Chapter 1My Lycan Mate forced me to stay childless for four years—then locked me in a room to listen to him breed a "better" heir next door.
So: I severed the Bond, took the billion-dollar, and vanished.
But weeks later? I watched him expose his mistress's fake pregnancy at their own Mating Ceremony.
He came crawling back, begging.
Nah. Too bad. Guess what?
I was already three months pregnant with the Lycan King's twins.
The "insufficient" bloodline he threw away?
Just became the future Royal heirs he'll NEVER touch.
---
In the Royal Pack, there was one brutal rule for those of high blood.
To ensure the strongest heirs, the most powerful lineages, high-level Lycans only have pups with other Lycans.
They could not tolerate a high-level Lycan and an ordinary werewolf giving birth to an heir who might just be an "ordinary" Lycan.
I used to think the rule was a relic of a dark, forgotten era. Cruel. A standard that shouldn't exist in a modern world.
Until I learned my Mate, Everett Carter—the Lycan Beta of the Royal Pack—came from a family that still lived by it.
I was an Ordinary Werewolf. I possessed no robust body, no prospect of a long life, and no noble bloodline.
In the eyes of his family, I was a mistake—a mistake that needed to be corrected.
I loved kids. I wanted a family of my own.
But for four years, I was forced to stay childless, deemed "insufficient" to carry the next Beta of the Royal Pack.
Then, the night his Grandpa was diagnosed with a terminal wasting sickness... everything collapsed.
Everett was drugged by Elders with a heavy, primal aphrodisiac for Lycans and locked in a room with Mia Davis—the Lycan stand-in they'd picked because she looked like me.
They wanted his seed, but they wanted it in a Lycan vessel.
My mother-in-law, Margaret, locked me in the room right next door.
Every sound pierced through the thin stone wall.
Every gasp.
Every growl.
Every violent, rhythmic thrust.
My vision went blood-red. My chest split open with a despair.
I collapsed, shifting to wolf and relentlessly trying to ram through the locked door until my forehead and shoulders were slick with blood.
I clutched my ears, trying to block out the frequency of their shared pleasure in our Mind-Link.
I covered my nose, desperately trying to filter out the feverish scent my Mate was recklessly splashing over another woman.
But nothing blocked it out. Their bodies. Their rhythm. Their shared heat.
Everything next door stabbed straight into my heart, hollowing me out.
By morning, Mia was gone.
Everett—once his wolf had finally settled—ran straight to me. He fell to his knees.
How ironic.
That arrogant Lycan Beta actually dropped to his knees at the feet of an Ordinary Werewolf.
His eyes were bloodshot, his pupils trembling.
He started slapping himself—hard—again and again until his cheek was bruised and swollen.
He swore he had no idea what had happened, that he had been tricked.
Then his father, the former Lycan Beta, Robert, had his Enforcers drag me forward.
He threatened his own son: If Everett didn't sleep with Mia for a full night to ensure the "bond" took, he would be stripped of his title and I would be exiled.
And just like that, Everett was forced to sleep with Mia again.
The second time.
No drugs. No alcohol.
No excuses.
I heard the shower running afterward. Six times that night.
I lay awake next door, eyes wide open, body frozen, my wolf hollowing out as the scent of another woman's clung to him.
At first, it was pure agony.
I wished my ears would go deaf, my nose would lose its sense of smell. Every sense just gone.
Then I went numb.
I counted the showers, each one stabbing another hole into my dying wolf.
Six.
Six times.
Later, I was involved in a bloody car accident.
On the operating table, half-conscious, my bones shattered and my wolf too weak to repair the damage, I begged Everett to sign the surgery papers as my Mate.
Instead, he chose to book a hotel room with Mia.
"She's ovulating today, Liliana," he said over the phone, his voice cold and clinical. "Her body is fully prepared today. High chance of a strong heir. I need to be there for my family and Royal Pack. Be good, be a strong woman and ask the doctor yourself."
The day after my surgery, I hobbled home on crutches—my stitches pulling and burning with every step.
That's when I overheard him talking to a friend on the balcony:
"Once the pup's born, I'm thinking of giving Mia a full Mating Ceremony."
"What? Everett, are you crazy? Didn't you say she was just a Lycan breeding tool?"
His cigarette burned, the smoke drifting in the wind.
Everett stayed silent for a long moment.
