2

After the nightmare at the healing center, Noah was finally cleared to come home the next day.

His tiny body was still weak from the Battle Sage overdose. Every whimper he made tore at my heart.

Back home, I prepared his special wolf pup formula with calming herbs and got him settled to sleep.

"Mommy, don't leave," he whispered, clutching my hand.

I stroked his hair until his breathing evened out. "Never, baby. Mommy's right here."

The exhaustion of staying up all night finally caught up with me. I collapsed on the couch, still fully dressed.

When I woke at noon, the climbing coach's words kept echoing in my mind.

Something wasn't right about Marcus's insistence on the climbing class.

My hands trembled as I reached for my phone. Deep down, I already knew something was terribly wrong.

I called the coach back.

"Could you send me the surveillance footage from yesterday? I need to understand what happened."

"Mrs. Anderson..." His voice was heavy. "The footage... it's not easy to watch."

"Please. I need to know what happened to my son."

The footage arrived minutes later. What I saw made my blood turn to ice.

Noah was crying, his small body pressed against a bench near the climbing wall. "Daddy, please! My ribs still hurt! I'm scared!"

Marcus yanked him up roughly by the arm. I could see Noah wince in pain.

"Stop being such a coward! You're embarrassing me in front of everyone. What kind of wolf cub are you?"

Noah tried to pull away. "But daddy, the healer said-"

"Shut up! No son of mine will be this weak. Now go change!"

My hands clenched into fists, claws extending unconsciously.

When Noah shuffled away to change into climbing gear, Marcus pulled out a small vial. The label was clearly visible - Battle Sage Extract.

His phone rang. Sarah's name flashed on the screen.

"Yeah, I got the brat to go climbing," Marcus laughed, his voice cruel. "Maybe he'll fall to his death this time. Can't have a weakling Omega son shaming me, right?"

He uncapped the vial, checking to make sure no one was watching.

"I made sure to sign a waiver saying I know the risks," he continued. "If anything happens, it'll just look like an accident."

The camera caught his smirk as he poured the Battle Sage into Noah's water bottle.

"One way or another, I'll be rid of this embarrassment soon."

I felt bile rise in my throat. My mate - the father of my child - had deliberately tried to kill our son.

Everything suddenly made horrible sense. The "accidents" that kept happening to Noah. The unexplained injuries.

Tears blurred my vision, but this time they came from pure rage.

No mother could forgive anyone hurting her child - not even the father.

I forced myself to calm down and kept watching the footage.

Marcus's cruelty to our son played out in high definition. Every harsh word. Every rough grab. Every moment of calculated abuse.

Perfect. Just perfect.

With shaking hands, I saved multiple copies of the video evidence.

Then I called the pack council.

"This is Claire Anderson. I need to file for mate separation and reclaim all my pre-marital assets."

The council member's voice was grave. "That's a serious request, Mrs. Anderson."

"I have video evidence of my mate attempting to murder our pup. How's that for serious?"

I was done with Marcus - that worthless excuse for a wolf!

...

Just as I ended the call, I heard the front door open.

Marcus walked in carrying several shopping bags, wearing a smile I hadn't seen in months.

That smile vanished when he saw me. His eyes narrowed. "Why aren't you gathering herbs?"

I gave him a cold look, fighting the urge to rip his throat out. "Unlike some people, I can't ignore our pup when he's fighting herb poisoning."

Marcus frowned, his jaw tightening. "Do you have to start arguing the moment I walk in? I was working late!"

"If I wasn't providing for you and Noah, would I be exhausting myself every day?"

That's when I noticed the slender figure hovering in the doorway, her expensive perfume filling our den.

Sarah.

She extended her hand gracefully, false concern painted on her face. "Sister Claire, hello. I'm so sorry to intrude. I heard about Noah's accident."

I ignored her hand and didn't move from the doorway. The word "accident" made my blood boil.

Marcus grabbed my arm, his grip painfully tight, and pulled me aside. He guided Sarah to our couch like she was made of glass.

"Sarah's injured her ankle. She needs to stay with us for a few days."

I looked between them, noting how his hand lingered on her shoulder. "Injured? So she needs to stay in someone else's den? How considerate of you, Marcus."

Marcus waved dismissively, not even trying to hide his irritation with me.

"You know Sarah's alone in the city. It's tough for a young she-wolf. She works for me, of course I need to look after her."

"We're just colleagues. Don't read too much into it."

Sarah's eyes welled up with perfectly timed tears. "Sister Claire, I'm so sorry to impose on you and Marcus. If it's too much trouble..."

I nodded. "You are imposing. As you can see, we have a sick pup. It's not convenient."

"Claire! Shut up!" Marcus cut in, his face reddening with anger.

"Have some compassion! Sarah's five years younger than you. How can you be so cruel?"

"We have a guest room, don't we? What's wrong with Sarah staying? Besides, I bought this den. I decide who stays here. Stop causing problems."

Marcus spoke righteously, but he seemed to have forgotten that when I suffered by his side, I was Sarah's age. In my prime years, I chose to build a life with him from nothing.

I remembered those early days. His gentle touches. His promises of a beautiful future together.

He'd shown me such tenderness then, swearing to give me a good life.

Now he saved his tenderness for another woman.

I smiled faintly, surprising them both. "Of course I agree. The guest room is down the hall."

Before heading to bed, Marcus brought me a cup of warm milk, his expression concerned.

"You seem tense. This will help you sleep."

My keen herbalist's nose immediately caught the scent of sleeping herbs mixed in.

I pretended to drink it, but quietly disposed of it when he wasn't looking.

Earlier that day, I'd hidden a small camera in our bedroom. Call it intuition, or maybe I just finally saw Marcus clearly.

After getting into bed, I feigned sleep, keeping my breathing slow and steady.

An hour later, I heard our bedroom door creak open.

Footsteps. Whispers. Giggles.

"Are you sure she's asleep?" Sarah's voice, thick with excitement.

"Trust me, those herbs would knock out a full-grown alpha. Besides, she's always been a heavy sleeper."

The bed dipped as two bodies joined me.

They didn't even bother going to the guest room.

I lay there, fighting the urge to vomit as they rutted next to me, thinking I was drugged into a deep sleep.

"You're so much better than her," Sarah moaned. "So much stronger."

Marcus chuckled darkly. "Once the brat's out of the way, we can start our own family. Pure-blooded wolves, not mixed with weak Omega blood."

I kept my breathing steady, letting the camera record everything.

More evidence for the pack council.

I'd already transferred the footage of Marcus poisoning Noah to multiple secure locations.

The sounds of their passion made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to stay still.

Marcus had always claimed I was too cold, too focused on herbs and money.

But here he was, betraying me in the cruelest way possible.

Soon, I would take everything from him - just as he had tried to take everything from me.