He Realized the Dead Pup Was His

"Hand over Valerie, or you can watch this little bastard melt in the silver poison."
My husband, Alpha Gideon, locked our daughter in a deadly silver cage, his hands choking my neck as he viciously threatened me.
All of this was for his lover, the Omega wolf, Valerie.
No matter how I explained that I hadn't even touched Valerie, he wouldn't listen.
I fell to my knees and begged him, but he still pressed the button to release the poison.
Watching our daughter's little face turn purple, he said coldly, "Don't play me for a fool. I saw the DNA report. She's not my daughter. I don't care if she dies."
By the time I finally rushed Mia to the hospital, it was too late.
I wanted to leave with Mia's belongings, but Valerie threw them into the dumpster.
She touched her pregnant belly and raised an eyebrow with a smirk:
"Gideon said this house and this pack will belong to my pup. The things of that brat who should've died long ago naturally belong in the trash."
At that moment, I finally made my decision.
I called my real father, the Alpha King, and asked him to take me away.
On the other end of the line, he made a solemn vow: "I will come for you in seven days."
"When the time comes, I will make everyone who hurt my precious girl pay in blood."
Chapter 1
"Hand over Valerie, or watch this little bastard melt in the silver poison!"
There was no warmth in Gideon’s voice. His finger ruthlessly pressed the red button on the wall.
A piercing beep echoed through the basement.
"Five minutes," he announced coldly. "Then, a stronger dose of wolfsbane will be released."
My eyes widened in terror. My blood completely froze in my veins.
Right in front of me, my six-year-old daughter, Mia, was locked in a sealed cage made of pure silver.
"Cough... Mommy... it hurts..." Mia’s tiny body curled up in the corner of the cage. The moment her skin touched the silver bars, scarlet blisters bubbled up.
"No! Gideon, please turn it off!" I dropped to my knees on the freezing floor and crawled toward him.
I hugged his leg desperately, tears streaming down my face.
"I didn't kidnap Valerie! I have no idea where she is!" I screamed hoarsely, tasting blood in my throat. "Save Mia! She's your own flesh and blood!"
Gideon looked down at me as if I were a piece of disgusting trash.
"Four minutes." He counted down mercilessly and kicked me away.
"And she is not my daughter. She's just a rogue's bastard!"
"She is not a bastard! She has your blood!" I screamed in despair.
I crawled toward him again, my forehead hitting the ground hard.
"I swear, I didn't kidnap Valerie! I didn't do it!"
Gideon grabbed my hair and yanked me up violently. The blinding pain in my scalp made my vision go black.
A heavy slap landed across my face with a sickening smack.
The corner of my mouth tore open, and blood filled my mouth. A sharp ringing echoed in my left ear.
"You still dare to lie!" He gritted his teeth, a violent rage burning in his eyes. "The security cameras caught everything. Your car was outside her house yesterday, and your scent was all over the scene where she disappeared!"
He threw me back onto the floor and stepped heavily on my chest with his combat boot.
"Three minutes and thirty seconds." He watched me struggle under his foot. "Tell me where she is, or I'll let this little beast turn to ashes."
"Daddy..."
Mia's weak voice came from the cage.
Her tiny palm was pressed against the silver bars, the flesh burnt black. She was gasping for air, bloody white foam bubbling from her purple lips.
"Save... Mia..."
That word "Daddy" was like a rusty knife carving out my heart.
But Gideon just shot her a look of pure disgust.
"Shut up! I am not your father!" he roared, his voice bone-chillingly cold. "Valerie already showed me the real DNA report. You switched the hospital records, you bitch! You gave birth to a filthy rogue!"
I sobbed in absolute despair.
I didn't understand how we ended up like this.
In the beginning, Gideon was the one who fell in love with me and confessed his feelings first.
When I worried I wouldn't be a good Luna, he relentlessly pursued me, promising to protect me forever.
I believed him.
The day Mia was born, he kissed my forehead with teary eyes, swearing to protect us for the rest of his life.
