The Silent Wolf: From Broken Mother to Shadow Queen Chapter 02

The Silent Wolf: From Broken Mother to Shadow Queen Chapter 02

Selka had on blood-red lipstick and a matching red bikini, like she’d just crawled off some beach.

She pushed through the crowd toward me, then suddenly shrieked and threw herself into Dorian’s arms, pointing at the gauze in my hands.

“Dorian! What the hell is that? There’s blood everywhere!”

I pulled my hand back on instinct.

Dorian’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, and he yanked the gauze right out of my hands.

He unwrapped it.

Ellis’s finger, bloody and mangled, came into view.

Selka screamed like she’d seen a ghost.

“What the fuck is this?” Dorian’s voice cut through the air, cold and sharp.

“It’s your son’s finger.” My voice broke, cracked from crying, tears blurring everything. “Crimson Thorn’s traitors cut it off. Ellis is dead.”

But Dorian? His frown just eased into a mocking smirk.

“Christine, you really went all out this time, didn’t you?”

“Hired this many people to play along. Even had a fake finger made to look like our pup’s?”

“Let me guess. I spent Selka’s birthday with her, took her to Hawaii, and you snapped?”

That’s when it hit me. From day one, Dorian had thought I was faking it.

He’d never believed me. Not once.

So it didn’t matter what I said. He was never going to believe me.

The second Dorian said it was fake, Selka’s fear vanished.

She snatched Ellis’s finger out of Dorian’s hand and waved it around like some kind of trophy.

“Wow, Christine, which factory made this? It looks so real.”

“The little wolf plush Dorian gave me is missing an arm. Give me their contact info too, would you?”

“Look at this craftsmanship! They even got the bone texture right. A plush arm would be no problem for them.”

I ignored her nonsense and reached for it, my voice flat as dead water.

“That’s not a model. That’s my son’s finger. Give it back.”

Selka suddenly looked startled, her smile gone, brows furrowed, ducking behind Dorian.

“Dorian, didn’t you say your Luna was gentle? Why’s she so aggressive over a prop finger? I was just curious.”

Something snapped inside me. My voice shook, then broke wide open.

“I said, give it back!”

But she pushed it further, clutching the finger tight to her chest. Fake tears started falling.

Seeing her cry, Dorian shoved me away.

Hard. I hit the ground.

“Christine, enough. Stop this nonsense!”

“Selka just thinks the prop is interesting. Stop pretending it’s our pup’s real finger. Don’t take it too far!”

“I’m not pretending! Give it back! Now!”

I screamed until my throat tore, my mouth tasting of rust.

Fury burned in Dorian’s golden wolf eyes.

“You know Selka has a good heart. The day you called me, she cut her own birthday party short to help contact the enforcers.”

“These reporters weren’t even the ones Selka contacted. They said there was no story at all, and told her off for wasting their time. Said she should verify things before putting anything out.”

“If our pup was really in trouble, why didn’t anyone else contact me? Why just you?”

“Christine, I know I’ve been neglecting you and Ellis with all the pack business lately. Once he’s back from camp, I promise I’ll make it up to you both.”

“Now tell whatever wolves you hired to clear out. Stop embarrassing yourself.”

“And clean yourself up. Walking around looking like this, pack members will think I abuse my own Luna. You’re making me look bad.”

Hearing that, my wolf let out a furious, mournful howl.

My heart raced out of control. My chest ached. I pulled myself off the ground, my voice raw like it had been scraped over stone.

“I want one thing. Give me back the finger.”

Neither of them moved.

So I shifted right then and lunged at them.

Dorian tried to block me. He didn’t quite manage it.

My fingertips had just brushed Ellis’s finger when Selka screamed and, in her panic, threw it away.

It flew through the air and landed on the lawn.

I scrambled and crawled toward it, covered in dirt, reaching to wipe it clean.

Dorian rushed over and ripped it out of my hands.

“Fine. Then nobody gets it.”

Before I could react, he hurled it as hard as he could.

Far.

Splash.

Ellis’s little finger landed in the lake by the estate’s entrance.

It sank.

Gone.