Chapter 7

Miranda's POV

Get closer to him. My wolf barks at me.

I roll my eyes and shake my head. I slide my backpack onto my back and begin to walk in the direction of Anna and my kids.

If we could get closer — like a hug — it would help to determine who he is to us.

I can’t help but laugh at my wolf. Oh, how wrong they are.

You must have judged wrong again. Besides, I have no interest in getting close to someone as arrogant and rude as him. It will never happen.

My wolf retreats into silence, not responding to my declaration.

On the way to Anna’s place, who is graciously letting us stay with her despite us not having a pack, I pay no attention to what my wolf says. She is wrong, as usual, and has no idea what she’s talking about…right?

As I help Noah and Ella to bed, I pull the covers over their tiny bodies, softly smiling down at them. They’re finally calm, the sugar finally having worn off from their ice cream.

Just as I press a kiss onto Ella’s forehead, she gently grabs my hand, looking at me with tired eyes.

“Mommy…did we come back to find daddy?” She quietly asks. I freeze. I look down at her, unable to respond.

Laying side by side, they look so innocent. They don’t know how much pain the world has thrown at me. They don’t need to know that their father is some noble playboy or a rogue who plays by his own rules.

“I don’t want a daddy,” Noah’s words snap me out of my thoughts. I stare at him, and all he does is smile back at me and continue, “Mommy is all I need.”

Warmth spreads throughout my chest, and I cannot help but smile at him. I nod, holding back heartfelt tears, and lean down, pressing loving kisses to each of their cheeks.

“Goodnight, my loves, sleep well,” I whisper. I creep out of the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind me. I sigh and walk to my room, allowing myself the pleasure of sleep before the next day comes around.

I sit at Anna’s dining room table, scrolling through the emails on my laptop, when she plops down in the chair beside me. I look over at her with a raised eyebrow. She will certainly be more entertaining than the spam emails I’ve been deleting.

“Did you hear?” She begins.

“Did I hear what, Anna?” I ask. Anna scoots her chair closer to mine and leans in. Her body radiates a mix of nervousness and eagerness, a combination I am quite used to seeing with her.

“That there is another problem with Moonlit Labs,” Anna breathes out. “You remember the emergency antiseptic for wounds? Who am I kidding? Of course, you do…I guess it has developed really bad side effects with werewolves. People think it’s due to them using cheaper ingredients, which we all know is something that Lily would do.”

“It’s not about the quality or price of the ingredients. It’s the formula itself. They most likely messed it up,” I confirm, refuting any rumors that she may have heard. My expression sours when I realize she called the company my father’s. “And that company doesn’t belong to my father. It’s my mother’s legacy. It’s hers.”

I turn away and sit in silence. Anna nods to herself, choosing not to push me further.

Throughout the history of werewolves, they have been through countless wars and battles. Despite their natural resilience, the battles have left them prone to injuries due to their combative nature. Their injuries were treated with natural and primitive herbal remedies, which left plenty of werewolves with battlefield infections that threatened and took many of their lives.

My mother revolutionized werewolf medicine. She combined human antiseptic medicine and adapted it to fit werewolves. She created specialized formulas and medicines that benefitted and saved many werewolf lives.

My mother’s company, Moonlit Labs, is revolutionary and stands out among the rest. She brought my father’s pack, the Silvertails, out of obscurity and into the light despite being a human herself. Her innovations in medicine propelled the Silvertails into prominence and cemented their place in high society among the other werewolf packs.

Without her, his pack would be nothing. Without my mother, my father wouldn’t have earned the wealth and status he’s come to know so well today.

I turn to Anna, determination written all over my face. She matches my energy, leaning in, eager to hear what I have to say.

“I will not let my mother’s legacy and life’s work be tarnished by Lily and her wretched family.”

I stand from my chair and take a deep breath. Anna stands with me and hands me my bag, which I sling over my body. I direct myself to the door and exit, heading for my mother’s company.

I step through the doors of the company and set my sight on the elevators just behind the reception desk. I march towards them, but I am quickly stopped by a receptionist, who has jumped out from her seat to stop me. I look down at her and take a step back, creating space between us.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, you need to have an appointment in order to go inside.” She holds a hand out towards me as if it’s an invisible barrier that I am unable to cross. I stare at her hand before looking at a figure that appears from behind her.

The clicking of her heels is almost deafening. Instead of exuding power and respect, Lily’s image gives off the energy of a dictator. We all know, though, that she’s an imposter in her role, someone who doesn’t belong to be there.

Lily steps out in front of the receptionist, pushing her away. The receptionist bows their head and steps back to the desk. Lily trains her eyes on me, her lips curling into a wicked smile.

“Well, well, well…what do we have here?” She openly asks with a chuckle. She gestures to me, eyes widening. “What’s this? Come back to grovel? You couldn’t make it on your own? I’m so sorry, Miranda,” she leans in. Her face shows nothing but complete malice, her tone condescending when she adds, “But my company doesn’t accept charity cases.”

I roll my eyes at her condescending tone and meager attempt to diminish me. I purse my lips before they turn upwards into a cold and icy smile.

“Begging?” I chuckle. I turn my head away. On the outer part of my peripheral vision, I can see Lily’s smile falter.

My eyes meet hers. Hatred fills her eyes, and all I can feel is a sickening sense of joy. A joy that only I know will quench my thirst for petty revenge.

“I think you are going to be the one who ends up begging for me to come back,” I smirk. The words roll off my tongue like honey, sweet to my ears, but they must be sour to hers.

Lily’s face contorts itself into a disgusted expression. It only makes my icy smile grow wider.