But everything changed after Valerie showed up.
He believed her lies and that damn forged report.
Now, he had become the very demon pushing us into hell.
Just then, one of Gideon's men answered a call. His face changed, and he immediately handed the phone to his Alpha.
"Alpha, we found Valerie."
"She's in the abandoned warehouse of the orphanage Scarlett used to live in! She inhaled too much chloroform and is in a deep coma!"
Gideon snapped his head toward me and sneered.
"The orphanage you used to live in. What else do you have to say for yourself?"
I could only shake my head helplessly.
I honestly had no idea what was going on.
"No wonder you're an orphan, Scarlett. Your parents must have figured out what a vicious, shameless monster you are."
I stared blankly at him—the man I once loved so deeply.
I remembered when I told him about my past. He had kissed my forehead tenderly and said, "From now on, I am your family."
But now, he said I deserved to be abandoned.
It turned out the deepest pain always comes from the person you love the most.
With those words, he threw the key to the cage on the floor and crushed it under his boot.
Then he turned and walked away.
"No—!" I let out a heart-wrenching scream and lunged forward, desperately trying to piece the broken key together.
"Gideon! Come back! She'll die! She's going to die!"
The countdown had only sixty seconds left.
Mia had stopped struggling. Her tiny body lay in a pool of blood, barely breathing.
"Mia! Don't be afraid, Mommy's coming to save you!"
I grabbed the electrified silver bars with my bare hands, trying to pry them apart by force.
The high voltage, mixed with the burning silver, immediately ripped the flesh from my palms.
But I couldn't feel the pain.
Finally, I reached Mia.
"Mia, hold on! Mommy is taking you to the healer!"
Using the last of my strength, I carried her to the car and sped frantically toward the pack hospital.
At the same time, I dialed a number.
A man's slightly delighted voice answered, "Scarlett, what is it?"
It was the Alpha King. The supreme ruler of the werewolf world.
And my biological father, whom I had only recognized six months ago.
"Father..." My cracked lips trembled, and tears fell again. "I need your help."
Half a year ago, he found me and wanted to take me back to the royal family.
I refused because I thought I already had a happy family. I thought Gideon was just temporarily blinded by Valerie and would eventually find out the truth.
I was an absolute fool.
"Whatever you need, you have it," my father's voice resonated with unquestionable power.
I looked at my pup dying from silver poison in the passenger seat. The last trace of warmth in my eyes completely froze.
"I want you to erase all traces of me and my daughter from the Silver Eclipse Pack. Then, I will come back and take my place as your heir, just as you wished."
Silence fell on the other end of the line for a moment, followed by a firm promise:
"Seven days. In seven days, I will send someone to get you."
I hung up.
I turned to the unconscious Mia and gently held her ice-cold little hand.
"Just wait seven days, baby. Seven days... and our nightmare will be over."
Chapter 2
"Mommy!" Mia whimpered softly.
"Mia," I called out to her, "hold on, baby."
She gave me a weak smile. Her eyes were unfocused, her lips completely drained of color.
"Mommy, I'm okay... I... I love you," she said in broken breaths.
Her body was terrifyingly cold. The second we reached the hospital, I started screaming like a madwoman.
"Save my daughter!" I roared.
The healer rushed over. His face paled immediately. "It's silver poison!"
"She needs Moon Herb for the antidote, but the hospital is completely out of it right now!"
"Moon Herb..."
I suddenly remembered. I had a stalk of it in my bedroom!
I had acquired it by chance a while ago.
"Hold on, Mia! Mommy will be right back!"
I turned and sprinted out of the hospital, driving back to the pack manor like a maniac.
I burst through the door of the master bedroom.
But the scent that greeted me wasn't my own familiar scent.
It was the pungent perfume of another Omega.
The room had been completely rearranged. My clothes, the photos of Mia and me—they were all gone.
In their place were expensive clothes scattered on the floor, and Valerie, sitting at my vanity, smugly applying lipstick.
"What are you doing here?" she raised an eyebrow, looking at me through the mirror.
