Audrey's POV
Lisa stroked Fen's back in slow, gentle circles, her voice soft and honey-sweet—too sweet.
"Don't be afraid, Fen. From now on… I'll be your mother."
I nearly barked out a laugh. A bitter, wounded laugh.
I had never been Fen's true mother—not in blood, not in the way of the pack—but I had never once doubted him. From the moment Rowan placed him in my arms, I had treated him like my own cub.
I had nursed him through fevers, taught him his first words, taught him to eat with a spoon instead of tearing into food like an animal. I steadied him as he toddled on unsteady legs. I held him through nightmares, soothed every frightened whimper, stayed up through every full moon when his little wolf howled restlessly.
From babbling nonsense to calling me "Mom," I had been there—every day, every night, without fail.
No matter how wild or stubborn he became… I had never raised a hand to him.
But today was different. Today, Fen burned the last piece of my father—the final memory he'd left me. He burned it while sneering at me. Called it trash.
My nature simply snapped.
That was the moment my hand struck him. And I didn't take it back.
"How could you lay your hand on a child?" Lisa scolded, standing tall like she ruled the moral high ground. Her tone was smug, saccharine. "He was just being a little naughty, and you hit him. If Rowan finds out you struck his son, he'll be furious!"
My voice came out rough, worn, shredded by heartbreak. "I raised my hand because he acted on your orders."
Lisa didn't even flinch. She stood there, spine straight, guiltless, like she had done absolutely nothing wrong. Her eyes glinted with the pride of a wolf who believed she'd outwitted her rival.
I kept my tone level—a still, icy lake with no ripples. "You don't need all these schemes," I said quietly. "I was never fighting you for Rowan."
A thin, bittersweet smile tugged at my lips. "I don't want him."
Lisa's gaze suddenly flicked over my shoulder. Her entire expression shifted—her arrogance melted like wax. She stumbled forward, voice trembling with perfectly rehearsed fragility.
"Rowan! You're finally home!" she wailed, tumbling into his arms as if she'd been waiting for her cue. "Audrey barged in and started trouble. She—she hit Fen for no reason!"
She lifted her trembling hand, palm up.
In the center lay shards of a shattered jewel.
Tears ran down her cheeks. "A-and she saw the necklace you gave me… got jealous… and ripped it off. Then she threw it on the floor and broke it."
I stared at the broken necklace—the same necklace she had flaunted proudly just minutes earlier.
I almost laughed. Truly, Lisa spared no effort in perfecting her role as a victim.
Rowan's face darkened, fury clouding his features.
He was probably wondering what I was thinking. He was probably wondering if I'd lost my mind.
I could practically hear the thoughts running through his head.
He rubbed Lisa's back soothingly before turning his glare on me. "Audrey, what are you trying to pull? Yesterday I agreed to let you stay outside the estate. And now you come here causing chaos again?"
Right then, Fen peeked out from behind Rowan.
He tilted his head up, pointing at his cheek pitifully. "Dad, she hit me right here. My face is numb… it hurts so much…"
With mother and son united against me, and Rowan condemning me before asking a single question, a strange calm washed over me.
Maybe because all my anger had already burned away like that damn letter.
Maybe because there was nothing left between Rowan and me—not hope, not expectation, not anything resembling love.
My voice cut through the air, cold as midwinter ice. "Why don't you ask what they did to me?"
Rowan hesitated.
He had lived with me for eight years. He knew I wasn't impulsive. He knew I wasn't cruel. I never struck first.
I tucked the last charred fragment of my father's letter into my pocket, my chest aching as the ash crumbled.
Then I leaned on my crutch and slowly descended the stairs.
When I reached Rowan, I stopped and looked up.
Our eyes met—and mine were empty. Cold.
He saw nothing of the devotion I once held for him. I looked at him the way I would look at any stranger.
I saw unease flicker across his face. Doubt. Maybe even guilt.
I spoke before he could. "If you want Fen to inherit the Blackthorne legacy, don't let him stay near Lisa."
My voice was quiet, but sharp as a wolf's fang. "She'll ruin him."
Fen's cruelty today was his own, yes… but the roots? Those came from Lisa.
I still believed the boy could change.
That was the last sliver of motherly instinct I had left for him.
My final warning to Rowan.
I said nothing more. I brushed past him and walked toward the door.
I heard Rowan's breath hitch—panic rising in him as if realizing something too late.
But before he could move, Lisa let out a tiny cry. Her knees buckled. She collapsed dramatically, fainting right into his arms.
Rowan's panic snapped back instantly. He swept her up and rushed after her like she was his whole damn world.
"Audrey, wait—when Lisa wakes up, we'll clear this up!"
I didn't turn around. I didn't answer.
I simply kept walking, feeling my wolf curl quietly inside me.
There was nothing left to clear up.