Chapter 3

Three days later, Dad asked us to come home for dinner.

Derrick was waiting at the door early, which was unusual for him. His shirt was crisp and pressed perfectly.

It wasn't until he saw Leah's car that he showed the first smile he'd had in days.

I had just stepped into the living room when I stopped dead.

Four guards stood behind Leah. The one on the far left bent down to pull out a chair for her, his right hand resting on the backrest.

In my previous life, during the last time they forced medicine down my throat, I had bitten that hand and begged him through my tears to let me out. He had pried my teeth apart and poured the rest of the medicine into my mouth.

I instinctively backed away and hit the doorframe.

Derrick impatiently shoved me. "Why are you standing in the way?"

Leah turned around and waved at me with a smile. "Come sit down, Erin."

One of the guards walked toward me.

I raised a hand to stop him, my voice sharper than I had expected. "Don't touch me!"

The living room fell silent. He stopped two steps away, holding nothing but a cup of tea.

Dad's expression darkened. "Erin, Leah's people are just trying to be hospitable. What's with the attitude?"

With my back against the doorframe, I slowly steadied my breathing.

Leah took the tea and held it out to me. "Did Derrick upset you?"

Derrick immediately spoke up in his own defense. "I've barely been home. Who knows what she's throwing a fit about? You should spend more time with your sister."

Leah said it as though she were gently advising him, but the corners of her eyes crinkled with amusement.

I didn't take the tea. I walked around them and sat in the seat closest to the door.

During dinner, Leah had just picked up a piece of roast meat when one of the guards reached out to stop her. "Luna, the physician said you can't eat whatever you want."

Leah's fork froze in midair.

Dad hurriedly asked what was going on.

She set the meat down, her smile slightly stiff. "Kane is worried about my health, so he's having the physician take care of me. He wants us to have an heir as soon as possible."

Another guard opened an insulated food carrier and took out her specially prepared meal and a bottle of medicine.

When the cap came off, the familiar bitter, medicinal smell drifted over. My stomach suddenly lurched violently. I turned away and gagged.

Leah immediately covered her nose. "Erin, how am I supposed to eat with you doing that?"

I wiped away the tears that had been forced from the corners of my eyes with a napkin and looked up at her.

The guard placed a measuring cup beside her.

She hated the bitter taste and tried to put it back. "I'll take it when I get home."

"The Alpha requires you to take it on schedule." He didn't move. Another guard had already taken out his phone, waiting to record it.

Leah pressed her lips together.

Dad urged her from beside me, "Just drink it. Kane is doing this for your own good."

She had no choice but to pick up the measuring cup and swallow it.

The moment the medicine hit her throat, she doubled over, choking and coughing so hard she couldn't suppress the sound.

Derrick got up to bring her some water, but a guard blocked him. "No water for half an hour after taking the medicine."

I remembered those words.

I also remembered kneeling beside the sink, desperately trying to wash the taste out of my mouth with cold water.

The physician had said I needed to rest, but Kane had ordered him to increase the dosage. He feared that waiting would delay the birth of his heir.

Leah's face was bright red from coughing, yet she still straightened her necklace and forced a smile at me. "He's just in too much of a hurry. With so much territory in the Blackrock Pack, someone has to inherit it."

I picked up my own glass of water and slowly took a sip.

Leah stared at the rim of the glass, swallowing hard before placing a hand over her stomach. "Erin, once I give birth to the heir, you'll benefit from it too."

My phone vibrated under the table.

Noah had sent me a photo. The leaking roof of the warehouse had been covered with new wooden boards, and two pups sat by the door, sharing a piece of bread.

I turned off the screen.

Leah leaned toward me. "Erin, what are you looking at?"

"Just finding something to do."

She looked at Derrick, then gave me a pitying look. "A woman who already has a partner and still has to earn her own money. That must be exhausting."

As we were leaving, I heard Leah quietly ask one of the guards if she could take less of her evening medicine. "I've already thrown up twice today."

The guard opened the car door for her. "I'll report it to the Alpha."

She immediately shook her head. "No need. I was just asking."

The car door closed, and she waved at me through the window.

I stood there until the car disappeared down the road, then called Noah. "Get one of the rooms ready for me. Install the lock on the inside."