THIRD PERSON’S POV

Alaina’s escape sent chaos spreading through the entire pack.

The Alpha’s roar echoed through the Moonfall pack estate, shaking the walls. Justin’s wolf was on edge, pacing restlessly under his skin. His aura filled the entire hall.

“I knew she wouldn’t willingly give me her kidney!” Danielle cried.

She sat on the hospital bed, looking pale. Tears rolled down her eyes. Her wolf whimpered softly inside her, feeding off her fake pain.

Every word she said made her seem like the victim, as if Alaina owed her life to her.

When she came back to the Moonfall pack, Danielle refused to change her surname. She said she wanted to honor the family who raised her for twenty-one years, even if they were cruel.

Everyone in the pack knew it was a game. She knew that keeping that name was her way of stabbing guilt into the Moonfall family again and again.

She was clever. Too clever.

Now, Danielle was the perfect Luna candidate. She was soft-spoken, fragile, adored.

Alaina was the opposite. She was the outcast, the imposter, the she-wolf who had fallen from grace.

“Don’t cry,” Aaron said. “She owes you this. She can’t hide from us for long.”

Danielle trembled and leaned into him. “Brother… I’m scared. What if Alaina tells Justin the truth? What if he abandons me?”

Aaron’s jaw tightened. “You’re thinking too much. That woman disgraced the Silvermoon pack, humiliated Justin in front of New York’s council. He’d never want her again.”

Danielle sniffled. “But what if she talks… about that night?”

Aaron’s wolf snarled quietly. “She won’t. No one knows who that bastard was. Even if she speaks, who would believe her? She’s already ruined.”

Danielle looked down. Her claws slightly peeked from her fingertips. “Still… I hate that child she bore. Every time I think of it—”

“Forget him,” Aaron said. “The pup is her weakness. She’ll never use it against us.”

Danielle nodded slowly. “You’re right. Alaina will pay for taking what’s mine. I’ll make sure she does.”

Her wolf purred darkly under her skin. Revenge tasted sweet.

Alaina’S POV

I kept my head low under the baseball cap as I hid in the narrow alley behind the marketplace. My wolf was weakened from the fever and hunger.

She whispered, “Keep moving.”

“Ken!”

I froze, then turned.

Elijah ran toward me. His scent was familiar and warm, like home. His eyes were red. His hands trembled as he reached me. “I went to the gates yesterday, but you weren’t there! Gods, Alaina… you’ve suffered so much.”

I almost broke right there.

“Brother…” My voice came out cracked and rough. “I didn’t know where to go.”

He pulled me into his arms, holding me tight. “It’s okay. You’re out now. You have me. You have Liam. We’ll start over.”

My body trembled against him. For five years in that cold, dark prison, this was what I dreamed of — warmth, safety, family.

At the mention of my son, my knees went weak. “Liam…”

Elijah smiled. “He’s been waiting for you. He kept asking when his mom would come home.”

Tears spilled down my face before I could stop them. For years, I had buried every emotion to survive, but now, they crashed out. I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Come on,” Elijah said softly, rubbing my back. “Let’s go home.”

Home. The word felt foreign. But when he said it, I wanted to believe it.

“Mom!”

The voice was small and bright. I turned toward it, and my breath caught.

A little boy stood at the end of the alley, wearing clean but worn-out clothes. His scent — part wolf, part something else — hit me hard. My heart ached painfully.

“Liam…” I whispered.

My hands shook as I rubbed them on my jeans. I felt too dirty for him. I was scared to dirty him with the filth of my past.

“Mom!” he cried, running into my arms. “Uncle said we’re going to pick you up!”

When his little arms wrapped around my neck, I broke. My wolf whimpered with joy and pain all at once. I held him close, breathing in his scent.

My pup. My reason to live.

“Mom, I’ll never leave you again,” he said. His voice was muffled against my shoulder.

I smiled weakly through my tears. “I’ll never leave you either.”

But deep down, I knew time wasn’t on my side. After the damage to my body and the kidney they wanted from me… how long did I really have left?

Still, I had to fight. For him.

Then came that voice. It sounded cold and dominant.

“Oh, what a touching scene.”

I froze. My wolf tensed, baring her teeth.

From the shadows, Justin stepped forward. He was tall and looked every inch the Alpha of the Silvermoon pack. His golden eyes sparkled dangerously, and his wolf’s energy flooded the alley. I could feel his aura like a weight on my chest.

“Justin…” I whispered. My heart started to pound. I moved in front of Liam, shielding him with my body. “What do you want?”

He smirked. His voice was like ice. “What do you think I want, little wolf?”

The growl in his tone sent a shiver through my spine.

My wolf whimpered softly, not out of fear, but out of confusion. She remembered him.

I didn’t dare move. I could feel the darkness of his aura closing in.

The alley fell silent except for the sound of my heartbeat and my son’s breathing against my chest.

And I knew… My nightmare wasn’t over yet.