Chapter 194
[ 1,115 words ]
Third Person POV:
Three years passed, but Angela’s life showed no improvement.
During those years, Alpha Chris welcomed a son with Ava, whom he named Dante. Rick also became a father, although very few people knew about it. His mistress, Vikki, had given birth to a boy named Victor, whom Rick visited whenever he could.
Angela, however, remained childless, and Rick never missed an opportunity to remind her of it.
What had begun with angry remarks and occasional insults soon became part of her everyday life. Rick no longer bothered hiding his resentment, even when other pack members were present.
Once, during a gathering at the pack house, Angela had approached him with a plate of food, only for Rick to push it away in front of everyone.
“Do you think feeding me and cleaning my house makes you a good mate?” he had snapped loudly enough for the nearby warriors to hear. “Other women give their husbands children. What have you given me in three years besides trouble?”
Angela had quietly picked up the plate and walked away while the others pretended not to hear.
Such incidents had become common. Rick would insult her over the smallest mistakes, whether she served his dinner late or forgot something he had asked her to do. Sometimes, he would deliberately humiliate her in front of the servants, knowing she would never argue back.
He had considered rejecting her more than once, but the council laws stood in his way.
A she-wolf who had already been rejected by one mate could not be rejected again without sufficient grounds. The second mate had to provide solid evidence of misconduct or some other serious offense before the council would approve another rejection.
Rick had no such evidence.
Unlike Chris, he couldn’t accuse Angela of being unfaithful. She hardly left the cottage anymore and had stopped meeting her old friends. She didn’t even socialize with the other women in the pack.
Her entire life revolved around Rick and his home.
She cooked his meals, washed his clothes, kept the cottage spotless, and waited for him to return every evening. Even when he came home in a foul mood, she would quietly serve his dinner and avoid saying anything that might upset him further.
Rick had also stopped sharing a bed with her.
At first, Angela had tried talking to him, but his angry responses had eventually discouraged her. She assumed he was still disappointed about their inability to have a child and hoped that perhaps things would improve with time.
What she didn’t know was that Rick had no intention of returning to her bed. He was getting everything he wanted from Vikki, who had already given him a son.
While Angela spent her evenings waiting for him with a warm meal, Rick often visited Vikki and little Victor before returning home.
And whenever he saw Angela waiting for him, his irritation only grew.
Angela, meanwhile, had no idea that the man who constantly blamed her for failing to give him a child already had a son of his own.
The Crimson Moon Night was approaching.
For the past two years, the crimson moon had remained hidden behind thick clouds, but this year, the skies were expected to be clear. The entire pack was preparing for its arrival, especially the she-wolves, who knew what the night could bring.
During the Crimson Moon Night, unmated she-wolves were expected to go into heat, while even mated wolves experienced an unusually strong desire for their partners. Their wolves became restless, and resisting their instincts was far more difficult than usual.
Angela had been worried about it for days.
Rick hadn’t touched her in a long time, and although she had learned to live with his rejection, the approaching Crimson Moon was something she couldn’t simply ignore.
That evening, she finally gathered the courage to speak to him.
Rick was sitting on the couch, going through some documents, when Angela approached him. She waited until he finished reading a page before quietly taking a seat nearby.
“Rick, I wanted to talk to you about the Crimson Moon Night. It’s almost here, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do if my wolf goes into heat. You know how difficult it can be to control.”
Rick looked up from his papers, already annoyed by the interruption. “Angela, please. I’ve had a long day, and I’m not in the mood for this.”
“I know, but we need to discuss it.” She tried to keep her voice gentle. “I haven’t asked you for anything in months, but this is different. You’re my mate, and I thought perhaps we could—”
Rick immediately shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I can barely stand looking at your face these days, and you’re talking about me touching you? Have you completely lost your mind?”
Angela fell quiet, embarrassed by his response, but she couldn’t afford to let the matter end there.
“But what am I supposed to do if I go into heat?” she asked helplessly. “Rick, you know what happens during the Crimson Moon. I might not be able to control my wolf, and my scent could attract other males.”
Rick knew she was right.
Even a mated she-wolf could become vulnerable if her mate refused to help her through the heat. Her pheromones could attract unwanted attention, particularly from males whose own wolves were struggling against the Crimson Moon’s influence.
But the thought of being intimate with Angela was the last thing he wanted. He put his documents aside and looked at her with irritation.
“Then stay inside and lock your doors. You’re a grown woman, Angela. Surely you can figure out how to deal with your own body without dragging me into it.”
Angela looked at him in disbelief. She had expected him to be reluctant, perhaps even angry, but she hadn’t imagined he would dismiss something so serious.
“Rick, I’m not asking because I want to trouble you. I’m asking because I’m frightened of what might happen.”
“Well, that’s your problem, isn’t it?” he replied, picking up his papers again. “I’ve already told you I’m not interested. Now stop bothering me.”
Angela remained seated for another moment, hoping he might reconsider, but Rick had already returned to his work, making it clear that the conversation was over.
She quietly got up and left the room, wondering how she was supposed to face the Crimson Moon Night without the help of the very man who had marked her as his mate.
Little did she know that the night most she-wolves eagerly looked forward to would become the most horrifying night of her life.
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