Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Grandma shrouded the house in moon - bleached silk.

Mom's visage, painstakingly cut from a blood - moon - blessed bond proof, hung in the center, her eyes eerily lifelike as if watching over the silent vigil.

While Dad's countless images with Vanessa, captured under the auspices of forbidden lunar rites, plastered every beacon.​

For six long nights, Dad ignored the calls, his absence a yawning void.

On the seventh, Grandma, driven by a mother's fury and a grandmother's despair, dragged me through the howling wind to the pack gathering place.​

"Where is Alpha Lucian?" she demanded,.​

One of his so - called friends cowered under her gaze.

"He and Vanessa are in Shalandra - pack, performing the Blood - Moon Vows."​

Grandma's knees buckled, her wolf form flickering in and out of sight.

"That traitor! His mate's spirit has joined the celestial , and he desecrates her memory with a false bond!"​

She turned to me, her hands trembling.

"Chloe, my son has broken the sacred bond. I failed to teach him the ways of loyalty. It is my sin."​

I held her close, my own grief mingling with determination. "Mom sacrificed her experiments for the bond. I will take her essence to Uncle Mark. When I come of age, I will complete her work under the watchful eyes of the moon goddesses."​

Grandma's sobs echoed through the empty park. "You are the true heart of the Thornes, Chloe. Your mother would be proud."​

The night before Uncle Mark's arrival, Dad returned, his arm around Vanessa.

Her belly, swollen with the fruit of a forbidden union. Without a care for the sacred space, he pinned her to the couch.​

"Easy, Alpha," Vanessa cooed, her voice a sickening mockery of the love Mom and Dad once shared. "Our pup is precious."​

I flipped on the lights, the sudden brightness illuminating the room's solemn decor. Vanessa's eyes widened in horror at the sight of Mom's image. She let out a blood - curdling scream and hid behind Dad.​

Dad's face contorted with rage.

He snatched the crystal - framed image from my hands and shattered it on the floor, stomping on the pieces. "Natalie! Show yourself! This display of jealousy is beneath you! Using our cub in your petty games? You forget I am bound by lunar oaths!"

"I can't believe you're still acting! You dragged my mom into this, made a scene at the park, and now you've turned the house into a circus! What, you want a funeral that bad? Why don't you just drop dead for real?"

His rage scared me, and I started to sob.

"Uncle, Mom's already gone. She's not upstairs."

His eyes turned cold, and he slapped me hard across the face. It burned like fire.

"Luna Natalie! Get out here and see the great pup you raised! Instead of teaching her right, you've got her playing your sneaky little games!"

"If you don't show yourself, I'll have to teach her a lesson for you!"

Silence answered him.

That she-wolf watched, smirking, as Dad's pride took a hit. He grabbed a broom and snapped it in half.

The stick was as thick as my arm.

I begged, "Uncle, I'm scared..."

Dad's face darkened, seeing me tremble. "Don't play innocent! You and your mom lied to trick me. You're so manipulative at your age-if I don't straighten you out, I'm not your father!"

The stick came down with a thud, splitting my skin.

I screamed as it swelled red.

Dad's voice echoed through the house, venomous.

"Luna Natalie! Get out here now!"