The rogues weren’t the ones who decided to torture me?
Could it be…
My thoughts raced, connecting fragments of memories from my final hours.
The rogue who had whispered, “This isn’t personal. We’re just following orders.”
The silver chains that had been waiting, as if prepared specifically for me.
I stared in shock at the smiling woman before me, the hatred in my heart nearly filling the entire room.
If I’d still had a body, I would have been shaking with rage.
Willow remained oblivious to the dark presence behind her as she took a fresh pillow from the adjacent bed and placed it over my
daughter’s face.
The white fabric settled gently, a stark contrast to the violence of the act.
“Little mongrel, don’t blame me.”
She pressed down slightly, just enough to demonstrate her intent.
“Blame yourself for being born at the wrong time, to the wrong mother.”
Her voice was casual, as if discussing the weather rather than murdering a child.
As she finished speaking, Willow’s expression instantly became ferocious, and my daughter’s limbs began to twitch involuntarily.
Emma’s small fingers grasped weakly at the sheets, her body instinctively fighting for air.
The heart monitor began to beep erratically.
2/6
+15 Bonus
I completely lost control, using all my strength to push Willow aside.
“GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!” I screamed, though no living ears could hear me.
I had expected this attempt to be futile as before, my heart already sinking into complete despair.
My ghostly hands had passed through everything since my death–walls, people, objects.
But to my surprise, this time, I somehow had substance.
Perhaps a mother’s desperation transcends even the barriers between life and death.
Willow was shoved with great force, crashing violently into the nearby medical equipment.
She let out a shocked cry as she tumbled backward, her eyes wide with confusion.
The impact created a loud noise.
Metal clanged against tile, glass shattered, and monitors toppled.
Alarm beeps echoed throughout the entire pack house.
The rhythmic warning sounds grew louder as more machines joined the chorus.
Everyone rushed frantically toward the room.
Footsteps thundered down the hallway, voices calling out in alarm.
Especially Kieran, who had been on the phone with the border patrol.
He dropped the call mid–sentence, his instincts telling him something was terribly wrong.
He was the first to burst into the intensive care room, the first to witness Willow’s true face.
The door banged against the wall as he charged in, his eyes taking in the scene in an instant.
“What are you doing?!”
Kieran’s furious roar startled Willow, who hadn’t had time to hide her intentions.
The pillow still clutched in her hands was damning evidence.
She scrambled to her feet, trying as before to act fragile and gain Kieran’s sympathy.
“Kieran! Thank goodness you’re here,” she gasped, her voice trembling perfectly. “Something attacked me–some kind of spirit or ghost-”
But this time, looking at Willow’s pitiful expression, Kieran felt sick to his stomach.
The scales had finally fallen from his eyes.
3/
+15 Bonus
He grabbed Willow by the throat, forcing her to lift her head, his eyes fierce:
“Do you take me for a fool?”
His fingers tightened, claws extending slightly against her skin.
“This is an intensive care room with 24–hour surveillance. Willow, you still think you can deceive me!”
With that, Kieran violently threw Willow to the side.
She hit the wall with a dull thud, sliding to the floor in a heap.
Security guards had also arrived, surrounding the intensive care room completely.
Their expressions were grim, hands resting on weapons at their sides.
“Alpha Kieran, we’ve collected all the surveillance footage from yesterday until today as you requested.”
The head of security held up a tablet, his voice steady despite the tension.
“Do you want to view it now?”
Willow’s pupils contracted in fear, and she immediately scrambled from the floor trying to snatch the tablet.
Her movements were desperate, panicked.
“No… you can’t watch that!”
Her perfectly maintained composure cracked completely.
Kieran grabbed Willow by her hair, dragging her back to his side.
The sound of her pained yelp gave me a small measure of satisfaction.
“Watch it! Play it now!”
His command left no room for argument.
The security guard swallowed nervously and opened the tablet.
His fingers trembled slightly as he navigated to the video files.
There were many videos, but only a few critical segments.
The guard selected the first one.
One showed Willow yesterday, holding her pet dog, forcibly taking the pain–relieving herbs my daughter had obtained for me.
“Why do you need these herbs when your mother’s just fine?” she taunted on screen. “My dog needs them more.”
Another showed Willow in the main hall yesterday, violently attacking my daughter with her claws.
4/6
+15 Bonus
The sound of Emma’s screams filled the room, making several guards flinch.
And the last one showed her just now, attempting to suffocate my unconscious daughter with a pillow.
Kieran’s face hardened with each video, his eyes growing colder by the second.
Willow’s face had turned as white as it could possibly get. She shook her head frantically, still trying to make excuses.
“Those aren’t–that’s not–they’ve been tampered with!”
“Kieran, I… I just loved you too much, so jealousy clouded my judgment.”
She reached for him, her hands beseeching.
“Please forgive me, I’ll never dare do it again.”
Kieran let out a cold laugh, dragging Willow to my daughter’s bedside.
“Forgive you? Fine.”
His voice was razor–sharp, cutting through her pleas.
“But first, kneel before my daughter and beg for her forgiveness.”
Willow looked at Kieran in disbelief, but the increasingly sharp pain in her scalp reminded her she had no choice but to submit.
“Alright, I’ll kneel.”
Her words were bitter, filled with resentment.
Willow dropped to her knees, repeatedly kowtowing to Emma.
Each bow was stiff, mechanical, her forehead barely touching the floor.
“Emma, auntie was wrong. Please forgive auntie.”
“Auntie will never do it again.”
Each word, each bow, was forced and hollow.
The performance was pathetic, her insincerity obvious to everyone.
I watched this dramatic scene with cold eyes, my heart feeling no better.
I floated beside my daughter’s bed, wishing I could touch her, protect her.
I knew that even if she kowtowed herself to death right here, it couldn’t erase the harm my child had suffered.
It couldn’t bring me back to life.
It couldn’t restore the family we once were.
5/6
The damage was irreparable, the betrayal complete.
Just then, the warrior who had been guarding Emma suddenly spoke up with courage:
“Alpha Kieran, I need to report something!”
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