“Sir,” the driver tried again, his tone hesitant. “Perhaps we could wait just a moment. She’ll be clear of the road in a minute. It’s freezing… she’s soaked through. And she’s got a baby with her.”
My grip on the tablet tightened. I forced my breathing steady, swallowing the growl that threatened to rise.
“It’s the rain’s fault, really,” Sophia said with a pout, glancing out the window as if bored. “She’s the one choosing to sweep the street just after a heavy rainfall. It’s not our fault, fate’s just not on her side.”
Sophia turned toward me, softening her voice. “Alpha Declan, it’s not that I don’t feel sorry for her, but…”
“Enough,” I said quietly. “She’s just a street cleaner. Drive.”
The temperature in the car dropped. Even my wolf stilled-watching, waiting.
Sophia blinked, then smiled faintly as if appeased. “I know you’re just worried about being late for the meeting,” she murmured, touching my hand.
I nodded, forcing a calm I didn’t feel. “Exactly.” Then, turning to the driver, my tone turned to ice. “What’s wrong? You didn’t hear me?”
The driver’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, sir.”
He pressed the gas.
The tires splashed through the puddles, sending a cold spray of dirty water up from the street. It hit her with full force.
Through the tinted glass, I saw her flinch. Her body went rigid, trembling as she tried to shield the bundle at her chest. The broom slipped from her numb fingers, clattering onto the wet asphalt. She didn’t even reach for it.
The car sped on. I stared down at the documents in my hand, redirecting my focus.
Evelyn’s POV
“Lana, sweetheart, don’t cry,” I whispered, my voice trembling as I watched the black car disappear down the street. I let out a soft sigh of relief, thankful Declan had not figured out it was me. That had been a very close call.
Thank Goddess I had made it a ritual to take a dose of scent masking potion daily. Even in a large country as this, you never know when you would run into a familiar face.
Lana’s soft cry filled the air as I cradled her.
“Shh… it’s okay,” I murmured, trying to soothe her even more. Her cries shook her whole little body, her fists pressing weakly against me. The sound shredded me from the inside out.
Around us, curious people began to gather, their phones raised like vultures circling a dying deer.
“Check it out-this cleaning lady just got drenched! Hilarious!”
“I’m zooming in for a closer look!”
I instinctively hid my face, not wanting to get captured. It is true that I am currently a shadow of my past self and would be hardly recognizable by anyone but I still didn’t want to take any chances.
Their laughter pricked at my ears, sharp and cruel. My wolf bristled beneath my skin, but Lana’s cries brought me back.
The real blow wasn’t their laughter. It was the echo of my baby’s sobs. It tore through me like claws raking my heart open.
A tear slipped free from my face and splashed onto Lana’s blanket. I hurriedly wiped it away, terrified it might soak through to her skin. My hands were filthy, the grime leaving dark streaks across the fabric. My heart twisted. I couldn’t even hold my own daughter without dirtying her.
Her tiny face was red from crying, and all I could do was hold her tighter, whispering broken apologies into her hair. My knees gave way, and I sank into the puddle, the icy water seeping through my clothes. I didn’t care.
The memory of few seconds ago came flooding back in my mind.
Declan and her. The woman I’d called sister. Sitting together in that car like they belonged to each other.
I’d loved the wrong man, trusted the wrong wolf. And this, this was what love had earned me. A broom, a puddle and the world’s laughter ringing in my ears.
But Lana… my sweet pup. She was innocent. She deserved better than the wreck I’d become.
I pulled her close, hugging her tightly to my chest.
The scarf slipped from my head as I rocked her, exposing my face. I saw the pity flicker in the onlookers’ eyes, those who weren’t laughing anymore. My features might have once turned heads, but the scar down my left cheek told another story now. One of betrayal from people I once considered family.
Just then, a man approached me.
Evelyn’s POV
It was one of the men that had been filming me. I glanced up briefly at him and noticed an expression of pity etched across his face. Seeing the scar on my face must have done that to him.
His phone which he had been filming with was now lowered. “I… I’m sorry,” he muttered, guilt staining his voice. “I was just chasing views…” He shifted awkwardly. “That car was out of line. I can report them if you want.”
