Midnight brought a nightmare. Kyle suddenly started convulsing, but this wasn't the trembling from fever. These were violent spasms.

He opened his mouth wide, trying to breathe, but his throat made a sound like a broken bellows. Then he vomited up a mouthful of black-purple blood.

Mixed with the metallic tang was a strange scent of bitter almonds. My blood ran cold.

The fever medicine wouldn't go down. I hoisted Kyle onto my back and ran barefoot toward the healing center in the middle of pack territory.

The elder on duty took one look at Kyle's deathly pale face and his expression changed. He pried open Kyle's eyelids, glanced inside, and immediately shouted, "It's Wolfsbane! Get the Alpha! Only Alpha blood can neutralize the poison!"

Wolfsbane. A deadly poison to werewolves, especially pups. Even a trace amount could be fatal.

I collapsed to the floor, clutching Kyle's ice-cold little hand. Julian arrived ten minutes later.

He'd just gone to bed. One button on his shirt was fastened wrong, and his face was full of irritation.

The elder handed him a small knife. Julian didn't hesitate. He sliced open his palm and let the bright red blood drip into Kyle's mouth.

The powerful force of Alpha blood worked quickly. Kyle's breathing steadied. His face was still pale, but the deathly blue-purple tinge gradually faded.

Julian casually wrapped gauze around his palm and stared coldly at me. "What kind of mother are you? How could you let Kyle get his hands on Wolfsbane?"

"He didn't eat anything today!" I scrambled up from the floor, my nails digging into my palms.

My voice was hoarse. "Nothing except the cake you two brought!"

A startled gasp came from the doorway. Linda stood there wrapped in a coat, her face full of shock.

"Ella, what are you saying?" She covered her mouth as tears sprang to her eyes.

"Wolfsbane? I've never even heard of it. We bought that cake from a legitimate bakery. I ate a slice myself. How could it be poisoned?"

"It was you!" I lunged at her, but Julian shoved me aside.

I slammed hard into the medicine cabinet. Glass bottles shattered everywhere.

"Enough!" Julian shielded Linda. "Linda's human. She doesn't know how to identify herbs, let alone extract high-purity Wolfsbane. Ella, you'd poison your own pup just to frame her?"

"I poisoned Kyle? What kind of mother would poison her own pup?" I stared at him in disbelief. "Julian, has this woman blinded you? She's human, but that doesn't mean someone isn't helping her!"

The sharp sound of a slap echoed through the quiet healing center. My face whipped to the side, and I tasted iron in my mouth.

"Shut up." Julian lowered his hand. "If I hear you slander Linda one more time, I won't just exile you to the edge of pack territory."

Linda pressed herself into his arms. Her lips curved into the briefest smile before she quickly transformed back into a frightened rabbit.

"Don't hit her, Julian. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. But how am I supposed to show my face in the pack now?"

Just then, Kyle stirred on the bed. He'd barely regained consciousness and was still desperately weak. He forced his eyes open, and his little hand trembled as it reached toward Julian.

"Dad... Daddy..." Kyle's voice sounded like it had been scraped raw, thin but full of longing.

He remembered the warmth from before he passed out. He knew Julian had given him his blood. His father had saved him.

The little pup fumbled under his pillow for a long moment before pulling out the charred, half-burned remains of the flower crown. It was the treasure he'd been clutching the whole time. He hadn't let go even when he was unconscious.

"Daddy... I fixed it..." Kyle forced out a pleading smile and held up the clump of dried grass toward the tall man.

"I'm not hurting anymore. Don't be mad, Daddy. It's for you..."

Julian's gaze landed on the blackened thing. A flash of impatience crossed his eyes.

He didn't even reach for it. Instead, as if he'd seen something filthy, he instinctively stepped back.

"Get that away from me!" Julian knocked the crown out of Kyle's hand.

"This is a healing center! You're making a mess everywhere. You have no manners!"

Kyle's little hand froze in midair. The faint light in his eyes shattered bit by bit.

"Don't pay attention to them." Julian wrapped his arm around Linda and turned to leave. "Let's go."

I watched their retreating backs, then turned to look at Kyle, who sat there in a daze. That slap had completely destroyed my last illusion about Julian.

That shout of "Get that away from me!" had shattered the image of a father in Kyle's heart. Julian wasn't the charming, strong werewolf I'd once been infatuated with anymore.

