Chapter 8
August hadn’t expected me to treat him like air, as if he didn’t even exist.
He watched the tender scene of the three of us, a true family, his eyes burning red with jealousy.
Just as he tried to step closer to me, Darren moved in front of me protectively, glaring up at him. “Stay away from my mommy! “You actually had the nerve to ask her to be a caretaker? My mommy is a queen at home. Who do you think you are?
“I know what you’ve done. You’re not just the jerk who broke her heart. You’ve even got a secret pup. My mommy only has me and my younger sister. Your pup doesn’t get to be part of her family.
“A Beta like you aren’t even worthy of polishing my daddy’s shoes. You’re not as handsome, not as rich, and definitely not as good to my mommy.”
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.
Chapter 8
+15 Bonus
“Hailey’s beyond vicious to even 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 unconscious too long, 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. Drink slowly, or you’ll choke. Next time, please don’t be so reckless, rushing in to shield him like that.
“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?”
Anna immediately perked up, her voice full of excitement. “Obviously off to get revenge for you! I wanted to give those people a piece of my mind, too, but someone had to stay and look after you, so here I am.
“With the way your mate and Darren handle it, trust me, they won’t even need my help.”
I was amused. “Oh? Are you saying staying here with me is such a regret?”
Anna looked at me helplessly and gave my cheek a gentle pinch. “You nearly scared me to death, and you still have the nerve to joke around. When I got there, you were already unconscious.
“The place was a mess, and I had to piece together what happened from other people. Your precious Darren was so terrified. His little face went completely pale.
“And your mate? His expression looked like he wanted to murder everyone who laid a finger on you. If you hadn’t been hurt, I swear he might’ve snapped Hailey’s neck on the spot.
“After you were taken to the treatment room, Darren grabbed a fork and stabbed Hailey in the back over a dozen times! Everyone was horrified. No one expected a pup to be so ruthless!
“Then Ryder found out everything, like how August slapped you, broke your bracelet, and all the humiliation you suffered. He didn’t say a word at first, but later, in front of everyone, he ordered August’s hand chopped off. Yes, the same one that hit you.
“Darren stood by watching, clapping like it was a show. That devil didn’t even blink.
“And as for August, his face was beaten so badly it was completely swollen and unrecognizable. Also, remember how Hailey tried to steal your bracelet? Ryder had a whole crate of gemstones brought in and told her to eat every last one.
“Do you know what he said at the time? Since you love stealing things that much, I’ll give you exactly what you want-gems and
werewolves.
“Your mate is truly ruthless. Hailey refused to eat the gems at first, but then he had her pup brought in. She gave in immediately, shoving the gems into her mouth until it was all bloody.
“When she was barely hanging on, Ryder ordered someone to slash her face open. And he broke her pup’s leg right in front of her, too. In the end, he instructed someone to throw both of them into the sea to feed the sharks.
“As for those who just stood by and watched everything happen to you? They were punished too. Each of them now has a nasty scar on their wrist as a reminder not to make the same mistake again. Just seeing it gave me chills.”
Anna pretended to be scared, patting her chest dramatically. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Chop 8
+15 Bonus
“There were tons of reporters there that day, but not a single word leaked out. Because of what happened, Ryder announced that he would cut all ties with the Aurelis pack and even pressured their Alpha to hand August over.
“But that bastard slipped away. Right now, your mate and that little devil of yours are busy hunting him down.
“Originally, August was supposed to end up shark food too, but at the last minute, Hailey threw herself at the guards and managed to buy him just enough time to escape.”
