Julian’s POV
Every ti I think I have control over a situation, life throws another curveball that threatens to destroy everything. Right now, I can’t afford to listen to another word from my father about Seraphina’s paternity. Elena cos first, and I need to bring my daughter ho today.
The walk to Roxanne’s house stretched endlessly, though Elena skipped beside , humming cheerfully. Her innocent joy only made the weight in my chest heavier.
Roxanne greeted us at the door with her usual theatrical enthusiasm, practically bouncing on her toes. After six years of this performance, I still don’t understand why she keeps trying to impress . "Julian, sweetheart! Perfect timing. I’ve prepared sothing special for dinner."
I managed a stiff smile. "Sounds wonderful, Roxanne." The lie burned my throat. Every word exchanged with her felt like swallowing glass.
I ushered Elena inside, her tiny fingers wrapped around mine. "Co on, baby girl. Let’s get you comfortable."
Roxanne bead at Elena, planting a kiss on her forehead, and rage flared in my chest. The thought of this woman touching my daughter made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to remain calm.
Steering Elena toward her room provided a montary escape from Roxanne’s suffocating presence. Until yesterday, I trusted this woman completely with my daughter. Now I couldn’t stomach the idea of leaving them alone together. "Let’s run you a nice bath, sweetheart."
Steam filled the bathroom with the scent of lavender as I helped Elena wash. Her giggles bounced off the tiled walls, each sound a bright spot in my darkening mood. Afterward, we settled in her pastel bedroom surrounded by stuffed animals and fairy tale books. She dragged out her favorite doll, complete tea set, and tiny chairs, demanding an elaborate tea party.
"Would Daddy like more tea?" she asked, extending a miniature plastic cup.
"Just a little more, princess," I replied, playing my part. As we pretended to sip, her expression grew thoughtful. "Daddy, how co you haven’t been around as much lately?"
The question hit like a punch to the gut. My mother’s harsh words echoed in my mind, each accusation now carrying painful truth.
I hadn’t realized I was neglecting my children, but Elena’s gentle observation proved how blind I’d been. If my sweet, innocent little girl noticed sothing was wrong, then I’d failed her badly.
"Oh, baby," I whispered, pulling her onto my lap. I held her close, breathing in the familiar scent of her strawberry shampoo. "Daddy is so sorry. Things have been really complicated lately. But I love you so much, Elena. Just as much as I love Theo. You understand that, right?"
She gazed up at with those wide, trusting eyes, and sha crashed over like a wave.
"I know, Daddy," she said softly. "You’re spending extra ti with Theo because he missed out before. That’s fair. And you’re here with now too!"
Her simple wisdom and complete lack of bitterness overwheld . I pressed a kiss to her forehead, my voice rough with emotion. "You are the smartest, most amazing little girl in the world. I’m so lucky to be your dad." She’s exactly like Seraphina, and I can’t believe I never noticed before. Roxanne doesn’t possess any of these qualities.
Her delighted giggle filled the room with warmth, and for a brief mont, my guilt subsided.
"Dinner’s ready, my loves!" Roxanne’s voice rang out, too cheerful and too loud.
Walking toward the dining room, cold dread settled in my stomach. Roxanne had prepared the al, which ant I needed to be extrely careful. My plan required to play along, to eat what she served without raising suspicion.
Roxanne had already arranged our plates when we arrived. Roasted chicken with vegetables looked innocent enough. As I reached for my portion, I smoothly switched it with hers while adding my own special ingredient to her plate. Years of leading my pack had taught to move with subtle precision.
We sat down while Roxanne chattered in her high-pitched voice. Elena was clearly exhausted from the day’s activities, her eyelids drooping as she picked at her food.
I watched Roxanne carefully, analyzing every gesture and expression. After several bites, subtle changes began appearing. Her movents turned jerky, her speech started slurring. She blinked rapidly, her eyes losing focus. Everything was proceeding exactly as I’d planned.
