your belly!]
What?
My mind went blank. It felt as though an icy hand had gripped my heart, choking the air from my lungs.
Liam... wanted to get rid of me and my baby?
Impossible. He loved me so much. He had promised he would wait for me, that he would find a way to rescue me from this nightmare.
[Wake up! I saw everything he did to you in our past life. If he loved you, would he knock Sophia up? Would he let you take her place and marry Victor?]
[Oh, by the way, the pup in Sophia's belly isn't even his. It's Ethan's. This family is twisted beyond belief.]
My head snapped up, my gaze locking onto the "golden couple" in the audience.
Sophia was pregnant, too. That pregnancy was how she had secured her engagement to Liam.
And I—the adopted daughter who had occupied a place that wasn't mine for eighteen years—was packed off by Alpha Robert as a sacrificial peace offering to the Crimson Pack.
[The pup in her belly belongs to Ethan, your dear foster brother. A sister carrying her brother’s baby while marrying an outside stud. What a sick family dynamic.]
The sheer amount of information nearly caused my brain to shut down.
How was this possible? This was insane!
[It gets crazier. You think you’re walking into hell, but it’s heaven. Victor, the man standing right in front of you—he loves you. I don't know why, but it's the absolute truth. In our past life, after we died, he was the one who avenged us.]
[Say yes, quickly! If you stall any longer, Liam will trigger Plan B. He’s already set it up. Tonight, he’ll stage an accident to drown you and me in the river. That way, he collects compensation from the Crimson Pack and smoothly takes over Silver Creek. Talk about killing three birds with one stone.]
A chill shot from the soles of my feet straight to my skull.
The blood in my veins ran cold.
The deep love I had believed in was nothing more than an elaborate death trap.
And the abyss I feared was actually my only lifeline.
Seeing my hesitation, Alpha Robert repeated, "Allison, do you accept Victor as your mate?"
Victor's features were carved like ice, devoid of emotion. Yet, deep within those endless dark eyes, I caught a flicker of... nervousness?
"If you don't want to, you can leave right now," Victor said quietly.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Liam’s fists clenched instantly, and the smug smile on Sophia’s face froze.
I saw Liam mouth the words to me: *Allison, don't be afraid. Reject him.*
[Mom! Don't buy his crap! If you walk out that door today, they'll be pulling our corpses out of the river tomorrow! He’s banking on you not daring to reject the marriage publicly, so he's putting on this act!]
I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, all the despair and agony had turned into razor-sharp hatred.
I looked up, meeting Victor's gaze. Then, under the stunned eyes of everyone present, I pronounced each word clearly:
"I do."The Mate Ceremony concluded in an eerie silence.
Victor took me straight back to his mountain estate.
Throughout the drive, the silence inside the car was deafening.
Several times, I wanted to speak, to ask about the rumors of his feelings for me. But looking at his profile—colder than a glacier—the words died in my throat.
Maybe that wolf wasn't entirely right.
A secret crush on me? How could that be?
An Alpha like Victor, standing at the very top of the food chain, could have any woman he desired. Why would he waste his time on an unwanted foster daughter?
His estate was vast, designed in minimalist, chilly tones. It felt hollow and devoid of warmth, much like its master.
"Your room is over there," Victor said, pointing toward a guest room at the end of the hallway, his voice devoid of warmth.
"Our marriage is strictly contractual, for one year. Keep your head down and don't cause trouble. After a year, I’ll give you a settlement, and our slates will be wiped clean."
My heart sank, inch by inch.
The tiny ember of hope that had sparked during the ceremony was thoroughly extinguished by his icy words.
Of course. I had been delusional.
"Understood," I murmured, turning toward the stairs.
"Wait," he called out.
I looked back, carrying a thread of hope I hadn't even realized was there.
He pulled a black card from his pocket and tossed it onto the console table by the entryway.
"No limit. Spend whatever you want."
With that, he headed straight for his study without sparing me another glance.
I stood there, feeling like a commodity with a clear price tag.
Humiliation, shame, and an inexplicable pang of disappointment washed over me.
Right then, my phone buzzed. It was Margaret.
I pressed answer, and before I could utter a sound, a barrage of vitriol came crashing down.
"Allison, you think you’re all grown up now, don't you? Get your ass back here tomorrow morning!"
"Margaret, is something wrong?" I gripped the phone tighter.
