Chapter 8 "What kind of bullshit agreement is that? Why should my daughter have to endure the mistress's pranks? Absolutely outrageous!" I lowered my head in silence. The reason I agreed back then was because I hoped Damian would eventually see my growing disappointment and end things with Quinn on his own. After all, he always said she was just a friend, never anything more. And Quinn? She used to act sweet to my face. "If Damian ever cheats, I'll be the first one to bash his skull in." "With a Luna as beautiful as you, if he doesn't know how to cherish you, I'd question whether he even has a brain." I was naive enough to think she was on my side. I invited her over to the pack house all the time, thinking we were friends. What I got in return were her carefully calculated pranks, executed with the ease of someone who knew the place like the back of her hand. Skulls, rats, snakes... even a swapped-out gas valve that nearly started a fire. I went to Damian, choking back tears as I told him what Quinn had done. I wasn't seeking comfort-I was pleading with him to put a stop to her cruel pranks. But he simply dismissed me as if I were being irrational. "Quinn's still young and just having fun. Why are you always overreacting? Everyone else thinks she's delightful; it's only you causing drama." To keep the peace in the household and within the pack, I kept swallowing it all down. And what did that get me? My unborn pup... reduced to a pool of blood. A life that never even had the chance to see the world. That's when I finally understood. I never should have tolerated any of it from the start. The thought made my hand curl into a tight fist. "It's all in the past now, Dad." "From now on, I'll help you lead the pack. I'm not looking back." After serving as Luna of the Bloodmoon Pack for five years, managing my father's pack came surprisingly naturally. I quickly regained my footing. Chapter 8 7.14% Soon after joining leadership, I detected a rogue attack and coordinated a successful defense before it reached the territory. To celebrate, the pack threw a bonfire party. At the party, my father's ally, Alpha Xavier, stepped in to shield me from drink after drink. Someone teased, "Hey, since when does Alpha Xavier drink? Weren't you the one who 'never touches a drop'?" Xavier glanced over at me with a sly smirk. "Alpha's daughter just came home. Can't scare her off, can I?" That same infuriatingly smug look. My stubborn streak kicked in. Before he could stop me, I tilted my head back and downed an entire glass of tequila. My head started spinning. I stumbled off toward the restroom. Intending to splash cold water on my face, I looked up at the mirror and froze. "Damian?" He stormed toward me, grabbed my wrist, and slammed me back against the wall. "So you still remember I exist?" "Why did you leave without a word? Why couldn't you wait for me to explain before disappearing? Do you have any idea what it felt like, searching the whole damn world for you? Does that make you happy?!" The redness in his eyes jolted me into full sobriety. I didn't understand what he was doing here. The one who played the cruel pranks was his childhood sweetheart. The agreement was written by his own hand. I finally voiced what had been buried in my heart. "I already stepped aside for you and Quinn. What more do you want from me?" "All one hundred chances have been used. I've earned my freedom." Damian froze, his face twisting with despair before breaking into a bitter smile. "Freedom? Being with me is that unbearable to you?" "That stupid agreement, it was just a game. Why did you have to take it so seriously?" I let out an involuntary laugh, sharp and biting, locking eyes with him. Chapter 8 7.14% "Damian... you're not seriously saying you can't take it, are you?" Color rushed to his face. Furious and humiliated, he slammed a fist into the wall beside my head. Back then, it was always him provoking me, using every trick to guilt me into tolerating his childhood sweetheart. "It's just a scare, come on. Don't forget the agreement we signed. Don't tell me you can't handle it?" Chapter 8 7.14%