Chapter 1

I licked at Andrew's rotting wounds, tasting a bitterness more unbearable than death itself—these gaping gashes through his back, clearly the result of a fatal blow meant for a fellow warrior.

Before he died, he was still smiling. "Mom, do you think Dad will be proud of me? I protected the pack like he taught me..."

His memories tore through my mind, like a final howl of a wolf unwilling to be misunderstood by his father.

Today, he earned an A in the warrior training camp competition—the only A. He had planned to go home and show it off to his Alpha father, but on the way, he received a cry for help from Lucas.

Though he and Lucas weren’t on the best terms, Andrew still chose to go rescue him, only for Lucas to stab him with silver nails.

Though it was Andrew's memory, I could feel his pain—silver could pierce through our healing abilities, and even the strongest werewolves could only watch helplessly as their blood drained away.

Lucas and his companions laughed nearby, mocking the only A in the training camp, calling it "nothing special."

I can't imagine how desperate Andrew must have felt, in the dark forest where the moonlight never reached, surrounded by his so-called "comrades" showing their sharp fangs!

He was trapped in a silver trap, awaiting death.

But my Inner Wolf sensed Andrew's faint presence. Following his scent, I found the dark forest but saw my mate, Anthony, walking out with Lucas in his arms.

Lucas only had a scratch on his shoulder from a silver blade, yet Anthony was panicking, ordering Beta to give Lucas a special treatment channel.

But when I begged him to come with me to find Andrew, he abandoned me in the forest.

"Lucas is hurt! I’m taking him back to treat him. If you want to find Andrew, go find him yourself! That coward ran off long ago, probably hiding somewhere waiting for you to nurse him back to health!"

I risked being torn apart by the Lone Wolf and found Andrew, barely hanging on to life. His body was covered in wounds, not a single inch of flesh unscathed.

I tried to hold his wounds, but his blood poured through my fingers—silver had destroyed his healing ability.

But when he saw me cry, he comforted me instead, "I can sense Dad’s scent, Mom. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine as long as he’s around."

He didn’t know, the father he adored, the one he depended on, had already abandoned him for another son.

I frantically linked with Anthony, but he blocked the mental connection.

Beta told me the Alpha was praying for Lucas and had prohibited anyone from disturbing him.

I couldn’t even cry anymore. His son was bleeding to death, and he was praying for another’s child.

"Andrew, don’t be afraid. Mom will take you to the healer..." I sobbed as I held him.

His wounds couldn't heal. His blood kept flowing, and he grew lighter in my arms.

Andrew's voice became softer, as though the darkness of the forest was swallowing him, "I can hold on, Mom. Don’t worry."

I took him to the healer’s quarters, but Anthony had already called the healer away to treat Lucas.

Other doctors did their best to stop Andrew’s bleeding, but the ancient methods couldn’t halt the blood loss.

One of them said, "Only the healer might be able to save him. The chance of recovery is low, but there's still hope."

I wanted to beg Anthony, but Andrew held my hand.

He had finally realized he had been abandoned, like a cub left behind by the pack in the dark.

"Mom, don’t leave me, please don’t abandon me."

"Don’t go looking for Dad. Anyone who disturbs his prayer will suffer the blood curse."

"I’m cold... Can you hold me, please?"

"Mom, it feels so warm when you hold me. If I get another chance, I want to be your little wolf cub again, but... can you get me a new dad?"

Andrew begged me to stay, but I couldn’t just watch him die. Ignoring the curse, I forcibly broke into the ancient altar.

The incantations pressed on my nerves, but I gritted my teeth and knelt before Anthony, "Please... just look at Andrew once. He’s dying, he needs the crystal healing room."

But Anthony, in a fit of rage, ordered me out of the altar. "You dare interrupt my prayer? Lucas nearly died trying to save your son! Your son ran off like a rabbit! What injuries could he have sustained? Does he deserve the crystal healing room?"

"Lucas is the most promising warrior in the pack! If Lucas can’t fight because of your son, I’ll throw him in jail for desertion myself!"

In Andrew's memories, just before he died, he linked with me and heard his Alpha father pass judgment on him. The words were like the sharpest silver needles stabbing into his heart, destroying his last ounce of strength.

The father he had always respected saw him as a coward who betrayed his comrades, giving the only treatment room to the one who had killed him.

With his last breath, he shared his memories with me, leaving me to carry the weight of his father’s coldness and misunderstanding.

He closed his eyes for the last time, just ten years old, with neither Anthony nor I by his side.