3

"I... well..." Ethan stammered, caught between his mate and his mistress.

Vivian pressed her advantage. "The Alpha will be there too. He's so fond of Lucas, you know. Says he reminds him of a young you."

My fingers dug into the car door behind me.

I felt Ethan's hand tighten on my shoulder. "Of course I'll be there, Viv. I wouldn't miss it."

As he spoke, he quickly said goodbye to Vivian and helped me into the car.

Behind us, Vivian's eyes darted slyly before she let out a dramatic "Oh!" and clutched her chest, staggering backward.

Ethan immediately abandoned me to catch her, his face wrinkled with concern as he checked her over.

Then he apologetically explained to me, "Viv sprained her ankle. I need to take her to see a doctor. Serena, I'll have the driver take you home!"

With that, he lifted Vivian in his arms and rushed back into the hospital without a backward glance.

A bitter smile twisted my lips.

He called her "Vivi" with such tenderness, yet used my full name, making the difference in his affections painfully clear.

When we first married, I asked him to call me by a pet name, but he always refused, saying it was too sappy, too unfamiliar.

Now I understood—he never had room for me in his heart.

Back home, everything related to Tyler had been cleared away.

Ethan claimed it was to spare me painful memories, but I knew better. He was covering his tracks, erasing evidence of his crime.

For every one of Tyler's birthdays, Ethan had found excuses to break his promises. Now I realized he must have been with Vivian and Lucas instead.

Because Tyler's birthday was also when Lucas received his "organ donations."

My poor Tyler, waiting by his birthday cake year after year, watching the candles burn down without his father ever showing up.

Whenever I remember how he would look up at me with those bright, innocent eyes asking, "When is Daddy coming home for my birthday?" I feel like my heart is being torn to pieces.

I fumbled my way to the study and asked the housekeeper to bring me the recording crystal from the safe. Alone, I recorded my testimony, detailing my husband's and his mistress's crimes—how they kidnapped and murdered my son, how they took my eyes.

After finishing my recording, I tried to save it but accidentally played a different file. It was a recording of a birthday celebration with Vivian and Lucas. Their laughter filled the room, their happiness like salt in my wounds.

Scrolling back further, I found another recording—Ethan's will.

His solemn voice declared that after his death, all his assets, as well as all of mine, would go to Lucas without condition.

I nearly smashed the crystal against the wall. This man not only planned to leave his own fortune to his illegitimate son but had the audacity to include my assets as well.

I went down to the basement to find the little treasures Tyler had hidden away—his favorite teddy bear, his beloved chocolates...

He said he kept his favorite things hidden because they would bring surprises later. Though my eyes couldn't see, my fingers searched desperately. My mind filled with images of his sweet, innocent face.

Suddenly, I found a recording crystal. My son's childish voice filled the room, and I broke down in uncontrollable sobs.

It was a memorial video he'd recorded on his fifth birthday. In it, I sat beside him as he eagerly waited for his father to come home and celebrate with him. Sadly, he died without ever having his father present for a single birthday.

In the end, he blew out the candles alone, consoling me, saying he was happy just having me there. He promised he would protect me forever.

My heart turned to ash. I opened the mind-link to the Shadow Pack that I hadn't used in years and contacted my foster brother.

"Brother, I'm returning to the Shadow Pack. And I want Ethan... dead!"

Early the next morning, Ethan sat by my bedside, personally giving me medicine.

"Serena, today is Tyler's funeral. I need to go to the cemetery. You're still weak—you should stay home and rest!"

I remained silent, seemingly accepting his arrangement.

Soon after, I heard the roar of an engine outside—the new sports car Ethan had bought last month, spending three million dollars just because Lucas mentioned liking it.

I sensed the flash of bright red driving west—straight toward the hotel where Lucas's birthday party was being held!

I laughed coldly, changed into a black coat, and headed for the cemetery.

He could abandon his son's funeral for Lucas's birthday, but I, as a mother, couldn't bear the thought of Tyler suffering alone.

But searching the entire cemetery, I couldn't find Tyler's grave. A wave of unease washed over me.

I grabbed a cemetery worker and questioned him.

"Oh, you mean the little boy named Tyler Gray? His father didn't bring him to the cemetery. The body was probably dumped in the forest. The rogue wolves might have eaten it by now..."

The forest...

My mind exploded with fury! Ethan was heartless enough to deny Tyler a proper burial!

I quickly wiped away my tears, shifted into my wolf form, and raced toward the forest, following the faint scent. After a long search, I finally rescued my son's body from a pack of rogue wolves.

His body had begun to decompose after days in the forest, with rogue wolves circling, looking to feed.

My heart shattered as I gathered what remained of him and ran as fast as I could.

With one powerful kick, I burst through the doors of Lucas's birthday celebration!