Stella’s POV
I didn’t wait. As soon as I hung up with my father, I grabbed the first suitcase I could find and dragged it across the floor to the bedroom. My hands shook so violently I could barely grip the zipper, but I forced myself to move. There was no time to think. If I stopped, even for a second, I knew I would fall apart under the weight of everything I had just learned. I yanked open drawers, pulling out clothes without care, shoving them into the bag in messy handfuls. My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and prowling, as though sensing the storm closing in around me. She hated this weakness, hated the salt of my tears as they slipped down my cheeks. Then my hand froze. It had landed on a dress. The one Joan loved most. She had spun around me in the mirror once, clapping her tiny hands, saying, “Mommy, you look like a princess in this.” The fabric crumpled in my grip as my chest tightened, breath catching painfully. I swallowed hard, blinking against the tears burning in my eyes. Not now. Not when the enemy was so close. I shoved the dress into the suitcase and slammed the drawer shut. The door creaked open behind me. “Stella?” Alpha Travis’s voice slid into the room, smooth as poison. “What are you doing?” I snapped the suitcase shut and forced a smile onto my lips, the mask of a dutiful wife. My wolf snarled at the lie, but I silenced her with sheer will. “Just rearranging my closet,” I said lightly, turning to face him. His eyes narrowed, scanning the room. He didn’t believe me. He was too practiced at deceit not to recognize it in others. But before he could say another word, another voice pierced the air. “Hey, Stella.” I froze. Lorie. My stomach twisted violently, bile rising in my throat. I hadn’t realized Alpha Travis had dragged her here, into my territory, into my den. My eyes locked on her chest before I could stop myself, on the place where my daughter’s heart beat like a stolen jewel. My wolf slammed against my ribs, snarling, demanding I rip her open and take it back. I dug my claws into my palms until the skin split, grounding myself in the sting. She carried my child’s heart and dared to smile. I said nothing. If I spoke, it would be a howl that never ended. Then I saw the bags, two sleek designer suitcases glinting behind Alpha Travis. My brow furrowed. He followed my gaze, lips curling into what he thought was a reassuring smile. “Lorie is going to be staying with us for a while.” Ice licked through my veins. “What?” Before he could spin his web of lies, Lorie stepped forward with a little laugh, her hand dropping to her stomach. “Didn’t you hear? I’m pregnant.” She rubbed her belly, lips curling into a smile so wide my wolf wanted to shred it from her face. She waited for me to squeal, to embrace her, to weep in joy. Instead, I arched a brow. “And?” Her smile faltered. For a flicker of a second, the mask cracked, and I saw her true face. The manipulator beneath the innocence, the thief who had gutted my life and still dared to play saint. Her lower lip trembled as she quickly rearranged her features into something fragile. “I thought you would be happy for me, Stella. After everything we’ve been through.” Happy? The word burned through me like acid. What exactly was I supposed to be happy about? That she carried my husband’s child, with my daughter’s heart inside her chest? Before I could answer, Alpha Travis cut in, his tone laced with irritation. “Stella, what the hell is wrong with you? She’s your best friend. You should be happy for her. Instead, you’re acting jealous and bitter.” I turned to him slowly, a sneer curling across my lips. Jealous? Bitter? “Jealous?” My voice was cold, dripping with venom. “Why on earth would I be jealous?” His eyes flashed with something ugly, and then he said it. “Because she’s having a baby, and you-” He stopped himself, but it was too late. The words had already pierced me like daggers. Because I lost mine. Because he killed mine. My breath came sharp, but I forced calm into my voice. “Then tell me, Alpha Travis,” I said softly, pointing at Lorie. “Why is she moving in here? Why does she suddenly need to live in my house?” His jaw tightened, and he stepped closer. “Because she shouldn’t be alone right now. She needs us. She needs help. That baby needs support.” Us. “Yes,” Lorie chimed in, her voice soft and pitiful. “It’s just until things settle down. I thought you, of all people, would understand.” “Exactly,” Alpha Travis said firmly. “She’s family, Stella.” I laughed, sharp and bitter. “She’s not my family,” I spat. Lorie flinched, her fake innocence cracking, while Alpha Travis’s face hardened with disapproval. “Why are you jealous of her happiness, Stella? Instead of celebrating with her, you’re acting pathetic.” He pointed at me with disgust, his voice rising. “Pathetic.” The word sliced deep, but I didn’t flinch. I tilted my head, letting a bitter smile curve my lips as my wolf’s golden eyes flashed behind my gaze. “With the way you’re acting, I have to ask, Alpha Travis,” I murmured, my tone razor-sharp, “is it your child?” The room froze. Alpha Travis’s jaw ticked. Lorie’s eyes widened in mock shock, her hand tightening protectively over her stomach. “Don’t be ridiculous,” Alpha Travis snapped, too quickly. “Of course it’s not mine.” “Really?” I lifted an eyebrow. “Then why is she moving in with us? Why are you so defensive?” “She’s alone, Stella!” Alpha Travis barked, his voice rising with frustration. “She has no one else, and she’s carrying a child. What kind of monster would turn her away?” What kind of monster would kill his own daughter? The thought screamed in my head, but I swallowed it down before it could slip past my lips. Instead, I deliberately turned back to the suitcase, gripping the zipper with steady hands. “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” I said evenly, “I’d like to finish rearranging my closet.” For a moment, silence hung heavily in the room, tension thick enough to suffocate. Then Alpha Travis murmured something to Lorie, and together they walked out. The moment the door clicked shut, my smile dropped. My hands shook as I gripped the suitcase, and my wolf growled low in my chest, her fury rumbling through my veins. She wanted to go out. She wanted to hunt. She wanted revenge. And as I stood there, shaking with grief and rage, I realized something. The countdown had begun. Alpha Travis thought he had caged me. Lorie thought she had stolen everything that mattered. But they had no idea who I truly was or the pack I belonged to. They had awakened something ancient inside me. Something stronger than grief, stronger than betrayal. They awakened the wolf.
