5

LEAH’S POV

Luna Mary stops moving entirely. The color in her face begins to drain away in real time, turning her pale skin a sickly, chalky white under the dim overhead lamps.

Bloodroot ivy isn’t an ordinary herb that one brews for a common cold. It’s a rare, highly controlled plant with thick red veins running through its dark leaves, harvested only under strict pack supervision.

Anyone who studies traditional medicine—as I have done for my entire life while tending to the pack's supplies—knows its primary, dark function.

It’s the most potent, irreversible herbal tonic for abortion known to the wolf packs. A single cup of tea brewed from its roots can strip a female wolf of an unwanted pregnancy within hours, leaving no lingering trace behind.

"What... what did you just say?" Luna Mary asks, her voice cracking slightly, dropping its disgust as her breath catches in her throat.

"Bloodroot ivy," I repeat, my eyes wide, clear, and free of any malice. "It’s a very delicate plant to grow, is it not? It requires specific soil, constant heat, and careful pruning. I was just surprised to learn that Willow was cultivating a fresh batch for you."

Luna Mary stares at me, her chest heaving as her mind wildly searches for answers. I know for a fact she never asked Willow to grow any such thing.

A woman like Luna Mary, obsessed with purity, status, and her reputation as the pristine matriarch of the pack, would never touch such a dark, illegal herb.

"Did... did Willow tell you I asked for that?" Luna Mary whispers, her sharp eyes locking onto mine with a sudden, desperate intensity. "Did she tell you it was for me?"

I shake my head quickly, taking a small, frightened step back as if startled by her intense, frantic tone.

"Oh, no! No, Luna Mary, of course not!" I say softly, quoting her exact words from moments ago back to her with effortless, gentle precision. "As you know... I’m merely a disgraced villainess's daughter. I’m far too insignificant to ever be close enough to Willow to hear such secrets from her. She would never confide in someone like me."

Luna Mary swallows hard, her throat bobbing as her fingers twitch frantically against her skirt. "Then how do you know about it? Speak! How do you know she is growing bloodroot ivy in her greenhouse?!"

I pause, letting a nervous, timid expression wash over my features, twisting my hands together as if I’m scared of having said something horribly wrong.

"It... it happened three days ago," I whisper softly, keeping my voice hushed. "I was sitting near the back fence of the garden, tying together my dried roses, when one of the pack pups came running up to Willow's greenhouse. The child was shouting that Willow needed to come quickly because her bloodroot ivy plants were withering away in the heat."

Luna Mary’s breath hitches loudly in her throat, a sharp gasp cutting through the quiet room.

"I watched Willow run straight out of the main house to save her plants," I continue, keeping my voice light, casual, and utterly innocent. "And... well, I overheard the pup tell Willow that the Alpha’s personal housemaid looked very nervous when she came to collect the last batch earlier that morning. The child said the maid kept checking over her shoulder, begging Willow to hurry because 'the Alpha needed it right away for his private quarters.'"

Every word drops like a heavy, toxic weight into the silence between us.

I watch the exact second the realization hits Luna Mary’s mind. The puzzle pieces connect in her head with devastating, brutal perfection.

Alpha Everest—her powerful, grand, and morally righteous husband—has been having a secret affair with one of the young housemaids living under their very roof.

And to keep his secret mistresses from bearing any bastard wolf that could threaten his precious bloodline and family name, he has been using abortion herbs to scrub his dirty mistakes clean.

And who was supplying those illegal herbs for him?

Willow.

The sweet, innocent, sweet-talking girl Luna Mary just pulled into a warm, loving motherly hug in front of the entire dining hall. The girl who plays the saint, the darling angel of the pack, while secretly helping Everest cover up his dirty, cheating tracks behind his wife's back.

Willow was playing both sides—gaining Everest’s quiet favor by doing his dark bidding, while playing the dutiful, sweet daughter to Luna Mary.

The silence in the kitchen turns suffocating, thick enough to choke on.

Luna Mary’s face loses every single remaining drop of color. Her lips tremble, her sharp posture crumbling as she grips the edge of the granite counter just to keep her knees from buckling beneath her.

Her mind is spinning completely out of control—thinking of her cheating husband, the maid living under her own roof, and her 'preferred' future daughter-in-law who has been actively betraying her while smiling sweetly in her face.

It’s a beautiful, glorious sight.

I take one slow, measured step closer to her, lowering my voice to a gentle, comforting whisper, preparing to drive the knife straight into her bleeding pride.

"Luna Mary?" I ask, my dark green eyes filled with deep, fake concern. "Are you alright? You look so pale... Should I go call Alpha Everest? Perhaps he can help you. Bloodroot ivy can also be used in tiny amounts to treat terminal, deadly illnesses... Is someone in the house sick?"

"No!" Luna Mary screeches softly, her hand snapping out to grab my wrist with frantic strength.

Her grip is cold and shaking violently. Her breath comes in short, ragged gasps as she stares at me with eyes full of sheer, unadulterated panic.

If Everest is called, if he finds out that she knows about his secret maid, his reputation will be tarnished, but her dignity will be destroyed forever. If the pack finds out her favorite golden girl, Willow, was actively aiding the Alpha's infidelity, Luna Mary becomes the greatest fool in the entire territory.

She cannot let anyone know she has uncovered her husband's dirty secret. Not yet. Not like this, in front of a maid or a disgraced omega.