Chapter 5

A guard immediately stepped forward, picked up Stella from the ground, and walked toward Wendy.

"What are you doing! Put her down!" Miles tried to get up and grab her, but was pinned down firmly by another guard.

Hearing the commotion, Marcella, driven by a mother's instinct, miraculously managed to open her eyes just a crack.

She saw the guard hand her Stella over to Wendy.

Wendy looked down at Marcella on the ground, a victorious smile curling at the corner of her mouth.

Vincent's cold voice rang out, "From today on, this child will be raised by Wendy."

Marcella's mind went blank, and a buzzing sound filled it.

Raised by Wendy.

That devil who had thrown Stella down with her own hands, that vicious bitch who had tampered with the genetic report, was now her daughter's guardian?

"No..." Marcella found strength from somewhere, clawing at the ice on the ground, crawling forward inch by inch, leaving a trail of blood behind her.

"Stella... give Stella back to me..."

Wendy's sharp nails silently dug into the tender flesh under Stella's armpit and twisted hard.

Stella's whole body jolted from the pain, snapping awake.

"Waaah—" Crying echoed across the terrace. Stella's eyes flew open as she pushed against Wendy with all her might.

A flash of cruelty crossed Wendy's eyes as her nails dug into the girl's arm again, though her face showed hurt and helplessness: "Stella, be good, mommy's got you, don't be scared."

The stabbing pain made Stella cry even harder, dark red blood flowing from her nose and covering half her face.

"Shut up, you're too loud." Vincent's brow furrowed tightly as he roughly grabbed Stella from Wendy's arms, lifting her up in the air with one hand.

Stella's thin frame dangled in mid-air.

Her wide eyes met the man's disgusted ice-blue gaze, and she trembled all over in fear.

"Cry again and I'll kill you."

Stella forced all her crying back down, staring in shock at the somewhat familiar man before her.

He looked like the daddy from the videos mommy had shown her.

But why would daddy want to kill her?

Stella's nose stung, and big tears rolled down her cheeks again.

Was it because Stella wasn't good, because Stella was sick, that daddy hated her?

She looked at her mommy on the ground, calling out weakly: "Mommy..."

This call made Marcella's whole body shake violently, a tearing pain spreading through her chest.

"Vincent, let's go home..." Wendy reached out and gently placed her hand on Vincent's forearm, "The wind is too strong, I'm so cold."

Upon hearing Wendy's words, the violent energy around Vincent subsided slightly.

He casually flicked his wrist back, throwing Stella to the ground.

A dull thud.

The little girl's small body crashed onto the cold ground, the huge impact making her cough up mouthful after mouthful of bloody foam.

Vincent turned around, took off his black coat, and carefully draped it over Wendy's shoulders, completely blocking out the wind and snow.

"Alright, let's go home." Vincent put his arm around Wendy and ordered the guards standing by: "Bring that thing on the ground. From today on, she's Wendy's plaything. Whether she lives or dies, whether she's beaten or scolded, it's all up to Wendy."

"No—!" Marcella finally crawled to Vincent's feet, struggling to lift her head. "You can't take her away..."

"She's sick... she has Lycanthropic Decay..."

"Vincent, I'm begging you, take my life if you want, give Wendy everything I have! Just leave Stella... she'll die without hospital care!"

Vincent looked down from above at this pathetic woman at his feet.

The Marcella who used to be proud and stubborn in front of him was now crawling at his feet like a dog, begging, all for an illegitimate child she had with someone else.

"Lycanthropic Decay?" Vincent laughed coldly. "An illegitimate child who hasn't even awakened her wolf form, also gets Lycanthropic Decay? This genetic defect unique only to high-ranking pureblood lycans. Do you think you can fool me with a mere lie?"

Marcella's whole body convulsed in pain.

She laughed bitterly, laughing until her mouth was full of bloody foam.

Stella had this terminal illness precisely because she inherited Vincent the Blackflame War Wolf's dominant genes, but couldn't get enough power and nutrients in her womb at the time.

This ironclad proof of their blood connection had now become his reason to mock her!

"It's not a lie... she really is your biological child!"

"You dare bring this up again!" The fury in Vincent's eyes exploded instantly.

He suddenly pulled back his leg and kicked Marcella hard, the tremendous force sending her flying.

Miles' eyes were bloodshot, the Northwind Wolf's pressure burst forth, throwing the two guards holding him to the ground.

He flew forward and caught Marcella in his arms: "Vincent, you madman! If you keep being so stubborn, you'll regret it for the rest of your life!"

Vincent looked coldly at the two people holding each other, feeling a tightness in his chest.

"Marcella, get this straight. This illegitimate child not being thrown to the wild beasts in the back mountain is already a huge mercy!"

He tightened his arm around Wendy's shoulder and turned toward the stairway.

"Since Wendy is willing to raise this illegitimate child, you should be grateful."

The guard carried Stella, following them closely.

Stella's little head hung limply, already unconscious.

The cold wind carried large snowflakes, pounding mercilessly on Marcella's blood-covered face.

Her daughter had just been taken away like that.

"Stella..." Marcella opened her cracked lips but couldn't make a sound.

Her eyes stared fixedly in the direction they had left, the light in them gradually fading until it turned into complete emptiness.

"Marcella! Marcella look at me! Don't sleep! Please don't sleep!" Miles frantically tried to stop the blood gushing from her chest with his hands, fumbling to pull out the emergency healing potion he always carried from inside his coat.

But her body was already covered in wounds, this bit of healing power couldn't help at all.

Marcella showed no response.

Her right hand was shattered, her left hand disabled, her ribs all broken.

But all this physical pain couldn't compare to the pain in her heart.

The roaring in her ears gradually faded away.

In a daze, Marcella smelled the scent of Darkwood Forest.

That was the pack's forbidden zone of death.

Right after she was born, she had been wrapped in a torn cloth and thrown into that dense forest that never saw daylight.

All around were wild beasts violent enough to tear apart adult werewolves.