Chapter 2

Lyra's POV

The moon was bright, illuminating the forest path clearly.

I carried the thermal containers filled with still-warm venison and honey cake. The pregnancy report was tucked safely in my bag—tonight's most important surprise.

The border was about ten minutes away. I quickened my pace, eager to see Damon's surprised expression.

Suddenly, voices drifted from ahead.

A woman's laughter?

I stopped and listened carefully. It was definitely a woman laughing, accompanied by a man's low murmur.

"Strange, why would there be other people at the border?"

I walked forward cautiously, thinking maybe lost tourists needed help.

The voices grew clearer.

That woman's laughter was coquettish, very... intimate.

My stomach dropped. That wasn't the sound of casual conversation.

Unease crept into my heart as I stepped more quietly.

Rounding a large oak tree, I found myself at a clearing. The moonlight was so bright it illuminated everything clearly.

I saw two figures.

A man and woman, locked in a tight embrace.

The man's back was to me, but that build, that hair, that black patrol uniform...

It was Damon.

Time stopped. My breath caught in my throat. My mind went blank.

The woman in his arms—I knew her too. Scarlett from the pack, the beauty every man desired.

Perfect Scarlett, with her golden hair and curves that made every man turn to look. Everything I wasn't.

They were kissing.

No, more than kissing. Damon's hands roamed her body while Scarlett made soft moaning sounds.

I stepped back, nearly treading on a dry branch.

"No... impossible... he said he was patrolling..."

My voice was barely a whisper, but the shock made my whole body tremble.

I should leave, pretend I saw nothing, turn and run.

But my legs wouldn't obey. I could only hide behind the tree, watching this heartbreaking scene unfold.

Like watching a car accident, horrifying but impossible to look away from.

Scarlett pulled back slightly, gazing at Damon seductively: "When are you going to divorce that useless Omega? I can't wait much longer."

Useless Omega? She meant me?

Damon caressed her face: "Soon. She hasn't produced a child in two years. Complete failure."

His voice was cold, nothing like the gentleness he used with me.

"I'm just waiting for the right excuse to leave her. After all, mate bonds can't be broken without proper justification."

I clutched the pregnancy report in my bag, my nails digging into my palms.

Scarlett laughed: "Infertility is the perfect excuse. Alphas need heirs. If she can't give you that, legally you have every right to choose a new mate."

"Exactly." Damon kissed her lips. "And I've already chosen my new mate."

He looked at Scarlett with such love—the kind of look I thought belonged only to me.

"Our children will be strong, not like her..." Scarlett didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably.

So this was the truth.

Damon's feelings for me had always been conditional on whether I could bear children. In his eyes, I was nothing but a breeding tool.

I touched the pregnancy report in my bag. That paper now felt bitterly ironic.

I was pregnant. I had the child he wanted. I could rush out and tell them, use this baby to win him back.

But did I still want this kind of love? Did I still want a man who saw me as nothing more than a breeding tool?

As I wrestled with these thoughts, my hands began to shake. The thermal containers slipped from my grasp, hitting the ground with a loud clatter.

"What was that?"

"Who's there?" Damon's alert voice cut through the air.