Six years after Alpha James rejected me, we met again at the Full Moon Feast. The moment our eyes met, shock and anger flashed in James’s eyes. “Emma? What are you doing here? You are no longer the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack. You have no right to attend the Full Moon Feast.” I didn’t want to waste my breath on him. I turned to leave, but he reached out to grab my arm. “Fine. For the sake of the son you gave me, just stand behind me. No one will give you a hard time.” I sidestepped, dodging his hand, and refused coldly, “No, thank you.” Instead of letting it go, he pointed at the child beside me, his voice trembling with shock. “Is this filthy little brat your daughter? Emma, since you were once my fated mate, if you kill her, I’ll allow you to come back to me.” I almost laughed out loud. Had he lost his mind? My daughter’s status was far more honorable than his petty Alpha title! *** I pulled Lily behind me, my voice freezing cold. “Alpha James, this is my daughter. She has nothing to do with you!” With that, I took Lily’s hand to leave, but James blocked our path. He frowned, scanning me up and down. “Emma Vance, sneaking in here with a kid just to get free food? You must have suffered a lot out there these past few years, huh?” He sneered, his eyes falling on Lily with pure disgust. “Little beggar, how old are you?” Lily put her hands on her hips and glared back at him. “I’m three and a half, and I am not a beggar!” A beggar? I looked down at Lily’s clothes and mine. We had been ambushed on our way here. I had to treat some injured warriors on the spot, and our clothes got stained with mud and herbal juices before we could change. We did look a bit disheveled. Hearing her reply, James’s face darkened. “Bullshit! Just like your mother, you’re a liar! Look at your height. How can a three-year-old be this tall?” I looked down at Lily. She was indeed much taller and stronger than other pups her age. It was all her father’s fault, and the pack warriors. They spoiled her to no end. I shielded Lily behind me, my brow furrowing with frost. “Alpha James, let me say this one more time. Lily is not your child!” James let out a mocking laugh, as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. “Emma, stop lying. If she’s not mine, then whose could she be? Who else would want a rejected woman besides me?” “Stop acting. You sneaked into this feast today just to see me, didn’t you?” I rolled my eyes. Six years, and he was still as arrogant and delusional as ever. “Move!” James didn’t budge. Instead, he spoke in a patronizing, charitable tone. “Emma, you were once my fated mate. I can overlook the fact that you had this pup with another man. Just let me wipe away that foreign mark on your neck and return to me. You can still be the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack.” He waved his hand toward the teenager behind him. “Ethan, take your sister to a lounge. Don’t let her embarrass us here and offend the esteemed guests of the other packs!” Only then did I notice the boy standing behind him—Ethan Sterling. He was the son I carried for ten months, the one I almost died giving birth to. Six years had passed, and he had grown into a handsome young man. But his eyes were filled with a coldness that did not match his age. Ethan had a stern expression, his brow tightly knit. “I don’t want a little beggar as my sister! Sophia is my only sister!” My grip on Lily’s hand tightened. The Sophia he referred to must be Olivia Thorne’s daughter. Years ago, the moment James found out I wasn’t the biological daughter of the former Silvermoon Alpha, he rejected me without hesitation. He said I wasn’t worthy of being the Luna of the Silvermoon Pack, calling me an imposter. Olivia took that opportunity to fan the flames, and even my own son, Ethan, chose to stand by their side. Heartbroken, I accepted the rejection and left the Silvermoon Pack. On the day I left, Olivia caressed her stomach and told me she was already pregnant with James’s pup. It was all her carefully designed trap. The memories of past humiliation and betrayal rushed to my mind, and my fingernails dug into my palms. Lily pulled at the corner of my shirt and retorted angrily, “Mom, I don’t want this ugly jerk as my brother either! He is way worse than Michael!” Ethan’s face darkened even more. He sneered, “A common werewolf dares to compare himself to me?” Looking at the father and son who shared the exact same arrogant face, my heart went completely cold. Fine. I would just pretend I never gave birth to this son. I held Lily’s hand and tried to walk past them, but a sweet, mock-surprised voice suddenly came from behind. “Emma?” ***
