001.

Cassie.

"Hey, isn’t that the Alpha’s slut?" a sharp, mocking voice shattered my thoughts.

I pulled my shawl a little tighter around my body, willing myself not to look over my shoulder as I walked back toward the pack house. My breaths came in sharp, shallow pulls, and I picked up my pace.

"Has she finally gone deaf?" a second voice sneered, and my steps faltered. But I quickly brushed it off, forcing myself to keep moving forward. After all, I was used to people talking about me behind my back. I shook my head, telling myself to ignore them—until someone rammed into me from behind, sending me stumbling forward. I gasped as I hit the ground.

Looking up, I found two she-wolves standing over me, their eyes glinting with malice. They exchanged a glance, struggling to stifle their laughter. One of them, a red-haired, snorted, unable to hold it in any longer, and within seconds they both burst out laughing, their mocking voices filling the air.

"Oops, didn’t see you there, Cassie," the other one—a brown-haired—sneered, her tone dripping with false innocence. I exhaled, my patience wearing thin, but as I pushed myself up and dusted myself off, I realized I didn’t even have the strength to retaliate.

I was just too weak, too tired. Tired of the constant reminders of how low I was in the pack’s eyes, and tired of being powerless. My wolf was handicapped, and my frail body only ensured that we barely survived each day.

This had been my reality ever since I lost my parents seven years ago, and it had only worsened with Axel. One would think being married to the Alpha would've stopped the bullying, but it only seemed to fuel it. Axel didn’t care about me at all; he had made that clear on our wedding night when he assigned me a separate room.

It had only been ten months since our marriage, but it had been a cold, lonely existence since then. Axel barely spent time at home, and when he did, he stayed secluded in his bedroom—the one I was firmly forbidden to enter.

He had made it clear that we were only together because of Camden, the proof of our one-night-stand that wasn’t supposed to go the way it did. I’d hoped Camden’s arrival would bring us closer, but it only seemed to widen the distance between us, a reminder that without our son, he wouldn't look twice at me.

The she-wolves circled me like vultures, their eyes filled with spite.

"How does it feel, Cassie," one of them hissed, "to be nothing but a pretty face who had to trap the Alpha with a child?"

I clenched my fists. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before, but that didn’t make it sting any less.

"I knew from the time we were kids that you were a slut—a cursed child who killed her parents," the redhead sneered. I pressed my lips together, swallowing the bile rising in my throat. I had promised myself I wouldn’t cry, no matter what the pack said about me.

"I don’t even know how the Alpha could fall for a desperate, lowly she-wolf who had to resort to pregnancy to cling to a man who barely acknowledges her existence," the brown-haired girl added with a laugh.

"I’m surprised you’re saying that Lisa, knowing very well that this slut drugged him," the red-haired added with a smirk.

Their words made me press my lips together. The misconception that I had drugged the Alpha was a popular one, but it was a lie. Some girls I’d called my friends had drugged me, thinking I’d end up in bed with another wolf. But the rooms got mixed up, and I ended up in Axel’s instead.

I had tried to explain, but no one was willing to listen. Not even Axel, who knew the truth, came to my rescue, or try to debunk the rumors.

The two of them nudged my shoulders as they continued their hateful comments, each word cutting deeper than I cared to admit. I kept my head down, refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing me react. I had learned long ago that silence was my best shield.

"Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, stupid?" one of them demanded, but just then, a small cry reached my ears from the pack house. It was soft but unmistakable.

My hearing ability was the only thing my wolf was good for. We were weak but we picked up on even the littlest of sounds.

My heart twisted immediately. Camden. I shot a glare at the two girls before hurrying toward the pack house, my anger giving way to worry. Little Cam needed me. He was the only thing in my life that made all of this bearable.

Inside the pack house, I found my little one nestled in his crib, his tiny face scrunched up in distress. Gently, I gathered him up, cooing softly as he calmed in my arms. He looked up at me with wide, curious eyes—a deep, warm brown that matched my own—and a mop of thick, afro-black hair. He looked nothing like his father, who had pale skin, straight jet-black hair, and striking grey eyes. Camden was every bit my son.

Camden’s little fingers reached for me as if he sensed the warmth I offered, and I melted, the thoughts of those bullies momentarily forgotten.

"There, there, my sweet Cam," I murmured, settling myself into a chair as he fussed. I cradled him, letting him nurse, and felt the world fade as I held him close. His familiar scent and warmth soothed my aching heart. If nothing else, I had my son. He was mine, and no one could take that away from me.

I was still wrapped in his quiet comfort when footsteps echoed down the hall, followed by murmured voices. My heart skipped a beat; I heard the maids' whispers, mentioning that Axel had returned from his latest trip.

His absences had become a painful routine, but every time he returned, a small part of me couldn’t help but hope things might be different. Maybe this time, he’d see me as more than just the mother of his child. Maybe this time, he’d see me as his wife.

Tucking Camden’s blanket around him, I pressed a soft kiss to his forehead before standing to leave the room. My steps quickened as I made my way downstairs, a flicker of hope igniting within me. But as I rounded the corner of the staircase and saw the small group gathered in the living room, my heart sank.

There Axel was, standing with a striking she-wolf beside him, her silver hair cascading in soft waves down her back. I paused, taking in the scene. My eyes darted between Axel's Beta, Warren, and Rita, the housekeeper, who all stood watching Axel and the she-wolf beside him.

Then Axel’s voice broke through my thoughts, his tone nonchalant as though he hadn’t even noticed me there.

"And this," he said, slipping an arm around the she-wolf’s shoulders and gazing down at her with a tenderness I’d never seen before, "is my Mate, Selena."