Page 29 of Lycan Prince's Secret Baby

Disgust roiled through me at his callousness—"those we’ve conquered.”My mother’s diary swirled in my mind, her reflections painfully clear about my father’s insatiable greed for the Blood Moon territory.

“I keep thinking about that day, Sam,” Reginald continued, his voice dropping into a solemn murmur. “When the Black Moon I bribed took her out successfully. Then, all I had to do was take out the Alpha and Beta. If only Roman hadn’t gotten away, this matter wouldn’t be hanging over us still.”

“Took her out successfully.”Bile coated my throat. A Black Moon. The Black Moon Pack was a notorious pack that thrived on plundering other pack lands, getting their resources from raids. He’d bribed a Black Moon to kill my mother. Then, he’d gone to kill the leaders of the Blood Moon Pack, pinning my mother’s murder on them to give him justification for declaring war and enslaving them.

The air in the cupboard felt stifling. But I forced myself to remain silent, the sheer magnitude of his words swallowing me. My father had said it like it was nothing.“Took her out.”The weight of this revelation left me quaking with rage.

My heart raced, understanding settling into my bones as I recognized how far my father’s ambition had led him and what he’d been willing to do to seize the Blood Moon lands. Reginald had eliminated the Blood Moon Alpha, alongside the Beta of the Blood Moon Pack—Leah’s father. Another stab of pain shot through me as I realized she and her people had been wronged by me and all of the Moonlight Pack.

“With some gentle persuasion, she’ll tell us Roman’s whereabouts,” Sam’s voice reached my ear, and I realized they were back to talking about Leah. “Tomorrow, let’s make her talk. Then we’ll put the past to bed where it belongs.”

Anger and hate seared through me, and it took everything to rein in my temper and remain hidden in the shadows of thecupboard. I thought of how I’d foolishly believed that my father had been motivated in his chasing down runaway Blood Moons by his need to avenge my mother’s death.

But my father’s determination to hunt down the rebel Blood Moons stemmed from his need to silence anyone who could reveal his cold-blooded crime. Roman, the Blood Moon Alpha’s son, had escaped and knew Reginald had framed the Blood Moons for our Luna’s murder.

Rage boiled through me, urging me to storm out of my hiding place and confront them. But now was not the time for recklessness. I lacked the necessary power to face my father directly. My first priority had to be protecting Leah from these monsters. They planned to torture her tomorrow. But I was determined she’d be long gone by then.

Thankfully, Sam soon left, and I heard my father’s tread going upstairs. I slipped out of the cupboard, each step calculated as I made my way out of the house. Then, I hurried as stealthily as I could to the cell block. I wouldn’t allow them to hurt Leah. If it came down to it, I would stand against my father by any means necessary.

As I stole down the cold, damp stairs, rounding the bottom, it was as if I’d had the breath knocked out of me. Ahead, the cell door hung ajar, and the cell was empty. My heart climbed into my throat, and fear raced through me. Had Sam taken her? But both he and my father had agreed that they’d interrogate Leah tomorrow.

I stepped into the cell block, the realization washing over me—she’d already escaped.

My chest felt too full, a dozen emotions swirling through me like a snowstorm. Memories of her warmth and the comfort of her presence twisted through me, tugging at the remnants of the bond we had shared, a mate bond muddied by my prejudice butrealnonetheless.

The hatred I’d harbored was so desperately misplaced. I could almost hear her voice challenging me,“The Blood Moon tricked you. Otherwise, why else would

a noble Moonlight like you say what you did to a lowly slave like me?”

She’d urged me to confront my prejudice, but I’d allowed my father’s biases to poison my mind and cloud my judgment.

Glancing around, the dim light filtering through the barred window, all Leah had endured engulfed me. I’d failed to protect her from the very tyranny I despised. The weight of that realization settled on my shoulders. Yet, admiration sparked through me. Against all odds, she’d succeeded in escaping her enslavement. She wasfreeof my father’s oppression, and I hoped she got far, far away from here—no matter the cost, even if it meant she was lost to me forever.

Chapter 16

Leah

It was delivery day in the small valley town of Matsuna, and excitement buzzed in the air as I unpacked the herbal supplies brought in by the family-run fleet of planes. Fresh provisions from the city were a rare treat in this remote haven, nestled among rugged frozen lakes and tundras, two hundred miles from the nearest urban center. We relied on these planes once a month, their arrival a lifeline to civilization.

A soft lullaby floated through the snug kitchen. I smiled as I watched Lyvia cradling my daughter Lina in her arms. “The Blood Moon Rising” was Lina’s favorite, and my heart warmed as I glimpsed her drifting into slumber.

“Hush now, my darling, the stars are bright,

They whisper dreams of our pack tonight.

In the heart of the forest, where wild things roam,

You’ll find the strength to call it home.”

The melody hung in the air, a spell of warmth illuminating our makeshift sanctuary. After escaping the Moonlight Pack, I’d sought refuge with Naomi, the witch who lived a few valleysover. In my desperation to sever the mate bond with Kyle, I’d turned to her for help, but she’d advised me that someone with more experience would be better at performing such a complex ritual. That’s how Lyvia came into my life—a young witch, brimming with a vibrant spirit who had empathized with my plight. But when she’d discovered I was pregnant, she warned me the ritual would put my child at risk.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of boxes being unloaded echoed from the subterranean level of our home, pulling me from my thoughts. I frowned. Lina had only just gone down for her nap. I should have remained upstairs, but the allure of delivery day was always hard to resist. Each box held promised comfort and sustenance, a reprieve from the isolation we often felt.

Our home—a six-story marvel—was carved into the rock of the cliff. Constructed from driftwood, whale bone, and lumber, each beam was steeped in stories of those who had found shelter within its walls. Lyvia often spoke of its legacy, how it had served many over the centuries. Although a young woman herself, she said the walls had called to her with their magic—the materials suffused with enchantments that strengthened those she’d placed herself to keep us safe from harm.

“Oh!” I exclaimed as I looked down at the box I’d just ripped open, my heart battering against my ribcage.

Lyvia set Lina gently down in her cradle—a small, cozy cocoon surrounded by colorful woven blankets. “What is it?” she asked, her amber eyes sparkling as she approached.

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