Chapter 3

You see, when a male wolf loves you, his devotion is real.

But when he stops loving you, his cruelty is just as real.

Ethan once told me, "Honey, my parents died when I was young. Your parents are my parents."

Yet later, he butchered my father and mother with his own hands just to please Lydia.

Ethan was far more deserving of death than she was.

"Tina, do you remember what Mommy told you?"

My daughter nodded cautiously.

I smiled, stroking her hair. "Then listen to Mommy. Don't show that you dislike Auntie Lydia. Very soon, Mommy and Grandpa will take you far away from here, okay?"

"Okay."

Tina was a good girl; she asked no more questions.

Soon, a message arrived from my father. He had successfully stepped down from the Elders' Council. In two weeks, we could leave the Ridge Pack behind.

I already had the resource transfer document with Ethan's official paw print, along with secret pledges from several elders and elite warriors to back me at the pack assembly.

With that document, Ethan had unwittingly signed away total control of the pack's stockpiles and armory.

Killing him right now would be too easy.

I wanted Ethan to understand what true, agonizing despair felt like.

As soon as Ethan left the property, Lydia dropped her innocent mask.

The helpless, fragile woman turned into a venomous snake the moment we were alone.

"Sarah Miller, I really underestimated you," she sneered. "Ethan's feelings couldn't be more obvious. Why haven't you broken the mate bond and gotten out of my way?"

Looking into her predatory eyes, I chuckled softly.

Desperate for the Luna title, aren't you?

Fine. I'll hand it to you on a silver platter.

Before they arrived, I had secured the final piece of the puzzle: sworn testimonies from key pack warriors.

These two were truly ruthless.

Ethan was right about one thing: Sam had saved his life during a rogue ambush.

And Ethan had murdered him in cold blood.

"Sarah Miller, if I were you, I would have killed myself by now," Lydia hissed.

"Is that so? A whore who seduces her dead fiancé's best friend hasn't died yet. Why should I?"

I didn't back down an inch.

Since Ethan wasn't here, there was no need to pretend.

We stared each other down like predators until the maids finished hauling her luggage upstairs.

Watching them carry her things into the master suite's east wing, I didn't say a word.

I was leaving soon anyway. If she wanted to warm that bastard's bed, she was welcome to him. I was sick of sleeping next to a monster.

That night, while Tina and I were eating dinner, a piercing scream erupted from upstairs.

The front doors slammed open at the exact same moment. Ethan was back.

He stormed straight past the dining room without sparing us a glance.

Minutes later, he marched downstairs, radiating murderous fury.

Sensing his hostile aura, I shoved Tina behind me.

In the next second, Ethan's heavy hand clamped around my throat, lifting me off the floor.

"Sarah Miller! You dare play sweet to my face while pulling vile stunts behind my back?"

Staring into his bloodshot eyes, air was ripped from my lungs.

I clawed frantically at his iron forearm, but his grip didn't budge.

It wasn't until Tina threw herself at his legs, screaming and crying, that he finally tossed me onto the hardwood floor.

"Mom!" Tina sobbed, wrapping her tiny arms around me.

The physical pain was nothing, but seeing my baby girl terrified broke my heart. Tears spilled over my cheeks.

"Sarah Miller, you assigned Lydia to that room! Why did you hide silver blades under her mattress? Did you want her dead?"

Hearing that ridiculous accusation, I laughed raspy breaths into the air. "Me? Hide blades?"

"Who else?"

"Call the housekeepers," I rasped. "Let's confront them right now."

As soon as I said that, Lydia, who was crying at the top of the stairs, froze. "Y-You bribed the staff, didn't you?"

"This is the Alpha's house. I am the Luna. Who else would they answer to?"

My sharp retort backed her into a corner.

"Fine, let's see how sick you really are," Ethan barked, turning to summon the staff.

Lydia rushed down and grabbed his arm. "Ethan, please, don't! Don't fight with Sarah because of me. It's fine, really..."

She whimpered endlessly. Ethan listened with tender concern, not forgetting to glare at me. "Sarah, you should learn a thing or two from Lydia's grace."

Looking at the two repulsive hypocrites, I almost threw up.

I swallowed the rage down.

Nothing else happened that night, except Ethan slept in Lydia's room.