Seeing Liam’s expression, memories flooded back.

 

It was a rainy night five years ago. Liam, having just taken over the pack, was being questioned by the elders for his lack of strength. He was sitting alone on the training grounds, covered in wounds.

 

When I found him, he was staring blankly at a common stone in his hand.

 

“What’s that?” I asked softly.

 

“A moonstone,” he said with a bitter laugh. “They say it’s a sacred object, that it brings a wolf strength and comfort. But I’ve been holding it for so long, and I’m still so weak.”

 

I sat beside him, gently tending to his wounds. “Strength isn’t gained overnight. You’re already working so hard.”

 

“Elena,” he turned to look at me, his eyes full of vulnerability. “If I become strong enough one day, will you still be by my side?”

 

“I will,” I answered without hesitation. “Strong or weak, I’ll always be by your side.”

 

Back then, he had squeezed my hand tightly, as if I were his most precious moonstone.

 

But now, he called it a “token from the weak.”

 

“Elena?” Seraphina said, annoyed at my daze. “What are you thinking about? Hand over that stone already.”

 

I snapped back to reality and saw that everyone was staring at the moonstone in my hand.

 

“Hand it over? Why?”

 

The captain stepped forward, his tone severe. “The moonstone is a sacred artifact of the werewolf people. It’s not something a human like you can possess. Where did you steal it from?”

 

“I didn’t steal it,” I frowned. “My son found it on the beach.”

 

“The beach?” Seraphina scoffed. “Elena, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. True moonstones are only found in sacred werewolf lands. How could one possibly be on a public beach? You must have stolen it!”

 

The guard immediately agreed. “Yes! It has to be stolen! How could a human legally possess a moonstone?”

 

The captain’s expression hardened. “Theft of a sacred artifact is a major crime. According to pack law, you will face severe punishment.”

 

“I told you, it’s not stolen!” My patience was wearing thin.

 

“Then prove it,” Liam finally said. “Otherwise, as the highest-ranking Alpha here, I have the right to hand you over to the pack tribunal for judgment.”

 

At this tense moment, the elevator doors suddenly dinged open.

 

A tiny figure darted out, crying as he ran.

 

“Mommy! Mommy! Where’s my stone? Daddy said you’d find it for me!”

 

It was my three-year-old cub, Adrian.

 

My heart melted at the sight of him.

 

“Adrian!” I knelt and opened my arms. “Mommy found it. It’s right here.”

 

The surrounding werewolves were stunned. The boy was no older than three, yet the aura of a pure-blooded wolf radiated from him—an aura so potent it was oppressive.

 

“This… this child…” the captain stammered.

 

Seraphina suddenly rushed forward and snatched Adrian from my arms. “He carries a high-level wolf bloodline! How could an inferior human like Elena possibly birth such a cub?”

 

Adrian struggled and screamed in her arms. “Mommy! Mommy! I want my mommy!”

 

“The cub must have been abducted!” Seraphina announced loudly. “Elena is not only a thief of sacred artifacts—she’s a trafficker of an Alpha’s heir!”

 

The lobby erupted.

 

“Trafficking an Alpha’s heir?!”

 

“Gods, it just proves humans can’t shed their vile nature. To dare abduct one of our own cubs!”

 

“No wonder she had the moonstone. She must have stolen it along with the child!”

 

The captain immediately ordered his men, “Restrain her! This is a major criminal offense!”

 

Several guards rushed forward, pinning my arms behind my back. I tried to struggle, but they were too strong, too many.

 

“Let me go!” I roared in fury. “Adrian is my cub!”

 

“Your cub?” Seraphina sneered, holding the crying Adrian. “A human birthing a high-blood wolf? Elena, your lies grow more absurd by the second.”

 

Adrian was sobbing his heart out in her arms. “Mommy! I want my mommy! You’re a bad lady! A bad lady!”

 

Seeing my son in such distress was like a knife to my heart. I fought with all my might, but the guards held me tighter.

 

“Elena,” Liam walked over and looked down on me, his expression one of profound disappointment. “I knew you were a greedy human, but I never imagined you would sink this low.”

 

“Theft, kidnapping, lying… is there anything you won’t do?”

 

“I was right not to choose you back then. You’re not worthy of being an Alpha’s mate.”

 

He turned to the captain. “Take her away. Hand her over to the pack tribunal. As for the child, start contacting the major packs to see who is missing an heir.”

 

“No!” I shook my head frantically. “Adrian is my son! You can’t take him!”

 

Just then, the elevator doors opened again.

 

A man exuding an aura of absolute dominance stepped out. He was six-foot-three, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, and carried himself with the majesty of a king.

 

More terrifying was the power of his Alpha scent, so potent it left everyone breathless.

 

Every werewolf present, including Liam, instinctively lowered their heads in a gesture of respect.

 

“Alpha King.”

 

The man’s silver eyes swept across the room, finally landing on me. The moment our gazes met, my own eyes burned hot.

 

In the next second, an immense power erupted from within me. Golden wolf eyes flashed within my own, and the dormant mark on my neck began to burn and glow.

 

The entire lobby was instantly bathed in silvery moonlight.