She touched her flat stomach, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips.
"Are you here to celebrate my pregnancy too?"
"Gideon was so happy. He said from now on, the whole pack will belong to me and his pup."
Her words plunged into my heart like daggers.
He had left my daughter to die in a deadly silver trap, only to turn around and celebrate his new lover's pregnancy!
I bit my lip so hard it bled, forcing down the tearing agony.
"That has nothing to do with me," I said hoarsely, stumbling toward the hidden drawer by the bed. "I just want my things, and then I'll leave."
I yanked the drawer open, but it was empty.
"Looking for this?"
Valerie’s mocking voice came from behind me.
I whipped around. In her hand was the stalk of Moon Herb, glowing faintly!
I stared at the herb. It was Mia’s last hope for survival!
"Give it to me!" My eyes turned red as I lunged at her recklessly. "Mia needs it to save her life! Please, Valerie, give it to me!"
She sidestepped gracefully, dodging my hand.
"Really?" She sneered, her eyes instantly turning venomous. "Then I definitely have to destroy it."
Right in front of me, she picked up a lighter from the table and set the Moon Herb on fire!
"No—!" I screamed miserably.
The blue flame instantly consumed the herb. The ashes drifted down onto the carpet.
"A bastard nobody cares about should have died a long time ago," she giggled, looking at the ashes on the floor. "Just like you, Scarlett. You both belong in the trash."
"You bitch!"
The last thread of reason in my mind snapped.
I lunged forward, raised my hand, and slapped her across the face with everything I had!
A heavy slap echoed through the room.
I put every ounce of my strength into that strike.
Valerie screamed. But she didn't fall; instead, she deliberately threw herself backward, slamming her head against the sharp corner of the table.
"Ahhh—!" she wailed pitifully, sliding to the floor.
Urgent footsteps echoed in the hallway.
The door was kicked open with a loud crash.
Gideon charged in like a furious beast.
"Gideon! Save our pup!" Valerie cried weakly, pointing at me. "She's trying to kill me! She's jealous that I'm pregnant, she wants me to miscarry!"
"I didn't!" I shouted back, pointing at the ashes on the floor. "She burned the Moon Herb that could save Mia! Mia is dying in the hospital, Gideon, hurry—"
"Shut up!"
Gideon roared, cutting me off.
He strode over without a second of hesitation, raised his hand, and slapped me hard across the face.
I was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"You really have no remorse. How dare you hurt Valerie!"
"Throw her in the dungeon!" Gideon ordered as he tenderly gathered Valerie into his arms. When he looked back at me, his eyes were as cold as if he were looking at a corpse.
Two hulking guards rushed in and grabbed my arms tightly.
"Let me go! Mia isn't going to make it, she's really dying!" I struggled desperately, tears and blood running down my neck. "Gideon, she is your own flesh and blood!"
Leaning against his chest, Valerie tugged weakly at his sleeve.
"Scarlett is lying again. I just saw Mia earlier, she looked perfectly fine..."
"No! She's lying to you!" I screamed hysterically.
But Gideon just kissed Valerie's forehead gently.
"Take her away. Not a drop of water without my permission," he commanded coldly.
I was dragged out of the room violently, my nails leaving deep bloody scratches on the floor.
Despair. Bone-chilling despair.
I was thrown into the dark, damp dungeon.
The heavy iron door slammed shut with a boom, cutting off the last sliver of light.
There was no light in the dungeon. Being trapped inside felt suffocating.
"Let me out... Let me out..."
I banged on the iron door with my bloody, mangled hands, screaming until my throat tore and bled.
No one answered.
My vision started to blur, and my strength was drained away drop by drop.
I slid powerlessly down to the freezing floor, my breathing growing weaker.
My last thought was: My Mia, who is going to save her?
Chapter 3
"Get up! Stop playing dead!"
A bucket of freezing water splashed over my head.
I jolted awake, coughing violently. The dungeon door was open, and the glaring sunlight made it impossible to open my eyes.