Then, raw and low, he said,
"I have to admit, as an ordinary werewolf, Liliana can't satisfy me, but Mia is different. She's wild and sexy, providing me with ultimate physical satisfaction and awakening my senses. My wolf gets so horny every time he's with her. And even..."
He hesitated, a jagged breath escaping him.
"Even when I'm marking Liliana at night, it's Mia I'm thinking about."
My nails dug into my palm, drawing blood.
"So you're in love with two wolf? Everett, you forgot what Liliana said? If there's an another one in your heart, she'll sever the Mate Bond in a heartbeat. You won't get another chance."
"She won't know. I'll handle it."
His voice was steady. Determined.
"Liliana already has her place as my legal Mate. I need to make it up to Mia for what I put her through. A Mating Ceremony? That's the least I can do for the mother of a Lycan heir."
And in that moment... everything clicked.
Everett's heart was split between two women. His wolf had marked two.
The conversation continued, but I couldn't listen anymore.
I turned away, pulled out my phone, and booked the date to leave the Royal Pack.
A love that wasn't mine alone?
I didn't want it.
I went upstairs to grab the documents I needed to leave the Royal Pack forever.
But I accidentally brushed the wind chimes hanging by the eaves.
The sharp chime cut through the air.
Everyone on the balcony froze.
Everett rushed out. Panic flashed across his eyes.
"Liliana? When did you get back? Did you hear...us?"
His friends followed, pale and stiff as statues.
I could've told him everything.
But what would it change?
He wouldn't admit a damn thing. He wanted both: his "spirit" mate and his "body" obsession.
So I forced my voice steady, hiding the trembling of my hands.
"Just got back. What's all the whispering about? I'm not allowed to listen?"
His buddies exchanged glances, then scrambled to cover for him.
"No, no! We were just planning your birthday surprise!"
"Yeah! Everett adores you, Liliana. Be ready to cry happy tears!"
They muttered a few more lies then ran off one by one.
Everett wrapped a heavy arm around my shoulder and walked me inside.
He took my coat, hung it up, and poured warm milk like he always did.
His voice was soft with a worry that felt like poison.
"You look awful. And those calls a few days ago—what happened?"
I turned away.
"Nothing. Wrong number."
"Where's Mia?" I asked quietly. "Don't you need to be with her?"
He frowned, assuming jealousy, and immediately soothed, "Liliana, why would I go to her? She's just a tool for the bloodline."
I didn't respond.
I went upstairs, grabbed the documents for leaving Royal Pack, and told him I needed to go.
He didn't know why I suddenly had to leave, but he grabbed his keys and insisted on driving.
The whole way, he kept talking—about restaurants, spa days, my upcoming birthday.
I stayed silent.
Eventually, he noticed the unusual silence.
"Liliana, why are you going to Pack Council?"
I lowered my eyes, ready to answer—when his phone rang.
From a distance, I still recognized Mia's voice:
"Beta Carter, I'm back from shopping. You told me to spend the eight million today, and it's all gone."
Everett hummed softly, his expression a mix of annoyance and indulgence.
"From now on, only wear those luxuries. Don't embarrass the Lycan Beta."
"Okay... where are you?"
"Driving Liliana to Pack Council. What is it?"
"Today is... my ovulation day."
Her voice softened into a shy, suggestive whisper that clawed at my ears.
"And... you said you wanted to see me in that black lingerie. I bought it and the custume. I'm waiting at the hotel... right now."
Those words hit him like a physical blow.
Everett slammed on the brakes.
After a long breath, he hung up and turned to me.
"Liliana, something urgent came up. I need to go. It's close—can you walk the rest of the way?"
My nails dug into my palm again.
I unbuckled my seatbelt.
"Okay."
Cold wind whipped across my face as I watched his car speed away.
Leaning on my crutch, pain tearing through my healing bone and my pride, I limped toward the Pack Council.
"Hi," I said to the Lycan staff behind the desk. "I'm here to revoke my residency registration in the Royal Pack."
Chapter 2
"Ms. Bennett, your revocation of residency will be final in two business weeks," the clerk said.
IIn two weeks, everything would be over.
I would disappear from the Royal Pack under a new name—gone from Everett's Lycan world forever.
Back home, I began sorting through every gift Everett had ever given me to secure an ordinary werewolf's place as a Lycan's Mate.
The collection room overflowed with jewelry and artifacts, each piece a fragment of a past that now felt like a lie.
