**Flashback**
A younger, vibrant version of lissa sat on the sofa, beaming with joy alongside her three-year-old daughter, Kimberly. They shared a striking resemblance, both wearing bright smiles that lit up the room.
lissa tickled Kimberly, sending her into fits of giggles, and just as she was about to lift her little girl into the air, the door creaked open.
"Uncle Jethro!" Kimberly squealed, jumping up to greet him.
lissa’s heart dropped. She quickly tried to pull Kimberly back, but it was too late. Jethro knelt down, scooping Kimberly into a warm embrace. "Hello there, my sweetheart! How are you doing?"
"I’m OK, uncle!" Kimberly giggled, flashing her baby teeth.
lissa stepped closer, anxious. "Kimberly, honey, can you go to your room for a little while? Uncle Jethro and I need to talk," she said, trying to sound casual.
"Okay, mom!" Kimberly waved goodbye, skipping off to her room.
Once Kimberly was out of sight, lissa put distance between herself and Jethro. Her face tightened in a mix of anger and fear.
"What are you doing here, Jethro? Darwin said he’s been gone since yesterday. Why are you here now?"
"Relax, lissa. I’m not here to see him. I’m here to see you," Jethro said, stepping closer.
lissa instinctively backed away. "You don’t need to co here. Please leave!"
"Shh!" Jethro placed a finger to his lips. "Rember, Kimberly is still in the house. You wouldn’t want her to overhear us, would you?" He smirked.
"Jethro, I’m married to Darwin, the pack leader! Please, just leave us alone," lissa said, her voice trembling.
"That’s not happening. You were mine before Darwin stole you away, and now you’re mine again!" Jethro’s face twisted with anger.
lissa’s heart raced. "You can’t claim as yours! You left when I got pregnant. Darwin took care of when you vanished. We’ve never been together like that!"
Jethro stopped, his eyes locking onto hers with intensity. "I may not be Kimberly’s father, but I claim both of you as mine. Don’t you see how much I care for you?"
"No, you don’t! You never loved us. You’re just trying to manipulate us for your own gain!" lissa retorted.
"Enough! You’re coming with now!" Jethro shouted, grabbing lissa’s wrist.
"Let go of !" she cried, yanking her arm, but his grip was too strong. "Help!" she scread.
Just then, Catherine walked in and froze at the sight. "Jethro, stop! Why are you pulling lissa against her will?"
Jethro glared at her, his grip still on lissa. "Stay out of this, Catherine! This is between lissa and ."
"No, it’s not! lissa is my friend, and I won’t let you hurt her!" Catherine yelled, stepping forward.
lissa moved behind Catherine, holding her breath, terrified of Jethro’s next move.
"Catherine! You have no idea what you’re getting into!" Jethro snapped.
"Actually, I do! lissa deserves to be safe from you!" Catherine countered, her voice steady.
"Fine! Today isn’t the day, but I’ll be back!" Jethro said with a sinister smile before darting out the door.
"Are you okay?" Catherine turned to lissa, concern etched on her face. "Do you have any bruises?"
"I’m fine, thanks. I appreciate you stepping in for ," lissa replied, relief washing over her as she took Catherine’s hands in hers.
"That’s what friends are for, right? We help each other when tis get tough," Catherine said, her face brightening.
Once they settled back onto the couch, lissa glanced at Catherine. "Why are you still here? Didn’t you say you were going sowhere today?"
"I got tired of traveling. I thought it was better to check on you and Kimberly instead," Catherine replied, a friendly smile on her face.
"I’m glad you did," lissa said warmly.
"Why didn’t you tell Darwin about Jethro pressuring you? He would protect you!" Catherine’s tone turned serious.
"I can’t. Jethro knows who Kimberly’s father is. I can’t risk losing that information," lissa admitted, her voice heavy. "I just hope Jethro will back off eventually."
"I hope so too!" Catherine said, her brows furrowing in concern.
Understanding flickered in Catherine’s eyes as lissa spoke. "I get it now. You’re scared to push him too hard."
"Exactly! If I confront him, he might reveal things I can’t handle," lissa explained. "I just need to keep a low profile for now."
"Then let’s keep you safe! I’ll always be here to help you," Catherine assured her.
