Chapter 4
Jacob’s expression was stormy, his entire body radiating fury.
“Bella, whose bastard is this? Who did you sleep with behind my back? If you don’t tell me the truth right now, I’ll kill this mongrel myself.”
Our father, pale with fear, rushed to intervene. “Jacob, calm down. This must be some kind of misunderstanding. Bella loves you so much. How could she possibly betray you?”
Encouraged by Father’s support, Bella quickly brought the child to Jacob, her voice soft and coaxing. “Look, he looks just like you -his eyes are identical.”
Jacob coldly took the red pup from her arms. The small wolf pup, who had been sleeping soundly, burst into loud, terrified wails the moment it saw Jacob’s face.
That heart-wrenching cry stabbed through me like a knife, evoking the memory of Tristan screaming in the fire in my past life.
Pain seized my chest. I could barely breathe. My brows furrowed tightly..
Draco noticed my discomfort and gently covered my ears, mistaking my distress for a dislike of a child’s crying.
“Filthy mutt!” Jacob cursed, raising the red pup high above his head, then suddenly hurled it toward the ground with all his strength.
Draco and I lunged at the same time. In the end, the little red pup landed safely in Draco’s arms.
No matter how much I wanted to destroy Bella and Jacob, the pup was innocent.
Everyone in the hall was stunned.
Especially Bella. Her face went ghostly pale, and she trembled uncontrollably. “Jacob… how could you be so cruel?”
Jacob looked at her with none of the affection he once had.
“Bella, the wolf clan values loyalty and devotion to our mates. You betrayed me clearly. What right do you have to accuse me of cruelty?”
If there was one redeeming quality about Jacob, it was his unwavering loyalty. In our past life, even after I failed to conceive for six months, he never considered taking another mate. He just tortured me to vent his frustration.
I wondered now if Bella would be able to endure that same “devotion.”
The argument between them exploded in the hall. Bella insisted she had never cheated, while Jacob refused to acknowledge the red pup as his own.
Our father, completely at a loss, turned to me. “Clarice, what do you think?”
What did I think? This pup wasn’t even mine. I only came here for the show. I had no intention of getting involved.
Draco stepped in calmly. “I’ve heard that the phoenix clan possesses a bloodline recognition technique. Since the wolves and phoenixes have always been close, why not invite them to verify the child’s parentage?”
Bella immediately rejected the idea.
“No! This is my and Jacob’s child. We don’t need the phoenix clan to confirm anything!”
But Jacob nodded coldly. “We’ll do as he says.”
News of the phoenix clan’s involvement spread like wildfire. People were already curious about the wolf clan’s newborn half- beast, and three days later, crowds flocked to the wolf clan’s domain to watch the ritual.
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Under the phoenix’s spell, five crimson marks flew from the red pup’s forehead. One mark landed on Jacob’s hand, and the other four shot off toward various residences within the wolf clan territory.
“You are… one of the child’s fathers,” the phoenix priest declared solemnly.
A ripple of gasps swept through the hall.
“What do you mean ‘one of’ the fathers? You mean this pup has multiple dads?!”
“But the pup clearly carries red wolf blood. Jacob is a purebred white wolf!”
“Bella really knows how to have fun. With a personality like that, she should’ve married into the fox clan instead!”
I stood in the crowd with Draco, protected within his arms. Hearing the murmurs around us, I nearly laughed out loud.
I had always wondered how Bella managed to get pregnant. Now that the truth was out about the pup having multiple fathers, it all made sense.
Bella had likely sought out several lovers within the wolf clan to increase her chances of conceiving. A shotgun fertility gamble.
But she hadn’t accounted for one red wolf with particularly dominant genes-unintentionally exposing her plan.
Was she clever or just reckless? If she wanted to take that kind of risk, why not stick to white wolves? Why go and add a red wolf to the mix?
Jacob’s expression was black as thunder. His fists clenched tightly, and he shouted at the servants, “Bring me every wolf in the clan who bears that same crimson mark!”
Soon, four wolf beastmen were brought in. Three of them were white wolves, one was a red wolf.
When I saw the red wolf’s face, even I couldn’t help but let out a sigh. That seductive beauty could rival anyone from the fox clan.
Bella had always been obsessed with appearances. No wonder she risked everything for a night with him.
Jacob stared at the four beastmen-none of whom denied their involvement—and completely lost his temper. “You stood before me and swore you’d bear me a child, and this is how you repaid me?”
Bella rose to her feet, still clutching the baby. She wiped her eyes and sniffled dramatically.
“If you hadn’t been whispering in my ear every day about how badly you wanted a child, I wouldn’t have had to take such desperate measures! If you weren’t so useless, would this child look like a red wolf?”
Her voice grew increasingly self-righteous.
“And didn’t the phoenix just say the child is yours? Isn’t that enough? The next ruler of the alliance will still come from the wolf clan. Why are you blaming me? You should be grateful!”
At her words, the leaders of the fox and dragon clans stepped forward from the crowd.