I picked up a diamond necklace, tracing the cool stones with my fingertips. He'd bought it at an auction for our first anniversary.
I could still feel his warm breath on my neck as he fastened it, his purring against my skin as he whispered, "Diamonds are forever, Liliana. Just like my heart—it'll always belong only to you."
A bitter laugh slipped out.
All those jewels, the custom gifts—now they were proof of nothing but a betrayal.
Everyone in the Royal Pack knew Everett used to worship me.
When he was courting me, when I was burning with fever, he'd scaled the school fence and ditched class to carry me to the clinic on his back. He waited outside the ER three days straight, pacing in agony.
After I accepted his Claim, when I fainted from brutal cramps, he took the overnight bullet train just to bring me ginger tea with honey. He stayed downstairs until dawn.
When we exchanged rings at the Mating Ceremony, his face was covered in tears, his voice shaking with a sincerity I thought was eternal: "Liliana, bond with me. I'll love you forever."
Those vows lived in my bones.
But now?
Now he said, "I really did fall in love with Mia."
He was planning a multi-billion-dollar Mating Ceremony for her.
Bigger than mine.
He had loved me so hard once, but I was just an Ordinary Werewolf.
On our Mating day, I told him plainly: If your heart isn't mine alone, then I don't want it.
I anonymously donated all the designer jewelry and burned everything else.
In the rising flames, I watched the man I loved turn to ash—the man who blew up the sky with fireworks for me, the Lycan who stayed up all night when I had a fever, the Mate who promised I was the only one.
Everett came back three days later.
The moment he saw the half-empty house, his brows pulled tight.
"Liliana... what happened? Why are so many things gone?"
"It got damp from the rain," I said calmly. "I had someone clear it out."
My eyes, though, drifted to the faint hickey on his neck—a mark. With Mia's scent.
He took my hand.
"Happy birthday," he said softly. "I've been planning a surprise for you. Come see."
The venue was lavish—an enormous birthday dinner thrown for the Lycan Beta's Mate.
Glitter, diamonds, and expensive champagne were everywhere.
Then I saw her. Mia.
She wore a mermaid gown that hugged her curves, her shoulder-length black hair sleek and wild.
Up close, I realized every inch of her was crafted to mimic me. From a distance, she was my twin—but with the raw, untamed power of a Lycan.
Guests kept greeting her with, "Mrs. Carter!" Over and over.
Compared to her powerful exterior, her panicked expression made her look like a frightened little rabbit. She looked overwhelmed, her eyes red.
Everett instantly stepped forward to shield her.
I cut him off cold. "It's my birthday. Why is she here?"
"She's young," he said. "She wanted to see a party like this. I told her to behave. She won't cause trouble. Liliana, I'll keep an eye on her. Don't worry, you'll be the only star tonight."
Then he strode away—straight to her. Guiding her. Protecting her.
Guests immediately swooned. "Look at them! After all these years, Mr. and Mrs. Carter are still so in love!"
"Beta Everett's so protective! They can't stand being apart!"
Every word was a claw through my heart.
Everett finally frowned, correcting them sharply: "You've got the wrong person. This is Liliana's cousin."
I smiled—cold and bitter.
She was the one destroying my family, and I was forced to play her "sister" because she was "too delicate" for Pack gossip.
A delicate Lycan and an strong Ordinary werewolf. Funny.
The guests showered me with forced compliments about "how alike we look." But Everett only had eyes for Mia.
At her smallest complaint of hunger, he took her to the buffet.
She tried everything with childish curiosity, offering half of whatever she liked to Everett. His face stayed stoic, but he ate every bite she gave him. When she choked, he patted her back. When crumbs stuck to her lips, he wiped them away with a soft smile.
I watched from afar, my stomach twisting. A sharp, tearing pain spread in my chest, but I forced a social smile.
Guests circled me, oblivious. "Mrs. Carter, didn't you two go to that auction last week? Those emerald earrings would look amazing with your dress!"
"I ran into Beta Everett at the hospital outside the fertility clinic the other day!" another added. "Are you two finally planning a Lycan heir? Oh, that's wonderful!"
"He loves you so much—you will be the perfect family!"
Chapter 3
I felt the blood drain from my face.
I knew exactly who they meant by "Mrs. Carter".
It wasn't me, the Ordinary Werewolf Mate who lacked the Lycan blood. It was Mia.
