Chapter 6

“That’s the hair of the dead pup” “I pulled that dead pup from her womb,” the crone replied bluntly, “A she - wolf without a pack, a mother without a child—even the strongest heart can shatter under such weight.”​ “You dare suggest she didn't kill it on purpose? To spite me?”​ The crone laughed, a harsh, barking sound. “Spite? She was kidnapped by a rogue pack, you fool! Held for moons, beaten. When her labor started, they panicked—tied her to a birch tree and howled for a healer. I found her drenched in blood and wolfsbane, her human body fighting a wolf' labor. The pup was already gone by the time I cut it free.”​ Images flashed in Kael' mind: Elara, bound and screaming. He'd been too busy chasing Rin to notice her absence, too eager to believe the lies about her “voluntary retreat to the pack.”​ “You think I'm lying?” “That' her dhampir blood, Alpha. The kind that drives pure wolves mad with hunger... or guilt.” Before he could respond, she hobbled away, her cane