Lethia flung her bedroom door open, seized her suitcase, then yanked her wardrobe open, hurriedly grabbing her clothes. But…
'Wait, this is my father's house—his land. Why should I be the one to leave?'
She hurled her clothes onto the bed and sank onto its edge. The burning sensation in her chest gradually subsided, replaced by a dull cramp twisting in her stomach.
She bit her lower lip, trying to process what had just happened. Crying wouldn't solve anything, even as her damned warm eyes threatened to spill over.
Ever since she had learned she was wolfless, she had fought not to dwell on how her cursed fate had damned her.
Thanks to her father's power, she had lived a spoiled life, shielded from society's cruelty—an Alpha's daughter still held onto the status of an esteemed she-wolf.
Her confidence had soared when the supposedly smart and handsome Alpha's son from an allied pack claimed he could feel the mate bond and made the first move.
Indeed, she was not like any other wolfless who blindly trusted a bond she couldn't feel herself.
For Lethia, her marriage-mate bond was merely a necessity for securing her legacy within the pack's society.
That was why it had taken her over a year to accept Varrel's sweet words, proven devotion, and the obvious magnetic presence.
But despite her strict judgment, tonight she regretted the decision to accept Varrel into her life.
For two years, their marriage had felt too good to be true—until her father's sudden death last month.
Lethia couldn't believe that even after everything she'd been through with her pregnancy, Varrel could be so cruelly quick to trust others over her.
She grabbed her phone to call her gynecologist, but the number was unreachable.
A notification popped up on her screen. She opened the message—it was from Lana Ashcroft, her second cousin.
Her eyes widened when Lana sent her a link to a viral video—it was the exact moment she hurled her stiletto at the obsidian crystal.
She read the text that Lana had clearly heard about the rejection and was now asking to meet.
Their grandfathers were brothers, though never on good terms, each choosing a different path.
Lana's family had settled in the Capital, while Lethia's grandfather had embraced the quiet life of a cattleman in the countryside.
Still, despite rarely meeting in person, she and Lana had always got along as cousins.
Brookwood was three villages away from her father's ranch—just a two-hour drive. A brief escape might do her good, and two heads were better than one when it came to finding a way out of this mess.
Lethia set her phone down, quickly changed into casual clothes, grabbed her bag and car keys, and headed for the front door—only to be blocked by a group of lowly omega lackeys, Varrel's usual bodyguards.
They informed her that Varrel had ordered them to escort her to the temple that very night.
She recoiled, snapping at them to move aside.
But the moment she turned for the garage, two of them lunged, gripping her arms in a bruising hold and forcing her towards the waiting black van.
Lethia screamed, cursing frantically—but no one came to help.
Lethia sat powerless in the van, wedged between two omegas.
She glanced out the window, taking in the road. The temple Varrel mentioned was in a village just before Brookwood.
That meant she had two villages—at most—to get out of this shitshow before she was trapped.
She bit the inside of her cheek, and with a surge of adrenaline, she threw out her bait.
"I need to pee," she demanded.
The omegas glanced at each other and luckily decided to stop at the next rest area. Not long after, they pulled into a stop with an EV charging station.
As she stepped out of the van, she noticed three cars parked at the charging station, their LED screens displaying the remaining charge time.
The omegas let Lethia go to the restroom alone, and she used that chance to slip away and circle around toward the charging station.
She hid behind a wall, scanning the area and weighing which car she should ask for help.
And the moment she saw the omegas laughing and joking with each other, she seized the chance and bolted from her hiding spot.
Her gaze locked onto the digital charging station's LED sign as it flickered ahead, counting down from thirty seconds.
Without a second thought, she sprinted toward it, clutching her stomach as the pain twisted tighter.
As she ran, her hair tie came loose, sending her long hair streaming behind her, but she didn't care. She just kept running.
When the timer hit three seconds, Lethia lunged for the slightly ajar car door, yanked it open, and slipped into the front passenger seat.
The moment the countdown reached zero, the car locked with a soft click, and the engine roared to life.
Panting, cold sweat trickling down her skin, she turned to the driver—only for her already-racing heart to hammer harder.
Her gaze met deep brown eyes, gleaming like a cup of hot chocolate under the moonlight on a winter night, framed by clear glasses resting on a sharply defined nose. He arched a single brow at her.
"Who are you?" he asked.
Lethia blinked, trying to steady her breath.
"H–Help me, please…"
Before she realised it, a single tear slipped from her right eye.
The man's jaw tensed as he cast a brief glance at her. Without another word, he pressed the pedal, pulling away from the charging station.
Never had Lethia imagined she would show her most vulnerable self in front of a stranger.
And a dashing one at that.