Chapter 2
Out of sight, out of mind.
I retreated to my private chambers, burying myself in the pack’s records.
A knock on the door.
Qiana, an offering of mango pudding in hand, stood there, beaming.
Her captivating almond eyes sparkled, a few flecks of yellow pudding dusting her pretty face.
“Lanie, the celebration is lively downstairs. Join the fun!”
My perceptive wolf saw through her feigned enthusiasm.
“I have duties to attend to. Enjoy yourselves,” I said, my tone flat.
Suddenly, tears welled in Qiana’s eyes. She looked utterly wronged.”Lanie, do you hate me? Is that why you’re rejecting me?”
I frowned. I hadn’t done anything! How could she play the victim?
Seriously? my wolf thought, my patience wearing thin.
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“Save that act for Benjamin and Adam. It won’t work on me.” I started to close the door.
“Lanie, please…” Qiana lunged, trying to stop the door.
Her hand got caught in the jamb. Her fingers instantly turned red and purple.
She gasped in pain.
“Ouch!”
Benjamin and Adam were ascending the stairs.
They saw the scene.
Both wolves rushed to her side, tending to her injured hand, their faces etched with concern. Adam’s eyes were practically bloodshot seeing
Qiana’s hurt hand.
His usually blunt demeanor flared. His wolf immediately entered a combat state.
“Lanie, if you dislike Qiana, just say it! Why would you do something so callous? What’s gotten into you?”
Benjamin, usually reserved, looked disappointed.
“Lanie, it’s Qiana’s birthday. You shouldn’t have done that.” But when he looked at Qiana, his voice softened.”Qiana, does it hurt? Let’s get you some healing balm.”
With Benjamin tending to her, Adam quickly followed, soothing her..
“Qiana, don’t be upset. After the celebration, I’ll take you for a ride on my wolf-cycle. It’ll cheer you up!”
With both men showering her with attention, Qiana’s face cleared.
“Thank you, Benjamin.” Then, turning to Adam, her eyes still teary, she pleaded, “Adam, don’t ride your wolf-cycle tonight. It’s dangerous, and I’ll worry.”
Adam readily agreed.
“Okay, okay, my love. Anything to make you happy!”
Watching them descend the stairs, I felt a strange sense of unreality. My wolf remembered a time when Benjamin and Adam had showered me with that kind of affection.
I was frail as a pup, prone to illness.
The Blood Moon pack’s climate was terrible for my health. So, at five cycles old, my parents sent me to live with my aunt in the Sunny Glade pack, where she worked as a healer.
That’s where I met Benjamin and Adam, who lived in the neighboring territory.
We grew up together, inseparably.
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At seven cycles, they wouldn’t let go of me when they first saw me.
At thirteen, I developed a fondness for a particular type of moonberry brew. Benjamin bought every single batch from every supplier in the territory. Adam had his family acquire the brewery, ensuring a lifetime supply just for me.
At seventeen, I was in a pack skirmish.
The undergrowth caught fire. Everyone hesitated, but young Benjamin and Adam plunged into the inferno, saving me. The scars on their backs are still visible.
At eighteen cycles, when my health improved and my family pressed me to return to the Blood Moon pack, they begged me not to leave, threatening to follow me even if it meant abandoning everything.
For years, they were my protectors, my loyal knights, keeping every other wolf at bay.
Because of them, I delayed my return to the Blood Moon pack.
But then Qiana arrived and everything changed.
She was my intern.
On her first day, she wouldn’t join the others for the midday meal.
It happened every day until I found her alone, eating a meager meal of scraps.
She was from a poor, rural pack, struggling to make ends meet in the pack.
As a Alpha heiress, I was shocked.
I felt immense sympathy for her.
I treated her to meals.
I helped her with her work.
I introduced her to Benjamin and Adam.
But I didn’t expect that in just three months, she’d systematically replaced me.
Benjamin, usually aloof, was now attending boisterous celebrations for Qiana.
Adam, who lived and breathed wolf-cycles, now listened to Qiana’s every whim.
Things like this had been happening for a lunar cycle.
Listening to them defend Qiana and condemn me… my wolf laughed, a bitter, angry sound. Once, their affections were so blatant, they’d created countless dramatic scenes, practically forcing me to choose between them.
I’d even been tempted, considering choosing one of them.
Now… maybe this arranged blood bond wasn’t so bad after all.
I smirked, setting a countdown timer on my spirit-link communicator.
From now on, I wouldn’t interfere in their little triangle.