"Is something wrong? Your sister hasn't touched food or water because you married Liam! As her older sister, shouldn't you come back and comfort her? Let me tell you, if you hadn't stolen Sophia's life for eighteen years, she would never have suffered like this!"
Every single word felt like a poisoned needle plunging into my chest.
"Sophia is Alpha Robert's true daughter! Liam belonged to her in the first place! A fake like you should be thanking the heavens for marrying Victor! Don't you dare act ungrateful!"
"I..." I bit my lower lip in humiliation, on the verge of submitting.
Suddenly, a large, well-defined hand reached from behind me and took the phone away.
Startled, I turned to meet Victor's stony face.
I hadn't even heard him leave his study.
He brought the phone to his ear, his voice dropping into a dark, commanding growl.
"The Crimson Pack does not grovel, nor do we apologize to anyone."
On the other end, Margaret went completely silent before scrambling into a fawning tone.
"Alpha Victor... that’s not what I meant! I just wanted Allison to visit—"
"She is my Luna," Victor cut her off ruthlessly. "From this day forth, her only responsibility is to take care of her health. As for comforting anyone else, she doesn't have the time, and I won't allow it."
He ended the call and shoved the phone back into my hand.
Throughout the entire exchange, his expression never wavered.
Then, turning toward Beta James waiting nearby, he ordered, "Prepare late-night snacks for the Luna."
Without looking back, he marched upstairs.
I stood frozen in place, my heart hammering against my ribs.
[Told you so! This Alpha is so emotionally stunted. He cares about you to death, obviously.]
[Acting so cold with his words, but his body betrayed him completely. He didn't read a single word in that study; he had his ears perked up the whole time listening to us. The second you were bullied, he charged right out.]
[He's shy. He’s totally blushing on the inside.]The morning sickness in my first trimester hit me relentlessly.
I had planned to endure it in silence, but Victor was far more anxious than I was.
Early the next morning, he pulled me out of bed and insisted on taking me to a pack Healer.
"I don't need to go. I'm fine," I protested, pulling away.
"Be quiet," he commanded with absolute authority. "The pup isn't just yours."
I froze.
He knew... and he was willing to accept the child's existence?
My mind raced with confusion the entire way.
After the examination, the Healer mentioned that we needed to pick up specialized wolf supplements from the apothecary in town. Victor accompanied me there himself.
Just outside the shop, we ran directly into two people I never wanted to see again.
Liam was tenderly supporting Sophia, who leaned weakly against his chest, looking pale, fragile, and utterly helpless.
What an awful coincidence.
"Allison?" Liam gasped upon seeing me. His face contorted into an expression of profound, agonizing devotion.
He let go of Sophia and hurried toward me.
"Allison, why are you here? Is he... is he treating you badly? You look so pale."
Beside him, Sophia's eyes instantly welled with tears as she whimpered, "Allison, please don't blame Liam. He's just worried about you. I haven't been feeling well, so he brought me to town. Are you... are you okay? Alpha Victor hasn't been too cruel to you, has he?"
Watching her sickening performance made my stomach churn with disgust.
"Whether I'm fine or not has nothing to do with either of you," I shot back coldly.
A flash of hurt crossed Liam's face. "Allison, how can you say that? I know you're angry with me, but don't worry. I will find a way to get you out of this nightmare soon."
He reached out, trying to grab my arm.
That sanctimonious face made me want to retch.
[Don't let him touch you!]
Inside my head, the wolf's voice shrieked with fierce urgency.
[He has a syringe hidden in his pocket—it's pure Wolfsbane! That’s how he killed your pup in the past life!]
My pupils shrank in horror. Terrified, I took a frantic step backward, slamming straight into a broad, solid chest.
Victor was already behind me. He slipped an arm around my waist, pulling me securely against him.
He felt my panic. A flash of gold ignited in his eyes as he caught a scent in the air.
"What is it?" he murmured, looking down at me, a trace of tension bleeding through his voice.
Shivering from the shock, I couldn't form words; I could only grip his sleeve with white knuckles.
Victor lifted his head, his lethal gaze locking onto Liam.
Liam’s outstretched hand hung awkwardly in mid-air.
"Carter," Victor spoke, every syllable coated in frost. "Reaching out like that... are you trying to interfere with a member of the Crimson Pack?"
Liam’s face paled, then flushed with embarrassment.
"Alpha Victor, you misunderstand. I only saw that Allison looked unwell and wanted to check on her."
"Check on her?" Victor let out a disdainful scoff. "My mate doesn't need concern from an outsider."
