Chapter 1 My Alpha mate's first love had taken her pranks to a whole new level. This time, she cut my brake line. I was eight months pregnant when I was thrown out of the car window. I lost the baby on the spot. As I lay there gritting my teeth in agony, Quinn high-fived my mate triumphantly. The two of them were laughing hysterically, doubled over like it was the best joke they'd ever seen. By the time the healer finally arrived, I was barely hanging on. But on the operating table, the healer found that the surgical scalpel had been swapped for a toy spring knife. From outside the operating room came Quinn's voice, bursting with laughter, "I fooled everyone again! I'm a genius!" It took eight hours before I was out of critical danger. The moment I was out of surgery, shattered and broken, I reached for my phone, ready to report Quinn for attempted murder to the Alpha King. But my mate snatched the phone away without hesitation. "She's just being playful. Why do you have to take everything so seriously?" "I told you I'd let her have a hundred free passes. We've barely started, and you're telling me you can't handle it already?" I froze. So he'd already lost count... This was her 99th. Fine, Damian. If you think I can take it. I hope you can take it too. He looked at me, almost annoyed. "We can always have another pup. But promise me one thing: don't take it out on Quinn, alright? She already feels bad enough." He stood between me and Quinn, shielding her from my gaze like I was the threat. When I was lying in a pool of blood, begging for help, he hadn't flinched. When the healer asked him to sign the critical condition notice, he didn't panic. But now, for the first time, I see unease flickering in his eyes. Chapter 1 0.00% My nails dug deep into my palm. My wolf whimpered in grief. It felt like our mate bond had shattered. The pup I was carrying, now just a puddle of blood, meant nothing to him. Certainly not more than Quinn. A sharp, cramping pain seizes me. Damian instinctively took a step toward me, but then his eyes drifted to Quinn, who was smiling playfully. "I didn't think this would happen," she said, blinking at me, all fake innocence. "Oops, sorry." "Luna, I just like you too much, Luna. That's all. It was just a joke. Someone as boring as Damian? I wouldn't even bother playing with him!" Damian pinches her nose affectionately, his eyes full of adoration. "Who are you calling boring, huh?" The two of them laugh, lost in their own world, until my voice cuts through, cold and out of place. "I'm going home." I turn to leave. To my surprise, Damian follows. "Norah." I heard his rushed footsteps behind me. For a split second, I hoped he might pull me into his arms and comfort me softly. I turned around. There was no concern on his face, only a cold, clear warning. "Don't you dare report this to the Alpha King. If this blows up, it'll affect the whole pack." A sharp ringing filled my ears, like a bomb going off inside my skull. All the humiliation I had endured crashed down on me like slaps to the face. Tears streamed down my cheeks. This wasn't the first time Damian had defended Quinn and her twisted sense of humor. The first time, she tossed a human bone model into my closet. The second time, she hid dead rats in the back seat of my car. And every single time, Damian covered for her. Which only encouraged her. She once even planted a hidden camera in my bedroom, and "accidentally" leaked the footage across the entire pack. Every pack member saw me, exposed, violated. Chapter 1 0.89% She even uploaded the footage to a shock site under the "fetish" category. The comments were filled with vile insults and humiliation. They practically called me a whore. When I found out, I completely broke down. I went straight to confront her. Damian stepped in to shield her again. I slapped him, hard. "If this happens again, we sever the mate bond! I will reject you." For once, he didn't scream at me. Instead, he handed me a contract. Chapter 1