Maybe he'd always been like this. I just hadn't wanted to believe it. The Alpha I'd loved for so many years had never loved me back.

Whatever love I'd had left for Julian turned to ash in that moment.

I decided to leave. There was no place for us in this pack anymore. I gathered our few pieces of clothing and lifted Kyle, who'd just recovered from his fever, onto my back.

The door swung open, and Linda walked in. She held a red apple in one hand and an elegant silver knife in the other.

"Ella, I heard you're leaving?" Linda smiled and settled into the rickety chair. She began peeling the apple slowly and deliberately. "What a shame. I haven't had my fill of fun yet."

"Get out." I stared at her coldly.

"Don't be so mean." Linda toyed with the silver knife. The blade glinted cold and sharp in the moonlight.

"You know what? Julian told me yesterday that Kyle's so ugly. He's like a little monster.

"He said he's grateful he never bonded with you as his Luna. Otherwise, that shame would follow him forever."

"Shut your mouth!" My whole body trembled as I shielded Kyle behind me.

"He also said..." Linda stood and moved closer, step by step.

She lowered her voice. "Once I give birth to our pup, he'll make Kyle a slave. A little horse for my child to ride."

Rage flooded my mind. I raised my hand to shove her away. The instant my fingers brushed the hem of her dress, Linda moved.

She was fast. In one motion, she sliced her own arm with the knife. Blood poured out immediately.

Then she plunged the pure silver dagger straight toward my chest. The blade sank in with a squelch.

Searing pain exploded through me. Silver was a werewolf's weakness. The wound felt like it was on fire, and my flesh sizzled and burned.

Linda let go of the knife and let out a piercing scream. "Help! Murder!"

A black shadow burst through the door almost instantly. It was Julian. An Alpha's speed was truly terrifying.

This was the scene that greeted him—me with a knife protruding from my chest, and Linda huddled on the floor in a fit of weeping as her arm bled.

"Julian! She's lost her mind!" Linda cried as she threw herself into his arms. "I came to say goodbye, and she tried to kill me! She said she hates you; that she'd kill me and then kill her own pup to frame me! Look, she even stabbed herself just to make me look guilty!"

It was such a pathetic lie, but Julian believed it. Or maybe he just didn't care about the truth. He only needed an excuse to unleash his rage.

"Ella Alcide, you vicious bitch!"

Julian exploded. He didn't even give me a chance to explain. He raised his hand, Alpha gravity gathering in his palm, and brought it down hard.

The sharp sound of breaking bone echoed through the tiny room, and my spine shattered. The pain was so intense that I lost all feeling in my lower body immediately.

I collapsed like a broken doll. Even my scream caught in my throat. Kyle stood frozen in the corner, and he didn't dare cry.

A few seconds passed before Kyle seemed to register what happened. He stumbled forward on trembling little legs, but he didn't run to me. He threw himself at Julian instead.

He wrapped his arms around Julian's leg and looked up with tears streaming down his small face. "I'll be good... Daddy, I'll be good. Please don't hurt Mommy...

"I'll behave. I won't make flower crowns anymore..."

Linda smiled and crouched down. She smeared the blood from her arm across Kyle's face, her eyes gleaming with malice.

"Being good isn't just about words, you know. Here's what we'll do. If you stand outside and watch over your mommy tonight without coming inside, I'll make your father forgive you both in the morning. He won't hurt your mother anymore."

"Really?" Hope sparked in Kyle's eyes. "If I stay outside, Daddy won't hurt Mommy anymore?"

"Of course. I promise." Linda's smile was radiant.

My heart was breaking. I shook my head desperately, trying to stop him. "No! Kyle, don't listen to her! You'll freeze to death out there!

"Please, Julian, Linda, leave Kyle alone!"

"Mannerless little bastard. He actually believes such obvious lies. Makes me sick just looking at him." Julian carefully gathered Linda into his arms.

He stopped at the doorway. "Since she wants to leave so badly, I'll grant her wish. Tomorrow, throw her and that bastard into the Borderlands."

Night fell, and wild winds howled. The temperature plummeted below freezing.

Kyle actually believed Linda's words. He stood stubbornly outside in the bitter cold, his small frame shaking violently.

"Kyle! Come inside!"

My spine was shattered, and I had no feeling in my lower body. I could only use my hands to claw at the ground, dragging myself inch by agonizing inch toward the door.