Keeping his arm wrapped around me, he turned to leave. As he brushed past Liam, he stopped, dropping his voice so only the three of us could hear:
"Liam, keep your hands to yourself. If this happens again, I won't hesitate to cut them off."
The raw bloodlust in his tone sent a shiver down my spine.
Even after we got back into the car, I couldn't stop trembling.
Victor said nothing, simply pulling me tighter into his embrace.
[Tsk, look at that Alpha aura. Not bad at all. Worthy of being my dad.]
[Did you see that scumbag Liam's face turn completely green? Serves him right. Anyone who dares touch my mom deserves to die.]Under the guise of patching things up, Margaret hosted a family dinner.
Over the phone, her voice was drenched in tearful remorse, claiming she and Sophia had realized their mistakes and begging for a chance to make amends.
Victor answered the call. I thought he would dismiss it as before.
Instead, he said, "We'll be there on time."
I looked at him, bewildered.
He offered only one sentence: "Some matters must be settled face-to-face."
I understood then—he wanted to back me up and show them who I belonged to.
Yet I never imagined this so-called family gathering was nothing less than a grave prepared exclusively for me.
The moment we stepped into the Silver Creek Pack hall, a suffocating, hostile atmosphere closed in around us. The air reeked of countless conflicting wolf scents—spiteful, calculating, and treacherous.
The people of Silver Creek were unnervingly hospitable.
Robert clapped Victor on the shoulder, his posture bordering on servile. Though both were Alphas, Robert shrank in Victor's presence, outmatched in both power and presence.
Ethan sauntered over to raise a toast, his sleazy gaze drifting repeatedly toward my stomach.
It made my skin crawl.
Midway through the dinner, Margaret personally brought a steaming bowl of soup to me.
"Allison, darling, Mom brewed this tonic especially for you. Drink it while it's hot. Mom was wrong before, please don't hold a grudge." Her maternal smile was so tender, as if I were truly her flesh and blood.
Looking at the dark, murky liquid, a terrible dread seized my chest.
[Do not drink that! It's laced with wolfsbane—enough to kill a full-grown wolf! They want both of us dead!]
The wolf’s voice screamed through my skull like a siren.
[They’re in on it with Liam! They want you to drink it in front of everyone so you miscarry right here, exposing that you're carrying a child that isn't Victor's!]
My hands and feet turned to ice.
Snapping my head up, my eyes bypassed Margaret’s fake smile and landed on the second-floor landing.
Sophia and Liam were standing side by side at the top of the stairs.
Sophia leaned casually against the railing, gazing down at me with a venomous, triumphant smirk.
In that split second, everything clicked.
It was an inescapable trap.
A lethal binary choice.
Either I drank the poison and died with my baby on the spot.
Or, if I refused the soup, they would use another pretext to lure me near the staircase, where Sophia would "accidentally" push me over the edge to achieve the exact same result.
They had calculated every angle. There was nowhere to run.
Every pair of eyes in the hall was fixed on me.
Margaret cooed gently, "Allison, why aren't you drinking? It's getting cold."
Upstairs, Liam looked down with cold amusement.
Victor seemed to sense the shift in the air and started to stand.
Too late.
I looked at the soup, then up at the vile couple on the balcony.
The very last shred of attachment I had clung to for this family shattered into dust.
Fine.
If you want my life so desperately, I'll give it back to you.
Under the shocked stares of the guests, I picked up the bowl.
Then, swinging around violently, I hurled the boiling broth straight into Liam's face as he hurried down the steps!
As he shrieked in agony, I didn't pause for a single second. Gathering every ounce of strength I had, I charged toward the staircase like a madwoman.
The sneer on Sophia's face froze as she saw me barreling toward her like a missile.
She screamed, instinctively raising her hands to shove me.
But she wasn't my target.
A single step before reaching her, I swerved violently and slammed my own body into the heavy wooden banister, throwing myself down the stairs.
The world spun violently.
Agonizing pain tore through every nerve in my body.
With the last shred of my strength, I curled tightly, shielding my lower abdomen with my arms.
Blood spread beneath me, staining the pure white fabric of my dress crimson.
Before darkness took me, I caught glimpses of horrified faces, Sophia and Liam’s bloodless lips, and Victor lunging toward me with terrifying speed.
I looked at them all, my soul strangely calm.
This life... I've returned it to you.
From this moment on, we owe each other nothing.
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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