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your father’s around. I’m warning you–don’t
embarrass me.”
Her voice dropped, low and sharp as a growl. “Or don’t blame me when I stop being nice.”
Her threats worked like a charm. Yolanda’s hands shook as she stuffed a piece of dry toast into her mouth. She choked, her face turning red, but didn’t dare stop chewing.
“Useless,” Monica scoffed, tossing a dismissive glance at her. “You’re just like your mother.
Weak. Pathetic.”
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The storm outside rattled the office windows
as Alpha Floyd worked late into the evening, buried in reports from the northern border. The
tension in the pack lands had been growing,
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and he couldn’t afford distractions–until his
phone buzzed.
It was the butler.
“Alpha, Young Master Leon has a fever–he’s burning up. 39.5°C. We’re all worried something might happen…”
Floyd’s grip on the phone tightened. “Did you call the pack healer?”
“We did, Alpha. But… Ms Monica said not to overreact. She left for some birthday party.”
“What?” A growl rumbled low in Floyd’s throat. “I’m coming home now. Tell the healer to stay with him. Keep Leon warm.”
Rain pelted his windshield as he sped back through the pack lands, dread gnawing at his gut. When he burst through the door, he found his pup curled under layers of blankets, his cheeks flushed crimson. His small frame was trembling, wolf energy barely flickering
beneath his skin.
The pack healer stood at the bedside, hooking up an IV with a grim expression.
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“How bad is it?” Floyd asked, chest constricting.
“Alpha, his fever’s been high for over four hours. Any longer and we risk pneumonia.” The healer’s voice was low, urgent. “The boy’s wolf is still developing. His body’s weaker than others his age. Treatment should’ve started hours ago.”
Floyd’s heart thudded painfully. He couldn’t
breathe.
Jillian would’ve known. She always knew when
the pups were sick, even before the symptoms
showed. She didn’t need a thermometer to
sense when their wolves were out of sync.
“Where’s Monica?” Floyd demanded, his voice
sharp as a whip.
The butler hesitated. “She said it was just a cold. She… didn’t want to skip her friend’s birthday gathering.”
Disbelief flared in Floyd’s eyes. He pulled out his phone and called her.
The call rang forever before she finally picked up. Laughter, clinking glasses, and the thump of
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music poured through the line..
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“Floyd?” Monica sounded a little drunk, light
and unconcerned.
“Leon’s fever is nearly 40°C! Where the hell are
you?”
Her tone flipped in an instant. “What?! I–1 didn’t know it was that bad! I thought it was just a cold–oh Moon, I’m coming home now!”
An hour later, Monica stumbled in, still dressed to impress in her evening gown, makeup. flawless, and the faint scent of champagne on her breath. Her eyes were red–rimmed as she flung herself into Floyd’s arms.
“Floyd, I swear, I didn’t know Leon was this
sick…”
Floyd stared at her, jaw tight. She looked as innocent as ever, but something in him snapped. Still… he let out a slow breath.
“Let it go this time. But next time, pay more attention.”
The night dragged on, but finally, Leon’s fever broke. His little body relaxed, the fire in his
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blood calming. Floyd stayed by the bedside, watching every rise and fall of his son’s chest.
Just as the Alpha allowed himself to relax, his phone rang again..
It was his Beta, Elmer.
“Alpha, there’s an emergency at the southern
warehouse. You’re needed–now.”
Floyd glanced at Leon, peacefully sleeping. After a brief hesitation, he turned to Monica. “Stay with him. I’ll be back soon.”
Monica nodded sweetly. “Don’t worry, Floyd. I’ll take good care of Leon.”
But as he reached the hospital’s front steps. He patted his pockets–damn it. He’d left the car
keys upstairs.
He turned back.
As he neared the room, voices carried through the slightly ajar door. A sharp voice. Monica’s.
“You little brat! Still pretending? You ruined my whole night!”
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Floyd froze.
