Chapter 2

A sharp voice sliced through the crowd, instantly silencing the room, and Alpha Nathan abruptly ended his tirade against me. Seth Richards, the Beta of the Blue Moon Pack, stepped forward, cradling a bundle of bones in his hands. The atmosphere grew thick, suffocating, as every wolf in the room held their breath, too terrified to make a sound.

When Nathan's gaze landed on the bones, he froze, as if struck by an invisible force. His body tensed, his face contorting with emotions I couldn’t decipher—rage, disbelief, maybe even fear. I lunged forward, clutching the bones protectively to my chest, my tiny hands trembling uncontrollably.

'Get away!' I screamed, my voice shaking but fierce. 'Don’t touch my mom!'

Nathan’s hand shot out, gripping my neck and lifting me off the ground. His hold was unyielding, his Alpha aura pressing down on me like a crushing weight. 'Whose bones are these, huh?' he growled, his voice low and menacing, the Alpha tone sending chills down my spine.

Tears streamed down my face, but I forced the words out, my voice barely a whisper. 'It’s Mom... it’s my mom.'

'Stop lying!' he roared, shaking me like a ragdoll. 'How could these possibly belong to her?' He sneered, his lips curling in disgust. 'Oh, I see now. Frances has taught you to deceive me like this.'

With a cruel laugh, he tossed me aside, sending me sprawling onto the cold stone floor. I hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of me. But I scrambled back to the bones, clutching them tightly as if they were the only thing keeping me sane.

'Who pulled this stunt?' Nathan bellowed, his voice echoing through the basement. 'Who let Frances out and went to such absurd lengths to trick me with this?' He raised his foot and brought it down hard on the skull, crushing it into dust beneath his boot.

I watched in horror as he ground the remains beneath his heel, my heart breaking with every cruel stomp. My wolf whimpered inside me, a faint, distant presence, but I pushed it away. I couldn’t let myself fall apart—not now.

'Do you hate me that much?' I whispered, my voice trembling as I gathered the scattered bones with my bloodied hands. 'Why, why would you do this to me?'

The basement was eerily silent except for my sobs, which echoed off the cold, damp walls. I worked quickly, gathering the pieces of my mother’s remains, my small hands stained with blood and dust.

'Dad,' I choked out, my voice barely audible. 'I’m not lying. Mom died three years ago, and this is her.'

Nathan’s foot came down hard on my hand, the pain shooting up my arm like fire. 'Don’t call me Dad,' he snapped, his voice dripping with venom. 'You’re not worthy, you wretched child.'

I looked up at him, my vision blurred by tears, and for a moment, I couldn’t believe this was the same man who had once been my father. The same man who had held me in his arms as a baby, his face lit up with pride and joy.

We had been a family once—him, Mom, and me. I remembered the stories Mom told me about how they were childhood sweethearts, how they’d mated right after college, and how I was born the following year. When I was born, Nathan had been so happy, running through the packhouse with me in his arms, showing me off to everyone.

But everything changed when Jasmine came back.

She was the sister of one of Nathan’s old friends, a rogue werewolf who’d died years ago. At first, Nathan said he had a duty to care for her because of his friend’s dying wish. But soon, his visits to Jasmine became more frequent, and Mom and I were left alone more and more often.

Eventually, because Jasmine claimed she was afraid of the dark, Nathan brought her into our packhouse—as a foster sister, he said, but really, she was just his mistress. I remembered the look on Mom’s face when Jasmine first walked in, her belly swollen with Trey.

Mom had wanted to leave then, to sever the mate bond and take me with her. But Nathan refused. He believed Jasmine’s lies about Mom’s supposed infidelity, doubted I was his daughter, and locked us both in the basement.

Now, as I watched him call me a wretched child, rage burned inside me. I wanted to scream, to lash out, to make him feel even a fraction of the pain he’d caused. But I was just a child, small and weak, with no power to fight back.

Nathan’s foot came down again, this time on the bones I was trying to gather. Shards of bone pierced my palm, blood pooling on the ground beneath me. The basement, already filled with the stench of decay, now reeked of blood.

Nathan stepped back, covering his nose in disgust. 'Take her away,' he ordered, his voice cold and devoid of emotion. 'In 24 hours, if Frances doesn’t show herself, I’ll slice up this wretched child and feed her to the wolves.'

His warriors moved to obey, their hands rough as they grabbed me. I struggled, but it was no use. I was just a child, powerless against the Alpha’s command.

As they dragged me away, I clutched the bones to my chest, my heart aching with loss and fear. My mother was gone, and my father was a monster. I was alone, trapped in a world that had no place for me.

But even as despair threatened to consume me, a small spark of defiance burned inside. I would survive this. I had to. For my mother, for myself, and for the pack I would one day lead.