The Wrong Baby

I had just sent my son away and stepped into the Luna's courtyard when a sickening crack exploded beside me.

Crunch.

A baby, wrapped tightly in a swaddle, slammed onto the frozen stone courtyard below the longhouse.

I stood frozen, then slowly looked up.

On the second floor, my niece shot me a smirk before turning and running away.

I didn't dare look at the body. Not because I didn't care. Because if it was Nico, I would shatter. And I needed to stay whole long enough to make Raven pay.

My mate and the Luna rushed out after hearing the noise.

The moment the Luna saw what had happened, she screamed. Her legs nearly gave out beneath her.

My mate walked over shakily and glanced at the baby.

"Selene," he said, his voice trembling. "The pup… the pup isn't breathing."

My claws dug into my palms. Blood dripped onto the snow.

I didn't even look.

I turned and charged straight up the stairs to the second floor.

My niece had locked herself inside her den.

I kicked the door hard. My wolf surged beneath my skin, begging to come out.

"Raven Blackwood, open the door! Who did you throw out that window?"

There was no answer from inside the den.

But I could hear my niece laughing with her friends.

"Raven, what if they call the pack enforcers? My mom won't punish me, right?"

"She won't. It's not like we meant to do it. Besides, the enforcers don't arrest pups."

Their fearless words stabbed into my ears like claws.

I started shaking uncontrollably. A low growl rumbled deep in my chest.

I threw all my strength into kicking that wooden door.

"Get out here! Do you even understand what you just did? This is murder!"

My mate, who had come up a step too late, quickly grabbed me.

His eyes were red as he said, "Selene, calm down. Don't scare them."

I stared at him with hatred in my eyes. My irises flickered gold.

He had been exactly like this in my last life too.

Our son had died, and he was still worried I might scare his niece.

The Luna wiped her tears and said, "Raven went a little too far this time, but Selene, don't push it too much.

"Nico was only three months old. He's gone, and that's that. You two can try again and have another pup."

I went completely still.

It took me a few seconds to realize what she meant.

They thought the dead baby was my son.

But I had just handed my son over to my birth pack.

So who was the tiny body lying in the courtyard?

In my last life, I had held my own son's broken body. Now every dead baby felt like mine.