I shook my head slowly, my voice raw. “Please,” I whispered, pulling my scarf up again, “just delete the video.”
He blinked, his throat bobbing. “Yeah, yeah, I’m deleting it-look!” He turned the phone to show me the screen, fumbling nervously.
I nodded faintly. “Thank you,” I said, my words barely audible.
My fingers trembled as I picked up the broom, the wooden handle slick beneath my palms. I forced myself to start sweeping again.
Each push of the broom was a battle against exhaustion, against humiliation, against the ache that threatened to consume me whole.
Once this stretch of road was done, I told myself, we’d go. Find somewhere warm. Lana needed food. I couldn’t afCurt to fall apart.
Even if I have to sweep streets for the rest of my life, I thought fiercely, brushing damp hair from my face, I’ll build a future for you, my pup.
I started pushing the cart away, my steps slow but steady.
People’s whispers followed me like the wind.
“She looks so young. What’s she doing cleaning the streets?”
“It is probably a stunt for social media.”
“People will do anything for money these days.”
“Bet that car was staged-she is absolutely an attention seeker.”
I paid them no mind. My wolf stirred weakly inside me, her strength dimmed from hunger and exhaustion-just like mine.
Keep moving, she whispered, her voice faint but firm.
I kept moving, pushing the heavy cleaning cart forward with one hand while holding Lana close to my chest with the other. The metal handle bit into my palm, but I didn’t dare stop.
The cart was too heavy for my small frame, and every step was a battle. My knees trembled as I leaned into the handle, my muscles burning from strain.
Then it happened-one hard jolt from an incoming vehicle on the narrow path hit my cart, causing the wheel to strike a stone. The cart lurched forward.
I stumbled, tightening my hold on Lana. Her tiny body pressed against mine, a fragile heartbeat beneath layers of cloth.
“No-no!” I gasped, lunging to stop the cart.
It tipped. The crash echoed down the empty street as I fell to my knees. Pain tore through me, scraping my skin and pride alike. For a moment, I couldn’t move. The cold seeped into my bones, and shame burned hotter than the sting of my wounds.
But Lana was safe. I checked her immediately, my fingers trembling. She whimpered softly. I could tell she was hungry, tired and a little bit frightened. My heart cracked at the sound.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” I whispered, brushing her cheek with a dirty thumb. “Hang on just a little longer, okay? Mommy will soon be done.”
Lana began to cry again. My wolf whimpered inside me, her instincts clawing to comfort the cub.
I gritted my teeth and grabbed the cart, forcing it upright again. My palms burned as I pushed, my knees shaking. My heart was pounding, and my vision blurred from fatigue.
Behind me, an engine idled. I turned, it was the same car that had perhaps accidentally knocked my cart down. I noticed it had lingered for a moment as though it was watching me. For some reason, the car looked very familiar.
Just then, it sped through a puddle, a wave of dirty water splashed up, dousing me as I struggled to get back on my feet.
I froze as I saw a familiar man seating at the back seat of the car… he was distracted, speaking into a phone. He looked immaculately groomed and poised, radiating authority and exuding an air of untochable confidence.
My pulse quickened. I narrowed my eyes, trying to get a better look through the windshield.
“Did I see that wrong?” I whispered.
Is that really Richard?
A small, bitter laugh escaped me. “No… it couldn’t be.”
But deep down, my wolf stirred uneasily, as though she was sure that was him.
My chest tightened. I’d trusted Richard more than anyone. I’d thought of him as a brother, my confidant when I still had friends, when my world hadn’t crumbled. I’d even told him my deepest secrets, even my feelings for Declan.
Despite the rivalry between him and Declan, I never doubted Richard, not even once.
But everything had changed a year and a half ago when Richard used a confidential document to outsmart Declan, catapulting him to success overnight.
With that move, he secured his family’s approval and transformed from an outcast bastard into their rightful Alpha heir.
Now, he was basking in glory.
Meanwhile, I had plummeted to rock bottom.
For a long time, I had asked myself why.
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