Chapter 5

"Viola!"

Seth's panicked voice echoed behind me. "I didn't mean for that to happen! I didn't know it was so dangerous!"

I didn't stop.

He didn't know?

Did a simple "I didn't know" erase the agony Leo had just endured? From missing his First Howl, to the silver whistle, to this near-fatal "trial," he had justified every cruel act with his twisted philosophy of strength.

I carried Leo back to the guest house.

His body still trembled with aftershocks from the potion, each tremor a whip against my heart.

I laid him on the bed and used the last of my energy to heal him.

Looking at his pale little face, I finally saw the absolute truth.

I used to believe that if Leo was strong enough, if he was perfect, Seth would finally see him. Acknowledge him. Love him.

I was a fool. In Seth's eyes, Leo was never a son who needed love. He was a flawed product that needed to be tested, to prove its worth over and over again.

Seth would never change. His obsession with bloodlines was bone-deep.

If we stayed, Leo would either be destroyed by these "trials," or he would become a cold, ruthless monster just like his father.

I would not let that happen.

The next morning, after confirming Seth and Sarah were in a council meeting, I took a weak but recovering Leo to the sacred altar on the hill behind the manor. This was where generations of Alphas held their most important ceremonies.

"Mommy, what are you doing?" Leo asked, his voice full of worry.

"Ending a mistake," I said, taking the ancient ritual dagger from the altar. The silver blade glinted in the sun.

Without hesitating, I sliced open my palm. Blood dripped onto the ancient runes carved into the stone.

"Before the Moon Goddess, I, Viola Gray, reject Alpha Seth. I sever this bond. Now and forever."

The runes on the stone flared, humming with ancient power.

I felt something deep in my soul being torn away. The invisible bond connecting me to Seth snapped, thread by painful thread. The agony was blinding. I collapsed, gasping for breath, drenched in a cold sweat.

But I was free.

The weight of being trapped, misunderstood, and used... it vanished. I was free.

"Mommy!" Leo rushed to my side, his small hands a source of warmth and strength. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I managed a weak smile, leaning on him to stand. "Better than I've ever been."

I took out my phone and dialed a secure international number.

"It's me, Viola."

"Viola?" A man's voice, warm with surprise and relief. "You finally came to your senses?"

"Adrian," I breathed, my voice shaking. "Is your offer still good? The Royal Pack in Europe, the Healer's Guild... is there still a place for us?"

"Always, my friend. This will always be a safe harbor for you. When are you coming?"

"Now."

Three hours later, at a private airfield.

Leo and I boarded a private jet to Europe.

As he watched the pack lands shrink below us, he asked softly, "Mommy, are we ever coming back?"

"No, sweetie." I squeezed his small, cold hand. I shook my head firmly. "There's nothing left for us there."

The moment the plane lifted off the ground, I felt twelve years of weight finally fall from my shoulders.