I had barely taken two steps toward the door when Flora's voice sliced through the tension, sweet as poison. "Oh, look at that. She's running away again."
I stopped. Not because I wanted to, but because I knew how this pack worked. Leaving was never that easy. My forehead still burned where the wolfsbane had blistered my skin.
"I'm not running," I said, voice rough. "I'm leaving. There's nothing left for me here except scars."
Flora tilted her head, all mock innocence. "Scars? Please. You think you're the only one who's been hurt? Spare us the drama, Janice."
"I was in my room," I said, every word sharp. "With my daughter. We were getting ready for her birthday. Remember that, Flora? Her birthday. And they ruined it."
Vincent stepped forward, like he'd practiced this moment. "We just wanted her to look nice. Like Mom used to. You didn't have to scream like that. You pushed me and Haley."
He pulled up his sleeve, revealing a red mark on his arm. "We didn't know it was wolfsbane. It wasn't our fault."
The silence that followed wasn't kind.
"Poor Vincent," someone muttered.
"Ungrateful woman," another whispered. "Always playing the victim."
"Is this really about a dress, Janice?" Jacob asked, voice calm but cold. "A little irritation? Or were you just trying to ruin Vincent's ceremony?"
"This isn't about the dress," I said. "This is about the fact that your children threw wolfsbane at me. And my daughter, our daughter, was caught in it."
"She shouldn't have been here," Flora said casually, like she was talking about a stray mutt.
"She lives here," I snapped. "This is her home."
Jacob's voice hardened. "This is a packhouse. And Lina is not of the Silver Blood pack."
"She was mine and your child, Jacob. You marked me. You told me I was going to be your Luna. You said we'd raise her together."
He said nothing.
"And now you stood there and pretended my child didn't exist while I was forced to raise yours? You called me family when it suited you, and a rogue when it didn't."
His jaw flexed, but he stayed silent.
"You wanted me to care for them, protect them, love them. Even now, you wanted me to smile and stand beside a boy who burned me. But my child?" My voice cracked. "You treated her like she wasn't even yours."
He finally spoke. "You knew what was at stake. If the Elders found out she was born outside the bond—"
"The Elders?" I laughed bitterly. "You rejected me after Hannah died. Then you came back, crawled into my bed when no one was watching. You wanted tradition when it protected you. But you broke it the moment you touched me again."
"You owed Hannah your life," Flora snapped. "Those children were all she left behind. They were yours, whether you liked it or not. And who knows? Maybe Lina wasn't even Jacob's. You were with other men before—"
I slapped her. Hard.
"Lina is Jacob's daughter," I said, steady and clear. "And those children? They're not my pups. I didn't birth them. I didn't choose them. I took care of them because I made a vow to the Moon Goddess. But that vow didn't say I had to be your pack's slave."
Flora stared, speechless.
I turned, scooped Lina into my arms, her small body trembling with quiet sobs, and started toward the door. But Jacob blocked the way.
"You think walking out changes anything?" he growled. "You carried my bloodline in that child. That tied you to this pack, whether you liked it or not."
"Oh, now bloodline mattered?" I fired back. "Then raise her. Protect her. Claim her. Or were you only proud of the children born under ceremony?"
He didn't respond.
"You told me we'd be mates again. That once things settled, you'd announce it. You said I'd be Luna."
"You knew we couldn't do that now," he muttered.
I stepped closer, lowering my voice. "No. You wouldn't. Because claiming me meant admitting you broke a sacred bond. That you slept with your rejected mate. That you hid your own daughter from your pack."
His eyes darkened. "You'll still attend the ceremony. Vincent was about to be named Alpha Heir. You would stand beside him."
Two guards stepped forward. I adjusted Lina in my arms and looked between them, heart pounding. "If I refused?"
Jacob didn't blink. "Then the Elders would hear everything. About your pregnancy. About your exile. About your return. You'd be labeled rogue again. And Lina?" His voice turned icy. "She'd be taken into the care of the Silver Blood pack. For her own protection."
The room went dead silent.
Flora smiled.
And for the first time, I realized, they weren't letting me walk away. Not without a price. My fingers tightened around Lina. I could feel her heartbeat. I could feel mine. I knew they wouldn't treat her fairly. They weren't even doing it while I was still here.
I could only compromise.