A guard dragged me out of the cell and dumped me into the mud outside.
"Get lost. The Alpha doesn't want to see your face today," the guard spat in disgust.
Ignoring the agonizing pain of what felt like shattered bones, I scrambled to my feet.
Mia!
I stumbled out of the manor and ran toward the hospital as if my life depended on it.
I tripped and fell countless times along the way, my knees scraped and bloody. But I couldn't feel the pain. I just wanted to see my daughter.
When I pushed open the doors to the emergency room, the air was dead silent.
The healer was standing in the hallway. When he saw me, he avoided my gaze and took off his medical cap.
"Healer!" I lunged at him, grabbing his white coat tightly. "Where is Mia? How is she? I went to get the herb but it was burned... You guys used another method, right?"
The healer's eyes grew red, his voice tight.
"I'm sorry, Luna. We did everything we could."
My brain buzzed, and the entire world instantly lost its sound.
"What did you say?" I asked numbly.
"Without the Moon Herb, the poison spread too fast." The healer lowered his head in pain. "We called the Alpha over a dozen times, begging for permission to use higher-level life support machines. But he... rejected all the calls."
"The last time we got through, a woman answered. She said the Alpha was resting and no one was to disturb him."
His words were like thousands of poisoned needles violently piercing through my body.
"At 3 A.M. this morning, Mia went into multiple organ failure... and stopped breathing."
I froze in place.
No tears. No screams. It felt like my soul was being brutally ripped from my body in that very moment.
"Where is the body?" I heard a strange, icy voice come from my own mouth.
"In the morgue. Do you want to see her?"
"Keep her safe for me for now." I turned numbly and walked out.
I had to go home.
Mia was so scared of being lonely. Her favorite stuffed bear was still at home. I needed to get it for her so she wouldn't be afraid.
Like a walking corpse, I dragged my heavy feet back to the pack manor.
I walked straight to the end of the hallway, to Mia's room.
I pushed the door open.
Empty.
The little bed was gone. The drawings on the walls had been painted over in blinding white. The room was completely empty and spotless, as if my daughter had never existed in this world.
"Looking for that little brat's things?"
Valerie was suddenly standing in the doorway, holding a glass of red wine, her smile blindingly bright.
I turned my head and stared at her.
"Where did you put Mia's things?"
"Threw them out," she said lightly, taking a sip of wine. "Gideon said this will be my pup's nursery from now on. Trash belongs in the junkyard, obviously."
The junkyard.
The most remote, foulest place in the entire territory.
I didn't say a word. I didn't curse her, nor did I hit her, because I didn't care anymore.
I turned and bolted out.
A sudden downpour crashed from the sky. Freezing rain slammed against my face, making it impossible to tell what was rain and what were tears.
I ran all the way to the junkyard at the edge of the territory.
Trash was piled up like mountains, the stench overwhelming. Rotting food, rusted metal, and broken glass were mixed into the black mud.
I threw myself into the mountain of garbage.
"Mia's clothes... Mia's bear..."
Like a madwoman, I knelt in the mud and dug frantically with my bare hands.
Sharp glass sliced my palms; rusty nails pierced my fingers. My blood mixed with the black mud, staining the trash beneath me red.
Day turned into night, and night gave way to dawn again.
I didn't stop. I couldn't stop. Those were the last traces my daughter left in this world.
The rain poured heavier.
Finally, deep in the sludge, I felt a piece of soft fabric.
I pulled it out, trembling.
It was Mia's favorite pink jacket. I could almost see her holding her little arms out, asking me to put it on her.
But now, the jacket was torn to shreds, covered in foul black mud and stains that would never wash out.
I hugged the ruined jacket tightly to my chest.
The rain washed over my battered body.
I didn't cry. My tears had already run completely dry in that dark dungeon the night before, the moment I heard the healer's death sentence.
I lifted my head and looked toward the pack manor hidden in the distant mist.
The only thing left in my heart was a hatred strong enough to burn the entire Silver Eclipse Pack to the ground.
