I sat in the hospital garden in silence as I held onto the file like it was an unwanted burden. I kept looking at Daphne’s name in the file like it was written with the poison. It felt like Daphne herself was mocking me for getting played by her.
I glared at the page as I felt my vision getting blurry and pressed my lips in a straight line with fury. Claire was full of courage, warmth and light, her presence was erased just by a pen, The birth mother’s name rewritten, the truth got buried under these mere pieces of paper.
My chest hurts as if someone has stabbed me. I remember that night clearly, it was chaos. I remembered how Claire wanted to hold her son after Daphne took Leo away from her, the hopeless look of Claire still haunts me. And yet, Daphne had taken him. Not forcefully but with something far more dangerous, Influence, Deception.
I remembered it too clearly now. How easily Daphne had brought Leo to me. I was not able to see how fake Daphne’s innocence was, I now realized why she wanted to take care of Leo, it was not out of love but because of greed.
Daphne had slipped in through the cracks of my despair, presenting the child as hers. Maybe it wasn’t just Leo who she was targeting. Maybe… she had done something to Claire.
Thinking about it made me more furious.
I was so deep in it, spiraling in fury and guilt, that I almost didn’t notice the hesitant footsteps approaching from behind. Careful yet soft. I looked behind me sharply and got ready to attack in case it was an enemy.
It was a nurse. Younger than the others, with wide eyes that flickered nervously toward the folder in my grip. She clenched her hands into fist as she slowly walked towards me like her each step was heavy.
“Alpha, my name is Emily.” She spoke to me softly yet steadily I was able to hear her clearly. “I… I was here the night of the birth.”
My eyes narrowed. “Then you must have known what actually happened.”
She looked at the ground in shame and guilt. “I know enough. Enough that I can’t stay silent anymore. I’ve kept this inside for too long.”
“Speak.” The single word was enough command.
She looked around to make sure no one was listening, the other staff were watching from afar so they were not able to hear anything. She took a deep breath and started speaking “Miss Daphne tried to give me money. A bribe. She wanted me to help her hurt Claire.”
Her words were like a cold splash of water. I held onto the file a bit more tightly, I was not able to believe what I heard “what did you say?”
Emily spoke with a shaky voice, the way she spoke guiltily, I knew every word she said was true. “She said if I… if I slipped something into Claire’s drink, or into the medicine, she would make sure I was rewarded. She wanted Claire to die. Not with the child. She wanted to take the child for herself.”
I felt
my
breath hitched, unable to breathe. The walls of the hospital seemed to shrink around me.
Emily quickly spoke before I misunderstood her. “I refused. I didn’t harm her, I swear. Instead I stayed away from Miss Daphne as much as I could. I thought–if I stayed away from Claire’s room, if I refused, I’d be safe.”
She stayed quiet for a moment and sighed “But Daphne found another way. She reassigned me to another patient, made sure I wasn’t the one tending Claire during the birth. She silenced me with threats. I was young, terrified. I kept quiet.”
13:17 Fri, Jan 2GR
Chapter 52
Her voice cracked. “I’ve carried that guilt for years. Watching Claire’s file erased, watching Daphne raise the boy, knowing the truth was buried–I couldn’t say a word. Until now.”
I stared at her, my fury warring with the sharp, cold edge of revelation. My mind painted it too easily: Daphne standing at Claire’s bedside, her eyes cold, her lies ready. Claire weakened, isolated. Daphne swooped in, not only stealing her child but ensuring the world believed he had been hers all along.
My heart thundered. I wanted to roar, to tear down the very walls of this hospital stone by stone. But I forced myself still. I couldn’t afford rage–not yet. I needed clarity. Evidence. And now I had a witness.
Emily wiped her lone tear as she spoke softly, “I won’t ask for your forgiveness Alpha. I just want you to know, Claire is the mother of Leo. Everyone here knew it. We saw her, we heard her. But Daphne…. she had power. She silenced us. She made us sign documents, swear on threats. She… she made it impossible for Claire’s name to remain.”
The air was heavy with her confession. My wolf growled inside me with anger, he wanted to hunt Daphne.
“Why didn’t you speak sooner?,” My words came out sharp and harsh then I intended.
Emily got startled but looked up slowly. “I know. I was a coward. But if I stay silent now, I’ll be no better than her.”
I studied her face. Fear lived in her eyes, but so did truth. So did regret.
“Do you swear that what you said is absolute truth?” I asked in a low, dangerous voice. She nodded as she looked at me with full honesty. “On my life, Alpha.”
The file in my hand felt heavier than ever. Proof on paper. Proof in confession. For years I had been blinded. For years I had allowed Daphne to stand at my side, her lies rooted deep in the pack. Now finally I saw the light of truth clawing at the darkness.
But the truth was dangerous. Exposing it too soon could shatter everything–Leo, Claire, the pack itself. And Daphne… She was more cunning than I had ever allowed myself to believe. If she finds out that I have learned the truth she will definitely try to strike again and she will try to destroy all the evidence.
I let out a breath as I tried to calm my heart.
“Nurse Emily,” I said finally, “from this moment forward, you answer only to me. No one else. If anyone asks about this conversation, you say nothing. If anyone asks about Claire, you say nothing. You will keep your silence until I command otherwise. Do you understand?”
She bowed her head, trembling. “Yes, Alpha.”
I stepped closer, lowering my voice to a growl meant for her ears alone. “If Daphne even suspects you’ve spoken to me, she will come for you. She won’t hesitate. So guard your tongue, and guard your life. I will make sure nothing happens to you but
you must listen to my command.”
She looked at me with relief and nodded. “I will, Alpha. I promise.”
I turned away, the folder tucked tight under my arm, my thoughts a storm of fury and strategy. I had the truth now, but truth was not enough. I needed more. More witnesses. More evidence.
Proof that no amount of Daphne’s silver tongue could twist.
Because when I confronted her–and I would–it would not be with words alone.
I looked back once more. Emily stood trembling in the dim corridor, but for the first time, there was a spark of relief in her eyes. She had unburdened herself, passed her guilt into my hands.
The rest was mine to carry.
13:18 Fri, Jan 2 GR
Chapter 52
As I strode into the night, the moon above seemed sharper, colder. My wolf prowled beneath my skin, restless, eager. The path forward was dangerous, lined with betrayal and lies, but I no longer walked it blind.
The truth was rising. And Daphne.. her empire of deceit was about to burn.
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