Chapter 4

Of course, I recognized it.

It was the bonding pendant Luna Maren left for me and Damon.

A pair of carved blackwood pendants.

One for him.

One for me.

No wonder I had not seen Damon wear it lately.

So he had given it to someone else.

Serena smiled.

“I only said it looked beautiful.”

“Alpha Damon took it off and let me play with it.”

“I heard it belonged to your ceremony.”

“Does it look familiar?”

I looked at her face.

Then I looked at the pride in her eyes.

Without warning, I slapped her.

Serena screamed and stumbled back, clutching her face.

“Evelyn Hart! You hit me?”

I sneered.

“Yes. I hit you.”

“What are you, to touch something Luna Maren gave me?”

“Nora,” I said coldly. “Hit her.”

Nora had been waiting for this.

She grabbed Serena and slapped her hard from both sides.

Serena cried at once.

Her sobs sounded heartbreaking.

“Stop!”

Damon rushed in.

He had not even changed out of his patrol uniform.

He shoved Nora away.

Serena immediately fell into his arms, crying like she had been wronged by the whole world.

“Damon... Evelyn hit me...”

“I shouldn’t have stayed in this Pack.”

“I should have died outside.”

Damon looked down at her.

Then he looked up at me.

I still remembered that look.

Disgust.

Anger.

And something I could not name.

“Why did you hit her?”

His face was cold.

“Serena has always been gentle. Why do you keep bullying her?”

His Alpha aura bore down on me.

But I was not afraid.

I had done nothing wrong.

Why should I be afraid?

I threw the pendant to the ground.

The blackwood split in two.

“I need your permission to hit her?”

“Then did she ask your permission before acting cheap?”

I stared at him and lifted my chin.

His eyes fell on the broken pendant.

His pupils shook.

“Rowan, it hurts...”

Serena whimpered in his arms.

The guilt in his eyes disappeared.

He pressed his lips together and avoided my gaze.

“Confine Evelyn to the old east wing.”

“Without my permission, she is not allowed to leave.”

I laughed.

Great. Locked up again.

It was not the first time.

At least I had books, tea, and servants there.

Better than watching the two of them act like lovers in front of me.

On the fourth night of confinement, Damon came.

He smelled of alcohol.

He stood beside my bed.

“Evelyn.”

I turned over and gave him my back.

He stayed silent for a while.

Then he lay down and hugged me from behind.

“Don’t be angry.”

His voice was low.

“It was my fault.”

I did not move.

“I’ll give you the new goods from the human market.”

His chin rested on my shoulder.

“Stop being angry. It’s bad for your health.”

“But that day, you did go too far—”

I pushed his hand away and cut him off.

“I’m tired.”

“Sleep.”

He went stiff.

After a long while, he said, “Fine.”

But the next day, the things from the human market never reached me.

Damon sent them all to Serena’s room.

I heard she rewarded the healer.

Rewarded the maids.

Rewarded the old servants.

And Damon personally placed my favorite coral hairpin in Serena’s hair.

All because he was happy to become a father.

Serena was pregnant.

When Damon came to me that night, he stood in the courtyard, unable to speak.

“Evelyn.”

“Serena...”

“She is carrying my pup.”

I sat on the chaise with my eyes closed.

I did not look at him.

After two breaths, I said calmly,

“You already got her pregnant.”

“What else can you do?”

His voice turned hoarse.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“What else?”

I opened my eyes and looked at him.

“Do you want me to go mad?”

“Or drag Serena to the river and drown her?”

He stared at me for a long time.

So long, I thought he had nothing else to say.

Then he spoke with rage.

“Good.”

“Very good.”

“Evelyn Hart, you will regret this.”

Then he turned and left.

Regret?

I stood at the door and watched him go.

I almost laughed.

Until one month later.

Alpha Damon died in battle.

No body was found.

I stood in the mourning hall and looked at his memorial badge.

Then I finally understood what he meant.

“You will regret this.”

So this was how he wanted me to regret it?

What kind of twisted method was that?

After I understood, I knelt at once and cried until my voice broke.

Was that punishment?

That was clearly a reward.

I knelt in the mourning hall for three days.

By the end, the whole Pack was saying Damon’s human wife loved him deeply.

On the fourth day, I packed my things and moved to the Moon temple outside Pack territory.

I stayed there for two years.

I ate well.

Slept well.

Visited the human town when I was bored.

Listened to music in the human town.

Life was very comfortable.

When a person has money and free time, she needs a little excitement.

So I saved a dying rogue named Cole by the roadside.

And began my second spring.

That night, I lay in bed and thought of the bonding gifts in the hall.

I almost laughed.

Then the window made a sound.

A shadow slipped inside and landed lightly on the floor.

He straightened.

Moonlight fell across his face.

It was Cole.

Wasn’t he just a poor rogue?

How did a rogue get past Nightfall Pack’s patrols?