Leila’s POV:
I thought for a mont that maybe she was capable of change. Maybe motherhood had llowed her, made her human. But now...now it was all coming together. She had fooled us all.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I beca. This wasn’t just about the wolfbane or the baby anymore—it was about the fact that once again, Lily had manipulated , and everyone around her, making look like the villain while she ca out spotless.
But how was I supposed to convince anyone of the truth? If I even dared to suggest that Lily had orchestrated this, it would sound insane. She’d built her reputation so carefully—Nelly, Drake, even the rest of the pack—they all saw her as this loving mother who was trying to move on from her past. The idea that she could be plotting sothing like this behind the scenes would sound delusional.
"Are you okay?" Nelly’s voice brought back to the present, her concern evident in her tone. She had no idea what was going on in my head, how conflicted I was.
I forced a smile, but it felt like a lie. "Yeah, I’m fine."
"Leila, you have to talk to . You’ve been acting distant, and I know there’s more going on than just the wolfbane incident. I can see it in your eyes," Nelly pressed gently.
How could I tell her? How could I explain what I was starting to piece together? That Lily had set up, that she had orchestrated everything to make look like the one trying to hurt my own child?
I wanted to scream the truth, to shout it in everyone’s face, but I knew that would only make look more unstable. Lily had won.
Lily’s POV:
Though things didn’t go exactly as I had planned, this new twist was working perfectly. Every darn thing was falling into place—just like I wanted it to.
Leila’s stubbornness and Drake’s guilt were pushing them further apart, and that’s what mattered. The mont Drake had found her with that bottle of wolfbane, the seeds of doubt had been planted. All I had to do now was watch as they grew, twisting and turning their bond until it was completely shattered.
I smirked to myself as I thought about how easily everything was playing out. Leila was a fool, and Drake wasn’t far behind. They were both so consud with their own emotions—her anger, his guilt—that they couldn’t even see the bigger picture. They couldn’t see pulling the strings behind the scenes.
It was almost too easy. Too perfect.
Of course, I had hoped Leila would be gone by now, but I could be patient. Her fall was inevitable, and I would be there to pick up the pieces, to step into the place I had always belonged. By Drake’s side.
I glanced around the hospital, spotting Drake sitting alone, his head in his hands. He looked so broken, so vulnerable. It was exactly how I wanted him—unsure of everything, questioning Leila, questioning their future.
And when the ti was right, I would be there to offer him the comfort he needed, the understanding that Leila couldn’t give him.
I sighed, feeling a thrill of satisfaction ripple through . Everything was coming together.
Soon, Leila would have no one left in her corner. Not Drake, not Nelly—no one. And when that happened, she would finally be out of the way, and I would take everything that should have been mine from the start.
"Patience, Lily," I whispered to myself, a smile tugging at my lips. "Just a little more patience, and everything will be perfect."
---
Leila’s POV:
I could feel the tension building in the air between Drake and . It was like a thick fog, suffocating and heavy. We hadn’t spoken since the hospital. I knew he was giving space, but his silence only made everything worse.
I could tell that he was still doubting , still questioning whether I had really taken the wolfbane. And every ti I thought about it, it made my blood boil.
How could he think that I would hurt our baby? How could he even entertain the idea that I would willingly take wolfbane, knowing what it could do to both and the child?
I was furious—furious at him, at Lily, at this entire situation. And no matter how hard I tried to calm myself down, the anger kept bubbling up, threatening to spill over.
I needed answers. I needed to know how that bottle of wolfbane had ended up in my drawer in the first place. But more than anything, I needed to know why Drake couldn’t just trust . After everything we’d been through, why was it so easy for him to doubt ?
"Leila, you have to talk to him," Nelly had said earlier, but how could I? How could I talk to soone who looked at like I was guilty?
I leaned back against the hospital bed, staring up at the ceiling, my mind swirling with thoughts.
Sothing wasn’t right—I could feel it—but how could I prove it?
One thing I was sure of—I was not going back to Drake until he learned my worth.
I had given him chance after chance to trust , to stand by my side when I needed him the most. But each ti, he failed . I didn’t care that we were mates. That connection ant nothing without trust, and Drake... he seed to lack that vital part of love.
As much as I loved him, I couldn’t keep living like this—constantly having to prove my innocence whenever sothing went wrong, constantly fighting to convince him that I would never hurt him, our baby, or anyone else for that matter.
He had to learn.
Maybe leaving him would finally make him realize what he was doing to —how his doubt, his mistrust, was slowly tearing apart. I wasn’t going to be the weak mate, always forgiving and overlooking his faults. This ti, he needed to feel what it was like to be left behind, to be the one who lost soone important because of his own choices.
I was going to prove my innocence. I didn’t know how yet, but I was going to do it. Not for Drake, not even for myself, but for my son. And once I had done that, once my baby was discharged from this hospital and healthy enough to leave, I was taking him far away from this heart-wrenching place.
I knew deep down that Drake would be a good father. He loved our son, I could feel that in every word he spoke about him. But could I trust him to be there for our son if things got difficult? If his trust was questioned again, would he waver, like he always did with ?
No.
I couldn’t take that risk. My son deserved more than a father who constantly doubted his mother. He deserved stability, love, and trust. I was going to give him that—even if it ant doing it on my own.
I was done with this life of constant distrust. I was over this toxic cycle of loving soone who couldn’t trust enough to stand by . I was done with Drake—at least until he proved that he could truly see my worth.
It hurt more than I could ever put into words. I loved him. He was my mate. But love without trust? That wasn’t enough for anymore. I deserved better. Our son deserved better.
What made it even worse was that he hadn’t even realized the full extent of what he was doing. He kept looking for forgiveness, expecting to work harder to prove myself, as if that was the natural order of things. As if I should just keep accepting the way he doubted , questioned my loyalty, and broke my heart.
But I wasn’t going to do that anymore. This wolf was done being the one who always had to fight to prove herself.
This ti, he needed to fight for . He needed to work alongside to figure out who had set up, instead of leaving alone to do it.
I closed my eyes, letting the weight of everything wash over . It was exhausting—physically and emotionally. But I knew what I had to do.
For once in my life, I was going to put myself first. I would heal, I would protect my son, and I would find out the truth.
And if Drake couldn’t et halfway, then he would lose both of us.
For good.
It just isn’t worth it to fight for him again. Not this ti. Not when I’ve been proven to him over and over, and he still doesn’t believe in .
Next ti, when soone accuses of sothing far worse—like killing soone—he wouldn’t defend . He’d be the first to doubt again, the first to question my integrity, just like he did now. It wouldn’t matter how many tis I’d proven myself in the past. He would still falter, still let his trust slip through his fingers.
So, what’s the point? Why should I keep fighting for him, for us, when it’s clear that the next accusation will send us spiraling back into this sa hell?
It wasn’t worth it anymore.
No matter how much I loved him, no matter how much I wanted to make this work, I couldn’t keep putting myself in that position—constantly having to prove that I was innocent. That I wasn’t so monster capable of hurting our child, of betraying our bond.
I couldn’t live with soone who looked at with doubt every ti sothing went wrong.
This love, this bond we shared, wasn’t enough if it didn’t co with trust. And clearly, he didn’t trust .
That realization stung deep, cutting to my core, but I had to face the truth. It wasn’t worth it anymore—not if this was going to be the pattern for the rest of our lives.
I deserved soone who stood by , soone who believed in no matter what.
And if Drake couldn’t be that person... then I had to let him go. For my sake. For my son’s sake.
This ti, I wasn’t fighting for him. I was fighting for myself.
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