Free Web NovelChapter 3: Chapter 3
Odette hurried down the hallway, anxious to reach the kitchen before Christian woke completely. The last thing she wanted was to give her husband another reason to unleash his temper.
Halfway down the staircase, dizziness struck her without warning.
The world tilted violently.
She grabbed the banister at once, her fingers tightening around the polished wood as nausea rolled through her stomach. Her breathing grew shallow while she fought to steady herself.
The pregnancy was already exhausting her.
Closing her eyes briefly, Odette pressed a trembling hand against her abdomen. Despite the fear constantly haunting her, warmth flickered deep inside her chest.
Her baby. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
For the first time in years, she finally had something to live for beyond surviving Christian Wayne’s cruelty.
Maybe this child was a miracle born from all her silent prayers. Maybe once the baby arrived, Christian would finally see her differently—not as a burden forced upon him, but as the mother of his child.
Perhaps they could become a real family.
Clinging desperately to that fragile hope, Odette forced herself downstairs.
The kitchen was already bustling with servants, though most of them barely concealed their disdain when they looked at her. In every werewolf pack, respect followed power, and since Christian treated his wife like an unwanted obligation, the staff did the same.
Odette ignored them.
She moved quietly through the kitchen, preparing Christian’s breakfast herself exactly the way he preferred it.
Coffee without sugar. Eggs slightly runny. Toast crisp but never burnt.
After years of marriage, she had memorized every detail about him while he remained utterly indifferent to hers.
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the footsteps approaching behind her.
Strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist.
Odette gasped in alarm.
The frying pan slipped from her hand, crashing onto the stove as hot oil splattered across her wrist. Pain burned through her skin instantly, turning it angry red, but she barely noticed.
Revulsion overwhelmed everything else. She shoved the man away violently.
"What the hell are you doing, David?" she snapped, her voice filled with disgust. "I’m your sister-in-law!"
David Wayne merely smirked.
Christian’s stepbrother leaned lazily against the counter, completely unbothered by her outrage. His eyes roamed shamelessly over her body, lingering in ways that made her stomach twist.
Unlike Christian’s cold, controlled menace, David carried a filthier kind of danger—sleazy, predatory, rotten beneath the surface. His wolf was overbearingly shameless.
"Don’t look at me like that, sister-in-law," he drawled with a grin. "My brother may be too blind to appreciate a beautiful woman like you, but I’m not." He stepped closer. "Give me one chance, and I’ll satisfy you far better than he ever could."
Odette recoiled instinctively.
"Stay away from me," she hissed. "Or I’ll scream."
David laughed outright.
"And who exactly is going to believe you?"
Before she could react, he lunged toward her.
Odette let out a frightened cry as he trapped her between the kitchen island and his body. His hand seized her waist while he tried forcing his mouth onto hers.
"Let go of me!"
She struggled wildly, shoving against his chest and striking him with trembling hands, but he barely moved. Panic surged through her when he grabbed a fistful of her hair, forcing her face upward.
Then a cold voice sliced through the kitchen like a blade.
"What the fuck is going on here?"
David jerked back instantly. Fear flashed across his face.
"C-Christian—"
Odette didn’t hesitate. She rushed straight behind Christian, instinctively seeking protection in the shadow of his tall, powerful frame.
For one fleeting second, relief flooded her chest.
Then David spoke.
"I tried to stop her," he said quickly, lowering his head with practiced guilt. "But sister-in-law wouldn’t listen. She started flirting with me first."
Odette stared at him in disbelief.
"What?!" she burst out. "He’s lying!"
David scoffed indignantly. "Why would I lie about my own brother’s wife?"
Stepbrother, Odette corrected bitterly in her mind.
Rage trembled through her body. She wanted to slap the smug expression off his face. But before she could speak again, Christian seized her wrist harshly and yanked her toward him.
The fury blazing in his blue eyes made her blood run cold.
Every explanation died in her throat instantly.
He wouldn’t listen. He had already chosen who to believe.
Christian dragged her upstairs without another word. His grip was merciless, forcing her to stumble after him until they reached their bedroom.
The door slammed shut behind them.
Odette barely had time to steady herself before he threw her onto the bed.
"Wasn’t I enough for you last night?" Christian snarled, locking the door behind him. "You had to throw yourself at my stepbrother too?"
His eyes burned with savage jealousy.
"Such a pathetic whore," he spat. "Always desperate for another man to spread your legs for."
The words shattered something inside her.
Christian was the first man who had ever touched her. The only man she had ever wanted. And still he looked at her as though she disgusted him.
"No... Alpha Wayne, I didn’t—"
"Shut the fuck up." His roar silenced her instantly. "Don’t you dare talk back to me."
Blinded by rage and possessiveness, Christian could believe everyone in the world except his own wife.
Odette’s chest tightened painfully as tears welled in her eyes. She wanted to scream the truth at him—that David had been harassing her for years, that she had never betrayed him, never even looked at another man.
But she knew it wouldn’t matter. Christian’s anger had already condemned her.
As he approached the bed, Odette closed her eyes slowly, silent tears slipping down her cheeks.
Her heart ached. Her soul felt exhausted.
And somewhere deep inside, she silently begged the Moon Goddess to tell her when this suffering would finally end.
Outside the bedroom, Sylvia stood hidden in the corridor, watching everything unfold with satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.
A pleased smile curved across her lips as Christian dragged Odette into their room.
She knew exactly what would happen next. Christian would punish his wife for a crime she never committed.
And that was precisely what Sylvia wanted.
Still smiling faintly, she descended the staircase toward the kitchen. But the moment she entered, her expression tightened when she found David standing there waiting for her.
"What were you thinking?" she hissed sharply. "Have you lost your mind?"
David rolled his eyes carelessly.
"If you want that girl," Sylvia continued coldly, "seduce her properly and keep it hidden. Don’t provoke Christian directly." Her gaze darkened. "You know how ruthless he is. If he ever suspects you touched what belongs to him, he’ll kill you without hesitation."
"Relax, Mother," David said smugly. "I’m smarter than that."
Mother and son exchanged identical calculating smiles.
David was the secret son born from Sylvia’s affair with Adrian Wayne years ago.
Christian’s mother, Cassandra, had never truly abandoned her family the way everyone believed. Sylvia had carefully manipulated events behind the scenes, weaving lies until Adrian became convinced his wife had betrayed him with another man.
Blinded by fury, Adrian murdered Cassandra himself.
Only afterward did he marry Sylvia and bring her into the Wayne family openly.
David, despite being only months younger than Christian, inherited nothing. Christian remained the legitimate heir to the Wayne empire, and the Blood Moon pack, the fortune, the power.
But there was one loophole.
If Christian failed to produce an heir before turning thirty, David could challenge for succession and seize everything.
Which meant Odette’s existence was becoming increasingly inconvenient.
And with every misunderstanding Sylvia planted between husband and wife, the chances grew higher that Christian would either never have a child with Odette... Or destroy her himself before she ever had the chance to give him one.
