Chapter 12

The Third Person

Noah grabs Ella and Evan’s arms. He pulls them outside the door and into the schoolyard where other children play. Their three heads poke above the window’s horizon, watching the other students in the room lose interest and move to unattended toys.

Noah and Ella look at Evan, who shyly takes off his sunglasses. They all nervously chuckle and their gazes flicker between each other. Evan slides his sunglasses into his pocket.

“I think,” Evan nervously breathes out, “that we may be…twins!”

“No wonder you and mommy have the same eyes!” Ella gasps with delight. She grabs Noah’s hand and smiles brightly at him. She looks back at Evan and shares the same smile with him. He smiles back.

“That doesn’t prove we’re brothers.” Noah flatly states. Ella lets go of his hand. She excitedly claps her hands together.

“That means I have another big brother!” She cheers. The young girl jumps up and down. Evan cracks a smile at her but when he looks at Noah, his smile quickly fades.

“Does…does mommy’s eyes really look like mine?” Evan quietly asks.

“Yes!” Ella nods enthusiastically. “Mommy’s eyes are purple too! They’re beautiful! Just like yours!”

Evan’s heart swells in his chest. A smile blooms on his face as the realization that he isn’t alone anymore sets in.

Is this what true happiness feels like? Evan has never known what a wholesome home feels like…he hopes that this is what it feels like! It’s a lot different than what he’s used to with his mom.

“Mommy is the nicest woman ever! She loves us so much!” Ella begins. Her body vibrates with excitement. Noah clears his throat.

“She’s sad too,” Noah’s voice brings the happy conversation to a more serious tone. “She’s been heartbroken ever since she lost her first child.” The trio’s faces fall.

Ella looks between the two of them and sighs. She takes both of their hands and squeezes them. The young girl looks at Evan and smiles.

“But…we found you! Mommy will be so happy to finally meet you!”

Ella’s words bring a sense of urgency to Evan. An urgency to go and find his real mom, a mom who will love and care for him, unlike the imposter who stands in her role.

“We need to figure things out,” Noah begins. Evan’s heart falls in his chest, but he remains optimistic about what Noah has to say. “We can’t tell anyone about who we are or how we’re related,” Noah warns. He turns to Evan. “Don’t let anyone see your eyes too.”

“I’ll be careful,” Evan nods, “I promise!”

Evan understands the weight of the situation. As heir to the Alpha King’s title and throne, he knows that his identity is sensitive information. Evan doesn’t want to bring any unnecessary trouble to his mommy, or siblings.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Miranda's POV

Staring at the Moonlit Labs sign brings me both immense joy and egregious dread. I’m happy to see my mother’s legacy is still alive and somewhat well, whereas I feel dread at the idea of seeing how Lily has ruined my mother’s legacy.

I try my best to focus on the upside of my mission here. Having the ability to solve a problem with my mother’s formula makes me feel immense pride, but at what cost? Will Lily take my solution to her problem and ruin the formula further?

I step through the doors of her office, expecting to only see Lily there, but am met face-to-face with Sebastian. He wears a bitter expression on his face and I can’t help but return it, pushing back him and towards Lily.

He’s probably here to support Lily and whatever bullshit lie she has to spin. I take a deep breath and watch as Lily keeps a tablet and vial captive in her hands.

“Do you have it?” I ask cooly. Lily rolls her eyes and closes the space towards us. She reluctantly hands me the tablet and vial, crossing her arms over her chest.

I turn my back to the two of them. My fingers squeeze the vial of medicine. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I feel a wave of emotions crash over me.

Pride. Anger. Comfort. Disdain. Honor. Aversion.

This vial is my mother’s legacy. Moonlit Labs is her brilliance. Everything that was built here is a testament to my mother’s hard work and perseverance.

I should have been here to save it from my father and Lily’s destruction. I should have been here to protect what my mother built instead of abandoning it.

Now, I’m here to save it.

I open my eyes and blink away any tears that form, refusing to let them fall, as my gaze lands on the vial. I tilt my head to the side.

Its color is off and has a slight haze to it. I look at the tablet, turning it on, as a list of ingredients and the steps on how to make the formula. I make note of the procedure’s steps, noticing a slight mistake with the order of how the ingredients are added into the formula.

I swipe to the next page.

It has a picture of a multitude of vials packaged neatly in refrigerators. I zoom in on the refrigerator’s temperature. The bright red numbers show the wrong number. I sharply inhale.

There’s a discrepancy in how the company stores the product as well as one of the steps made during the creation of the formula. The fridge is warmer than its original temperature, which reduces its shelf life significantly.

I glance at Lily, who is facing Sebastian, but he stares at me with such vigor and ferocity. It sends chills down my spine.

I should be cautious. I shouldn’t easily give away such information. Lily plays by her own rules, why shouldn’t I?

“I should meet with some of the patients who are experiencing side effects from the medication,” my voice breaks the silence. Lily turns around and raises an eyebrow at me. “Meeting with them will help me understand their side effects better, as well as the clinical manifestations of the formula itself.”

“You’re bluffing,” Lily scoffs, her voice dripping with mockery. “These medicines are supplied directly to the Warrior military units. They’re involved in pack military secrets. Do you really think we’d let a wolf like you go and see them just because you asked?”

A cold laugh escapes my throat. I stare at Lily, shaking my head at her immediate rejection.

“You can be so ignorant sometimes, Lily,” my laughter dies down, my voice getting serious, “Without clinical evidence, any modification to the formula can make the side effects worse. It can kill the soldiers instead of saving them.”

Lily’s eyes widen and her mouth slightly drops. She turns to Sebastian and grabs his arm, her expression turning aggrieved from my words.

“I’m worried about the pack’s safety, Sebastian. With rogue attacks increasing in recent years, we can’t let our Warriors become Miranda’s guinea pigs.” Lily whines.

Sebastian doesn’t even look at her. His eyes remain on me. His gaze feels hot against my skin, shocking my body to life. I ignore the feeling, pushing it to the side.

“How confident are you?” He asks.

“Right now, I am 50% sure. But if I can go see the patients, I can it to 80%.” The words fly out of my mouth with no hesitation.

“That means there’s still a 20% chance that you fail, Miranda,” Lily snorts, her tone biting, “can you even afford to—”

“That’s acceptable,” Sebastian states in a firm tone. He cuts Lily off with ease.