chapter 4

Daisy watched Silas anxiously, and when he didn't respond right away, she took a breath and stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek.

Silas felt her take the initiative, and some of the displeasure faded from his eyes. He raised an eyebrow with a slight smile. "You really want to go?"

Daisy softened her voice. "I promise I'll be back tonight."

Silas slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her lips before finally giving in. "Come back early. I'll have Beta David drive you."

Daisy knew Beta David was really just there to keep tabs on her, but she managed a small smile and nodded. "Okay. Thank you."

When she smiled, a little dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth, making her look sweet and obedient.

Silas watched the smile spread across her face, and something in his expression softened. "You keep being good for me, and we can make anything happen eventually."

The smile on Daisy's face froze for just a second, but she recovered fast and played along. "Got it."

The second Silas left, she rushed back to the bedroom and pulled out the box she'd packed the night before.

She grabbed a tote bag and carefully placed the box at the very bottom, then piled random stuff on top to hide it before heading out with David, one of Silas's beta guards.

The car wound through dense forest roads, and Daisy could sense werewolf sentries lurking in the trees—their pheromones marking this as Bloodmoon Pack territory.

When they finally crossed the border and she spotted the familiar human checkpoint up ahead, tears pricked at her eyes.

This was the first time in six months she'd made it back to human territory. Back home.

Her parents nearly collapsed with relief when they saw she was okay.

"Mom, Dad, I don't have much time, so I need to make this quick."

Daisy kept her voice low as she laid out the plan, then pulled the jewelry box from her bag. "Sell these. They should get you a few million dollars at least. Leave for the Supernatural Neutral Zone tomorrow, and I'll meet you there in two weeks."

She saw the worry in their eyes and pulled them both into a tight hug. "I need you guys safe first. Once you're out, I won't have to worry anymore."

Her parents didn't argue. They just nodded, their jaws set with determination.

Something occurred to Daisy, and she asked quickly, "Mom, do you still have my baby pictures?"

"Of course I do." Her mother jumped up immediately and returned with a thick stack of photo albums documenting every happy moment of Daisy's childhood.

Daisy flipped through them slowly, and each photo hit her like a punch to the chest. Before Silas had dragged her into his world, her life had been good. Happy. Normal. And now everything had been ripped away in a single night.

Just seeing her parents had become a luxury. Remembering what Silas had said earlier, she pulled out one random photo and tucked it away, then spent a few more minutes reassuring her mom and dad.

But they'd barely started lunch when David's voice called from outside. "Ms. Rivers, the alpha needs you."

Daisy called back that she was coming, then made a quick detour to the bathroom and unwrapped a pad.

She hugged her parents one last time before forcing herself to leave with David.

The manor was exactly as imposing as always, thick animal pelts covered the floors, ancient fangs decorated every surface, and a massive map of pack territory dominated the main hall. Every inch of the place radiated cold, predatory danger.

Daisy assumed Silas actually wanted to talk to her about something, so she headed quietly up to his office on the second floor.

The door was cracked open. Just as she was about to push it wider, she caught voices drifting out from inside.

"Human-werewolf pairings already struggle to conceive naturally. Ms. Rivers hasn't gotten pregnant after all this time, so I'd recommend using the forbidden drug."

Daisy held her breath and peered through the gap in the door.

Silas looked conflicted. He didn't answer right away, just frowned and asked, "Would the drug hurt Daisy?"

Robert was a doctor, so he laid out the risks honestly. "It puts significant strain on the mother's body. Forcing conception this way could overwhelm her system. Worst case scenario, she could hemorrhage.

"The fetus might have complications too—deformities, malnourishment, poor survival odds. But those are all worst-case outcomes. Most women who take the drug deliver healthy babies and come through fine."

Silas didn't respond. He just stared down at his desk, clearly wrestling with the decision.

Daisy stayed hidden outside, her heart pounding so loud she was afraid they'd hear it.

"Alpha, if Ms. Rivers conceives this month, the timing would line up perfectly with Ms. Starwood's surgery schedule."

When Silas still didn't answer, Robert pushed a little harder. "I promise you, the chances of complications are very low. If you give me the go-ahead right now, I'll head back to the werewolf hospital and start preparing everything."

The seconds dragged by, and Daisy couldn't tear her eyes away from Silas. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Silas's dark eyes went even darker, and his fingers drummed once against the desk. After what felt like an eternity, something shifted in his expression, like he'd finally made up his mind.

"Silas, you can't do this!" Owen, his wolf spirit, roared inside his head. "She's our fated mate! The woman you swore you'd love forever!"

Silas lowered his gaze, quiet for a moment. "Owen, we all have to make sacrifices. Once she has the baby, I'll take responsibility for her. Arvil's condition can't wait any longer."

He turned to Robert. "Get everything ready. I'm taking Daisy to the werewolf hospital tomorrow."

Out in the hallway, Daisy heard footsteps approaching and clapped a hand over her mouth, terror flooding through her as she ran.

Back in the bedroom, his words kept replaying in her head, and her whole body shook with rage. The man was an absolute bastard.

He'd use and discard even his own child like it meant nothing at all.

That was it. She was getting away from this monster. Daisy forced herself to calm down, locked herself in the bathroom, and pulled out her phone to text her boyfriend.

"Daniel, just meet me at the airport on the day we planned."

She knew with absolute certainty that she couldn't go through with the abortion anywhere near Silas. If she did, he'd figure out something was wrong.

And when the alpha of Bloodmoon Pack lost his temper, he'd burn her, her family, and everyone she loved to the ground.

Daisy's mind raced. She needed a good excuse to get out of his sight when the time came.

"Daisy?"

The door handle rattled, and Silas's voice came through. "Open the door."

Daisy quickly deleted the text thread and unlocked the bathroom. Before she could say anything, Silas was already interrogating her. "Why'd you lock it?"

He never let her lock doors. He never let her out of his sight for more than half a day at a time.

"It's nothing. My period started and I wasn't feeling great, so I was changing my pad."

Daisy rushed out the explanation and tried to move past him.

"Your cycle's always regular. Doesn't it usually come on the fifteenth?"

Silas caught her wrist, studying her reaction carefully as he asked.

"Periods come early all the time. It's totally normal."

Daisy's heart was hammering so hard she thought he'd hear it, and sweat was forming on her palms, but she met his eyes anyway and kept her expression neutral. "Besides, it's not like I could lie to you about this."

Silas fell silent, watching her, clearly trying to figure out if she was telling the truth.

The longer he stayed quiet and sharp like that, the more terrified she became. She was scared he'd see right through her lie, and then she'd be living in an endless nightmare.

"I'm really not lying to you," Daisy added.

She forced a smile and took his hand, leading him back toward the bedroom. She pulled out a childhood ID photo from her bag and handed it to him. "You're always asking what I looked like as a kid, right? I went home today and found this for you."