Every movement sent waves of pain through me. Cold sweat drenched my body.

I used every ounce of strength I had to reach the doorway. I then stretched out my hand to pull Kyle inside.

But Kyle stepped back, avoiding my grasp. His little face was already blue-purple from the cold. His teeth chattered, but he turned and draped the blanket over me instead.

"Mommy, go back inside..." Kyle pushed at my shoulder with trembling hands.

"I'm not cold. The lady said... if I stay out all night... Daddy won't hurt you tomorrow..."

"My sweet pup, she lied to you! Come inside!" I cried and reached for him again.

Kyle shook his head stubbornly. With his frozen little hands, he tucked the corners of the blanket around me. His gaze was heartbreakingly determined.

"I'm a werewolf. I'll protect you, Mommy... If I'm good, Daddy will come back..."

With that, he retreated into the wind and snow, standing guard at the door like a devoted little soldier. I had no strength left. I could only lie there at the threshold, watching him.

I didn't know how much time passed before that small figure outside swayed and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

"Kyle!" I screamed like a mad she-wolf.

I dragged my broken body over the threshold bit by bit. Ignoring the pain, I crawled desperately to Kyle's side. He'd already passed out from the cold, his body ice-cold.

I clutched him tight against me and dragged us both back inside, inch by inch.

The Borderlands served as the pack's execution ground, located at the edge of a cliff where bitter winds howled year-round.

The next morning, two warriors dragged me there like a rag doll.

My spine was broken. I had no feeling in my lower body. I could only crawl across the ground littered with sharp rocks, leaving a long trail of blood behind me.

Julian arrived with Linda, and Kyle. A warrior held Kyle by the scruff of his neck, dangling him in the air.

Kyle's little face had turned purple. His limbs flailed weakly.

"Julian, I had a witch verify it last night. She said Kyle isn't werewolf blood at all. He's a bastard Ella had with some Rogue! She's been lying to you this whole time!"

This was the greatest insult to an Alpha. Julian's face turned black as coal. He stared at Kyle, his disgust so thick it was almost tangible.

"No wonder he's so weak," Julian ground out through clenched teeth. "Three years old and he still can't shift. He's a mongrel."

"No, that's not true..." I crawled desperately toward Julian, my fingers digging into the dirt. My nails tore back, leaving them bloody and raw.

"Julian, he's your pup! He really is! Please, don't believe her! Don't hurt him!"

"Shut up!" Julian kicked me in the jaw.

"I don't care if this pup is mine or not! I'm going to kill him anyway!"

My mouth filled with blood. My teeth loosened, but I couldn't focus on the pain.

"Julian, kill me instead. Please spare Kyle. He's only three. He's innocent!" I slammed my head against the rocks over and over.

"I'm begging you. He called you Daddy!"

Julian let out a cold laugh and pulled a silver knife from his belt. But he didn't act himself. He handed the knife to Linda instead.

"Linda." Julian stroked her hair. "You do it. Clear your name and rid the pack of this stain."

Linda took the knife, her face twisting into something vicious. She stopped pretending. The malice in her eyes was like a snake's.

She didn't rush. Instead, she seemed to savor the moment, her gaze moving between Kyle and me like we were works of art.

"Ella, since you look so pitiful, let's play a game."

She glanced at Julian in the distance. The lofty Alpha stood with his arms crossed, watching everything with a blank expression.

"Since you want to save this little bastard so badly..." Linda's lips curved upward. "Do it yourself. Julian broke your spine, so your legs don't work anymore. But the bones are still intact, and they're an eyesore."

She pointed at the rocks on the ground. "Break them. Smash your own leg bones to pieces. Then I'll let Kyle go."

"Okay." I didn't hesitate for even a second.

If Kyle could live, I'd give not just my legs but my life without question. I grabbed a sharp-edged rock nearby. My spine was shattered, so my lower body was completely numb.

But that made it easier, didn't it?

The first blow took all my strength. The sound of breaking bones rang out, and my right shin bent at a grotesque angle. The werewolf warriors around us sucked in sharp breaths.

Without pain, I might as well have been smashing a piece of rotten wood. Meanwhile, Julian's eye twitched, but he still didn't move.

"One more." I panted, my voice hoarse from exertion.

The second blow shattered my left tibia. I dropped the blood-soaked rock and braced my hands against the ground. Like a broken animal, I lifted my head.

"Let him go. Please, let him go."