Chapter 4

I was just about to answer it when the waiter snatched the phone right out of my hand.

He turned the maxed-out, top-tier iPhone over in his hands with a sneer, his voice dripping with disdain. "The latest pro model? How could a beggar like you ever afford this? You definitely stole it!"

I froze on the spot, fighting back my rising fury as I gritted out each word: "Give. It. Back."

Clara let out a light, mocking giggle, enjoying the show as she gestured for the waiter to hand it back to me. "Well, if you claim it's yours, why don't you unlock it to prove it?"

I pressed my finger against the scanner, but the mud caked on my skin blocked the reading. I tried facial recognition next, but my matted hair covered half my face, failing that too.

Just as I was about to type in my passcode, the hotel manager—having rushed over after hearing the commotion—snatched the phone away.

"Take this phone to the front desk and check with our guests immediately to see if anyone reported a missing device," he ordered. Turning sharply to security, he added, "Call the police right now."

Before anyone could move, Alex unexpectedly stepped in. "Hold on. For my sake, let's just drop this."

Clara immediately chimed in, putting on her practiced professional air. "As a lawyer, stealing a phone this expensive is a serious crime. She clearly has some mental illness, but being crazy doesn't excuse her from the law..."

"I didn't steal anything," I cut her off coldly. "And since you're a lawyer, you should know that making false accusations is a crime too!"

Hearing my pushback, the hotel manager grew even more resolute. He signaled the guards to pin me down while pulling out his phone to dial the authorities.

Right then, the elevator doors chimed and slid open.

Seeing me from inside, a three-year-old boy covered in tears threw his arms wide and sprinted straight toward me.

Someone in the crowd gasped, "Look! That's the Lycan royal heir!"

Overwhelmed with motherly instinct, I opened my arms toward him and called out softly, "Sweetheart, come to Mommy!"

SLAP!

Alex's palm cracked violently across my cheek, shutting me up.

"Shut your mouth!" Alex hissed, his voice laced with panic as he glared at me. "Have you lost your mind?! Claiming to be the royal heir's mother—do you want to get yourself killed?!"

He leaned in close, lowering his voice in a desperate warning. "Everyone knows Prince Vito's mate is a sacred White Wolf! Even if you wanted my attention, you shouldn't tell a crazy lie like this!"

Rage burned like wildfire through my chest. Little did they know, I was Prince Vito's true mate—the Luna Queen of the Lycan Kingdom, a pureblood White Wolf inheriting the highest royal lineage from my biological parents!

Scared by the sudden violence, my son burst into heartbroken wails.

Ignoring the sting on my cheek, I dropped to my knees, holding out the crystal pendant I had just retrieved from the dumpster. "Baby, look, Mommy found your crystal—"

Before the boy could touch it, Clara stepped forward and brutally slapped the crystal out of my hand, sending it flying across the floor.

"Mia! Are you insane?!" Clara shrieked. "Insulting the royal Lycan bloodline right in front of everyone?!"

The boy sobbed hysterically. Clara quickly scooped him up into her arms, cooing with a fake, sugary sweetness: "Don't cry, little prince. She's just a crazy, dangerous woman, not your mommy. Auntie will take you to find your real mother."

My son thrashed violently in her arms, hitting and kicking with all his tiny strength. "I want my Mommy! Mommy!"

Watching his little face turn bright red from crying, my heart felt like it was being torn to shreds.

"Let go of my son!"

I thrashed against the guards with everything I had, but they pinned my arms ruthlessly behind my back, keeping me immobilized.

The surrounding crowd chimed in with sharp, piercing mockery:

"Is she insane? She's trying to claim a royal prince as her kid! Lock her up!"

"Get her out of here! Who knows what a lunatic like that might do if she snaps?"

"Mommy... Mommy!"

My son reached his tiny hand out toward me, his voice raspy from sobbing.

Choking back my tears, I pushed through the agony, trying to soothe him in a gentle voice. "Sweetheart, don't cry... Mommy got your crystal, I'm right here..."

Just as my fingers almost brushed his, the security guards shoved me down hard, twisting my arms behind me to bind them.

Alex let out a long, heavy sigh. Pushing the guards aside, he grabbed my arm and yanked me up. "I'll handle her. Go wait outside, Mia. I'll come find you after the investment summit ends."

He dragged me forcefully toward the entrance.

"Let go of me! Alex, don't make me hate you!" I screamed, twisting my head back helplessly as my son hiccuped and sobbed, his eyes locked onto mine.

Just as Alex was about to drag me through the glass doors, a suffocating, terrifying Alpha aura hit the room like a tidal wave, crushing everyone into a paralyzed silence.

Whispers broke out in sheer terror: "It's the Lycan King... Prince Vito is here!"