After Six Years Of Lies, Both My Wolf And I Awakened

I am Lillian Lawson. The night before my succession ceremony, I caught Erick Lawson, my mate, in bed with Misha Acosta, the priestess of Silverbeam Pack.

It was also that night that I learned the prenatal tonic I had drunk six years ago was, in fact, a Stillbirth Draught that killed my baby.

Erick had handed it to me himself.

My real child had long since died in my womb.

After I delivered the dead baby while unconscious, Erick and Misha took the baby's body away, shoved their bastard, Noah Lawson, into my arms, and murdered my father together.

So I had spent six years raising my enemies' child.

And now, they were trying to usurp my position as leader!

At the succession ceremony, Misha held Noah in front of the entire pack, sobbing that she was his real mother.

Erick stood before everyone and accused me of having no wolf, being unable to bear children, and abusing Noah for years.

Everyone demanded I give up my position.

But I simply looked at Erick, whose face showed a look of smug satisfaction, and curled my lips. "Erick, do you think you're unstoppable now?"

...

"I handed her that Stillbirth Draught with my own hands all those years ago." When I heard Erick's voice drift out from the hidden chamber, my raised hand froze in midair.

Through a stone door that was ajar, candlelight cast two tangled shadows on the wall.

I stood in the shadows, biting down hard on my lower lip, watching Erick and Misha doing that thing in there.

Tomorrow was my succession ceremony, yet Erick still hadn't come home.

I assumed he was persuading the elders who opposed me becoming pack leader again. So I had made his favorite soup and brought it to the Priests' Temple myself.

But I never could have imagined hearing those words here.

"Easy for you to say." Misha lowered her voice, dripping with resentment. "All these years, you've been playing her loving mate every single day. The whole pack says you threw away your dignity as an Alpha for Lillian. And the most ridiculous part is that Noah is my son, yet he has to call that useless werewolf his mother!"

"Just endure it for one more night," Erick said in a gentle voice that betrayed his desire, but his words made me tremble. "After tomorrow's ceremony, he won't have to call Lillian his mother anymore."

Misha was still unhappy. "If you couldn't bear to leave Lillian, then why did you kill her baby?"

"Couldn't bear to leave her?" Erick sounded like he had heard something absurd. "I stayed by her side just to become the leader of Silverbeam Pack. Once she got pregnant, the previous leader, her father, wanted to hand the entire pack over to her. If she had given birth to a child who would be the rightful heir, I wouldn't have a chance! I slipped the Stillbirth Draught you brewed into the soup she ate every day. Wasn't it all for this very day?"

When I heard that, my mind went completely blank.

Scenes of the day I gave birth kept flashing back into my mind.

I could still remember the searing pain in my belly, the blood soaking through the animal hides in great dark patches, and the healer urging me over and over to push.

And Erick was kneeling by the bed, gripping my hand so tight, telling me again and again that the baby would be fine, that I would be fine too.

Then I blacked out.

When I awoke, Erick, teary-eyed, placed a wrinkled infant in my arms. I named him Noah.

But now I knew that Noah was never my child at all.

Misha's laughter came out from the hidden chamber. "What a shame that Lillian still doesn't know that the child she's raised for six years is of my bloodline."

"Of course Lillian doesn't know," Erick said, his voice dripping with contempt. "She doesn't even have a wolf. She can't tell bloodlines by scent. If she were a normal werewolf, she would have known something was off the very first day they held Noah. Only a worthless piece of trash like her would treasure another woman's son like he was her own."

My whole body shook. Tears welled up in my eyes.

When I was young, my wolf had vanished without warning.

And no one knew why.

My father had taken me to every pack healer in the world, and all of them had told him that I was born incomplete.

Without a wolf, I could not shift into wolf form, nor could I feel the tie between those who shared the same bloodline.

Over the years, the elders had used it against me again and again, saying that a female werewolf who couldn't shift like me had no right to become leader.

It was Erick who had stood in front of me, using his authority as an Alpha to silence every doubt.

He had told me that as long as he was there, no one could hurt me.

But now, he was having sex with another female werewolf and had called me a worthless piece of trash.

"Are you sure nothing will go wrong tomorrow?" Misha asked.

"Everything is in place." Erick's voice was calm and cold. "Once the ceremony starts, you bring out the Kinstone in front of everyone to prove that Noah is not Lillian's child. She can't shift, she can't produce a real heir, and the pack will naturally doubt whether she is qualified to be the pack leader. Those old fools have always cared about bloodline. Once they find out even her child is a fake, they'll never support her again."

Misha laughed, the laughter growing brighter with delight. "And then you can take over from Lillian?"

"Silverbeam Pack needs a strong leader, not a useless waste." Erick paused and continued. "After I become leader tomorrow, I'll cripple her and then put her in the dungeon."

The moment he finished speaking, I couldn't help but shudder.

Then he added, "The holy land of the Silverbeam Pack can only be opened by the blood of a leader from each generation. She may not have a wolf, but she still carries the previous leader's blood in her veins. Keeping her alive will come in handy."

Misha pressed further. "And after the holy land is open?"

After a brief silence, I heard Erick say with a contemptuous voice. "No one would care about a worthless cripple who fails to be the pack leader even if she dies, right?"

They stopped talking and began to moan.

I forced myself to turn around and walked out, one step at a time.

My knees were so weak I could barely hold myself up. The corridor seemed to sway before my eyes.

When I reached the stone stairs, my foot missed a step, and I nearly tumbled down. I grabbed the pillar beside me just in time.

My nails cracked and bled from my grip being too hard.

Back in my quarters, I shut the door and hurried into the washroom.

My stomach was churning violently.

I gripped the stone basin and dry-heaved for a long time, but nothing came up.

Soon, familiar footsteps sounded outside the door.

I wiped the water from my face, quickly cleaned the blood off my hands, and pretended nothing had happened.

"Lillian?" Erick walked in with a smile.

He wore that same gentle smile he always did, but the moment I saw him, nausea rose in my throat on instinct.

He spoke again. "You look so pale. What's wrong?"

I lifted my eyes and looked at this man who had grown up beside me, had formed a mate bond with me, and had killed my child with his own hands.

I could see just the right amount of concern he showed in his eyes.

My hands started trembling uncontrollably. I nearly vomited right then and there, but I forced myself to say, "Nothing. I'm just nervous about tomorrow's ceremony."

Erick was visibly relieved.

He pulled me into his arms and patted my back gently. "Don't worry. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll be right by your side."

I leaned against his chest and closed my eyes, but all I could smell was Misha's scent.