I applied another layer of concealer along my neck, tilting my head to check for any sign of the mark. The place where Declan had marked me seven days ago still shimmered faintly beneath the makeup, and I shuddered at the memory.
Seven days since the pack lost Alpha Simon Montgomery. Seven days since Declan marked me as his mate.
We hadn't spoken about the mark, even though he came every night. During the day, he was consumed with pack duties and investigating his father's death. But every night, Declan would slip through my bedroom window, pull me into his arms fiercely, and I would hear him sob.
Listening to a man so powerful, a man who held up the entire pack, fall apart in my arms was heartbreaking. His father's death had shattered him, and I desperately wished I could find some way to make him whole again.
What of our pup? Caramel asked. Trust her to find a way to soothe our mate.
My hand drifted to my stomach, resting there gently.
I hadn't told him. He was still grieving. When the time was right and things improved, I would tell him he was going to be a father.
The investigation had consumed everyone's attention. Everyone wanted to know who killed Alpha Simon Montgomery. But I was more worried about my father. No one had heard anything from him. He was supposed to be on a trip with the Alpha. Now that the Alpha was dead, where was he? I'd called him several times, but he never answered.
My bedroom door flew open.
"Judith!" Ruth yelled, terror flooding her face. "You need to come downstairs. Quickly!"
My heart jumped. "What is it?"
"There are guards," she said, wringing her hands. "Pack guards. Five of them at the door."
I frowned. "Why?"
She shook her head. "They won't say. They're just standing there. I think they're waiting for you."
Did Declan send them?
I hurried downstairs to find the guards standing rigid, the Twilight pack crest emblazoned on their suits.
Something is wrong. Very wrong. Caramel murmured with a tinge of nervousness coating her words but I ignored her and took charge of the situation like my father had taught me.
"How may I help you—" The pack speaker system crackled to life, cutting me off. The Gamma's voice echoed across the entire pack.
"We regret to announce that Beta William Baker has been confirmed dead."
Another person dead? I frowned, trying to process the words before understanding crashed into my chest like a physical blow.
Beta William Baker.
"No..." I whispered. "No, no, that's not possible."
My father.
My knees gave out, but my wolf surged forward for a brief moment, strengthening them so I wouldn't fall. Ruth rushed forward, holding me as I clutched her arms, sobbing.
"He can't be dead. He can't, Ruth. I-I spoke to him a week ago!"
Her face was streaked with tears. "Oh, Judith..."
The voice on the speakers continued.
"Further investigation has revealed that Beta William Baker was responsible for the poisoning and death of Alpha Simon Montgomery."
My sob caught in my throat. "W-What?"
"Evidence collected from the Beta's office includes shipment records for a wolfsbane-based tonic, signed under his name and sealed with his crest. The Alpha's personal glass bears traces of that same poison. This has been confirmed by the Council."
"No, there—" I hiccuped. "There has to be a mistake."
"William Baker is now branded a traitor to the Twilight Wolves Pack," Gamma Blake concluded, and I let out a mirthless laugh.
This has to be a joke.
"That's not true," I said to Ruth, who was looking at me with horror etched across her face. "My father would never. He loved the Alpha! He would have died for him!"
One of the guards stepped forward. "By Pack law, all assets and properties of the traitor shall be confiscated. His heir, Judith Baker, is granted until sundown to vacate the premises."
My chest constricted so hard I thought I'd pass out.
Breathe, Judith. Breathe. My wolf reminded me.
"No," I whispered. "No, please. You can't. My father—he's innocent!"
"Failure to comply," the guard finished coldly, "will result in forceful removal."
They left after that, barely giving me time to absorb the fact that my only family, the only person I had, was gone. I cried shamelessly. I had no idea how long I lay there on the floor, sobbing. Outside the gates, voices began to rise. People gathered around the house, shouting and hurling insults.
"Traitor's daughter!"
"Too bad the traitor's already dead! He deserved to suffer!"
Someone threw a rock and shattered a window. Ruth cried out and dragged me to my room. "Stay inside, Judith! Please!"
I couldn't hear her anymore. My pulse pounded too loudly, my mind replaying every memory of my father—his smile, his laugh, the way he'd kiss my forehead before leaving.
He couldn't be gone.
He couldn't be a murderer.
I curled on my bed, sobbing miserably while I waited on Declan to come at night. I wanted to tell him about our baby.
A shudder ran down my spine, while I hoped he wouldn't hate me too. Now I was the daughter of his father's killer.
I buried my face in my hands as the noise outside grew louder.
Would he still want me after this?
---
Two weeks later, a burial was held for Alpha Simon Montgomery. Everyone mourned the Alpha, but no one remembered my dad, who had stood beside him through every battle, every victory, every loss. My father had given his entire life to this pack, and now he was just a traitor.