While I had been living in blissful ignorance, Everett—the Lycan Beta of the Royal Pack—had been taking Mia everywhere.
He had been introducing her to the high-rankings, meeting every elite and elder, showing off her wild, feral beauty.
They were glued together day and night; no wonder his feelings for another Lycan had grown such deep roots.
"Sorry, I need the ladies' room," I muttered, practically bolting.
If I stayed another second under the judging eyes of the pack, I would shatter.
In the mirror, my face was paper-white. I turned on the faucet, letting icy water run over my shaking hands.
Heartbreak, I realized, could literally steal the air from a werewolf's lungs.
When I finally stepped back out, soft, breathy sounds drifted from the dim hallway.
"Beta Everett... mmph..." It was Mia's voice—sweet, breathless, and heavy with an arousing scent.
I froze.
Around the corner, Everett had her pinned to the wall, devouring her mouth. His hands were locked on her slim waist, dragging her against him with a possessiveness that made my inner wolf whine in agony.
His kiss was hungry—feral. It was nothing like the careful, restrained man he had always been with me.
"Beta Everett, stop... I can't breathe..." Mia whispered, her cheeks flaming with the heat of two Lycans in close proximity.
Everett gave a low laugh, his thumb brushing her swollen lips.
"Last night you handled every position just fine," he rumbled, his voice thick with a satisfaction I never provided. "Don't tell me one kiss is too much."
"I don't even know how Ms. Bennett handles you..." she murmured, hiding her face in his chest.
"Jealous?" Everett chuckled, a deep rumble that vibrated through the hallway.
"Liliana and I? We're... spiritual. I always worry about breaking her fragile bones; I can never fully let go. Baby, only you can satisfy me like this."
"Once the heir is here, I'll buy you a villa," he whispered. "Just stay with me. Hmm?"
Mia nodded, then rose on her toes to kiss him again.
Everett swept her into his arms and headed for the garage.
I watched the car shake as they entered, and something inside me ripped clean down the middle.
I shut my eyes.
Everett had always been soft with me in bed, barely any fire. I thought it was tenderness.
Turns out, he had no desire for me. His body reacts feverishly to Mia, a fellow Lycan, and he simply can't control himself.
He Claimed me, but his body has already betrayed me, falling for someone else.
He's even planning a lavish, grand Mating Ceremony for her.
I forced myself to keep up appearances, dealing with the endless stream of guests.
Just as I finally caught a breath, I turned—only to find Mia walking back toward me, playing the timid lamb.
Her lips were swollen, and fresh hickeys dotted her neck. "Ms. Bennett... do you... have any makeup? Mine's... ruined," she whispered.
My fists curled tight, my nails digging raw crescent moons into my palms. Rage roared up my throat.
Before I could speak, the champagne tower beside us crashed down.
Hundreds of crystal glasses shattered, and a spray of glass tore into my skin.
I hit the floor hard, pain exploding through my nerves.
In the corner of my eye, I saw Everett sprinting toward us.
"Everett, it hurts..." I gasped.
But he blew right past me, heading straight for Mia.
He shielded Mia from all secondary injuries, even as it left his own back riddled with glass shards.
"Are you hurt?" His voice was unbearably gentle.
"My ankle..." she whimpered.
Without hesitation, he lifted her bridal style. Only then did he notice me on the floor.
His gaze flickered for a beat, then Mia whimpered again, and he walked out with her in his arms—never once looking back at his Ordinary Werewolf Mate.
I lay there on the freezing floor, staring at my ruined birthday cake.
"Happy Birthday, Liliana" lay crushed beneath people's feet.
I took a cab to the hospital alone.
In the ER, the nurse dabbed my wounds. I bit down hard, refusing to let a sound escape.
Later, while picking up my meds, I passed a VIP room. Through the half-open door, I saw Everett kneeling, carefully applying ointment to Mia's ankle.
"Ow..." Mia pouted.
Everett leaned down, blowing softly on the cut. "Shh, baby. One little blow and it won't hurt."
"But your back... you got hurt for me... Sorry, Everett, it's all my fault..."
"My sweet girl, this little scratch is nothing. Getting hurt for the one I love? That's my badge of honor."
I watched as he held Mia with such tenderness, exactly the way he used to hold me countless times before.
I closed my eyes.
The man who once only had eyes for me still had all that love in him.
Just not for me.