I ignored her growing discomfort. The silver needed ti to work through her system before she realized what was happening. After dinner, I excused myself with Elena. "Bedti for you, princess."
I read her a story while she fought to stay awake, her small body finally surrendering to exhaustion. She’d played hard all day and would sleep deeply, unaware of what was about to unfold. I tucked her in, kissed her forehead gently, and whispered, "I love you more than anything, my darling girl."
Back in the living room, Roxanne was falling apart. She scratched frantically at her arms, her face twisted with discomfort. Her skin was flushed red, and she looked absolutely miserable.
"Sothing’s terribly wrong," she moaned, her voice hoarse and strained.
I turned toward her slowly, letting a cold smile spread across my face. The pretense was over. "You’re absolutely right, Roxanne," I said, my voice dripping with satisfaction. "Sothing is very wrong. Did you really think you could manipulate forever? Play your sick gas? Steal what belongs to ? Those days are finished."
Her eyes widened in shock, seeing clearly for the first ti. But there was a glazed, unfocused quality to her stare. The silver was doing its job perfectly. For werewolves, silver wasn’t just uncomfortable - it was weakening, sickening, and potentially fatal.
"Did you... poison ?" she whispered, barely audible.
I chuckled darkly, savoring the mont. "Yes, Roxanne. I did. And you’re going to experience a very slow, very agonizing death."
Tears filled her eyes, but they seed more confused than pained. "But why? I was only trying to be good to you. I wanted to do sothing nice."
"Nice?" I scoffed. "You call this nice? You’ve been deceiving for five years, Roxanne. Five entire years! But I can see through your lies now. Tell exactly how you did it. How did you manage to steal my daughter?"
Confusion spread across her face, mixing with growing horror. "Steal your daughter? What are you talking about?"
"Don’t pretend to be stupid!" I snarled, my patience evaporating. "Tell how you took her. How did you get Elena from the hospital?"
Her eyes widened in genuine shock. "I didn’t steal Elena. Dorian must have fed you lies. He’s obsessed with Seraphina and will say anything to get closer to her."
"Dorian?" I laughed harshly. "I never ntioned Dorian’s na. How do you know he’s the one who told ? Unless you worked together, of course. Was it a partnership, Roxanne?"
"No, no!" she cried frantically. "I was just guessing! It was a lucky guess!"
"A lucky guess," I repeated, my voice dangerously quiet. "You just happened to guess the exact person involved in kidnapping our daughter. What an incredible coincidence."
"Let go, Julian," she begged, struggling weakly against the silver’s effects. "I’m completely innocent!"
"The only innocent person here is Elena," I spat, my vision narrowing with rage. "Because the woman who raised her, who she thought was her mother, is the sa monster who stole her. And her real mother never even knew she existed."
Roxanne’s struggling intensified, and then sothing unexpected happened. She started laughing. A hysterical, almost insane sound that filled the room.
"Stop that!" I roared, my control slipping. "Stop laughing, or I’ll make your death even worse than I planned."
She continued laughing through her tears. "You can’t kill ."
My blood turned to ice. "What did you just say?"
"If you kill ," she gasped between laughs, "Elena dies too."
I struck her across the face, the sharp sound echoing through the silence. I’d sworn never to hit a woman, but Roxanne wasn’t a woman anymore. She was a monster threatening my daughter.
She slumped against the sofa, her breathing shallow and labored. "I’ve been giving Elena sothing very dangerous every single day," she whispered weakly. "She needs it to survive. Without it, she’ll die. Nothing can change that."
Disbelief flooded through , followed by paralyzing fear. "You’re lying. You would never endanger Elena’s life. Despite everything, I know you love her."
Genuine sorrow flickered in her eyes. "I do love her, Julian. That’s why I never miss a day. If you kill and she misses even one dose, she’ll die. You’ll be murdering your own daughter."
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