Kieran's pupils contracted sharply, but his expression quickly returned to calm.
"If you've done something wrong, then admit it, Audra." He looked down at me. "There's no need to tell such a ridiculous lie."
It wasn't the first time I had seen that look.
Many years ago, in the Royal Court of the White Wolf Tribe, my father had looked at me with the same disappointment.
Back then, I had been the only Queen of the tribe, and everyone knew I was destined to inherit the White Wolf Tribe.
Until the year I turned eighteen, when I met Kieran in the Borderpine Forest, wounded and alone, and the Moon Goddess led me to recognize him as my mate.
I slipped away from the tribe again and again to see him, until everything was exposed.
When my parents looked at me, there was no anger—only profound disappointment.
My father, Alaric Frost's voice had been low. "If you choose that Alpha… Then you will give up your White Wolf, everything you have. From that moment on, you will no longer belong here."
I had known that choosing Kieran meant abandoning everything tied to the White Wolf, yet I still said, "I'm willing."
That night, I was cast out of the tribe.
The memory faded, and I looked once more into the eyes that had once captivated me.
Now, there was nothing left in them but disgust.
A faint smile tugged at my lips, though my heart felt hollow. "So… my choice back then was truly wrong."
Kieran's brows drew together instantly.
To him, those words sounded no different from a confession of betrayal.
"So you did cheat," he said quietly. "I should have known."
At that moment, Elara suddenly rushed forward.
She snatched the child from my arms, so fast I didn't even have time to react.
"If it's a bastard, then it shouldn't be allowed to live."
My heart dropped, my blood seeming to freeze in an instant.
The next second, she hurled the child hard onto the stone floor.
"No!" I screamed, lunging forward.
The two soldiers beside me immediately blocked me, grabbing my arms and restraining me.
A dull thud echoed as the child hit the stone, his cries weakening at once.
The hall fell into dead silence.
Everyone thought the child had been killed.
My body collapsed to the floor.
Suddenly, a faint cry sounded again, and the tiny body stirred slightly on the stone floor.
The White Wolf Mark on his forehead flickered softly under the moonlight.
Elara narrowed her eyes. "As expected of a White Wolf… that bloodline really is strong."
She took a dagger from a nearby Beta.
The blade gleamed with a cold, pale light.
I recognized it at once—it was a silver-plated dagger.
For werewolves, nothing was more lethal than silver.
And now, it was aimed at my child.
Elara raised the dagger high, her movement almost graceful.
Terror swallowed me whole.
"Stop!" I struggled violently. Caught off guard, the soldier restraining me staggered a step.
I broke free from his grip and stumbled toward my child.
But Elara's dagger had already come down.
With a sound like tearing fabric, the blade sank into flesh.