Chapter 4
I decided to force a rejection of the mate bond with Gideon.
I never wanted to be tied to him again, nor did I want my Mia to have a father like him.
But when I went to the Elders' Council, the Head Elder looked at me strangely.
It was a look of pity, mixed with mockery.
He sighed and said, "Scarlett, actually, Gideon already rejected the mate bond with you two years ago."
"He also held a bonding ceremony with Valerie long ago. Valerie is our true Luna."
He tossed a document stamped with the Alpha's seal in front of me. It had my signature on it.
Two years ago...
I remembered. That day, Gideon brought home a stack of papers and hugged me tenderly, saying it was a special trust fund set up for Mia.
"Sign it, and our pup will be completely secured for the future," he had said.
I hadn't even read it. I just happily signed my name.
It turned out, it wasn't asset protection at all. It was a severance paper kicking me out of the pack!
He had betrayed me two years ago, severed our mate bond, and even let another woman take my place!
He lied to me. Deceived me. Kept me under his control like a prisoner, while I didn't even know I could have rightfully left.
He held a bonding ceremony with Valerie.
And I... in their lives, I was just a shameful shadow.
I grabbed the document, stood up, and stumbled out.
I didn't know if I should feel happy. Even though I was deceived, I guess my goal was accomplished.
When I returned to the manor, the sun was about to set. My mind was numb, my body screaming in protest, and my wolf hanging by a fragile thread.
Gideon was sitting on the living room sofa with a glass of whiskey.
He looked up.
"Where have you been?" he asked.
"I know everything," I said, holding up the paper. "You haven't been my mate for two years."
Gideon only froze for a second before his expression returned to calm, not showing a hint of guilt for being exposed: "So you know."
"And? What do you want to say?"
"And?" I threw my head back and couldn't help but laugh out loud. I laughed until tears fell down my face. "Since we have had nothing to do with each other for so long, why didn't you just kick me out?! Let me make room for your precious Valerie?"
Gideon stood up, his eyes turning dark.
"Kick you out? That would be letting you off too easy." He stepped toward me, like a viper locking onto its prey. "You betrayed me, forged the DNA, and tried to kill Valerie. You must pay for your sins for the rest of your life."
"I told you I didn't do it!"
"Shut up!" He grabbed my throat and slammed me against the wall. "You think you can leave me? Let me tell you, even if you die, you will die here!"
I didn't have the strength to argue anymore.
My sins? My only sin was meeting Gideon and becoming his mate.
He suddenly let go, grabbed something from the sofa—a velvet gown as red as blood—and threw it at me.
"Put this on," he ordered coldly. "There's an alliance banquet tonight. You will attend, and bring that little bastard with you. People will ask."
Hearing Mia's name, my heart felt like it was being ground into meat.
He didn't even know that the biological daughter he kept calling a "bastard" had taken her last breath in the early hours of the morning.
"She's not going, and neither am I." I stared at the red dress, my eyes completely dead. "I will never wear something so bright. My pup..."
"Enough!"
"I wasn't asking for your opinion," Gideon interrupted impatiently. "You'd better not make me dress you myself."
He stormed off.
I slumped to the floor, staring into space for a long time, before finally changing into the red dress.
I looked at the woman in the mirror—deathly pale face, dress as red as blood—like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.
I walked to the bed, picked up my phone, and dialed that number.
"Father, it's me."
"Scarlett. The seven days aren't up yet."
"I can't wait seven days." I watched the pouring rain outside the window. "Tomorrow... tomorrow I will disappear completely. I can't wait another second."
Chapter 5
The winding banquet hall reeked of heavy perfume, arrogance, and the foul stench of blood money.
Surrounded by the elite of various packs, I stood behind Gideon in that red velvet gown like a soulless puppet.
Valerie clung to Gideon's arm, her head held high, looking every bit the title of Luna.
Whispers constantly buzzed around me.
"I heard she cheated on Gideon and gave birth to some random bastard?"
"What a slut. I don't know why Gideon keeps a woman like that around."
