The healer mends the gash on my temple, and I burst through the study door, hands shaking as I sink into the chair, ready to type up the bond-breaking papers.
I'm finished. Get Charles to sign, then I'm gone-cutting loose from a life that was never mine, not really.
The screen glows to life, and I go rigid, fingers hovering over the keys. Staring back is the wallpaper: a snapshot from Adrian and Ivy's third birthday. My twins, sticky with frosting, perched on my lap, their small hands tangled in my hair like I was their anchor. The photographer bribed them with candy, sang off-key, but they wouldn't tear their eyes from me.
Their wide, trusting gazes, brimming with adoration, stayed fixed on my face, their grins gap-toothed and bright. And Charles. he stood behind us, his palm warm on my shoulder, his smile soft as if we were the best thing he'd ever known.
I blink, and the memory warps.
I meet Charles's eyes, that same tender look he had when he persuaded me to go through with the lab procedure.
"I want us to have both a cub and a she-cub," he murmured, his voice warm as a hearth,
"but carrying two at once would be too much for you. I couldn't bear to see you suffer like that. Let's do it this way-get it over with in one go."
I trusted him, hook, line, and sinker.
The day I found out I was with child-imagining those little ones sharing our blood-I broke down in happy sobs. Even when the sickness clawed at my throat morning till night, when my belly swelled so big it felt like I was carrying years of weight instead of months, I didn't mind a bit. And when those pups clung to me, keeping me up two full years with never a full night's rest? My heart stayed soft as down for them, every second.
I grew up in a shambles, so I bled love into my pups. "Mommy's our whole world!" they'd cry.
Four changed everything. Charles got them a Favalon tutor-then the slow rot. "House-she-wolf," they hissed. "Dumb."
They'd grumble, then turn around and charm me with sweet apologies, and I'd melt.
I thought they were just young, that it was harmless.
But after they pushed me down the stairs today, it hit me like a fang to the gut: the pups I love like my own soul look down on me from the depths of their little hearts.
That cozy photo, that warm family bond-it's all a mirage.
I snap out of it and print the bond-breaking papers, my hands moving fast. I'm about to shut down the computer when a notification blinks in the corner.
Charles left in such a rush he forgot to log out of some secret account-one I never knew about.
I click, and my stomach twists.
It's all about Colette.
Every post, every file, every memory-her.
She's their online Favalon tutor. Charles has been feeding Adrian and Ivy lies, telling them Colette's amazing, while I'm just a clumsy fool.
The latest video shows him renting out an entire island, surrounded by his closest packmates, all to welcome Colette back. My pups are there, clinging to her like she's their moon.
""Colette! You're blinding-videos don't do you justice, they make you look like you're wrapped in fog!" " Adrian says, his voice bright.
"Yeah, Colette's way better than Mommy at everything. I love you so much!" Ivy chimes in, her words slicing me open.
Charles doesn't stop them.
His hand hovers by Colette's waist, a breath's pause, then curls around it-slow, deliberate, like he's finally closing his jaws around the prize he's chased.
There they are, a pack of four, seamless as a well-gnawed bone.
And me? The stray she-wolf, unwanted.
That night, Charles comes back with the pups.
"Mommy, I didn't mean to push you," Adrian says, his eyes wide and innocent.
"Yeah, it was an accident. Don't be mad, okay?"
Ivy adds, her voice sugary sweet.
But I just nod, my face blank, not giving them a single smile.
They freeze, confused.
Charles raises an eyebrow, stepping closer to brush his hand across my cheek.
"Still hurting?"
I flinch, but I'm not fast enough.
His touch makes my skin crawl, knowing those same hands held Colette's waist. My stomach lurches, and I gag, unable to stop it.
Charles's face darkens.
"Pregnant again?" he says, his tone sharp.
"This is the second time you've 'accidentally' gotten pregnant. We took precautions. What's with all these coincidences? Did you plan this?"
"I told you before, another pup would split your attention. Adrian and Ivy need all your love."
He grabs my arm, pulling me toward the healer's kit to check.
I lurch, sending a clay jug crashing to the floor. It splinters, jagged shards slicing into my already battered haunches-old scrapes from last moon's run, now reopened.
Pain shoots through me, but Charles doesn't even notice.
I was pregnant once before, when the pups were four.
I was thrilled, ready to welcome another life.
But Charles shut it down.
"You went through hell last time," he said.
"I can't watch you suffer again. Let's not keep it."
Adrian and Ivy threw tantrums, saying they didn't want a sibling, and I gave in, tears streaming as I lost my pup.
Charles took time off to care for me, his voice soft as he said,
"We've got our twin pups. Don't be sad."
I thought he was keeping me safe, shielding me from harm.
Now the scent of it hits me-he never fretted over my well-being.
What he feared was his prized cubs, once they bonded with Colette, splitting the warmth I gave them.
That's all it was: greed for their full devotion, no crumbs left for me.
