Kimberly POV:
The clinic smelled of bleach and wolfsbane. Dr. Evans, an old Beta with shaky hands, looked at the ultrasound screen with pity.
"Are you certain, Ms. Kimberly?"
I lay on the cold table, staring at the ceiling tiles. "Do it."
"The pup... the heartbeat is strong. An Alpha heir."
My gut twisted. In the last timeline, I thought this baby would save us. Instead, Alex poisoned me with 'tonic' for my morning sickness, and Graves was too busy playing hero to her to answer my calls when I went into labor. My son died gasping.
"I'm not terminating," I said, my voice hard. "I want a Bloodline Severing. Extract the fetal essence into magical stasis. Freeze it."
Dr. Evans paled. "That’s dark magic, Luna. It removes the child from the physical realm entirely until re-implantation. It severs the father's blood-sense. He won't know it exists."
"That's the point. If Graves smells his heir on me, he’ll lock me in a basement 'for my own safety.' Proceed."
The ritual was agony. It felt like someone was reaching inside me and pulling out a piece of my soul with ice-cold tongs. When it was over, I felt hollowed out, but the biological beacon that would have alerted Graves was gone.
I walked out an hour later, clutching a cooler box.
My phone buzzed. Graves: You upset Alex. Fix your attitude before the Shareholders' Party.
He didn't even realize I was gone. He was so used to me being furniture.
I blocked his number.
I drove to the nearest occult shop and bought 'Void-Root.' It killed pheromones dead. I swallowed two capsules dry.
The Malibu safe house was dusty, but it was mine. I pulled the red silk dress from my suitcase—the one Graves had called "whorish" three years ago.
I held it up to the mirror. My hazel eyes flashed gold. The White Wolf was prowling just beneath my skin.
The Shareholders' Party was in two days. Alex planned to use it as her debutante ball.
I bared my teeth at my reflection. "Let's crash a party."
