chapter 1

I dialed the Elders' Council's number. Forcing myself to keep my voice steady, I said, "I'm willing to leave Kieran Wolfe. But I have one condition: I want you to send me somewhere he'll never find me."

On the other end, Elder Lucian Pearce let out a satisfied laugh. "If only you had been this sensible sooner. Spending one night in the cold storage truly showed you your place. A human like you was never worthy of our noble Alpha bloodline."

His voice dripped with contempt as he said, "On the night of the full moon in ten days, we'll arrange everything to send you away. And when that time comes, you'd better never show your face in front of Kieran again."

The call ended abruptly, and I leaned against the mansion's cold wall.

In the main hall, Kieran had shifted into his massive wolf form and was gently letting his daughter, Tyra Wolfe, tug at his thick fur. Cecelia was curled against his warm belly, smiling with tender satisfaction.

The perfect family of three looked so blissfully happy together.

The sight hit me like a bullet to the chest.

"Ms. George, you're back?" Cecelia Donati noticed me first and immediately sat up with alert eyes. She instinctively pulled Tyra behind her protectively.

Kieran almost reflexively shifted back to human form and handed Tyra to a servant to take upstairs. Their wary looks cut into me like knives.

The man who once said, "I'll only acknowledge pups that come from your belly," now watched me like I was a murderer.

After Tyra was taken away, Kieran approached and reached out to check my frostbitten body. He asked, "You're back. Did you get hurt in the cold storage?"

As I looked at this man who had once taken 99 lashes for me, my heart ached with bitterness as I turned away from his touch.

He frowned slightly. "Elise George, given last night's situation, the more I defended you, the harsher the Elders' punishment would have been. With your human body, they might have even executed you…

"We're leaving soon anyway, and I don't want any more complications. Also, Tyra is innocent. Why would you..."

"I told you, it wasn't me," I growled, my eyes burning with tears. "Wolfsbane is a deadly poison. How could I possibly use something like that to hurt anyone?"

Kieran seemed startled by my intense reaction and paused before softening his tone. "Alright, fine. It doesn't matter now. Tyra is fine now."

His dismissive words felt like ice picks stabbing into my heart.

He still did not believe me.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, Cecelia approached while rubbing her slightly rounded belly. "Ms. George, I owe you an apology, too. I was too panicked at the time. You're not a wolf, so you probably don't understand a mother's instinct to protect her pup."

She raised her hand to brush her hair back, and the delicate crystal bracelet on her wrist glowed with a soft luster.

My eyes widened as I grabbed her wrist. "Where did you get this bracelet?!"

"I gave it to her. Cecelia likes antique pieces," Kieran said matter-of-factly as he pulled my hand away.

He said, "Consider it your apology gift to her. Besides, it's just a bracelet."

My voice trembled with rage. "This is the only thing my mother left me! How could you give it away? You know how much it means to me!"

I reached to snatch the bracelet back, but Cecelia suddenly staggered backward and clutched her stomach in apparent pain. She moaned weakly, "My belly..."

Kieran immediately shoved me away roughly, his eyes turning frighteningly cold. "Elise! She's carrying my pup! Haven't you caused enough trouble?!"

He was so strong that I crashed hard into the bookshelf behind me. My head struck against it heavily, and warm blood immediately began trickling down my neck.

Yet, Kieran did not even look back as he swept Cecelia into his arms and rushed out.

"Kieran..." Cecelia sobbed weakly against his chest. "Will our pup...be okay?"

"Don't be afraid. I'm here," he replied, his voice tenderly reassuring, each word piercing my ears. "You'll be fine, and so will the pup."