Chapter 1
Elowen's POV
The day I risked my life to give birth to my daughter, there was not a single cry in the delivery room.
There was only a note left behind: "This is to pay for the child you killed in Sera's womb. Giving up your own daughter is exactly what you owe her!"
Sera—Seraphine—was my husband Soren’s unforgettable first love, and the legally wedded wife of his older brother.
I used to think that when he broke ties with his entire family to protect me back then, it was out of true love. That was until he gripped my jaw tightly and shattered all my illusions with a cold sneer: "I was just jealous that my brother married Sera. I used you as an excuse to piss off my parents. You’ve always been nothing but a tool."
Seeing through all the lies, I let go of all my obsessions and walked away without looking back...
A glass medicine cup smashed against the wall, splashing yellowish liquid all over me.
"Get away! Don't touch me!" six-year-old Iris screamed.
The medicine dripped from my eyelashes into my bloodshot eyes. Half an hour ago, on the way to the hospital, a severe allergic reaction had sent her into anaphylactic shock and convulsions. To stop her from biting her tongue off, I shoved my hand into her mouth, not letting go even when she bit down to the bone.
She was finally resuscitated, her lips still pale, but the look she gave me was filled with pure hatred.
"You murderer!" Iris grabbed a pillow and threw it at me. "Mama Sera was right, you're a toxic witch! You killed her baby, and now you put almonds in the dessert to kill me too, didn't you!"
My heart felt like it was being twisted by a rusty knife.
The nut tart laced with crushed almonds at Seraphine's birthday banquet was on another table, and it was Seraphine herself who handed it to Iris. But in my daughter's mind, it had become the vicious plot of her own biological mother.
I poured another cup of medicine, walked to the bed, and pinned down her kicking legs and shoulders.
"Drink this," I lowered my voice. "The moment you’re better, I’ll send you right back to Ravenscar Manor. I promise I will never fight Mama Sera for you again. I’m done fighting."
Iris froze for a second, snatched the cup, and gulped it down, fighting the urge to gag.
Half an hour later, holding Iris's hand, I pushed open the doors to Ravenscar Manor. This was the heart of the Duskmoor pack, the territory Soren had built from scratch.
No one knew that hours ago, the star of the banquet, Seraphine, almost killed her niece with a dessert.
The moment the doors opened, the laughter abruptly stopped.
Soren, holding a wine glass, turned sharply, his brows furrowed. Seraphine, who was leaning against him, also froze.
"Mama Sera!" shaking off my bloody hand, Iris threw herself into Seraphine's arms.
"Oh Goddess, my sweet girl, where did you go?" Seraphine hugged her tightly, tears instantly falling.
She looked up at me, her face pale with sorrow and anger, and shrieked, "Elowen! It’s one thing for you to target me normally, but today is my birthday! You’re just jealous of what I have now, taking Iris away during my party. What are you trying to do?"
"What are you talking about?" I clenched my bleeding hand. "Iris had a severe allergic reaction to the almond dessert. I just took her to the ER!"
"Stop lying!" Seraphine held Iris tighter, shaking with sobs. "You murdered my baby out of jealousy back then, and now you purposely sneaked allergens into the dessert to ruin my party! You even used Iris's life to frame me!"
The guests erupted instantly, their disdainful gazes slashing at me like knives.
"How does a lowly Omega dare to fight for favor at the Duskmoor banquet?"
"Soren must have been blind to turn his back on his main family and leave the Ironcrest pack for a crazy bitch like her."
"To even harm her own child... it's sickening."
Cora, the maid standing beside Seraphine, stepped forward and raised her hand to slap my face.
A hand intercepted Cora's wrist in mid-air.
It was Soren.
He threw Cora's hand aside and grabbed my injured wrist. Like dragging a piece of trash, he dragged me into a first-floor lounge.
"Are you out of your damn mind?" Soren turned around, his eyes blazing with fury. "Seraphine treats Iris better than her own! No matter how jealous you are, how could you use such vicious tricks to frame her?"
"Me? Frame her?" I raised my dripping, bloody hand, my eyes bloodshot. "Soren, your own daughter almost died in the ER! Anaphylactic shock, respiratory failure! And where were you? Cutting a cake with that woman!"
"Bullshit!" Soren snapped, his eyes full of disgust. "You always use this pathetic victim act to get pity. You caused Sera's miscarriage, and she was generous enough to forgive you and even raise Iris for you. Is this how you repay her? Pulling this stunt at her birthday party, making me and the entire pack a laughingstock—"
"Soren, let's get a divorce." I looked into his eyes, my voice completely flat.
Soren's words caught in his throat. His irritated pupils suddenly contracted in shock.
