August hadn’t expected
Ime to tro
him like air, as if he didn’t even exist.
He watched the tender
of the three
family, his eyes burning red with jealousy.
Just as he tried
step
to
- e. Darren moved in front of me
protectively, glaring up at him. “Stay away from my mommy!
“You actually had the
to ask her
retaker? My mommy is a queer at home. Who do
you
think you are?
“I know what you’ve
younger sister. Your
“A Beta like you my mommy.”
not just the
jerk who broke her heart. You’ve even got a secret pup. My mommy only has me and my get to be part of her family.
even worthy of polishing my daddy’s shoes. You’re not as handsome, not as rich, and definitely not as good to
Darren gave August a look of pure disgust, eyeing him from head to toe before stomping hard on his foot.
“That jealous, twisted sneer on your face is disgusting. I don’t even know how you have the nerve to keep living in this world. What’s keeping you going? Your shamelessness?”
The crowd couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
August clenched his fists, his chest rising and falling with the force of his humiliation.
Everyone knew that he had only become a Beta because he’d earned the Alpha’s favor. But now, after offending Ryder, the lycan chairman, it was almost certain the Alpha would turn on him, too. Everything he had achieved could be gone in an instant.
Hailey’s eyes were burning red with jealousy. She never imagined that one day I would end up marrying so well. She couldn’t accept that I was Ryder’s Luna.
She had thought August only wanted me to be some lowly caretaker. But now, he wanted to throw her away, to choose me, even to make her pup call me mom.
Blinded by jealousy, Hailey snatched a fork from the table and charged at Darren in a frenzy. “You filthy little brat! How dare you look down on my pup? I’m going to kill you!”
A sharp, searing pain tore through my back, and my face instantly went pale.
“Darren, are you…” Before I could finish the sentence, my body collapsed to the ground.
When Hailey lunged at Darren, I released Ryder’s hand and jumped to protect him, covering him with my body.
As my consciousness started to slip away, I caught a fleeting glimpse of Darren’s face, filled with panic, his wide eyes brimming with
tears.
I tried to lift my hand to wipe them away. But in the next second, everything went black.
As the strong scent of medicine filled my nose, I slowly opened my eyes. Looking down at the clean clothes I was now wearing, I felt disoriented for a moment.
My best friend, Anna Campbell, was sitting nearby. The moment she saw me regaining consciousness, her face lit up with relief. “My dear, you’re finally awake. If you’d stayed unconscious any longer, those two devils of yours were about to tear this place apart.”
Ryder and Darren always knew their limits. I wasn’t worried about that.
Instead, my hand instinctively moved to my belly, anxiety flashing in my eyes as I looked at Anna.
She understood immediately. “Don’t worry. You and the pup are both perfectly fine. You fainted from the shock and the pain from your wound, but there’s no serious harm.
“Hailey’s beyond vicious to
think of attacking a pup.”
The moment Darren was mentioned, the sense of relief I’d just felt vanished, and my heart leapt into my throat again. I hurriedly asked, “How’s Darren?”
Perhaps from being unco oust
too
ng, my voice came out hoarse and dry, and I couldn’t stop coughing.
Anna quickly brought a glass of water to my lips and gently patted my back. “Relax. Darren is perfectly fine. choke. Next time, please don’t be so reckless, rushing in to shield him like that.
Drink
1/2
“There were so many guards. Do you really think they wouldn’t be able to protect Darren?”
I managed to stop coughing and took a deep breath, the lingering fear still tightening my chest. “I was just so scared he’d get hurt.”
“But there really wasn’t a need for you to worry. Darren inherited Ryder’s sharp instincts and intelligence. He’s much more capable than you give him credit for.”
I nodded in agreement, then thought of how alike Ryder and Darren were in the way they handled things. I couldn’t help but ask, Where did they go?”
