Chapter 3

I sat beside Lily's bed, her small hand growing colder in mine despite the fever raging through her tiny body. The antiseptic smell of the hospital room couldn't mask the scent of death approaching. Sarah, my wolf, paced restlessly within me, her maternal instincts driving her to a frenzy of helpless rage.

I closed my eyes, gathering every ounce of strength I had left. This was my final attempt. Our daughter deserved at least this much from her father.

*Marcus,* I projected through our mate bond, no longer pleading but demanding. *Your daughter is dying. She needs your blood NOW. You are her only hope.*

His response came not as words but as a sensation—cold, dismissive indifference washing over me through our bond.

*Tommy needs me here,* he finally replied. *The boy is distressed. Gideon said Lily just has some scratches that will heal naturally.*

I gasped at the blatant lie. *Gideon told you she's dying from toxin in the rogue claws! She needs Alpha blood in the next hour!*

*Rebecca says Tommy shows Alpha potential. The pack's future must be protected.* His tone was final, detached. *I won't lift the security protocols. It's for everyone's safety after the attack.*

The bond went silent as he deliberately erected barriers between us, shutting me out completely.

Sarah howled in anguish, the sound reverberating through my mind with such force that I nearly doubled over. *He has condemned our pup to death!*

Lily's eyelids fluttered, and I leaned closer, brushing damp hair from her forehead. Her skin was gray now, the angry red lines of infection creeping visibly toward her heart.

"I'm here, little moon," I whispered, my voice breaking. "Mama's right here."

Her consciousness flickered weakly, like a candle in a storm. Then, through our mother-daughter bond, I felt her gathering her remaining strength. Her lips didn't move, but her final mind-link spread through the pack bonds like ripples in still water.

*Father...*

One word. One plea. So soft, yet powerful enough to reach every wolf in the territory—except the one who had deliberately shielded himself from her call.

Across the hall, I heard Tommy's laughter, followed by Rebecca's soothing murmurs and Marcus's deep chuckle. The sound cut through me like claws, tearing what remained of my heart to shreds.

Lily's chest rose once more, a shallow, struggling breath. Then stillness.

"No," I whispered, gathering her limp body against my chest. "No, no, no."

I rocked her, my tears falling onto her peaceful face. In that moment, something fundamental changed within me. The dutiful Luna who had endured years of betrayal and humiliation died with her daughter.

"I promise you, my little moon," I whispered against her cooling skin, "they will pay for what they've done to you. No one will ever hurt you again."

As the last words left my lips, Sarah took control. My head tilted back, and from my human throat came the sound of a wolf's howl—raw, primal, and filled with such anguish that the walls seemed to tremble with its force.

The howl rippled through the pack bonds, carrying with it the knowledge that the Alpha's daughter was gone. Throughout the territory, wolves paused, heads bowing in instinctive response to the sound of a mother's grief.

In the corridor, the laughter abruptly ceased.

I laid Lily gently back on the bed, arranging her small hands over her chest. My tears had stopped. In their place was a cold, clear purpose that crystallized with each beat of my broken heart.

Sarah's voice, usually so distinct from my own, now merged with my consciousness in perfect unity: *He chose another woman's son over his own daughter. He will live to regret that choice for every remaining day of his miserable life.*

I smoothed Lily's hair one last time, memorizing every detail of her face. The face I would see in my mind when I destroyed the wolves who had betrayed her.

Outside the room, I heard hurried footsteps approaching—too late. Far too late.