Chapter 5

He seized Ann’s arm, his sharp claws digging into her skin and leaving bloody marks behind. His entire body was trembling.

His ears kept shifting back and forth between human and wolf form.

That was a dangerous half-shift state.

If a wolf spirit lost control and could not be suppressed in time, the wolf could very well die on the spot.

Tina rushed over in alarm and demanded, “What happened?”

“I don’t know,” Ann said panickily.

Elder Grace stepped in at that moment.

“Rocco’s body data is wrong. The dosage of the potion I prepared was based on inaccurate numbers. That’s what triggered the wolf inside him to lose control.”

William snatched the data sheet off the table.

His face darkened instantly.

“Who checked this data sheet? The height and weight are off by more than ten units.”

The air froze.

Ann and Elder Grace both looked at me at the same time.

Rocco’s data sheet had indeed passed through my hands.

I released the sleeve I had been clutching this whole time, took a deep breath, and walked over.

The next second, William straightened as if he had finally caught me red-handed. His fury crushed the air around us.

“Julie, you wanted to kill Rocco, didn’t you?”

I looked straight into his rage-filled eyes, my voice turning cold before I even realized it.

“You think I’m cruel enough to hurt a pup?”

“That’s not your first time.”

His tone was icy and vicious.

He stepped closer, lowering his voice, but every wolf present could still hear him clearly.

“Look at you now—filthy and worthless. Instead of embarrassing my family, maybe you should go to the front lines and entertain the warriors as a whore. At least they wouldn’t be picky.”

The entire clearing fell dead silent.

The other pack members stood frozen, watching this farce unfold without daring to make a sound.

Ha.

How disgusting.

Comparing me to a front-line prostitute was more insulting than calling me a bitch.

That was a path only the lowest-ranking Omegas were forced into.

By saying it out loud, he was tearing apart my status in this family in front of everyone.

Blackness pulsed at the edges of my vision.

My wolf nature slammed wildly against my ribs.

I could almost feel my claws pushing beneath my skin, trying to break through my fingertips.

Slowly, I raised my head and stared at him.

“William, you’re so disgusting.”

Every word was forced out through restraint.

“If you really want to see someone entertain the warriors…”

I tugged the corner of my mouth and said softly,

“Why don’t you go yourself?”

“Screw you!”

He cursed, his face flushing red with rage.

No one had ever spoken to him like that before.

Tina was so startled that she quickly reached out to hold William back.

But it was already too late.

Because I understood now.

This family.

These people.

There was not a single thing left here worth staying for.

Only one thought remained in my mind.

Divorce.

No wonder they had insisted I go to that small room to help.

So this had been planned from the beginning.

They had been waiting for me here all along.

The air was filled with the faint metallic scent of wolf blood.

It was the scent of tension, suspicion, and malice twisting together.

I could hear every heartbeat around me.

Especially Ann’s.

That tiny, almost inaudible breath of smugness.

Seeing the situation turn rigid, Tina spoke in a low voice, carrying the authority of an old Luna.

“Julie, we will discuss this later. Right now, Rocco’s safety comes first. You are the Luna. Soothing a frenzied wolf spirit is part of your duty.”

I forced down the emotions surging inside me and had just stepped forward when Rocco’s look of resistance pierced straight through me.

My footsteps stopped.

In the silence, Ann leaned close to William and whispered something in his ear.

Then William walked toward me.

His face was as dark as storm clouds before a downpour, and the pressure of his wolf made the air tremble.

He reached out and grabbed my arm, his grip so hard it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.

“Is what Ann said true?”

His voice was cold enough to freeze the whole room.

“Did you deliberately give the elder the wrong data sheet?”

The denial left my mouth almost on instinct.

“I didn’t.”

But Rocco spoke coldly, his eyes red as he glared at me.

“Mommy, Ann has always been good to me. She’s never hurt me. But you… you hurt her before. Why are you doing this to me now?”

The word “Mommy” came from his mouth, yet it sounded colder than anything a stranger could have said.

My fingertips went numb.

The wolf inside my chest thrashed so violently it felt like she wanted to tear through my ribs.

“I said I didn’t.”

I gritted my teeth and repeated it.

But—

No one wanted to hear me.

One was Ann, the Oscar-winning actress elevated by endless resources and praise.

The other was Julie, a prison wolf who had just crawled out of Moon Prison, covered in stains that would never wash clean.

My identity alone was enough to sentence me.

William sneered.

“Three years in Moon Prison, and you’re still this vicious? Now you’re even using your own child?”