Chapter 4

Grace burst into tears.

"I shouldn't have opened my mouth..." She sobbed, covering her face as she ran out.

Victor’s face darkened instantly. He glared at me.

"How long are you going to keep up this ridiculous lie!"

With that, he ran after Grace.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from my husband:

*“Honey, the negotiations are over. I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon.”*

I let out a sigh of relief.

Once Victor met Ethan in person, his delusion would finally shatter.

The next afternoon, I had just arrived at the coffee shop when the daycare teacher called me in a panic.

She said Leo had been taken by a man claiming to be his biological father and a woman.

My heart leaped into my throat. I rushed straight to the Smith pack territory.

There, I saw Grace holding Leo near an abandoned stone quarry. She was "showing him his future territory."

Leo had been terrified of unfamiliar, enclosed, or ruined spaces since he was a baby.

He was crying hysterically, his little face flushed red.

But Grace ignored his panic completely.

She dragged Leo deeper into the rocky quarry.

"Don't be scared, Leo. This will all be yours one day."

"This is your daddy's land, which means it's your land. Why are you crying? Stop being so rude. Your loud crying is going to scare the wolves around here."

Leo struggled wildly, trying to run back.

The loose rocks at the edge of the quarry began to slide, crashing down right next to Leo's tiny feet.

Leo screamed in terror.

Grace smiled gently, but her eyes were dark and threatening. "Look, you scared the rocks down."

"Who allowed you to touch my son!"

I screamed in fury, rushing toward them.

Just as I was about to grab Leo, Victor appeared out of nowhere. He grabbed me from behind, pulling me back.

"Grace is just trying to help. She wants our son to get used to his future territory."

My eyes were burning with tears. I spun around and slapped him hard across the face.

"My son is terrified of unfamiliar environments!"

"He doesn't need you to arrange his future!"

I turned to grab Leo again, but Victor grabbed my wrist tightly.

Grace looked at me, playing innocent.

"Today is the third anniversary of the quarry's closing. I thought it was the perfect place to build a pup's courage."

"I just wanted Leo to return to the pack. I wanted him to get familiar with the land."

As she spoke, another section of the stone wall crumbled. Sharp gravel rained down on Leo, cutting his arms, legs, and forehead.

She added quickly, "Don't worry. I checked the quarry. It’s totally safe. I used to play here all the time when I was a kid."

Seeing Leo crying so hard he could barely breathe, I panicked and struggled desperately.

Victor held me tighter, trying to soothe me.

"He's a boy, Lily. You can't raise him to be soft."

"He’s going to be an Alpha one day. He needs to build some courage. He can't be afraid of some rocks."

Suddenly, a large rock fell and struck Leo right on the head. He went limp and fell to the ground.

I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"He’s knocked out!"

Only then did Victor realize the severity of the situation.

I broke free, ran to scoop Leo into my arms, and rushed toward the Pack Healer's clinic.

Victor and Grace followed closely behind.