Chapter 3

As I walked out of the mall, I spotted the three of them waiting for an Uber.

When they saw me approaching, William and Sophia instantly stepped in front of Rachel to shield her.

I ignored them and walked to the curb to hail my own ride.

But Rachel smiled and called out, "Claire, do you want a ride? Will ordered an XL."

"No, thank you."

"Don't be polite..." Rachel stepped closer, lowering her voice.

"Did you know? Your kids have already started calling me Mom."

"You are so pathetic. You couldn't keep your mate, and your own kids despise you. If I were you, I’d be too ashamed to stay alive."

Looking at her young, smug face, I couldn't stop myself from raising my hand.

Years ago, when she first came to the pack to sell herbs, I pitied her for being homeless. I used to invite her to dinner, gave her money, and helped her get customers. I never expected her to bite the hand that fed her.

And now, she had the nerve to brag right in my face.

Before my hand could land, William grabbed my wrist. His grip was so tight it felt like he was going to crush my bones.

"Don't you dare touch Rachel!"

"William, do you have any idea what she just said to me?"

I straightened my back and stared directly into his eyes.

"She said you two already call her Mom, and she called me a pathetic loser!"

William froze. A flicker of guilt crossed his face, but he quickly hardened his expression.

"Rachel treats us great! She takes us to the amusement park and buys us gifts. What do you do? All you ever do is nag us about homework!"

Even though I was completely done with them, hearing my own son say those words still felt like a punch to the gut.

Just then, an out-of-control semi-truck came hurtling toward the sidewalk.

In that split second, driven by pure maternal instinct, I reached out to push William out of harm's way.

But instead, he and his sister threw themselves over Rachel to protect her. They even shoved me out of the way, throwing me straight into the road because they thought I was blocking them.

As I crashed onto the asphalt, I heard their panicked screams:

"Mom—!"

...

As my consciousness faded, old memories began to flash before my eyes.

Shortly after I gave birth, Edward used "pack duties" as an excuse to live at the Pack House almost full-time.

Back then, he was just a young, inexperienced Alpha who had newly taken over the pack.

To secure his position, he was never home. When he did return, it was only to sleep before running off again.

At that time, I was still an active warrior in my prime, with a promising career ahead of me.

But because Edward needed a stable home front, I chose to step down, focus on raising our kids, and support him as his Luna.

I thought it was my duty. I thought it was my choice.

Only later did I realize that once you make certain sacrifices, there is no turning back.

When William was little, he got into a nasty fight at school and almost blinded another kid.

The other family was furious and demanded severe punishment.

I had to step in as Luna, using all my connections and resources to smooth things over.

But once word got out, pack members started whispering that I was a terrible mother who enabled her children's bad behavior.

Even Edward blamed me, claiming I had embarrassed him.

When Sophia was young, she was scratched by a rival werewolf’s poisoned claws during a border skirmish. The toxin resisted werewolf healing and slowly corroded the host's veins. When Edward heard the treatment required immense effort, he turned his back, saying it wasn't worth it for a girl. Without hesitation, I went to the pack elders and performed a blood sacrifice ritual, transferring half of the poison from Sophia's body into my own. The toxin had lingered in my body for years, flaring up every full moon, which was why my back injury never fully healed.

When they were small, both kids clung to me.

But somewhere along the way, they slowly began to favor Edward.

Though it broke my heart, I never blamed them.

Until one day, I accidentally overheard them talking to Edward.

"Dad, you've worked so hard. If I had to put up with her for all these years, I would have lost my mind," William had said.

"Dad, you deserve someone better. If you want to reject her, Sophia and I have your back," he continued.

"But before you reject her, make sure you have a plan. Who's going to run the house? At least she keeps the place clean for now."

At that moment, my hands went ice-cold, and a shiver ran down my spine.

It turned out that to the children I sacrificed everything to raise, I was nothing more than a free maid.