Olivia walked over, holding the hand of a little girl dressed in an elegant gown. Her gaze swept over me, and she immediately covered her mouth, gasping loudly. “Emma, it really is you! Why are you dressed like this?” Her deliberate gasp drew countless eyes from the crowd. A few women from other packs, who used to hate me, recognized me immediately and began to jeer. “Oh, isn’t this Luna Emma? It’s been years. Why are you dressed so poorly? Oh, my bad memory. Alpha James broke his bond with you a long time ago. No wonder you’re living like a stray.” Olivia sighed, pretending to be kind-hearted. “Emma, I can ask a maid to bring you some clothes. Even though they’re maid uniforms, they’re a hundred times better than what you’re wearing now.” James wrapped his arm around her waist, his voice softening. “Olivia, you are always so kind.” Watching them put on this show, I couldn’t help but sneer. Six years later, Olivia was still as hypocritical as ever. I looked up, my voice hard. “No need. I don’t take leftovers from you.” Seeing my attitude, one of the women who had mocked me earlier called the guards over. “How did people like this even get in? Guards, throw these two beggars out! They’re ruining our view!” Several guards rushed forward, ready to escort Lily and me out. My eyes turned sharp as I pulled an invitation card from my purse. “I was invited to the Full Moon Feast.” The guard took the card, and seeing the pack crest on it, he froze, unsure of what to do. Olivia took a step forward, pretending to be shocked. “Emma, did you steal that invitation? After all, you were kicked out of the Silvermoon Pack six years ago for stealing our sacred treasure. I didn’t expect you to still be a thief, daring to steal an invitation to the Full Moon Feast.” A wave of fury washed over me. I finally understood. After I left, they had framed me with the crime of stealing their pack’s treasure. I stared dead at Olivia and said coldly, “Me? A thief? Why don’t you tell everyone how you stole another woman’s husband?” Olivia’s face turned instantly dark, her eyes filled with venom. Whispers broke out in the crowd, and the looks directed at Olivia began to change. Just then, a harsh shout cut through the murmurs. “You brat! Why are you back?” The crowd parted, and two people squeezed through. It was my adoptive parents. My adoptive father’s face was livid. He raised his hand and slapped me across the face, roaring, “You ungrateful brat! Shut your mouth and stop ruining Olivia’s reputation!” The sudden blow caught me off guard. My head whipped to the side, and my ears rang. “Mom!” Lily cried out, clinging to my leg. I forced a smile and comforted her softly, “I’m fine, sweetie.” My adoptive mother rushed up, pointing a finger at my face. “Emma Vance, you ungrateful wretch! The position of Silvermoon’s Luna belonged to Olivia in the first place! You were just an imposter who took her place. What right do you have to slander her? If we hadn’t adopted you, you would have died in the wild! How dare you frame our precious daughter!” Adopted? I sneered in my heart. Years ago, when I was traveling with my biological parents, I accidentally got separated from them. I happened to run into my adoptive mother, who had just lost her own pup. Seeing no one around, she took me and ran, raising me as a replacement for her dead daughter. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have been separated from my real parents for so many years. Fortunately, after being rejected, I managed to find my biological parents and finally learned the truth about my identity. I held Lily tightly, snatched the invitation back from the guard, and said coldly, “Get out of my way!” Olivia caught a glimpse of the crest on the back of the card and sneered. “Emma, you really are bold. You even dared to steal from Alpha William.” A bystander leaned in to look, and cried out in an exaggerated tone, “Everyone knows Alpha William is the Alpha of the Shadowfang Pack, one of the four oldest packs! He has a terrible temper and is ruthlessly brutal. You dared to steal from him? You’re dead!” The mocking laughter echoed around me, but I remained calm. I met everyone’s gaze and said, word by word, “He is my mate.” ***
