Chapter 5

The next morning, Daphne woke up with her eyes feeling raw and sour from all the crying she’d done the night before. She buried her face deeper into the pillow, trying to block out the memories that kept rushing in. Those early mornings in her first year here, Storm would quietly slip into her room just to check that the blanket was properly tucked around her so she wouldn’t catch a cold.

A fresh tear slid from the corner of her swollen eyes. She wiped it away quickly. No more tears. If Sadie saw her like this, the doctor would lecture her for hours about how emotional stress could harm the pregnancy. Daphne wasn’t going to let anything hurt her babies.

They needed her to be strong. They needed her to eat, too. She skipped dinner last night because her stomach had been too twisted after that conversation with Storm.

Another tear escaped anyway. She brushed it off with the back of her hand and forced herself out of bed. The kitchen used to be one of her favorite places, right after college classrooms and Storm’s bedroom. It felt like hers in small ways. But it didn’t feel that way today.

Vivi was already there, hovering near the doorway. Instead of her usual bright greeting, she was fidgeting with the hem of her apron.

“Miss Daphne… you’re up.”

Daphne nodded, and headed for the pantry. “I couldn’t sleep much.”

“Should I… should I make you something?” Vivi asked, sounding scared.

Daphne caught the change but pushed past it. “No. I’ll do it myself.”

She reached for the cabinet where she kept her specific spices and ingredients, the ones she’d carefully curated over the years because she and Storm loved them. The shelf was empty.

Daphne stared at the bare wood, then checked the next cabinet, and the next. Everything was gone.

“Vivi,” she said, still facing the shelves. “Where are my things?”

No response came. Daphne turned around to find Vivi looking like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.

“Miss K-Katerina gave orders this morning,” Vivi fiddled nervously with the front of her uniform. “She said your things were just taking up space. That… no one important eats them anymore. She told us to clear it all out and I told her they were yours, but…She insisted.”

“Oh,” that was all Daphne could manage.

She turned back to the counter and gripped the edge, trying to calm herself. It felt like she was slowly being erased from a home that was supposed to feel like hers.

“And the Alpha?” Daphne asked. She’d missed their usual morning coffee together and wondered if he even knew about this change.

Vivi shook her head quickly. “Alpha isn't home. He left early with the… with the future Luna for her check-up.”

Daphne’s hand dropped to her stomach. He should be taking her for check-ups, but he didn’t even know about the twins yet. Until he knew, she would have to go alone.

The sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation. Lady Morwen marched into the kitchen with her assistant trailing behind, both of them looking like they had come ready for battle.

“Good. You’re awake,” Morwen said, skipping any fake pleasantries. “This will be easier while things are still calm.”

Daphne turned slowly. “Is there something else you would like to discuss this morning, Morwen?”

Morwen held out a folder. “Sign it.”

Daphne didn't have to open it to know what it was. Termination papers, again. “I already told you—”

“Storm wants this,” Morwen interrupted. “He’s offering compensation for any damages he might have caused, though I don’t see what damages those would be. But if money is what it takes to buy your cooperation then he’s willing to pay.”

Her assistant stepped forward. “Right below, you’ll see that the Alpha has authorized a payment of over two hundred thousand dollars,”

Daphne opened the file, scanning the extra clauses and benefits. “He approved this? Personally?”

“Of course.”

Daphne closed the folder. “I’ll hear it from him myself.”

Morwen’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You’re only going to embarrass yourself further, but be my guest.”

Daphne was ready to tear the papers just like the last one, but her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out, her breath hitching as she read the notification on the screen.

Deposit Confirmed: TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.

The money had been sent from Storm’s private account, just like the file stated he would.

“So this is what three years was worth,” Daphne whispered, almost dropping the phone to the floor.

Morwen cruelly smiled. “It’s more than you arrived with, and frankly, it's a generous gift for a woman who killed my grandchildren with her weak womb.”

Daphne’s hands started shaking. “How can you say that? I grieved those babies every bit as much as he did.”

“Save your little act for someone who believes it,” Morwen hissed. “I’m glad my son is finally out of your spell and has found his true mate. Sign the papers and find another pack to leech off, or crawl back to your slums if you prefer.” Morwen turned on her heel and left, her assistant hurrying after her.

…….

Later, Daphne sat on a stone bench in the garden, staring at the crumpled note from the clinic.

Storm no longer wanted her here. Why would he? He found his fated mate, a rare wolf who could actually carry his child. In the eyes of the pack, Katerina was practically a goddess now. If Storm knew Daphne was pregnant with twins, he would probably demand to keep the babies and still send her away. Then Katerina would become their mother and that didn’t feel right. It made Daphne feel sick to even think that.

She squeezed the note tightly, then smoothed it out again on her knee. She wouldn’t touch Storm’s money. It meant nothing to her. Her pain couldn’t be bought, and her heart couldn’t be switched off like that.

All she had to do was dial the number on the slip. One call, and she could be taken to a safer place with her children. A fresh start. But that also meant leaving everything behind.

“I can’t,” she whispered. Her heart still belonged to Storm, even if he didn’t care about her feelings.

Staring at the sky, her eyes stung as she searched the clouds like her parents might actually answer from somewhere up there. “Mom… Dad… if you can hear me, what do I do?”

Voices drifted from the other side of the manicured hedge. Two maids, thinking they were alone, were gossiping about her.

“…heard she tried to trap him with those failed pregnancies,”

The taller one scoffed. “Are you surprised? Why else would he go back to Miss Katerina?

“Why do humans always try to overreach?”

Daphne closed her eyes, blocking out the negativity. She didn’t feel the energy to be angry anymore, all she felt was tired.

Evening rushed in and Daphne decided she couldn’t keep waiting. Storm deserved to know about the twins. No matter how much it hurt, he deserved to hear it from her.

Ever since he returned from the clinic with Katerina, he had been conveniently busy, or maybe he was just avoiding her. She searched the entire estate for him. His office was empty. The study, the gym, even the rooftop terrace where he sometimes went to have a drink. He used to smoke there too, but he stopped after she made him quit.

“He’s in the guest wing,” Vivi told her when she found Daphne wandering the halls looking lost.

Daphne forced a nervous smile. “Thank you, Vivi.”

She headed for the staircase, heart pounding harder with every step she took. But when she reached the landing, Katerina was already there, standing elegantly at the top like she had been waiting. She had one hand resting over her stomach as if she wanted to flaunt the life inside her every second of the day.

Daphne considered turning back, but it was too late.