Chapter 4

I was shaking with rage. "I have an Elder's order! You don't have the authority to do this, Lennox!"

Lennox scoffed. "I'm the Alpha. Of course I do."

The staff dragged Zane away. He screamed and thrashed. "Mommy! Mommy, save me! Mommy—"

My heart was breaking.

I lunged for the door, but Alice blocked me. She grabbed my hair, yanking it hard, screaming, "You poisoned my daughter! Give me the antidote!"

Without my healing abilities, the wound on my head flared with searing pain. My ears rang.

The door swung shut before my eyes. From inside came Zane's agonized wailing — and I couldn't see what was happening to him.

Lennox stood there, cruel and unmoved. "Crystal, since you won't confess, maybe you should know what it feels like to watch your child suffer."

Tears of despair streamed down my face. I abandoned every shred of pride and dropped to my knees. "I didn't poison anyone! Zane can't take any more of this — he's your son too, Lennox! He's your son!"

His resolve flickered for just a moment.

Alice snorted. "The Manto House staff are professionals. What could possibly happen? Stop trying to manipulate us. You're the reason Zane is the way he is."

Lennox's eyes went cold again. "Alice is right. He's my son — that's exactly why I need to discipline him. Look at him. He's no different from a rogue wolf."

It felt like someone had torn my chest open and filled my lungs with ice.

This was my child's father. A man who had always seen his own son as nothing more than a rogue.

But Zane was my only child.

Alice looked down at me with a hint of satisfaction. "Don't worry, Crystal. I'll give Lennox another son. The future Alpha of this pack won't be damaged goods."

He didn't argue. That told me everything.

In his mind, Zane was just a failure waiting to be replaced.

Then — silence from behind the door. Zane's voice vanished.

My heart lurched, and my body surged with a power I didn't know I still had. I threw Alice off me and charged at the door.

Lennox hadn't expected me to break free. He turned to chase me, but his phone rang.

Annoyed, he answered. His assistant's excited voice came through: "Alpha, Amy is fine! She's awake! But we looked into it — those pastries didn't actually come from the Luna..."

"What did you just say?"

Lennox released his grip on me and let me fling the door open.

The stench of blood hit me like a wall. And the sight before us — it would haunt Lennox for the rest of his life.