Chapter 4

Before she could finish, Kian pressed his lips hard against hers.

I had never seen this side of Kian. With me, he was always disciplined, distant, and composed. But here, he was desperate, wild, and out of control.

The disgusting scene made me want to throw up.

I turned around and walked out of the building.

Back at the villa, I ripped down every single wedding photo from the walls, smashed the frames, and threw them into the fireplace, watching them burn to ash.

Kian didn't come home that night.

Serena posted a new update on her Instagram.

Against a background of expensive silver fireworks, a pile of limited-edition designer bags and jewelry was on display.

The caption read: [Someone decided to celebrate my birthday early. Just the two of us.]

In the corner of the photo, a silver cufflink in the shape of a wolf's head was visible.

It was a custom-made coming-of-age gift I had personally designed for Kian.

I let out a cold laugh and liked the post.

Then, I turned off my phone and went back to packing my bags.

The next morning, Kian finally called to explain.

"Lyra, there was an emergency at the mine yesterday. I was working until 3:00 AM. It was too late, and I didn't want to wake you, so I slept at the office."

"Yeah, it's fine. Work comes first."

He let out a sigh of relief. "You're the best, babe. I'll have my driver pick you up for the birthday party tonight. Make sure to dress up beautifully."

After hanging up, I stood in front of the mirror.

Looking at my exhausted face and my heavily swollen belly that could no longer fit into any elegant dress, I laughed at myself.

Dress up? For what?

No matter what I wore, I could never compete with the girl in his heart.

That evening, the driver dropped me off at the birthday gala.

Serena stood in the center of the crowd, her curves hugged by a stunning silver-white gown, surrounded by the luxury jewelry Kian had bought her.

The moment I walked in wearing a loose, plain maternity dress, the surrounding wolves threw throwing-shade looks at me.

Kian frowned, a flash of annoyance in his eyes. "Why did you wear that? I told you to dress up."

"None of my dresses fit anymore," I said flatly.

His expression softened slightly, but he quickly turned back to network with the Alphas of other packs.

Serena walked over with a fake, sweet smile, grabbing my arm and offering to take me to the second-floor VIP lounge to rest.

The moment the door closed, her fake smile vanished.

She looked me up and down like I was a piece of trash.

"Lyra, look at you. Pregnancy really ruined you, didn't it?"

"But I bet you didn't know... the baby in your belly actually belongs to me."

"Kian couldn't bear to see me suffer through pregnancy. He wanted our child to inherit the Ashford Pack legitimately, so he used you, the precious daughter of the Goldvein Pack, as a incubator."

"You should really thank me. If I hadn't given you this chance, you wouldn't even be the Luna of this pack. He wouldn't even look at you!"

I shook with anger. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through my abdomen, and my face went completely pale.

A malicious glint flashed in her eyes. She grabbed a glass of red wine from the table and splashed it all over her own dress.

Then, she let out a piercing scream.

The door was kicked open. Kian rushed in and immediately pulled Serena into his arms.

He glared at me, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Lyra! What the hell are you doing?"

"Serena was nice enough to bring you up here to rest, and you throw wine at her? You said you let go of the past, so why are you acting like a psycho now?"

Serena whimpered in his arms, covering her face.

"Kian, don't blame Lyra... I just wanted to clear the air. I joked about wanting to be the baby's godmother..."

"But she... forget it. It was my fault for what happened with Caleb years ago. Just let this be my apology to her."

Kian's face was terrifyingly dark. "Lyra, apologize to Serena. Right now."

I looked him dead in the eye. "Apologize? Shouldn't the two of you be apologizing to me instead?"