Chapter 2
Tears slipped down my cheeks. I forced a bitter smile.
“So what now?” I looked at the empty room. “You want me to watch your child with Linda grow up every day? Live with the reminder of your mistake, over and over?”
I took a deep breath. My voice trembled, but it was firm.
“Alpha Gabriel, I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
The moment I said it, his furious roar came through the communicator.
“Fine! Remember what you said. Just don’t come crying back!”
“Every Alpha has lovers. I already handed Linda over for you to deal with—what more do you want? Take the bond or walk away. Do whatever the hell you want.”
The communicator cut off.
A faint mind-link ripple echoed from Alice. Her voice stirred gently in my head:
“He’s trying to assert Alpha dominance… Sybella, even your bones are rejecting his command.”
I turned to the reflection in the window.
This was the Alpha Suite in a neutral wolf alliance hotel. He once named it Luv, saying it held all our memories of love—Valentine’s Day, birthdays, anniversaries.
This room used to belong to us.
Now, only I remembered.
News of the canceled bond spread quickly. Alpha Gabriel used his Alpha access to notify my parents directly—Silverfang Pack’s current Alpha and Luna.
They called me immediately.
“Sybella, what’s going on? Alpha Gabriel says you’re backing out of the bond ceremony?!”
“This isn’t a game. Don’t do anything reckless.”
I sank deep under the covers, chest tight. My voice was hollow.
“His lover is pregnant.”
There was a brief silence. Then my mother lowered her voice.
“What male wolf doesn’t make mistakes? This can be solved. Just end the pregnancy and—”
I cut her off, my tone sharp as ice.
Alice whispered in my mind:
“They only see the politics. They never cared if you could shift again.”
“A mistake? Again and again? Are you asking me to turn a blind eye?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not that kind of Omega.”
My father’s voice came next, deep and stern.
“Don’t be selfish. You and Gabriel grew up together. Everyone supports your union… And now you’re just walking away? What do you expect us to say to the rest of Silverfang Pack?”
I closed my eyes, but my tone remained unshakable.
“I’ll bond. Just not with him.”
“You know him too. Hale.”
My father fell silent. My mother gasped.
“Hale? You mean… the one from Blackthorn? Have you forgotten what he did to you as a child? He dragged you into a strange forest—you nearly died!”
“He’s dangerous. And you want to bond with a wolf like him?”
I let out a soft laugh. I tried to sound casual.
“That’s exactly why I’m bonding him. I want to torment him for the rest of his life.”
Alice gave a low hum.
“A clever punishment. At least he deserves that kind of cruelty.”
That night, I barely slept.
My lower abdomen ached from the lingering silver poisoning. The silver hadn’t fully left my body. It burned through my bloodstream like liquid fire, reaching deep into my core.
At dawn, I made a decision.
I would move out of the Luna residence prepared by Winsor Pack for the bond ceremony. I would return to the Silverfang border fortress.
When I went back to pack my things, I was surprised to see Gabriel’s private jet still parked on the lawn.
I pushed the door open—and what greeted me wasn’t a healer.
It was an entire photo wall.
Familiar… but foreign.
Every picture was warm, intimate.
But the woman wasn’t me. It was Linda.
The memories Gabriel and I had built—he had copied every one of them with her.
I remembered what he used to say:
“I hate taking photos. As an Alpha, being caught on camera is a deadly weakness.”
No matter how much I begged, we never took a single picture together.
But now, Linda was his exception.
In the photos, they stood close. Linda rested her hand on her barely showing belly. She smiled sweetly.
“Alpha Gabriel, after the baby’s born, let’s take him to visit all these places, okay?”
“He’ll love them… Look! He’s kicking!”
Her voice, her tone—even her expressions—were all copied from me. As if she was molded to be my replica.
The sound of the door caught their attention. They turned and saw me.
Linda immediately dropped to her knees. She clung to my waist, sobbing.
“Sybella… I’m sorry. I broke my promise. I didn’t stay in the North like I said I would. Please don’t blame me.”
“Alpha Gabriel loves you. You’re the one in his heart. I know I’m just a replacement.”
“I just love him too much… I swear, once the baby is born, I’ll leave. I won’t get in your way again…”
Before I could say a word, Alpha Gabriel let out a cold laugh.
“No need to apologize to her. You were drugged, too. None of this was your fault.”
His eyes locked onto mine. His voice was emotionless, unapologetic.
“Sybella, I found out who set us up.”
“Linda is innocent. She made a mistake, but she was forced into it. You shouldn’t blame her.”
“You and I are fated mates. I won’t hold your emotional outburst against you. But you need to learn to take responsibility.”
“What you should be doing now is apologizing to her. Then we can put this behind us.”
At that moment, my wolf Alice roared so loudly it felt like my mind would split:
“He’s lost it! He wants us to bow to her?”
