Chapter 2

"Wolfsbane? Who dares use that on my daughter?" My father’s voice thundered with rage.

"I'll handle them myself, Dad," I said firmly.

"Fine. The antidote will be ready in three days. I'll send the enforcers to bring you home then."

I hung up with a cold sneer. Three days.

The full moon would be in three days. Once my wolf awakened, I would strip Alexander of every blessing I had ever given him.

The next morning, a commotion erupted outside.

Alexander’s car pulled up. He stepped out, followed by the blonde woman from the photos holding a boy of about five or six.

Sophia and Lucas.

Alexander flashed me a gentle smile, acting as if nothing had happened yesterday.

"Ivy, there's someone I want you to meet," he led the boy toward me. "This is Lucas. I adopted him from the orphanage. I thought... maybe he could be our son."

I looked at the boy. He had Alexander’s green eyes and brown hair. If I didn't know the truth, I might have believed the adoption story.

"And this is Sophia," Alexander gestured to the woman. "She took care of Lucas at the orphanage. I was worried he wouldn't adjust well, so I hired her to help with the transition."

Sophia nodded at me, a polite, practiced smile on her face. "It's an honor to meet you, Luna. I heard about your loss, and I'm so sorry. I'll do my best to help Lucas settle in without disturbing you."

She spoke perfectly. If I didn't know better, I’d think she was a saint.

Suddenly, Lucas looked up at Alexander, his eyes shining. "Daddy, can I live here? It's way bigger than the orphanage!"

Daddy.

The word made Alexander freeze.

Lucas realized his mistake and quickly corrected himself. "I mean... Alpha Alexander."

Too late.

Alexander crouched down, forcing a warm tone. "Of course you can live here. And you don't need to call me Alpha. Just call me Dad."

He looked up at me nervously. "Ivy, I know this is sudden. But seeing you in so much pain over Ethan... I thought Lucas could fill the void. We can love him like our own."

I watched his pathetic performance.

"You think a stranger's kid can replace my dead son?" I asked flatly.

Panic flickered in Alexander's eyes. "No, that's not what I meant. No one can replace Ethan. I just... I didn't want you to be lonely."

"How thoughtful," I scoffed. "And you brought a nanny, too. You really thought of everything."

Sophia’s smile stiffened. "Luna, I understand your grief. If my presence bothers you, I can stay in the staff quarters."

"No need," I looked at her fake face. "Since Alexander arranged it, stay here."

The pack wouldn't exist in two days anyway. It didn't matter where she slept.

Lucas clapped his hands. "Yay! Can I see my room?"

"Go ahead," Alexander nodded. "Explore the whole house."

I watched Lucas skip up the stairs, hatred bubbling in my chest.

Moments later, a shrill voice echoed from upstairs.

"What an ugly thing! So unlucky!"

My heart dropped. That came from Ethan's room.

I ran upstairs and pushed open the door.

Lucas was standing by Ethan's bed, holding a wolf-tooth necklace. It was Ethan's most treasured possession; he believed it made him brave.

"Put that down!" I lunged at Lucas.

Lucas gave me a sly grin, deliberately dropped the necklace, and stomped on it.

Snap. The tooth shattered.

"Dead people's stuff is bad luck!" Lucas gloated. "This is my room now!"

Blind rage took over. I shoved Lucas aside and dropped to my knees, trying to gather the fragments.

"Ethan... I'm sorry... Mommy couldn't protect your treasure..." Tears streamed down my face.

Sophia rushed in, scooped up Lucas, and let out a piercing scream.

"Help! She's trying to kill Lucas!"

Alexander stormed in. He saw Lucas on the floor, Sophia crying, and me clutching the broken necklace. His face went dark.

"Ivy! What are you doing?"

I looked up, eyes burning with hate. "He broke Ethan's necklace on purpose!"

"I didn't!" Lucas cried immediately, fake tears filling his eyes. "I just wanted to see the pretty necklace, but the Luna pushed me! I fell and dropped it..."

Disappointment and anger filled Alexander's gaze.

"Enough!" he roared. "Ivy, you've gone too far! Lucas is just a child. He just lost his friends at the orphanage and came to a strange place. How could you treat him like this?"

"I didn't—"

Slap!

The sound echoed through the room.

The force of Alexander's hand sent me to the floor. My cheek burned.

"You disappoint me," Alexander glared down at me with disgust. "When did you become so vicious? Are you so jealous that you'd hurt an innocent child?"

I held my cheek, staring at him with cold detachment.

Sophia held Lucas tight, feigning worry, but I caught the smirk she couldn't quite hide.

"Forget it, Alexander," she whispered. "Maybe we shouldn't stay. I can take Lucas away before..."

"No!" Alexander turned to her. "You don't need to leave. You did nothing wrong."

He reached out to help me up, but I flinched away.

As they walked out, I heard Sophia’s sobbing voice from the hallway.

"Alexander, I'm really worried. If Ivy hates Lucas this much... I'm afraid she'll actually hurt him. After all..." she paused for effect, "Lucas is the heir now. If something happens to him..."

"It won't," Alexander vowed. "I won't let anyone hurt Lucas."