Valerie leaned against Gideon and sighed with fake sympathy: "She has nowhere else to go, after all. Even though she... Gideon has a kind heart and decided to keep her fed."
I guess this was why Gideon brought me here.
Did watching me get humiliated bring him pleasure?
Just then, an allied Alpha reeking of alcohol stumbled over. He looked me up and down, his eyes roaming my body shamelessly.
He patted Gideon on the shoulder. "Gideon, a woman who dares to betray her own mate needs to be punished, right? Since you don't want her anymore, why not give her to me? I happen to need a bed warmer. Just let her entertain me tonight, and I'll sign the alliance treaty between our packs right now!"
My blood froze instantly.
I turned to look at Gideon.
He furrowed his brows slightly.
I thought he would refuse. No matter how much he hated me, he wouldn't just hand his former mate over to another man to play with.
But then Valerie rolled her eyes and laughed, "Scarlett probably wouldn't mind, right? It's for the good of the Silver Eclipse Pack, after all. Besides..."
She swept her eyes over me insultingly. "You should be pretty familiar with this kind of thing, right?"
I couldn't hold back anymore. I went to throw my drink in her face.
But Gideon grabbed my wrist.
The familiar cold expression returned to his face.
"Valerie is right. I agree."
The surroundings fell dead silent.
I felt like I had been struck by lightning, my body shaking uncontrollably.
"Gideon! Are you insane?!" I screamed. "I was your Luna!"
"You are just a filthy sinner," Gideon looked at me coldly. "Since you love betraying so much, what does it matter if you sleep with another man? Go on. Do something useful for the pack."
Valerie covered her mouth, giggling beside him.
The drunk Alpha laughed wildly and lunged at me, grabbing my wrist.
"Come here, little whore. I'll show you a good time tonight—"
I tightened my grip on the broken glass in my hand, deciding I would fight him to the death.
Right at that moment—
A deafening explosion ripped through the hall!
Instantly, flames engulfed the room!
It was a terrorist attack by rogue wolves!
Several high-explosive silver bombs detonated in the crowd. Miserable screams tore through the night.
Guests shrieked, women's heels snapped as they ran. A support pillar from the ceiling crashed down, shattering the floor beneath us.
I tried to move. I tried to run.
But the third explosion blasted me straight across the room.
The world spun. My ears were ringing. A sharp pain shot through my leg—a piece of glass was buried deep in my thigh. Coughing and choking on the thick black smoke, I crawled desperately toward the stairs.
Through the billowing smoke, I saw Gideon instantly shift into a massive silver wolf.
He didn't even glance at me.
He leaped toward the uninjured Valerie without hesitation, shielded her with his body, picked her up by her dress, and sprinted for the exit.
"Gideon!" I instinctively reached out my blood-soaked hand toward him. "Help me... my leg can't move!"
The silver wolf stopped.
He turned his head, his golden eyes staring at me ruthlessly.
"Valerie is carrying my only heir."
"As for you, figure it out yourself."
With that, he charged into the sea of fire without looking back, completely vanishing from my sight.
A sickening crack echoed above my head.
A massive load-bearing pillar completely snapped and crashed down right toward me!
Is this it? Am I going to die?
I closed my eyes as a tear slipped down my face.
Mia, Mommy's coming to find you.
But the agonizing pain I expected never came.
A few muffled thuds exploded near my ears.
I snapped my eyes open.
Through the thick smoke, I saw a silhouette.
He had caught the pillar and forcefully tossed it aside.
Then he knelt beside me and carefully scooped me into his arms.
His face was obscured by the smoke, the flames behind him tracing his silhouette like an angel.
"It's over now," he said, his voice sounding strangely familiar. "I'm here. You're safe."
I tried to speak. I tried to push him away. He might be one of the attackers trying to kidnap me.
"Don't... touch me..." I resisted weakly.
"The Alpha King sent me. We've been waiting for you."
"Don't worry. We will make everyone who hurt you pay a terrible price!"