chapter 3

No one expected Ryan to be so decisive, and the room instantly went quiet.

But as Bella looked at the man who was defending her so fiercely, she felt ... nothing.

Seeing her son wouldn't budge, Eloise finally muttered, "Fine. Let's eat."

At the table, the only sounds were knives against plates and Eloise giving cold, little snorts.

Bella's hand tightened on her fork.

She already knew—this was just the warm-up before Eloise started lecturing her.

Sure enough, the next moment, Eloise set her fork down.

"I don't care about anything else. But there must be children! Do you want the Nightshade Pack to die out with you two?"

Ryan dropped his fork too, his voice clipped. "I've said it before—when humans and werewolves have kids, it's dangerous. One wrong move and she could die. I won't let her go through that. If it means no heir, then so be it.

"She's my mate, not some breeding machine."

His parents froze, too angry to eat. Just as another fight was about to start, Bella cut in.

"Connor, Eloise ... you'll have a grandchild in two weeks."

Everyone turned and stared at her.

"Bella?" Ryan grabbed her hand. "Didn't we agree not to have kids? You don't have to suffer for me."

Bella's smiled faintly.

She implied they'd have a grandchild—but never said it would be hers.

In just two weeks, she'd be gone. Liliana stayed in the castle for three months and made love with him more often than she did. Since he liked Liliana so much and slept with her so many times every day, it was only natural that she'd end up pregnant.

So Bella smiled softly. "It's what the elders want. We should honor that."

Ryan felt a twinge of unease seeing her so understanding.

It was almost too much—her patience, her calm, it didn't feel natural.

But his parents' faces lit up with sudden joy. "That's right."

Ryan still felt off, ready to ask more—when his phone buzzed. He glanced down, and his expression shifted.

Bella, sitting close, caught a peek. It was from Liliana.

"Alpha, a male werewolf just asked for my number. Should I give it to him?"

She counted silently. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

At the third, Ryan shot to his feet. "Sorry, Bella. There's something urgent with the pack—I'll handle it."

Before Bella could even reply, Ryan bolted out the door, leaving his coat behind.

No sooner had he gone than his parents dropped all pretenses, their faces twisted with anger as they started yelling at her.

"If it weren't for Ryan shielding you, you'd have been thrown to the Rogues already!"

"Pathetic little human. If Ryan weren't blind, do you think you'd ever step foot in this house?"

"Can't give us children but still hogging the mate spot—you're a curse to this family!"

From morning all the way to the afternoon, Bella got yelled at nonstop—five whole hours.

It wasn't until evening that Ryan finally showed up to pick her up.

The car glided down the road when Bella suddenly asked, "Did you get everything sorted?"

Ryan blinked in surprise, then said gently, "Yeah, it's all done."

His fingers tapped the steering wheel—an old habit when he was in a good mood.

After her silence stretched on too long, Ryan asked carefully, "Did my parents give you a hard time after I left?"

Bella opened her mouth—but then spotted a pair of ripped, polka-dot stockings under the seat.

Her chest clenched. She knew he'd gone to see Liliana, but she hadn't expected them to hook up right here in his car.

Her mind flashed back to when they first started dating. She had blushed, asking him shyly, "Do werewolves always move so fast?"

He had laughed, pulling her into his arms, his tail brushing her back. "Maybe for others. But with you? I want to take it slow."

So "taking it slow" was only for her.

The man who once swore to be pure with her was shamelessly wild with another.

Bella's eyes stung with tears. "What do you think?" she whispered.

Ryan, clueless that she already knew about him and Liliana, assumed she was crying because of his parents.

He slammed on the brakes, pulled her close, and murmured, "I'm sorry, Bella. It's my fault for leaving you. I swear I'll never let you go through this again."

But trapped in his arms, Bella could barely breathe.

She shoved him away, holding back tears.

"Just drive."

After all, there was no future for them anyway.