Not Your Second Chance，My daughter and I have found our new spring

I was the Female Alpha of the Stormlands pack. But gave up my position to my brother. All so I could stay by the side of Adrian, the Alpha of the Valley pack, the man I had loved in secret for six years. My brother couldn't bear to watch me wait any longer. On Valentine's Day, he went so far as to slip a potion into Adrian's drink and send him to my bed. When Adrian woke, he refused to accept me as his second-chance mate. But he didn't reject the bond either. He simply agreed to marry me, cold as ice. Shortly after the wedding, he dumped all pack affairs on me and left for five years. I gave birth to our daughter Ivy alone and waited for him to come back. Five years later, I pushed aside an important pack meeting and took Ivy to the airport to pick him up. My daughter reached for him, begging to be held. He glanced down and said flatly, "Sorry. I'm a germaphobe." After that, Ivy and I bathed three times a day. I scrubbed the house until it was spotless as a sterile ward. But he still wouldn't come home, and he never once held either of us. Everything changed when I saw an interview. Someone asked, "Alpha Adrian, when were you happiest?" He smiled carelessly. "Last week, I guess. I put Mia to sleep, then pulled Selena into the bathroom." Selena was the mate who had rejected him. She had run off with another wolf and had Mia. Rumor had it they had been living together for the entire five years he was gone. So the rumors were true all along... That night, I stopped hoping he would ever accept me as his second-chance mate. I decided to take my daughter and leave the Valley for good. I reclaimed my title as Female Alpha of the Stormlands, absorbed the entire Valley pack into my territory, and took my daughter out of his life forever! Chapter 1 On the third afternoon after Adrian's return, the nanny brought Ivy home from the pack kindergarten with her eyes swollen from crying. "Mommy, do I not have a daddy?" Her small shoulders shook with sobs, the words barely making it past her trembling lips. "Daddy promised he'd come to my parent-teacher meeting. He promised. But when the teacher asked who he was, he said he was Mia's daddy. "Everyone called me a liar and said I don't even have a daddy!" I pulled my daughter into my arms, eyes burning, and tried to find an excuse for Adrian. But the words died on my tongue. For the first time, I regretted ever holding on. I had thought that after five years, he was finally coming back to acknowledge me and our daughter. But he only came back because Selena said she wanted to return to the Valley pack. He immediately booked tickets, arranged a house, and enrolled Mia in the pack's best kindergarten. The day we went to the airport, Ivy wore her favorite white dress and clutched my hand tightly. "Mommy, do you think Daddy will like me?" I nodded. "You're his only biological daughter. He loves you very much." But when we rushed to the arrivals hall, hearts full of hope, what we saw was Adrian holding Selena's hand with three-year-old Mia cradled in his arms. Ivy and I both froze. The mate bond sent my wolf into a frenzy, but Adrian looked away. "Sorry." His tone was flat. "I need to take Selena and Mia to their new place first. You two can get home on your own!" He didn't even glance down at Ivy, but his eyes never left Mia. Remembering all of this, I closed my eyes and held my daughter tighter. "I'm sorry, Ivy. Next time, Mommy will be the one at your parent-teacher meeting." I washed her face and finally coaxed her to sleep. But even in her dreams, her little brow was furrowed, and she murmured softly, "Daddy, hold me..." Chapter 2 My heart felt like it was being torn apart. If I had never fallen for him, Ivy might never have had to endure any of this. The whole pack knew what Selena had done to Adrian at the Moon Goddess's altar. She rejected him there and left with another wolf. The betrayal nearly destroyed him. Years later, the Moon Goddess gave him a second fated mate. Me. But he neither accepted nor rejected the bond. He just said he wasn't ready. So I waited. For six years. My brother Noah couldn't stand watching me wait any longer. On Valentine's Day, he slipped a potion into Adrian's drink and locked us in a suite together. When I realized what was happening, I was stunned. "Noah, are you out of your mind?" My brother sighed from the other side of the door. "I've seen his wolf respond to you. He's not indifferent. He just won't let himself move forward." "You can't make this kind of decision for us!" The next second, my temperature spiked and my wolf began to stir. Noah cleared his throat guiltily. "Yours had it too. Whatever you want to yell at me tomorrow morning, I'll take it." The lock clicked shut. After that night, Adrian's face was like stone. "Evelyn, I'll take responsibility. I'll marry you." He still hadn't accepted me, and he never completed the mate mark. And yet, foolishly, I thought happiness was just around the corner. That illusion lasted until I overheard him talking with a friend at a pack gathering. "The Moon Goddess gave you a second fated mate. Evelyn waited for you all these years, and you're still not satisfied?" Adrian swirled his whiskey and let out a cold laugh. "I did have feelings for her once. "But she knew how much I despise being manipulated, and she still let her brother drug me. Every time I think about that night, it makes me sick." Before I could figure out how to explain, he left the pack for the West Coast two weeks later. But that one night had left me with a child. I gave birth to Ivy alone, only for him to come back with Selena and her daughter, looking like a family. The enormous villa was so quiet I could hear nothing but the crackle of the fireplace. I had just pulled out my phone to ask Adrian if he was coming home tonight