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“I’m sorry… Auntie Monica…” Leon’s small, broken voice choked through the silence.
“Don’t play the poor pup act in front of your daddy. If you say a word–just wait and see what happens to you.”
“I–I won’t… I’ll be good… please don’t hit
me…”
“Hmph. You better. You’re just like your useless
mother.”
Floyd’s blood went ice–cold.
The door crashed open under the weight of his
fury.
Monica spun, her eyes widening in horror as Floyd stepped into the room, his eyes glowing with Alpha rage.
“F–Floyd… I–I can explain…”
But her words died when his hand whipped
across her face with a sound.
She stumbled, hitting the wall, hair spilling
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from its perfect bun, lips trembling.
Points
“I trusted you,” he growled. “I let you into this home, into these pups‘ lives… and this is what you are behind closed doors?”
Monica whimpered, reaching for him. “I was
just anxious–I didn’t mean-”
Floyd’s voice was cold steel. “Today it’s threats.
Tomorrow it’s what–more lies? More bruises?”
He pointed to the door. “Pack your things. You’re no Luna. You’re not even worthy of standing in this house.”
“No! Please–Floyd–I love those kids! I do-”
He laughed, bitter. “Love? Is that what you call this?”
Leon whimpered from the bed, clutching the blanket like it was his only shield. Tears streaked down his cheeks.
Floyd knelt beside him, brushing damp hair from his son’s face. His heart cracked wide.
open.
How had he missed this? How blind had he
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He stood again, his voice low and final. “You’re
finished, ra. Leave before I call the Elders
and make this exile official.”
“Dad…”
Leon’s small voice quivered as he reached out a trembling hand, his golden eyes wide with fear, glistening with unshed tears.
“I’m sorry… I’ll be good. I’ll listen to Auntie Monica… Please don’t send me away…”
Alpha Floyd dropped to his knees beside the bed, his large hand wrapping gently around his son’s feverish fingers–so small, so fragile, his
skin still warm from the remnants of the fever.
“No,” he whispered, his voice raw with regret. “It’s not your fault, little wolf. It’s mine.”
He looked up at Monica then, and something in his gaze made her stumble back a step. His usual calm was gone–replaced by an icy storm.
of betrayal and disgust.
“I never imagined… that the woman I brought into my home, the one I trusted with my pups,
could be this cruel.”
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Monica opened her mouth, maybe to plead, maybe to lie–but it didn’t matter anymore. Floyd had already pressed the security rune embedded in the wall console.
“Pack security, escort this woman out. Now.”
A sharp knock sounded almost instantly. Two guards stepped in, flanking Monica. Her wails echoed down the hallway, growing fainter with each step until silence finally returned to the
room.
Floyd sank onto the edge of the bed, heavy with exhaustion, guilt, and the weight of his shattered pride. The rain outside had softened into a misty drizzle, the storm giving way to a stillness that made the ache in his chest feel
louder.
“Dad…”
Leon’s small voice tugged at his heart again. The boy reached for his sleeve, clutching it like a lifeline. His voice cracked through his sobs.
“I miss Mom… Can you bring her back?”
Alpha Floyd’s throat closed. The pain he’d buried the pain he deserved–rose like a wave.
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He saw her again. Jillian.
The way she walked away from this house without looking back. The hurt in her eyes after years of silence and cold shoulders. The Alpha she had once loved… who had failed her in every way that mattered.
He had driven her out. And now… now the pups.
were the ones left picking up the pieces.
“Dad…”
Another soft voice joined them. Yolanda, sleepy–eyed and barefoot, padded across the floor with her little plush bear clutched in her arms. She climbed onto the bed, curling up
beside her brother.
“I miss Mommy too. When is she coming back?”
Floyd wrapped his arms around them both, pulling them close, their warmth grounding him as the storm inside him raged on.unsure of how
to comfort them.
Only an indescribable bitterness filled his heart, the weight of his own guilt and sorrow pressing
down on him.
