Chapter 9
Valentia’s POV
The Wolfe Pack House loomed before me like a menacing shadow against the dawn sky. It was a sprawling mansion with four floors, each for the most prominent and richest families of the pack, with walls made of cold gray stone and windows that gleamed ominously in the faint morning light.
Despite its grandeur, and soft beauty with the surrounding fores, and lush floral gardens, the house was a place of suffocating memories–a gilded cage, not a home;
The top floor belonged to the Wolfe family, the pack’s ruling Algas.
Though their power had waned over the years, their lineage was still revered. The current Alpha, Jaxon’s father, was a sickly man, his body failing him after years of battle and leadership.
He was currently alive, but I remembered vividly how he would meet his end in an accident a year from now. His sons- Jaxon and his younger brother Jason–were all that remained of what had once been a formidable line of warriors. Their two other brothers had died in battles years ago, leaving scars that ran deep in the family’s history.
Then there was Jaxon’s sister, Anastasia, a woman who thrived on manipulation and scheming, much like her mother.
She was good at using her pretty face and crocodile tears to make any Alpha fall to his knees or want to coddle her. That’s what she had done in her past life, and how she had then married the second most powerful Alpha in our Pack. My elder step–brother, Aiden.
Even though Ana hated me and tormented many others, no one ever stopped her, making her out to be a young spoiled child instead of a grown woman a year older than me.
The third floor was home to my famly–the Kallistars, who had served the Wolfes for generations. My father, Drogo Kallistar, was the Alpha of our family and second in command to the pack’s leader. With his three golden sons and one perfect daughter, Celeste, he was the epitome of pride, And then there was me–the bastard daughter. A stain on his perfect lineage. I was the result of a fleeting affair with an Omega woman who had vanished long before I could remember her face. My existence was barely acknowledged, except as a reminder of my father’s ‘mistake
The second floor housed the Armanis, the pack’s third family. Sirius Armani, the pack’s business mogul, was more focused on keeping the pack’s finances afloat than engaging in politics or battles. He had one son, Sebastian, and twin daughters, Silviah and Serena. The twins, both Omegas, were strikingly beautiful, with the kind of allure that made them a constant presence at the pack’s social gatherings.
I knew them all too well. In my past life, I had caught them both in bed with Jaxon,
That was the first affair he had. Well, the first affair I had known of
It had been early in my marriage–only the second year–and I had still been naive enough to think love could conquer all. I had cried, begged, and threatened to leave him if he ever cheated again.
For a time, he had seemed remorseful, doting on me with a tenderness that felt genuine. But it hadn’t lasted. A year later, I caught him again, and again, until I stopped threatening and simply endured.
I told myself it didn’t matter, as long as I was the one he loved most. And he did, for a time–until he didn’t.
It started with excuses of business meetings and pack meetings, then a night out for work, then a couple nights out with friends.
By the fifth year of our marriage, he had stopped coming to our room altogether. I could tell then what was happening, I wasn’t stupid. I had seen the stolen glances between him and Celeste, but I had never imagined he would go so far as to marry her.
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11:37 Tue, Jan 14
Chapter 9
I shook my head, dispelling the memories as I crept toward the mansion’s back door. The air was cold, and I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to steady the pounding of my hear
The back door was an old servant’s entrance, rarely used and easily overlooked. In my past life, I had seen women slipping out of it after spending the night with Jaxon, their laughter ringing in my ears like a cruel taunt.
I glanced up at the office window of the highest floor where I use to watch from.
Slipping inside, I moved through the quiet halls with ease. The ack house was still, the only sounds the occasional creak of the old wood beneath my feet. At this time the servants would jobably be awake and getting ready to start the day.
The kitchen elevator was my safest route to avoid the patrollinguards and servants.
The elevator hummed softly as it carried nie to the third floor. My heart pounded harder with every passing second, dread pooling in my stomach.
You know the feeling you get when something bad is about to happen? Yeah, I was having that.
Fortunately my room was the closest to the servants quarters, farther away from the main rooms of my family than anyone else’s. I used to hate the idea of being lower than them, but now, the fact that I was different made me feel good.
I didn’t want to be like those people.
I reached the door and hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath before stepping inside.
And froze.
There, sitting on my bed, was Jaxon His piercing blue eyes blazed with a fury that sent a chill down my spine. His presence, was suffocating, filling the small room like a storm about to break
“Where the hell were you?” he said, his voice low and dangerous, dripping with venom.
My heart dropped, and a cold sweat broke out across my skin. I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to back away. My mind/ raced, trying to piece together an explanation, an excuse, anything to diffuse the tension.
Oh fuck.
SEND GIFT
