“Please,” she begged through her tears. “My mother needs these. She’s in pain.”
Willow shifted fully back to human form, but her movements were no less vicious. She grabbed my daughter by her hair and slammed her face against the stone floor.
“Willow?”
Kieran’s incredulous voice suddenly rang out, freezing everyone in place.
My daughter’s dull eyes suddenly brightened, and she called out weakly through her split lips:
“Daddy…”
1/4
+15 Bonus
Kieran started to walk over, but Willow spun around and intercepted him.
“Kieran, I was just looking for you,” she cooed.
Willow signaled to her beta friends to block my daughter from view, then laughed softly as she threw herself into Kieran’s arms.
Kieran sensed something was wrong and frowned:
“Willow, is that Emma on the ground? Did you hurt her?”
Willow’s eyes flickered, and tears immediately began to flow:
“Kieran, I’m sorry, but when you weren’t here, Emma came up to me and accused me of lying about being kidnapped by rogues.”
“I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, but then she deliberately ran into me,”
“You know I’m still traumatized from the kidnapping, and the therapist said…”
Kieran’s expression grew increasingly dark, the doubt in his eyes gradually transforming into anger.
“Ava really doesn’t know how to raise a child anymore.”
“You’re already so fragile after your ordeal, if she had triggered your trauma and caused lasting damage, I definitely wouldn’t let
them off.”
My spirit stood right in front of Kieran, desperately trying to explain.
No, Emma didn’t do anything wrong!
My daughter is a good girl, Willow is lying to you!
My daughter seemed to hear his words too, and painfully called out:
“Daddy…”
The beta friend immediately covered her mouth before she could say more.
Kieran heard her voice and paused, about to turn around.
“Is Emma calling me?” (1
Willow’s expression twisted for an instant, then she pretended to be strong and released Kieran’s arm:
“Then go comfort Emma, I’ll be fine.”
“Even though she’s the one who told the rogues where to find me and nearly took me away from
you
forever…”
“She’s still just a child, I forgive her.”
Her words transformed the hesitation in Kieran’s eyes into cold determination.
2/4
+15 Bonus
Kieran let out a harsh laugh, leaving Willow behind as he strode away.
“Since her mother can’t control her, Willow, you can help me discipline her properly.”
“Without proper punishment, Ava will eventually ruin her.”
“I’ll wait for you upstairs.”
Watching his retreating figure, my daughter struggled more violently against the betas.
Willow walked up to my daughter and slapped her hard across the face several times.
My daughter’s face was completely swollen now, her lips split open, streams of blood flowing down.
Yet no matter what happened, she refused to let go of the pain–relieving herbs clutched in her small hands.
Willow wasn’t satisfied yet. She extended her claws and dragged them across my daughter’s eye, leaving deep scratches.
“Little mongrel, just as worthless as your mother.”
I frantically tried to strangle the violent Willow, but my ghostly hands passed through her.
I fell to my knees, sobbing and banging my head against the floor in desperation.
Begging Willow to spare my child, to remember she was just a little girl.
It was useless.
I felt such hatred–hatred that I died too early, that I couldn’t protect my own child.
The violence continued until Willow’s pet dog whimpered nearby.
“Baby, did that scare you?”
Willow stroked the dog’s smooth fur, asking softly.
Then, as if she’d finally grown tired, she signaled the betas to release my daughter.
But before letting her go completely, Willow snatched the pain–relieving herbs from my daughter’s bloody hands.
“Oh, what are these? Pain–relieving herbs? How perfect!”
My daughter tried to grab them back. “No! Those are for my mother! She needs them!”
Willow laughed coldly. “Look at my poor dog. He just scratched his claws while playing. He’s injured and in such pain.”
She knelt beside her pet, cooing softly. “Your father couldn’t bear to see me so sad about my dog’s little injury, so he just told me
to use any herbs I need from the pack’s supply.”
As my daughter watched in horror, Willow crushed the herbs and mixed them with water, feeding the mixture to her perfectly
healthy dog.
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“There you go, precious. It might taste bitter, but it will make your scratched claw feel all better.”
Willow then raised her foot and stomped hard on my daughter’s bruised face, wearing an expression of false pity.
“Look, your father doesn’t want you anymore.”
