Consequences of Choosing the Wrong Mate

Leo, my mate, wanted to spend Valentine's Day with Cheryl, his first love, on the night Victor and Vera, his parents, were abducted.

But this time, instead of stopping him, I contacted the Werewolf Enforcement Bureau to help.

After all, when I tried to stop him in the last life, Cheryl ended up dying a horrific death, her heart gouged out by the Feral Rogues, a group of werewolf gangsters.

"You killed her! Cheryl wouldn't have died if it weren't for you!"

Without hesitation, Leo threw me into a cave where a pack of hungry wolves tore through my body, along with the child I was about to bring into the world.

"You don't deserve to live after what you've done… I'm going to stand here and watch you endure all the pain she felt as she died!"

Surprisingly, rather than staying dead, I woke up on the exact day when Victor and Vera were abducted once more…

I woke from my nightmare, reborn to the day my father-in-law and mother-in-law were abducted.

Leo Ulric, my mate, was holding a bouquet and about to leave the house when the Feral Rogues, the ones responsible for my in-laws' abduction, called.

"We have Victor Ulric and Vera Wolfram. Bring 4,125,000 dollars to the Moonshines Winery in two hours. Notify the Enforcement Bureau, and I'll gouge their hearts out!" yelled the abductor through the phone's loudspeaker.

Leo stopped immediately and looked at me, a sneer twisting his face. "You got Mom and Dad to cook this up just to stop me from spending Valentine's with Cheryl?"

Refusing to engage in an argument, I said, "It's not a scheme. They really have been abducted, and the ransom is real. You need to go to the bank and get that money, now!"

Leo shook his head, still in disbelief and full of disdain. "I finally see you for who you truly are, Lyra. Now that you're my Luna, you want my wealth, since that's all that matters to you."

Then he hesitated, turning away.

We were a pack of werewolves, led by Leo, our Alpha—and my childhood friend.

Years ago, I risked my life climbing a cliff to harvest the Moonfang Herb and save his life after he was poisoned with a venom deadly to our kind.

Because of that, both our parents agreed that Leo would marry me and make me his Luna when we came of age.

I knew Leo was madly in love with Cheryl Faolan, his first love. But his parents forbade their relationship from becoming anything more.

As such, I asked Leo whether he was entering this marriage willingly before I allowed myself to be marked as his Luna. If he didn't love me and didn't want to be with me, he could go to the Southlands and be with Cheryl.

His response was that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. But only two days after we exchanged vows and were bonded as mates, he left for the Southlands on "business."

When he returned, he brought Cheryl with him. He helped her remove her coat, carried her luggage, and did all sorts of things for her right in front of me. Worst of all, he wiped off the lipstick smeared on her lips!

It was at that moment I realized he had never truly loved me.

Despite everything, I still loved him and didn't want to lose either him or this family. So, I overlooked his hurtful actions and played the role of his Luna and wife to the best of my abilities.

But now, as I saw him about to leave again, my voice turned cold. "I've never coveted your wealth, and I don't need it—I make more than you. I didn't scheme this with your parents.

"We could go to the Enforcement Bureau right now if you still don't believe me, or are you trying to tell me that your own parents' lives matter less than your lover's?"

Leo stood there, stunned, perhaps because of my calmness or because it was the first time I had ever spoken back to him.

After a moment, I ignored him and headed for the door, only to find Cheryl standing behind it, waiting for Leo.

I chose to walk away, unwilling to deal with either of them.

As I passed Cheryl, she bumped into me, causing me to fall to the floor.

"Ow! My shoulder…"

"I'm sure she didn't mean to bump into me, Leo. Please don't blame her for this," Cheryl said.

Both Leo and Cheryl looked at me.

Leo turned to Cheryl, a worried look on his face. "Are you okay? Come on, let's get that shoulder checked out."

He looked at me again. "How could you be so careless, Lyra? Hurry up and get me some medicine!"

But I stood up and replied, "We don't have any."

Leo scowled, his patience thin. "How could you be so selfish and petty?!"

He then helped Cheryl into his car, leaving me behind.

A sudden jolt of pain reminded me that I had bruised my hand during the fall, but I ignored it and looked at the clock inside the house. There was only a little more than an hour left.