"Thank you, Catherine. I can’t tell you how much that ans to ," lissa replied, feeling grateful.
Just then, a loud knock echoed through the house, causing both won to jump.
"Who could that be?" Catherine asked, glancing nervously at lissa.
"I have no idea. Let check," lissa replied, her heart racing again.
As she opened the door, she found a delivery man standing there with a package. "Delivery for lissa," he said, handing it over.
"Thank you!" she said, accepting the package and closing the door quickly, relieved it wasn’t Jethro again.
"Just stay close to , lissa. We can handle this together," Catherine said, sitting down beside her.
"I know we can," lissa nodded, feeling a bit stronger with her friend by her side.
"Let’s just enjoy the mont and keep an eye out. We’ll figure this out," Catherine suggested, her smile returning.
"Yeah, one step at a ti," lissa agreed, finding comfort in her friend’s presence.
**End Of Flashback**
"lissa!!" Alpha Darwin’s voice cut through her thoughts. She felt dizzy, trying to process the gravity of the situation. "Are you being serious about the accusations against Jethro?"
"Huh?" lissa blinked, startled. "I swear I’m telling the truth! Jethro wanted to kill ," she said, her voice calm but tinged with tension.
"I have no idea how to process this!" Darwin sat down on the bed, his mind racing. Their past friendships made it hard to believe that Jethro could be capable of such threats.
"I know it’s hard to believe," lissa continued, her expression serious. "But Jethro is not human! He’s filled with revenge and would do anything to win."
"But why you? What could possibly motivate Jethro to want you dead?" Darwin asked, confusion evident in his voice.
lissa sighed heavily. The history between her and Jethro was complicated, and she wasn’t ready to share everything.
"I don’t think this is the right ti to explain. I hope you can understand and respect my choice."
"I get it." Darwin smiled gently, wanting to reassure her. "Take your ti."
lissa nodded, grateful for his understanding. "By the way, I heard you’ve been feeling unwell. How long have you known about your condition?"
Chuckling lightly, Darwin replied, "For a long ti. I didn’t want to burden anyone, so I kept it to myself. I’d rather die quietly than make a scene."
"That’s not fair! Everyone deserves to know how you’re doing, especially since surgery is on the table," she insisted.
"Surgery?" Darwin looked surprised. "That’s not even an option for . I’m not doing anything about it."
"Darwin, you realized that you need this operation, right? I care about your health and happiness," lissa pressed.
"lissa, don’t worry about ! At least ask about your daughter," he said, trying to redirect her concern.
lissa’s heart raced at the ntion of Kimberly. She had been fighting the urge to ask about her daughter. "Where is she?" she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Darwin frowned. "You should focus on how Kimberly is doing all these past years."
"Can you just tell about her? Is she okay without ?" lissa struggled to keep her emotions in check.
"I’m afraid I don’t have good news. The last ti I saw her, she was struggling," Darwin admitted, his tone heavy with sadness.
"What? Why? What happened?" Panic crept into lissa’s voice. The thought of her daughter suffering made her heart ache.
"Two of her close friends were kidnapped. She’s terrified and has no idea where they are," he explained, concern etched on his face.
"This is serious! Have you tried to find them? Do you know who did it?" lissa demanded, her worry growing.
"I’ve done everything I could, but I couldn’t find them. I can’t imagine how miserable she must feel," Darwin said, looking away.
"I have to help! I’ll do whatever it takes to find Kimberly’s friends," lissa said, determination in her voice. "Is there anything else troubling her?"
After sharing the news, Darwin felt a knot in his stomach. He worried about how to break the truth to lissa—that her daughter might end up being a slave to an Alpha.
"Darwin, you haven’t answered my question. Is Kimberly facing any other issues?" lissa pressed, urgency in her tone.
"I don’t think so; she seems fine. Everything’s okay for Kimberly," Darwin lied, hoping to spare her more pain. He had plans to help her daughter and didn’t want to add to her worry.
"Okay, I’m sorry, but I need to leave right now. We’ll talk later. Stay strong, okay?" lissa stood, her heart racing.
"Alright, I’ll try!" Darwin nodded, watching as she bolted out of the room.
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