Haley's Point Of View.

Silence followed.

The only thing I could hear was the odd, rushing sound in my ears. The only thing I could see were the shocked faces of the birthday guests, and my daughter's distraught expression.

I hurried forward to comfort Clara who was on the verge of tears. Slowly, she backed away from her father. Her small frame trembled, and her little hands clutched the hem of my dress.

I wrapped my arms around her, trying to soothe her. “Shh. It’s okay, sweetheart. Everything will be fine.”

Rachel suddenly appeared beside me, holding a small bag of candies. Her eyes shone with something I couldn’t quite place. “Here, Clara. I brought these for you. They’re your favorite.”

Clara’s eyes brightened a little, and she took the candies with a hesitant smile. I’d noticed Rachel’s disdain for my daughter several times before, but tonight was different. She seemed almost... genuine.

"Thank you, Rachel,” Clara mumbled.

Rachel forced a smile. “It’s my pleasure, Princess. How about I persuade your father to take you for that run?"

I shook my head almost immediately, still wary of Rachel's sudden kindness. “Never mind that now. Clara, dear, I can take you for a run after the party. We can have a special time together.”

However, Rachel was already walking up the dais, towards Randolf. I watched his eyes lit up as she approached him. He leaned his entire body towards her, as she whispered into his ear. The sight of them made me physically sick, and I tried to tamp It down.

I stood in silence, with my daughter clutched against my chest. Randolf's eyes darted to us, then back to Rachel and nodded.

Rachel came back to us with a smile that did nothing to ease my tension. "Hear that, Clara? Daddy is up for a ride."

I let out an impatient sigh. "You shouldn't have bothered, Rachel—"

“No, Haley!" A voice bellowed behind me. I turned to see Randolf walking towards us. "Clara will ride with me."

His tone was cold and dismissive, and I felt a pang of frustration. “But Clara wants to ride with me. Are you sure—”

Randolf cut me off with a sharp look. “It’s her birthday. Let her have this. Find something else to do, will you?"

Anxiety still tugged at my heart, but I nodded hesitantly. I crouched in front of Clara, who had a bright smile on her face again.

She kissed my cheek, her tiny lips brushing against my skin. “I’ll be okay, Mama. I love you.”

I tried to smile for her sake, though my heart ached. “I love you too, sweetheart. Have fun.”

In a flash, Randolf had morphed into his wolf form. Clara waved goodbye at me, as she climbed onto the back of the giant wolf. Randolf’s form loomed over me for a moment, and then disappeared into the woods. I watched them until they were out of sight, still feeling very uneasy.

The party continued, but my thoughts were with Clara. Time dragged on, and as the night fell, I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread. The guests and pack members were gone. Randolf had not returned, and neither had Clara. I glanced at the watch on my wrist; midnight had come and gone.

Unable to bear it any longer, I reached out to Randolf through the mindlink. “Randolf, where is Clara? She hasn’t come back yet.”

His response was cold and distant. “Why are you asking me that? I came to the pack hospital an hour ago for urgent matters."

I was taken aback. “You left Clara alone in the woods? You should have at least informed me!”

There was a brief pause before he replied, “I had no choice. It was urgent. Besides, she was having so much fun in the woods."

Something in his voice made my annoyance spark. “You should have brought her back before you left. She’s only six years old! You can’t just abandon her like that.”

Randolf’s response was curt. “I’m dealing with important issues, Haley. I can’t be everywhere at once.”

Several emotions crashed into one another in my head. My daughter was out there, alone. The woods were vast and dangerous. The thought of her vulnerable and frightened made my heart pound.

For the Moon's sake, what if she ran into a rogue wolf?

“Randolf!" I snapped through the mind link. "This isn’t just about your duties. Our daughter’s safety is at stake!”

He didn’t answer. I could feel the connection between us fading as he shut me out. For a moment, I was left in a headspace of anxiety and helplessness.

And without giving my actions any thought, I turned and dashed into the forest.

My daughter was gone.

The words pounded in my head like a wicked, tribal drum as I shifted into my wolf form. My heart pumping with fury and terror. I had to find her. I had to find Clara.

"Search the woods! Now!" I mindlinked the warriors nearby. "The princess is in there alone!"

How could Randolf have let this happen to his daughter?

My thoughts went wild as I ran, the wind pushing through my fur. Tears of despair tore through my eyes. God, I couldn't lose her. I couldn't lose Clara.

Clara was supposed to be with her father, in our territory, under the protection of our pack. There shouldn’t have been any danger, and yet he'd managed to let this happen.

As I neared the middle of the forest, a scent hit me—familiar and sickeningly wrong. It was blood and something else. Something that didn’t belong.

Rogues.

Panic took over my thinking. I pushed forward, faster, the trees blurring around me until I reached the clearing. My heart nearly stopped as I spotted a small, lifeless body sprawled in the grass, crimson staining the earth beneath her.

"No! Clara!" I shifted back, falling to my knees beside her, my hands trembling as I touched her cold, blood-soaked skin. I pulled her close, my tears mixing with the blood on her tiny, delicate face. She was so still, so quiet, her beautiful eyes closed forever.

"Why?" I whispered, my voice broken. "Why my Clara?"

The scent lingered, sharp and distinct. Rogues had done this. I could smell it, feel it in the air, the viciousness that had stolen my daughter's life.

After what felt like hours, I forced myself to let go of her, though my heart screamed in protest. I had to bury her, give her peace. I carried Clara's body to the riverbank, the place she loved, where we’d spent countless afternoons laughing and playing. My tears fell freely as I dug the grave with my bare wolf hands.

Once she was buried, I stood over her grave, my hands balling at my sides. My daughter was gone, and someone would pay.

I heard footsteps coming behind me, and turned to see Marcel coming towards me with several warriors behind him.

"How did this happen?" I roared. "Why didn't anyone hear her scream? Why didn’t you notice rogues crossing our borders?"

Marcel bowed his head. "It was our mistake, Luna. We should have been more vigilant."

"Vigilant?" I spat the word. "My daughter is dead because of your negligence!"

He flinched, but then something in his eyes hardened. "Perhaps if you had been there, Luna, if you had been more of a mother and less of a leader, this wouldn’t have happened."

His words hit me like a slap, cutting deeper than any wound. Like his daughter Rachel, this man was nothing short of condescending.

"How dare you?" I growled, stepping closer. "You are the leader of the warriors. We trusted you with her safety, and you failed."

Marcel stared at me with a brow cocked in consternation. "And you failed her as a mother. Blame us if you must, but you were not there either."

"You will be punished for your disrespect," I growled. "And this investigation is far from over."

Marcel lowered his eyes, but I could sense the words he wanted to hurl at me. He had crossed a line, and I wouldn’t let it go.

I spent the rest of the night in the woods, retracing Clara's final steps, searching for any clue that might explain how rogues had infiltrated our territory unnoticed. My heart ached as I walked and tears blurred my vision. It was hopeless. Nothing I found would bring her back.

But I would not rest until I had justice for Clara.

Even if it meant tearing down everything in my path.

I reached the other end of the pack's territory and still found nothing. And then I caught the scent. It was a trace of something I hadn’t expected, something that made my blood run cold.

Rachel's scent.