chapter 2

When Daisy woke up the next morning, she saw Silas walking through the door.

He was wearing a white dress shirt today, which was unusual, and his face carried an easy smile that looked nothing like his typical cold demeanor.

Daisy figured he must be going to see his true love. She'd seen enough documents in his study to notice the pattern. Whenever he had plans to meet her, he made a point of wearing white shirts.

His true love must like the color, so even though Silas normally avoided wearing white, he did it for her anyway.

"Daisy, I've got pack business to handle today, so you'll stay here at the estate like a good girl, alright?"

Silas reached out and stroked her cheek with a smile, and when she lowered her eyes and nodded obediently, he looked satisfied and left.

The moment Daisy confirmed he was really gone, she jumped out of bed and started searching the bedroom for jewelry that was valuable but wouldn't be obviously missed.

If she was going to run away with her boyfriend, she needed to make sure her parents were taken care of first.

They were just ordinary humans, after all, and if her escape got discovered, they'd definitely get caught in the fallout.

Daisy worked quickly, her hands shaking as she gathered up the magic stones, moonstone pearl necklaces, and other expensive items Silas had given her recently. She sorted through them, picked out the easiest ones to carry, packed them in a small box, and shoved it under the bed. Only then did she finally let herself breathe.

At noon, the estate housekeeper knocked on her door as usual and told her to come down for lunch.

Daisy looked at the spread on the table—the same carefully balanced fertility-boosting meals as always—and felt her stomach turn. She had no appetite whatsoever, but she forced herself to sit down and eat anyway.

She'd tried refusing food before, and Silas had threatened her with her parents and then stood over her while she finished every dish on the table.

The discomfort rising in her stomach made her face go pale, and she fought the urge to throw up. But she couldn't let the housekeeper figure out she was pregnant, so she swallowed it down and kept eating.

She managed to finish a piece of bread and was about to rush back to her room to be sick when the housekeeper's voice stopped her.

"Wait, Ms. Rivers."

The housekeeper's tone was flat and neutral. She was an omega werewolf specifically assigned to look after Daisy, and even though nothing was said outright, Daisy knew perfectly well that the woman looked down on her for being human. The housekeeper knew Daisy was just a breeding tool, so she treated her with open contempt most of the time.

Her words came out more like an order than a request. "You haven't had your vegetable juice yet. You need to drink it."

Daisy let out a soft breath, but her stomach was killing her. She shook her head. "Can I have it tonight instead?"

"No. One glass in the morning, one at night. It boosts your immune system and increases the chances of conception."

The housekeeper's expression turned impatient, and her voice went cold. "If you won't cooperate, I'll have to call Beta David and the other betas to help you drink it. Those are Alpha's orders."

Daisy's mind immediately flashed back to the time several large werewolves had held her down and forced the juice down her throat. She went quiet for a moment, then took the glass and downed it in one go.

She was basically a walking baby-making machine now. Everything she did, everything she ate, had been calculated down to the last detail.

If she disobeyed even once, the manor staff would report it straight to Silas, and then she'd face something far worse than what she was already enduring.

The constant suffocating control had pushed her to the edge more than once. She'd thought about ending it all, but she couldn't go through with something that extreme—not when her family depended on her.

Back in the bedroom, Daisy locked the door behind her and rushed to the bathroom to throw up.

She heaved until her head spun and the nausea finally eased, leaving her dizzy and weak.

Daisy slumped against the bathroom floor and pressed a hand to her still-flat stomach, feeling nothing but relief.

Human-werewolf hybrid pregnancies were notoriously fragile, and giving birth carried massive risks for the mother.

Both species watched these cases closely, and after years of tension, humans and werewolves across Norvgard had finally reached a compromise. They'd established a specialized medical center right on the border between their territories, designed specifically to care for women carrying hybrid babies and give them the best possible chance at survival.

Thank God Silas had been tied up with pack business yesterday and hadn't come with her to the appointment.

Otherwise, she'd probably be under constant surveillance right now, monitored every second until the baby was born.

She sat on the cold tile for a few more minutes before she managed to pull herself up using the counter for support.

Once she was back on the bed, Daisy scanned the bedroom carefully, making sure nothing here belonged to her. Only then did her racing heart start to settle.

For the past six months, she'd never once considered giving in to him. She'd been preparing to run from day one, deliberately leaving no trace of herself behind.

But she was terrified of what would happen if she tried to escape and got caught again.

That evening, Daisy was forced through the usual routine before she was finally allowed back to her room.

Around midnight, the bedroom door opened, and she bit down hard on her lip as panic seized her chest. She watched Silas walk toward the bed, each step making her heart pound harder.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Silas reached out and touched her cool cheek, his brows furrowing slightly. He sat down on the bed and pulled her hand out from under the blankets—it was ice cold too.

His voice carried a note of displeasure. "If you're not feeling well, why didn't you say something?"

He started to pull her up. "We're going to see the doctor."

"No need."

Daisy's breathing came unsteady, but she forced down the discomfort and shook her head under his scrutinizing gaze. "I'm really okay. I'm just cold."

The physiological fear her body felt toward a powerful predator was impossible to hide completely, so she did the only thing she could—she lied to his face and hoped he'd believe her.

Silas seemed to accept that she wasn't actually sick, and the tension in his expression eased slightly. His large, warm hand wrapped around hers, and heat flooded through her fingers.

He barely had to try before he'd pulled her thin frame against his chest.

"The housekeeper told me you were being difficult today. Is that true?"

His hot breath washed over her face, carrying the faint scent of cigars as he held her close. She could smell something else on him too—the lingering perfume of another woman.

When his lips found hers, the nausea Daisy had been fighting all day came roaring back. Her mind went blank, and pure instinct took over. She shoved him away with all her strength. "Don't touch me!"