EPISODE 15
Daniel did not return to the den, even though the night had long fallen. The moon hung high in the sky, its silvery glow filtering through the dense canopy of trees. The pack had settled into silence, save for the occasional distant howl that echoed through the night
I did not care. His absence was preferable
Sharing a room with him again was out of the question. I couldn’t trust him, not when I knew what he was capable of if he returned, there was no telling what he might do once I was asleep I had already been betrayed once
I would not give him another chance to do so again.
Instead, I secured myself in one of the quest rooms in the den. The small chamber was rarely used, its wooden walls lined with old furs, the air heavy with the scent of dried herbs, it was safer here
Dr so I thought
As the night deepened, an unease settled over me.
At first, it was subtle, something just slightly off, like an instinct stirring at the back of my mind My body felt heavy, and an odd scent tickled my nose, faint but distinct
Smoky
Unnatural
Tignored it, shifting under the thick blankets. But then, a sharp kick from the cub growing inside me sent a shock through my body, rousing me from my half–sleep. My cub was restless, as if sending the danger I had yet to grasp
Blowly, I opened my eyes.
A shadow loomed at the edge of my vision.
Helen stood beside my bed, her lips curled into a sickeningly sweet smile, a glint of silver in her
Panic surged through me, but when I tried to move, my body refused to respond. My limbs felt leaden, my breathing shallow. My heart pounded against my ribs as realization dawned….
The smoke.
It wasn’t ordinary
It was an incense laced with wolfsbane, a rare mixture that paralyzed anyone who inhaled too much of it. I had been breathing it in for hours without realizing it. That was why my body felt sluggish. That was why I couldn’t move.
Helen chuckled, watching me struggle. She tilted her head, feigning concern. ‘Oh, Maurice. You look so pitiful like this?
My mouth was dry, but I forced out the words. “Why are you doing this?”
Helen’s smile faded, replaced with something sharper. ‘Because I can’t let you give birth to Daniel’s child‘
Her grip on the knife tightened.
“Do you have any idea what these past months have been like for me? Daniel barely looks at me anymore. Ever since you ran away, he’s been obsessed with finding you. He refused to claim m as his mate, refused to let me take my rightful place by his side.”
Her eyes darkened.
“It took me a while, but I finally realized the truth. He’s fallen for you. And he doesn’t even know it.”
A bitter laugh escaped me. “I don’t care about Daniel,” I said, my voice hoarse. “He’s the one wh betrayed me. I was the one cheated on, Helen. So why blame me?”
Helen scoffed, crossing her arms. “Do you think I wanted you to marry him? I would have taker that place myself if I could.”
I frowned. “Then why didn’t you?”
She let out a humorless chuckle. “Because you were always meant to be the Alpha’s mate.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“You don’t even know, do you?” Helen leaned closer, her voice a whisper dripping with malice. “Your bloodline is the only one blessed by the Moon Goddess to produce the next Alpha of this pack. Your mother’s lineage has carried that destiny for generations.”
My mother. The woman who had died giving birth to me. I barely remembered her, only knew the stories others told. But now, a new piece of truth is being forced upon me.
Helen sighed dramatically. “It was infuriating, really. Watching you get all the attention, all the kindness, all because the pack knew that whoever married you would become Alpha. And yet, you were just a deaf girl who could never truly lead. You didn’t deserve it.”
My fists clenched at my sides.
Helen continued, her tone growing colder. “I thought I had won when I met Daniel. He was strong ambitious… the perfect mate. But he needed you to secure his place as Alpha. So I stepped aside, thinking that after the ceremony, he would still be mine. That you would be nothing more
than a vessel.”
A wave of nausea rolled through me. “If my children are meant to be the next Alpha, why are your trying to kill them and eat them? Even if you give birth to a child, it won’t inherit my bloodline.”
Helen’s smile returned, but it was twisted now, filled with something cruel. “Because they’re more useful to me dead.”
My blood turned to ice.
She tapped a finger against my belly.
“You see, your mother and my father were married for power, nothing else. But your father never loved her. He was already in love with another woman, my mother. Well, it is true that my children would never inherit the title.”
Her expression darkened further. “That’s why we found another way.”
My pulse thundered in my ears. “What do you mean?”
She knelt beside me, lowering her voice to a whisper. “Your children are strong. Their blood, their
power, it can be transferred.”
35.00
8:45 pm DDDD
She tilted her head, watching my horror unfold.
“A fetus, especially one blessed by the Moon Goddess, holds immense energy. By consuming it my body is strengthened. It will help me conceive. And with enough-” she smiled sweetly “– can ensure that my child is born as the next Alpha. Of course, the more, the merrier. The better the chances to make it mine.”
I wanted to vomit.
“You’re sick,” I whispered, the realization dawning like a nightmare. “How can you do something like this?!”
Helen nodded, pleased that I had figured it out. “Yes. But we only needed one more to complete
the ritual.”
Terror seized me as she raised the knife, the blade glinting in the dim candlelight.
My breath hitched.
“Don’t worry,” she murmured, pressing the tip to my stomach. “This won’t take long.”
Then, she plunged the knife downward.
