Chapter 1

The doors to the VIP delivery suite burst open as I slammed into them.

I landed on all fours without missing a beat, a low rumble vibrating in my throat as my sharp gaze swept across the room.

Propped weakly against the hospital bed was Victoria Sterling, eldest daughter of the Sterling family—the girl I'd protected for the past twelve years.

Her face was pale, her forehead clammy with sweat as she struggled to catch her breath.

Standing beside her was her husband, Ethan Caldwell, cradling a baby girl in his arms.

"You did great, sweetheart. Look at our daughter. She has your eyes." His voice was so gentle it practically dripped with affection, his eyes glistening with emotion.

Beside the bed stood Victoria's best friend of eight years, Cassandra Brooks. Dabbing away Victoria's sweat with a tissue, she smiled warmly.

"Victoria, your dream finally came true. She's practically your twin. She's going to grow into a heartbreaker just like her mom."

Victoria gazed lovingly at the baby, her eyes overflowing with the tenderness of a new mother. Her trembling hand slowly reached out, eager to stroke her daughter's tiny cheek.

Then the vicious baby voice echoed through my mind again.

[Touch me? Don't you dare touch me, you idiot!]

[Once I grow up, I'll pull your oxygen tube and transfer every last penny of your multibillion-dollar fortune to my mom!]

Every strand of fur on my body bristled upright, and my tail puffed out like a bottlebrush.

This little brat looked perfectly innocent in Ethan's arms, but inside, she was pure venom.

[Someone... please save me...]

[It's so dark... so cold... Something's stabbing my back... It hurts...]

I whipped my head toward the voice.

The weak cries were coming from the corner of the room where a stainless-steel cart overflowing with medical waste stood.

Stuffed into the bottom shelf was a bulging black garbage bag. The voice was coming from inside it.

Inside that bag was the real Sterling heiress. I'd guarded her for the past ten months, purring to her through her mother's belly every single day.

My claws scraped across the tile floor with a harsh screech.

[Damn it! You've been living off the Sterlings, and now you have the nerve to steal their daughter?]

[You're about to find out why cats have claws!]

I sprang over the hospital bed and launched myself at the black plastic bag.

Riiip!

My claws tore straight through the outer layer.

"Ahhh! The cat's gone crazy!" Martha Douglas, one of the maternity attendants, shrieked and stumbled backward.

Ethan's expression changed instantly. Instinctively, he hugged the fake heiress tighter and retreated.

"Victoria! What's gotten into Marmalade? Isn't he always the sweetest cat? Get him out of here before he scratches the baby!"

Cassandra hurried in front of the hospital bed, putting herself between Victoria and me. "Victoria, cats are covered in germs! Did he eat something filthy outside? Maybe he's gone feral from the stress.

"Security! Somebody get this crazy cat out of here!"

Two security guards rushed into the room and reached for the loose skin at the back of my neck.

I twisted away with feline agility and slashed at them with a backhand swipe.

"Hiss!"

One guard cried out in pain, jerking his hand back.

I planted myself squarely on top of the garbage bag, a deep, threatening growl rumbling from my chest.

Anyone who touched this bag was getting their throat ripped out.

[Cat God, did you come to save me? I… can't breathe...]

The tiny voice was growing weaker.

I frantically clawed at the opening, trying to bite through the knot sealing the bag shut.

"Stop!" Victoria's cold voice suddenly rang through the room.

Ignoring her exhaustion, she braced herself against the bed and forced herself upright. Her gaze swept past everyone before locking onto me.

"Marmalade has been with me for twelve years. He has never lashed out without a reason. He's trying to get into that bag..."

Her gaze slowly shifted to the torn black garbage bag.

"What is inside it?"