when the front door swung open. He walked in carrying the sharp scent of cedar, and his gaze swept over the sleeping Ivy. "Mia's coming over tomorrow. Take Ivy out for the day." When I didn't respond, he added, "Mia's possessive. She can't handle another girl calling me Daddy." Chapter 3 The fury I had been swallowing all day finally ignited. I was so angry I almost laughed. "Adrian, do you even remember which one is your biological daughter? "Do you have any idea what happened at the kindergarten tod—" He cut me off with a frown. "I don't need you to remind me. "Selena's former mate left her and Mia a long time ago. Mia needed a parent there today too, and Selena couldn't handle it alone. "Besides, I promised Selena a long time ago that I'd never let her suffer again. "I already married you like you wanted. You can't ask me to abandon them. I owe her that." He tossed his coat aside and headed straight for the bathroom. The sound of running water soon drowned out my crying. If I had known married life would turn out like this, I never would have slept with him that night, even with my wolf spiraling out of control. I stared at the divorce papers I had just drafted on my computer, unable to press send. If it were only me, I would have left long ago. But when I thought of how desperately Ivy wanted her father, I decided to try one more time. I couldn't bear for her to grow up believing her father had abandoned her. The next morning, when Ivy heard that Daddy had come home last night, she leaped out of bed. "I'm going to give Daddy the family picture I drew!" Children forgive so easily. She had already forgotten yesterday's heartbreak. Ivy ran downstairs clutching her drawing, only to find Selena and Mia sitting in the living room. Adrian was peeling an orange for Mia, his expression soft and warm. "Daddy, who are they?" The moment he saw Ivy still home, his brow furrowed. "Why haven't you left? Where's your mother?" His tone scared her, but she still held up the family picture she had spent a whole week drawing. "Ivy drew this. I wanted to wait until Daddy came home so I could give it to you..." The moment she held it out, Mia snatched it from her hands. "That's so ugly!" She ripped the paper in half in front of everyone, then shoved Ivy hard. "He's my daddy! Everyone at kindergarten says you're a bastard with no daddy. Who said you could call him that?" Ivy fell to the floor and burst into tears. I rushed over and helped her up, then turned to Mia, my voice ice-cold. "Apologize." Adrian's brow furrowed. "Evelyn, why are you scaring a child like that?" Without waiting for an answer, he scooped Mia into his arms. "I already told you last night, she doesn't like other girls calling me Daddy. "Mia's just upset. She didn't push Ivy on purpose." I stood my ground. "You saw exactly what she did." I stared at Adrian and asked, each word deliberate, "Adrian, she just called Ivy a bastard to her face. Tell me, is Ivy really a bastard?" Chapter 4 Adrian was silent for a few seconds, then looked down and continued soothing Mia without answering. Selena glanced at me and immediately put on an apologetic smile. "Evelyn, I'm really sorry. Mia grew up on the West Coast. She's always been blunt. She's just a kid. Don't take it personally." The words sounded like an apology but only made Mia smugger. "I'm not wrong! Everyone at kindergarten knows Ivy's a bastard with no daddy. She's the one trying to steal mine!" I clenched my fists and stared coldly at Adrian. He said he was a germaphobe, so Ivy and I scrubbed the house until it was sterile as a hospital ward. He used pack business as an excuse to stay out all night, and I swallowed it every single time. But I would never let anyone humiliate my daughter like this. "Adrian, I'm asking you one more time— "Is Ivy a bastard?" Irritation flickered in Adrian's eyes. He sneered. "You know better than anyone how she came to be. "Enough. This is Mia's first visit here. Don't ruin it for everyone." Selena and Mia exchanged a smug look. Adrian picked Mia up, his voice instantly softening. "How about Daddy takes you shopping for toys?" "I want that Frozen princess dress too!" "Done." His eyes were full of adoration. Watching him walk away, something in my heart went cold for good. The words I had held back countless times finally left my mouth. "Adrian, let's get a divorce." He stopped in his tracks and turned back, his expression cold. "Evelyn, do you think threatening me with divorce is going to make me accept you? "If you think this is going to scare me, then fine. Have it your way." He left with Mia in his arms and didn't look back. A flash of triumph crossed Selena's eyes before she quickly hid it. "I'm really sorry. There's nothing between Adrian and me. He just remembers the promise he made, and he feels bad that Mia doesn't have a father. That's the only reason he looks after us." She reached for my hand, feigning concern. "Don't let something this small come between you two." Before leaving, she saved my number and said she would make it up to Ivy for the drawing. "Selena, let's go." Adrian stood at the door with Mia in his arms and called to her. "Coming!" Selena hurried out with a smile. The door hadn't fully closed, and their voices carried back clearly. "Adrian, Evelyn only said divorce because she was upset. Why did you actually agree?" He let out a mocking laugh. "She gave up her position as Female Alpha of the Stormlands, waited for me for six years, and went through all that trouble to marry me. There's no way she'd actually leave. "She was being too harsh on Mia, so I just taught her a lesson. "Give it a few days, and she'll be begging me to come home, just like before." I couldn't help but scoff. Adrian, people change. The Evelyn who would have given up her life for you is dead. Now, for Ivy's sake, I'm leaving you for good.