The hall went dead silent for a second, followed by an explosion of laughter. “This is hilarious! Everyone knows Alpha William’s Luna is of the royal Alpha bloodline of the Blazeclaw Pack, and she’s a renowned doctor of medicine! A common wolf like you dares to claim to be the Luna of the Shadowfang Pack? How delusional!” “Exactly! Look at yourself in the mirror. You’re dragging a bastard child around, and you think you’re worthy of Alpha William?” Lily’s face turned red with anger at their mockery. She put her hands on her hips and yelled, “Don’t talk about my mom like that! My mom is a doctor of medicine!” The crowd laughed even harder. “Like mother, like daughter. Look how she raised the child.” “Just like her mother, a little liar! How shameless!” Olivia grabbed James’s sleeve, pretending to be terrified. “James, is Emma trying to ruin the Silvermoon Pack? Pretending to be the Luna of the Shadowfang Pack… If this gets out, our entire pack will be doomed!” Instigated by her words, James glared at me and ordered his men, “Guards, teach this arrogant woman a lesson!” Several thuggish wolves rushed forward, grabbing at me roughly. To protect Lily, I held her tightly in my arms. Sharp claws slashed across my skin, and the metallic taste of blood rose in my throat. “Mom!” Lily sobbed, her little hands gripping my shirt. Sophia Sterling, who had been standing next to Olivia, suddenly pointed at Lily and shrieked, “My brooch is gone! It was her! That little beggar stole my brooch!” My gaze turned icy. I clearly saw the flash of jealousy in Sophia’s eyes. Ethan stepped forward immediately. He grabbed the necklace around Lily’s neck and yanked it off with brute force, pushing her to the ground in the process. “You little thief! How dare you steal my sister’s necklace? Shameless!” Lily fell onto the floor, her eyes red as she cried out, “I didn’t steal it! My dad gave it to me! You bad guy! Give it back!” My heart clenched. I scrambled over to pull Lily up. A bright red, swollen mark was visible on her delicate neck where the necklace had been ripped away. Trembling with rage, I glared at Ethan. “Give the necklace back to her!” Ethan ignored me completely and handed the necklace to Sophia. Sophia happily put the necklace around her own neck, tilting her chin up triumphantly at Lily. James looked at me with deep disgust. “Still unrepentant. You’ve taught this child to be a thief just like you! No, I cannot let the bloodline of the Silvermoon Pack be ruined by you! You must come back with me!” A wicked gleam flashed in Olivia’s eyes. She stepped forward and said gently, “James, I think it’s better to just get rid of this bastard pup. Otherwise, when she grows up, she might go around claiming she’s of Silvermoon blood, ruining our pack’s reputation.” James nodded, his voice cold. “Guards, bring that pup to me!” Several fierce warriors lunged forward to grab Lily. One of them unsheathed his sharp claws. I held Lily tight, backing away, and screamed, “Get back! I’m telling you, she has nothing to do with the Silvermoon Pack! She is a pup of the Shadowfang Pack!” But those warriors only took orders from James. Ignoring my cries, they closed in. In the chaos, a set of sharp claws slashed toward Lily. I instinctively threw my arm out to block it. The sharp claws ripped into my arm, and blood gushed out, staining my sleeve red. “Mom!” Lily cried out in terror, her little body shaking violently. Despite the excruciating pain, I kept Lily shielded in my arms. James ordered impatiently, “Pull her away!” Several guards grabbed my arms, twisting them behind my back so hard I thought they would snap. Just as the warrior’s claws were about to strike Lily again, a figure suddenly broke through the crowd. He grabbed the warrior’s wrist and twisted it with a sickening crack. A blood-curdling scream echoed through the hall. The next second, a cold, furious voice boomed, silencing the entire room. “You dare touch my daughter? Who gave you the permission?”
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