I pulled my hoodie tighter as I stood by the fence of the burial ground, cold rain sliding down my face and mixing with my tears. My clothes clung to my skin, heavy and suffocating, but it didn't matter. I'd suffered worse in the past two weeks. I had no home, no food, nothing. I'd gone to the Montgomery house, but the guards wouldn't let me through. I tried desperately to see Declan every day. I had texted him with no response and my calls went to voicemail.
Even Ruth, my maid, had stopped opening her door to me. She'd told me this morning, "I'm sorry, Judith. I can't. They'll call me a traitor too."
I couldn't blame her. She'd hidden me well for two weeks. Now I was truly alone. My heart twisted painfully as I tried to peek through the gates.
My wolf whined because we could smell him. He was there. He didn't know about the baby. I'd imagined telling him every night, but now... I didn't even know if he would listen. I clutched my purse containing the pregnancy strip.
I just needed to see him. Just once.
"That's her," one woman muttered to her child as she walked past me. "The traitor's daughter."
I bit my lip until I tasted blood. My wolf whimpered in my mind. Let's go, Judy. Please. Do not put our pup in danger.
"I can't," I whispered back. "Not until I see him. Declan would fix this, somehow."
He didn't come for us. He didn't even try to find us. I can feel the connection with his wolf breaking away slowly.
I shook my head. "H-He loves me. He loves us. I just need to tell him I'm pregnant."
The heavy gates creaked open and people began leaving. Luna Melinda walked out surrounded by guards, barely sparing me a glance as she made her way to her car.
Then Leila stepped out, and my heart died a little at the haunted look in her eyes.
"Leila!" I called, walking toward her. Her guard immediately blocked me with a hard shove.
"Let her through," Leila said coldly, and I let out a sigh of relief.
There's no way Leila would believe my dad would kill her father.
But before I could speak, her left hand smacked face.
Pain exploded on the side of my face. I gasped, stumbling back, staring at her in disbelief. "Le-Leila..."
"How dare you show your face here?" she hissed, her voice shaking with fury. "It wasn't enough that you seduced my brother? Your father had to kill mine too?"
"What? No!" I cried. "That's not true! Leila, you know my father—"
"Was a murderer," she snapped. "You wanted to be Luna so badly, didn't you? Your plan was to seduce my brother, and when that didn't work, your father killed mine! You disgust me, Judith."
She spit at my feet. "You and your father both."
:Where is this coming from?" Tears streaked down my cheeks as I watched her storm off to the car.
How does she know about you and Declan?
My stomach churned in irritation as the answer dawned on me.There was only one other person who knew asides Declan.
I looked up to see that person stepping out from the gates, her arm looped possessively through Declan's arm.
My Declan.
She had the nerve to smirk at me, and I just knew she'd fed Leila those lies. I'd trusted her. I moved my eyes to Declan and gasped when I saw he was already looking at me with bloodshot eyes. I could feel his pain radiating across the distance. He was barely holding himself together.
My legs stumbled forward as I tried to reach him, but someone bellowed, "Protect the Alpha!" and a swarm of guards surrounded him.
"No, please, I... I need to talk to him," I begged, trying to step past them. "Declan! Please, I need to talk to you!"
He stopped walking. His jaw tightened, and he gave a nod. The guards stepped aside, and I rushed toward him quickly, reaching out when Sabrina slapped my hand away.
"Don't touch my fiancé!" she hissed, and the words I wanted to say got stuck in my throat. I looked at her, then at Declan, whose face had turned cold as stone, then back at her.
"Sa-Sabrina, how could you—" I trailed off, blinking rapidly to fight back the tears.
"Declan," I whispered, trembling. "I have to tell you something. Please—"
His eyes met mine, and they looked hard as stone. "Don't make me hate you further, Judith.We have nothing to do with each other anymore. Kindly leave while my guards are still being respectful. "
The mark on my neck seared with sudden, excruciating pain.
I gasped, clutching it as heat and agony surged through me. My knees buckled as my wolf screamed inside my mind.
He's rejecting us!
I couldn't breathe. He wasn't saying anything, but I could feel it. The bond between us was tearing apart, ripping away piece by piece. He shoved me aside and walked away with Sabrina beside him, her hand claiming his arm like it was her right.
I was left outside, alone, shivering and broken in the rain.
He hates us.
My body shook as I reached into my purse and felt the pregnancy test strip between my fingers. I squeezed it until it snapped in half, and a sob tore through me, louder than the thunder.
I had been used and discarded by Declan Montgomery.
Nineteen years old. An orphan. Broke. No roof over my head, no money, a ruined reputation.
And a baby growing in my belly—a baby whose father had just severed our bond like I meant nothing at all. I was doomed.