It was my father’s birthday. He was standing beneath the silver light of the full moon, making a silent wish to the Moon Goddess, when my mother suddenly leaned in and whispered something in his ear.
My father, Alpha Daniel—strong, ruthless, and feared by many—had always been terrified of death. But after hearing those words, his face drained of all color. A cold shiver ran through him before he shifted into his wolf form and threw himself off the cliff at the edge of our territory.
After his death, countless wolves questioned my mother, desperate to know what she had said to him.
Some even offered rare wolfsbane and forbidden magic to buy those words from her.
But she remained tight-lipped, never revealing the secret.
Until the day of my mating ceremony.
My mother showed up at the sacred grounds — and whispered those same words into my mate’s ear…
—
After my father’s death, my mother became infamous.
My father had always been known for his strength and dominance as the Alpha. He was feared and respected across the territory—a werewolf who could command a room with a single glance. He wasn’t the kind of man to be shaken by anything. That’s why his death shocked the entire pack.
The fact that he suddenly shifted into his wolf form and threw himself off the cliff at the edge of our territory could only mean one thing: my mother’s whispered words had driven him to it.
Rumors spread like wildfire. The pack was restless, hungry for answers. Why would the Alpha take his own life? What could my mother possibly have said to make him do such a thing?
Countless wolves came to our pack, desperate to know the truth. Some were driven by curiosity; others by fear. A few hoped to protect themselves from whatever dark secret had taken down an Alpha.
There was even a powerful Luna from a neighboring pack, trapped in a loveless bond, who offered a chest of rare moonstones and forbidden herbs, enough to secure her power for a lifetime—just to buy the words that could drive someone to end their own life.
But my mother remained silent, refusing to speak.
Even when the Elders gathered and demanded answers, she lowered her gaze and said nothing. Their eyes burned with suspicion and rage, but my mother’s expression remained impassive, her silence an iron wall they could not breach.
In the end, my mother was sentenced to three years of confinement for inciting the death of the Alpha. The Elders’ decision was swift and ruthless. An Alpha’s death, especially under such mysterious circumstances, could not go unanswered.
After handling my father’s funeral, I went to see her. The pack’s holding cells were cold and damp, the air heavy with the scent of stone and silver. My mother sat on the other side of the silver bars, her posture relaxed despite her surroundings.
Unable to suppress my confusion, I asked her, “Mom, what exactly did you say to Dad? Why would he kill himself?”
My mother’s gaze was steady, her face devoid of emotion. The moonlight filtered through the cracks in the ceiling, casting pale shadows across her face.
“He didn’t want to live anymore,” she said flatly. “What does that have to do with me?”
Her calmness cut through me like a knife. My throat tightened, a bitter ache spreading in my chest.
“Dad was terrified of death,” I said, my voice rising. “He would call the pack healer over the smallest scratch, convinced it would get infected and threaten his life.”
I took a shaky breath, anger mixing with sorrow. “Every year during the Blood Moon, he prayed to the Moon Goddess for a long life—and to see me mated and raising his grandpups.”
I leaned closer to the bars, my hands curling into fists. “Tell me—why would he suddenly end his own life when everything was fine?”
My mother’s gaze sharpened, but her expression remained unchanged.
I was heartbroken—and confused. My father had always been a strong and compassionate Alpha. His bond with my mother had seemed unbreakable. I had grown up watching them move through life as a united front—their love was fierce and intense, the kind of connection that other wolves envied.
So why would my mother say something that would drive him to such a fate?
What exactly did she say?
Faced with my desperate questions, my mother simply gave me a long, deep look. Her silver eyes were unreadable, the faintest trace of something dark flashing beneath the surface.
“Stop asking,” she said coldly. “Knowing too much won’t do you any good.”
Her words settled over me like a shadow. My mother was hiding something dark enough to shatter the strongest wolf I had ever known.
I stepped back, my breath hitching in my throat. Deep down, I knew this was far from over. And whatever secret my mother was keeping was dangerous enough to kill an Alpha.
