3

And the moment I stepped inside, the scent of my son was gone.

Erased.

As if Tim had never existed.

I stopped. "Damon."

"Yes, Luna?"

"Where are Tim’s things? Did Kieran get rid of them?"

A long pause.

"Yes, Luna. Alpha thought… if you could still smell him, it would only bring you more pain. He ordered us to clear out all of Tim’s clothes and toys."

How dare he. My fingers curled into a fist.

Looking back now, there had always been signs. Every year, around this time, Kieran would leave for a 'business trip,' traveling across the nation to visit other packs.

I had been foolish enough to believe him.

Those trips—They were never for business. They were for Lilith and Ana.

And while my son—our son—waited patiently for his father to return, Kieran ignored him.

Tim, ever gentle, ever selfless, never complained. He never once demanded Kieran’s presence on his birthday. And yet, Kieran had still chosen Ana.

Every. Single. Year.

…

Guided by memory, I made my way to Kieran’s study.

My hands skimmed over the desk, searching for an agreement that I signed when I mated with Kieran, I remembered I put it in the second drawer—until my fingers brushed against something cold.

A safe. The moment I felt the keypad, I knew the password. It took me three seconds to crack.

Lilith’s birthday.

The lock clicked open. Inside, I found a phone. And when I turned it on, a video was immediately rang in this room.

A video Kieran had clearly watched over and over again.

"I, Alpha Kieran of the Eclipse Fang Pack, voluntarily announce that I will pass my Alpha title to my one and only daughter, Ana, upon my retirement. Along with every property under my name—including ten mansions, multiple businesses, and—"

The Alpha title.

Tim’s dream.

"Mommy, when I grow up, I’ll be strong like Father. I’ll make him proud."

"Mommy… I lost my legs. I can’t be Father’s pride anymore."

"Mommy, what if I lose my right to be Alpha?"

"Mommy… all I wanted was for Father to be proud of me."

"Mommy…"

My baby. Tears welled in my useless, empty sockets. But I couldn’t cry. My eyes weren’t mine anymore.

So instead, I screamed, letting my wolf, Aria, appeared for seconds. She growled. A guttural, heart-wrenching scream—the sound of a mother’s soul being shattered beyond repair.

And then, silence.

I picked up my phone. "Call Brother Tavern."

The line rang twice before his voice, warm and familiar, greeted me.

"Hey, my beautiful sister. How are you lately? How are things with Kieran?"

My voice shook. "Tavern. I want to go home."

A sharp inhale. "Selene? What happened? Are you okay? Are you—"

"And brother…" I cut him off, my grip tightening around the phone.

A beat of silence. Then, "Yes, Selene?"

"I want Kieran dead.”

…

The next morning. When I woke, Kieran was already lying beside me, pretending. Pretending nothing had happened. He pulled me into his arms, the same way he always did.

"Babe, remember I told you I already buried our son?" His voice was soft, almost gentle. "Something came up with the burial—I need to handle it. You should rest at home, okay?"

I nodded. Cause I had no words left for him.

Kieran left. And by the sound of the car engine, I knew. A brand-new car.

Likely purchased around the time Tim was kidnapped.

While I had spent every waking moment searching for my son, crying for him, fearing for our son’s life—Kieran had been buying himself luxury.

And I knew better than to believe he was handling burial arrangements today.

He was going to Ana’s birthday.

…

Tavern arrived within a few hours. He then took me straight to a familiar witch who granted me the ability to see again, but only for a few months. If I was going to exact my revenge on my revolting mate and his mistress, I needed my sight back.

And afterwards, we went and searched for Tim’s ashes. According to pack gossip and what Kieran had told me, he had buried Tim in the forest.

But when we spoke to the forest keeper, his words chilled me to the bone.

"Nothing has been buried here recently. No bodies. No ashes. Nothing."

The ground beneath my feet seemed to shake.

"Actually," the man continued, "Alpha Kieran ordered that no dead bodies or ashes be buried here at all. If someone told you otherwise, they probably meant the trash pit."

The trash pit.

My breath stilled.

"Now that I think about it, Alpha Kieran did come by recently… had me dig a hole there. Said it was to bury something."

No.

All strength drained from my limbs.

Not the trash pit.

Not my son.

…

Tavern drove us there without a word. The moment we arrived, I smelled it. The faint scent of Tim.

And then I saw the hole, the one that wasn’t even properly dug. And as Tavern and I knelt and dug, brushing dirt away, a small piece of wood peeked through the soil.

A box. I dug faster. And when I lifted it, the scent hit me fully.

Tim. My son’s ashes.

Dumped like garbage.

I clutched the box to my chest, my entire body trembling. Then, my voice, eerily calm—too calm.

"Tavern. Take me to that bitch Lilith’s house. Now.”

…

We arrived within minutes. The moment Tavern pulled the car to a stop, I marched toward the door.

I didn’t hesitate. With all the strength in my body and help of Aria, my wolf, I kicked it open while holding my son’s ashes in my hands.

The force was enough to send a tremor through the house, rattling its very foundation.