Sarah POV:
I managed to hitch a ride with a delivery truck back to the main house, claiming my car had broken down.
As I entered the hallway, the smell of roasted chicken hit me, and I barely made it to the downstairs bathroom before I emptied my stomach.
My body was rejecting the Wolfsbane. Now that I knew what it was, my psychology was warring with my physiology.
I heard the front door open.
Panic spiked. He wasn't supposed to be back.
"Daddy's here!" David's voice boomed.
I froze. He wasn't talking to me.
I crept to the bathroom door. David was in the living room, holding his phone up. Video call.
"Look at that form, Thomas! Good punch!" David was beaming.
On the screen, a young boy, maybe four years old, was hitting a punching bag. He had David's dark hair and Rebecca's sharp nose.
"Did you see, Daddy? I'm an Alpha like you!" the boy squealed.
"You are, son. You are," David cooed.
A son. He already had a son. With Rebecca.
The betrayal wasn't an event; it was a history. While I was crying over negative pregnancy tests, he was raising a family with her.
"Sarah?"
David's voice snapped me back. He had ended the call.
I flushed the toilet to create noise and walked out. "I'm here."
He walked over to me. The scent of Rebecca was all over him-roses and metallic ozone. He tried to mask it, but I smelled her on his skin.
"You look pale," he said. He reached out to touch my cheek.
It took every ounce of willpower not to flinch. "Just a stomach bug."
"I told you to rest," he said, his voice dripping with fake concern. "I was patrolling the border."
"I know," I lied. "Did you catch the intruders?"
"Chased them off," he said easily. "Listen, I have to go to the Alpha Summit this weekend."
Liar. He was going to play house with his real family.
"That's a shame," I said, forcing a weak smile. "I was hoping we could go to Moon Goddess Lake."
He paused, a flicker of annoyance crossing his eyes. "Next time, sweetie. When I get back."
"Can I have the Moonlight Sapphire?" I asked suddenly.
David stiffened. The Moonlight Sapphire was the Luna's necklace.
"Sarah," he sighed, patronizing. "It's in the vault. It's too heavy for you."
"Just for one night," I pushed. "For my birthday party tomorrow."
His eyes darted away. "I... I'll see what I can do."
He didn't have it.
He leaned in to kiss me. I turned my head, and his lips brushed my cheek.
He pulled back, eyes narrowing. A low growl vibrated in his chest. He released a burst of Alpha Pheromones-a heavy, suffocating blanket designed to force compliance.
"Is something wrong, Sarah?"
"I told you," I whispered, clutching my stomach. "I'm sick. Please, David."
He stared at me, analyzing me like a bug under a microscope. Finally, he huffed. "Fine. Get some sleep."
He slammed the study door.
My phone buzzed. Unknown number.
It was a photo.
Rebecca, in a hotel room, wearing a silk robe. Around her neck was the Moonlight Sapphire.
The text read:
"It only fits the neck of a Queen. Don't embarrass yourself, mongrel."
I stared at the blue stone.
I deleted the message.
I couldn't run tonight. The guards were doubled, my car was bricked, and I had no cash on hand.
But tomorrow was my birthday. The whole pack would be there. Chaos is a ladder. If I caused a scene, if I disrupted the perfect image he was trying to maintain, I might create a crack in his security large enough to slip through.
I would leave, but first, I would burn their perfect little lie to the ground.
