Chapter 0004

Elara

I awoke to the hum of an engine and the gentle sway of a moving vehicle. My head throbbed lightly, and it took a moment for my vision to focus.

The first thing I noticed was the plush leather seat beneath me, far too luxurious to belong to any car I had ever been in. Panic surged through me as I realized I was lying in the backseat of an unfamiliar car, cradled in someone’s arms.

My heart raced. I jerked upright, thrashing against the strong grip that held me. “Let me go!” I shouted, struggling to free myself. “Where’s my daughter? What have you done with her?”

“Mommy, I’m right here,” came Zoe’s soft voice.

I stopped fighting, my eyes darting toward the sound. There she was, sitting comfortably in a car seat beside me, her legs swinging happily as she sipped from a juice box. Relief washed over me, but my suspicion lingered.

“Zoe, are you okay?” I asked, my voice trembling.

She nodded, a bright smile on her face. “Yes, Mommy. Isn’t this car awesome? Daddy gave me apple juice!”

Daddy.

I turned my gaze to the man beside me, the one who was holding me—Alpha Alaric. His expression was unreadable, eyes fixed ahead. I pulled away from him, pressing myself against the door.

“What is going on? Where are you taking us?”

He glanced at me briefly. “To my home. We need to get started on the paperwork.”

“Paperwork?” I echoed. “What paperwork?”

His Beta, who was driving, glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Ms. Spencer, six years ago, your biological daughter, Ella, and Alpha Alaric’s daughter were switched at birth.”

I stared at him, disbelief churning in my gut. “That’s impossible. You’re lying.”

Alaric’s face remained stoic. “Suit yourself. But you’ll see soon enough.”

I looked back at Zoe, who seemed unfazed by the conversation. How could this be true? Zoe was my daughter—I had given birth to her, held her in my arms from the very first moment.

The car pulled up to a sprawling estate soon after that. Tall iron gates opened silently as we approached, revealing manicured gardens and a mansion that looked like it was straight out of a fairy tale.

I held Zoe’s hand tightly as we stepped out of the car, my eyes darting around for any possible escape route. It was beautiful here, but I refused to believe that anything good would come of this.

“Come with me,” Alaric said, taking long strides toward the front door.

We followed him inside, where the interior was somehow even more beautiful. Crystal chandeliers hung from high ceilings, and marble floors gleamed beneath our feet.

At the far end of the grand foyer, a little girl sat in a window seat, gazing out at the gardens. She had curly brown hair and big eyes that mirrored my own.

Alaric approached her gently. “Ella,” he said softly, “this is your biological mother, Elara. Elara, this is your daughter. Your true daughter.”

She whipped her head toward me and then Zoe, and my breath caught in my throat. She glared at Zoe before looking back at me again. As soon as our eyes met, a strange sensation enveloped me—a deep, inexplicable connection.

“You?” I whispered, taking a tentative step forward. “You’re my—”

“I don’t want a mother,” she declared, her small chin jutting out stubbornly. There was a look to her, as if she were many years older than she truly was. Like her soul had been around longer than her body. “Stay away from me.”

Before I could respond, she hopped off the seat and ran up the grand staircase, disappearing from sight. A pang of sorrow pierced my heart.

“Wait!” I called after her, but it was no use.

“She has been... resistant to the idea,” the Beta offered apologetically.

I felt Zoe’s tiny hand squeeze mine. “It’s okay, Mommy,” she said softly.

I knelt down to her level. “Are you alright, sweetheart?” I asked softly, tucking a strand of dark hair behind her ear.

She nodded, her eyes full of concern. Then she turned to Alaric, her voice small but firm. “Please, Daddy, can I stay with my mommy?”

Alaric regarded her for a moment before his gaze shifted to me. “We need to talk,” he said “Privately.”

A knot formed in my stomach, but I nodded. “Fine.”

Ella stayed with the Beta, whose name was James. I didn’t like the idea of leaving her with a strange man, but Alaric insisted that James would take good care of her. Everything just happened so fast. Alaric then led me down a corridor to a spacious office filled with towering bookshelves and dark wood furnishings. Once inside, he closed the door behind us.

“What’s this all about?” I demanded, crossing my arms defensively.

Alaric moved behind a large desk. “I will continue investigating the child-swapping incident,” he began. “In the meantime, I want you to know that I will take good care of both children from now on.”

I narrowed my eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

He met my gaze evenly. “Exactly what I said.”

Understanding dawned on me, and anger flared in my chest. “You can’t just take my child away from me! I’ve raised Zoe for six years—she’s my daughter in every way that matters.”

He remained unfazed, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a thick folder. “Your financial situation, debts, lack of educational resources, living conditions…” He listed them off, sliding the folder across the desk toward me. “All of this shows that you are not in a position to provide for either child adequately.”

I stared at the folder but didn’t touch it. “So you’re just going to take them away? Just like that?”

“For their well-being, yes,” he replied coolly. “But you don’t need to worry. They’ll have everything they need here. They’ll both live in the lap of luxury and will have extremely happy, fulfilling lives.”

I shook my head vehemently. “No. I won’t let you do this. You have no right to separate a mother from her children.”

He sighed, as if he found the conversation tiresome. “Don’t you understand? The media has already picked up the story of my long-lost child. Zoe has been exposed. In this brutal werewolf world, can you alone guarantee her safety as the future heir to the Donovan empire?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but no words came out. Memories of Mason breaking into my apartment flashed through my mind—how powerless I had been to stop him, how I had fainted when Alaric had intervened.

He continued, his tone softening just a fraction, “The heir to the Donovan empire needs protection, not a cramped apartment with nothing but a thin wooden door to keep her safe.

I fell silent, my resolve wavering. My only wish was for my children to grow up safely. But the thought of losing Zoe… I couldn’t bear it.

Alaric walked around the desk, standing just a few feet away from me. The woodsy scent of his cologne hit me again, and I wrinkled my nose but held his gaze.

“Of course,” he said, “once you hear my offer, I’m sure you’ll change your mind.”