---- Jack's voice grew hoarse. "He said he's willing to give up everything if you return to him. He'd even send his twin pups away." I kept my eyes on the dress sample. ''Once a vow is broken, trust can never be restored." Alan was rejected every time he tried to reach me. One day, he returned home dazed and distracted. Suddenly, Leah's voice drifted out from the bedroom. "Hurry, before Alan gets back!" she urged. "What's there to worry about? I heard he's been spending all his time with that she-wolf and completely ignoring you," Mitchell sneered. "T've been craving your touch for ages. Just get to bed and satisfy me already." Leah's voice was thick with venom. "That stupid bitch. You sent someone after her last time, but the Western Moonfang pack arrived just in time to ---- save her. Perfect timing, wasn't it? "The poison you slipped into her food barely even left a mark. She's certainly got one hell of a lucky streak. "Aren't you supposed to be the smart one? You trapped Alan by getting pregnant, didn't you? We need to come up with a stronger plan. Should we try poisoning him again next time?" Their cruel laughter and filthy words bounced off the walls. Alan tightened his fists, sending a signal to the guards standing behind him. In an instant, a squad of guards surged forward, pinning the two naked werewolves to the ground. Leah's voice cracked with desperation, "Alan, I was forced-" Before she could continue, Alan ordered someone to crush Mitchell's leg. ---- Leah tried to speak again, but a brutal strike knocked her out cold. Alan had her confined under strict guard. On the day of my bonding ceremony with Jack, Alan stood outside the venue. "Anna! Are you really going to walk away from me? Have you forgotten everything we shared?" he shouted. I sent someone to deliver my answer. "Everything you've done has shattered my trust. Maybe the she -wolf I used to be would have forgiven you-but she's gone, and I'm not her anymore." Inside, Jack carefully slid a moonstone ring onto my finger. Outside, Alan sank to his knees, his desperate cries ringing out in torment. I later learned he never sought another mate, quietly leaving the territory with his twin pups in tow. ---- Though the doctors were certain I'd never conceive again, Jack and I were blessed with a daughter, whom we named Erica Steel. One sunny afternoon, while I played with Erica, Jack came up behind me and gently wrapped his arms around my waist. "Darling," he murmured, "you were so convincing back then. I almost believed you'd really lost your memory." In truth, I did go through a period of amnesia, but when my memories returned, I realized the present wasn't so bad after all. I smiled faintly, staring out the window. Alan's shadow was finally gone from our lives. Erica's laughter filled the air as she hurried into my embrace, and Jack kissed me softly on the cheek. My future had never looked so bright.