Chapter 3

The next morning, Seth was already at the dining table in the main house.

He didn't mention the agreement.

He clearly still thought it was a joke, confident I would never dare to leave.

"To make up for my 'absence' last night," he pushed a small, ornate box across the table. "This is for Leo."

I opened it. Inside lay a silver whistle, gleaming coldly, engraved with the Snow Fang pack crest.

"A silver whistle?" I stared at him, my voice barely a whisper.

"It's not a toy, Viola. It's a test," Seth said, his voice flat. His cold gaze met mine. "Silver is the ultimate test. If he can't overcome a little pain, how will he face a real enemy? He's not worthy of my blood!"

Silver is poison to werewolves.

Especially to a pup who just had his First Howl. Every touch would feel like a thousand needles.

He wanted to use pain to burn the "weakness" out of his own son's blood.

"He just completed the ritual!" I fought to keep my voice down. "He needs guidance and acceptance, not torture!"

"This whistle will remind him," Seth's eyes were like chips of ice, "that the price of weakness is pain. He needs to learn to control it."

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Sarah walked in, followed by her attendants pushing several large suitcases. She saw me in the main dining room and a flash of contempt crossed her face.

"Sorry, am I interrupting?" she said with a sweet smile, but her words were for me. "Healer Viola, the Alpha's kindness is no excuse for letting your child run wild. With Omega blood like his, a firm hand is needed from the start."

She clapped her hands elegantly and gave an order to her staff. "Get rid of all these tribal hangings, and anything that looks like a savage bone carving. This place needs to reflect the taste of the Blackwood pack."

One of her attendants picked up Leo's favorite toy from when he was little—a deer antler he had polished himself—and was about to toss it in a trash bag.

"Don't touch that!" Leo bolted down the stairs, snatched the antler, and glared at Sarah.

Sarah took a dramatic step back, hiding behind Seth. "See, Seth? This is what happens with mixed blood. So emotionally unstable."

"Leo!" Seth snapped. "Apologize to Ms. Blackwood!"

"Why should I?" Leo's chin jutted out. "She was throwing away my stuff!"

"Because starting today, this is her home too," Seth's voice was frigid. "And I say so."

Then he looked at me, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Sarah is moving in. She is this pack's future. Her noble bloodline is... sensitive. I can't have the unstable energy from you and Leo disturbing her."

He paused, then added lightly, "Don't go to the infirmary today. Go pack your things. Take Leo to the guest house for a few days."

I stared at him. "You mean our 'inferior' blood might taint her?"

Seth's jaw tightened. "I'm stating a fact, Viola. Learn your place."

I laughed. The irony was suffocating.

I couldn't look at him anymore. I took Leo's hand.

"Understood," my voice was flat. "We'll pack and leave right away. We won't disturb you."

We were leaving anyway. A day early didn't matter.

Seth seemed stunned that I agreed so quickly. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed it again.

As we walked out of the main house with our small suitcases, we passed Sarah sitting in the living room.

She looked us up and down. "Alpha, are you really going to let this... orphan and his mother stay on the estate? I'm worried their presence will affect the purity of our alliance."

Orphan?

I understood instantly what Seth had told her.

To protect himself, he had called his own son another man's child. An orphan.

I instinctively pulled Leo behind me, shielding him from her gaze.

"He is not—"

Seth cut me off before I could speak. His hand tightened on his own suitcase, not mine.

A flicker of discomfort crossed his face before he smoothed it over for Sarah. "His father was my bravest warrior. He died for me. As Alpha, it is my duty to shelter them. It's a matter of honor."

Honor. What a perfect lie.

I opened my mouth to argue, but my son stepped out from behind me.

He tilted his head back to look at the towering man and spoke with a chilling clarity far beyond his years.

"Thank you for your charity, Alpha Seth."

The words caught in my throat.

I looked at Leo's reddening eyes and his tiny, clenched fists. I forced a small smile.

"Let's go, Leo."

As we walked past, Seth's hand shot out, grabbing my arm.

His eyes were wide, his voice trembling. "What... what did he just say?"

I laughed. It was a broken sound.

"He was thanking you for your 'honor,' Alpha." I pulled my arm away. "Your future Luna is waiting. Let go."

Seth flinched as if struck, and his hand fell away.

I took my son's hand and walked toward the guest house, never looking back.