Father, you were the one who caught her. You were the one who sent Martha to the silver prison for “betraying pack law.” Don’t you remember how you made an example of her in front of all the staff?
With Martha’s example as a warning, even if others wanted to help me, they didn’t dare.
The silver prison was a fate almost as terrible as the fire house–a place where wolves were kept in silver chains that burned their
skin and suppressed their healing.
For the following nine days, I endured the fire without healing herbs or water.
My hands and feet were bound with silver wire that cut into my skin, preventing me from shifting fully to my wolf or back to
human form.
I couldn’t even move to avoid the flames that rained down from the ceiling every two hours.
The heat made me faint, and the thirst would wake me again. Sometimes I would howl until my throat was raw, begging for
mercy, for water, for death.
This cycle repeated until finally, I couldn’t hold on any longer and drew my last breath.
Before dying, I cursed in my heart, hoping all those who harmed me would meet terrible ends. That curse was my last act—and
now I remained to see it fulfilled.
“Aah!”
A sharp scream cut through the tense atmosphere of the scene.
My father turned to see Elise standing at the entrance to the fire house, clutching her stomach. Her face had gone deathly pale,
and she swayed dangerously on her feet.
“The smell… it’s horrible,” she gasped, her free hand covering her mouth and nose. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
My father immediately abandoned his inspection of my corpse, rushing to Elise’s side. He wrapped his arm around her waist,
supporting her weight.
He strode over to her, supporting her with his arm: “Are you alright?”
Elise leaned heavily against him. “Donovan, my stomach hurts terribly,” she whimpered, placing his hand on her slightly swollen belly.
“I hope our baby isn’t in danger. Why would Scarlett create such a horrible scene? I’m absolutely terrified for our little one.”
The mention of her pregnancy changed something in my father’s face. The doubt and horror evaporated, replaced by absolute
focus on Elise and the child she carried.
2/3
+15 BONUS
His hand gently caressed her stomach, and he pressed a kiss to her temple. “It’s going to be fine, my love. We’ll go to the hospital
right away. Our son will be fine.”
Son. Of course she had convinced him it would be a boy. The heir he had always wanted but never gotten–from my mother or
from me.
As he helped Elise walk away from the fire house, he continued cursing me over his shoulder: “That little beast! Creating this
disgusting, atrocious scene! Frightening her brother before he’s even born! If anything happens to my son, I’ll make her pay!”
“Clean all this up! I never want to see it again!”
The two of them quickly disappeared toward the main house, Elise’s head resting dramatically against my father’s shoulder.
Amber remained behind, standing motionless as she watched her mother and my father retreat.
I walked up to her, knowing she couldn’t hear me, but taunted her anyway: “Your mother doesn’t want you anymore. She’s going to give my father a son. You’re just extra baggage now. Nyah nyah nyah.”
Amber’s expression darkened slightly as she watched her mother lean into my father’s embrace. Something calculating flickered in her eyes.
D
