Chapter 2

He didn’t just allow Vivian to plant that herb garden near our home; he encouraged it.

A garden filled with wolfsbane, nightshade, and all sorts of poisonous flora. He even let her raise venomous insects there, all under the ridiculous excuse of “contributing to pack medicine.”

Once, after Anna was nearly poisoned again, I stood before him—my daughter limp in my arms, skin clammy, lips blue—and I screamed, “She could’ve died, Brian!”

He didn’t even flinch.

He barely lifted his eyes from his desk, sighing lazily. “Then I’ll have Beta Jared install a fence. If Anna can’t get in, she’ll be fine.”

A fence?

A fence might stop a toddler. But it wouldn’t stop a soul-eating spider.

That day... I saw it happen all over again.

Anna’s body convulsing violently inside that thorn cage, her screams piercing the air as venom raced through her veins.

And me, outside the locked gate, hacking away at the metal with an axe, blood coating my palms, screaming her name until my voice broke.

By the time I got her out, she was already fading.

Her tiny body was twisted in agony, black blood dripping from her mouth and nose.

Her once-bright eyes, those sparkling, mischief-filled eyes, were wide with terror... and filled with unspoken goodbye.

I held her in my arms, my cries shaking the walls.

Begging the pack doctor to do something.

“Please,” I whispered, pressing my lips to her forehead. “Cleanse her spirit. Take away the pain she felt. She was just a little girl…”

As if, by purifying her soul, I could erase what she suffered.

As if maybe—just maybe—she’d nuzzle my cheek with that soft little nose again.

As if I could go back and rewrite it all.

But it was too late.

The pack doctor covered Anna’s tiny frame with evening primrose petals and said gently, “Luna… the purification ceremony is complete. We can proceed to the funeral home now.”

That’s when I noticed—My phone was still on. The call with Alpha Brian never ended.

His voice came through, cold and mocking.

“Linda, are you seriously still putting on this tragic act? Dragging my parents into it too? Talking about funerals now?” He let out a dry laugh. “What next? A eulogy?”

My hands clenched the phone tighter.

“Yes,” I said quietly. “Anna is being taken to the funeral home. If you hurry, you might still see her one last time.”

He scoffed.

“Have you completely lost it? She was bitten by a damn spider. If she were stronger, the venom wouldn’t have killed her. Stop pretending.”

His voice turned sharp, cruel.

“Like mother, like daughter. No wonder she was getting weaker. Cowardly. Always lying.”

Before I could respond, the phone was ripped from my hands.

The old Alpha’s voice thundered through the room.

“You bastard! Are you still with that mistress? Get your ass back here right now!”

Then suddenly—he staggered.

He clutched his chest with one hand and dropped the phone with the other. It shattered on the floor.

“Alpha!” Old Luna cried out, rushing to his side.

But he brushed her off, his voice breaking. “Moon Goddess... what shame have we brought upon our pack? The son we raised with love… now dismisses the death of his own child because that woman is carrying another. That mistress!” He spat the word.

Old Luna’s eyes filled with tears. She turned to me, her voice shaking. “Linda… don’t listen to his cruelty. We only recognize Anna as the bloodline of the Black Hawk Pack.”

Her hands closed around mine. “We’re going home. We’ll throw that woman out ourselves, and make Brian kneel before Anna’s ashes and beg for forgiveness.”

But I shook my head, my heart aching beyond repair.

“No,” I whispered. “There’s no point. His heart has already left. I’m not going to beg for love anymore.”

“I’m tired. It’s time I leave… with my daughter.”

For a moment, they just stared at me. Two broken parents, grieving not just their granddaughter—but the son they thought they knew.

Later that night, we stayed in the funeral home, cloaked in silence, until a staff member handed me a small urn.

Anna’s ashes.

Still warm.

I wrapped my arms around it like I was holding her one last time.

Then, without saying a word, I hailed a cab and went back to what used to be our home.

Her things were still there—her books, her stuffed wolf, her tiny pink slippers. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving any of it behind for Brian. A man who hadn’t even asked how she died.

I pushed open the heavy front door...And was immediately hit with the sound of laughter.

Glasses clinked. Music blared. A dozen voices echoed through the house.

“Congratulations, Alpha Brian! Vivian’s pregnant with the future heir!”