Evelyn’s POV
"Not just one plant, but a whole patch!" Leon said, his eyes bright with excitent.
My heart nearly stopped. This was beyond anything I’d dared hope for. With the Stellaris Moonbane Root, Alexis might finally have a chance! My wolfless daughter could potentially awaken her dormant wolf when she turns sixteen, so she wouldn’t have to suffer the discrimination and criticism that I endured.
"Leon, thank you so much!" I couldn’t contain my excitent, my voice trembling slightly. "Do you have the exact location of Thunder Creek Village in the mountains? I need to send soone imdiately."
Leon nodded, his expression turning businesslike. "I’ve already emailed you all the details, including contact information for the person who spotted the herbs."
"But," he added with characteristic caution, "I should warn you that they couldn’t confirm if what they saw matches your description exactly. There might be so confusion."
I waved away his concerns, hope bubbling inside like champagne. "It doesn’t matter. Even a similar plant gives us sothing to work with. It’s better than nothing at all!"
Leon stepped closer to , his lips nearly brushing my ear as he whispered.
"While researching the herb, I discovered that the Frostfang Pack from the north is also searching for it."
The Frostfang Pack? Even soone like who barely followed pack politics knew their reputation. They were imnsely powerful and notoriously ruthless. Why would they be interested in the Stellaris Moonbane? This rare herb was practically unknown outside ancient texts.
Leon must have noticed my concerned expression because he quickly added, "I’ve laid so false trails to throw them off the scent temporarily." His face grew serious, eyes narrowing. "But with their resources, they won’t stay confused for long. You should move quickly."
I nodded gratefully. "Thank you again, Leon."
When I invited him to stay for dinner, he declined, ntioning he had a flight to catch.
"If you really want to thank , Evelyn," he said with a teasing smile, "you can treat to a proper dinner when I get back. I assu you can afford it now?"
His joke took back to our college days when we were both scholarship students, pooling our part-ti job earnings just to make ends et.
I smiled genuinely. "Yes, I can definitely afford it now."
From the corner of my eye, I caught Calvin watching us through the window. The warmth in his eyes had vanished, replaced by sothing dark and unreadable. The intensity of his gaze sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.
When Calvin announced he was leaving, I couldn’t hide my surprise. But before going, he grabbed my wrist, his touch firm yet careful.
"Last month, the Frostfang Pack apparently found their daughter who’d been missing for over twenty years," he said, his voice low and urgent. "They treasure her, but she’s suffering from a mysterious illness."
His thumb absently stroked the inside of my wrist as he continued. "Their doctors discovered references to a dicinal herb in ancient texts that could cure her condition. The entire pack is searching for it."
Calvin rarely spoke this much. The fact that he was warning now revealed how serious the situation was.
"Their Alpha won’t be stepping down for at least five years," he continued. "The Brownfur Pack answers to them. You can trust Leon, but never trust Silas Robinson. The old man is too cunning."
Silas Robinson was Leon’s grandfather and essentially the founder of the Brownfur Pack. He transford the pack from a small, insignificant group into a formidable force to be reckoned with.
His jaw tightened. "If that herb really exists and you find it, keep it hidden. Tell only those you completely trust. No one else."
The gravity in his voice made nod silently, a new wariness settling over regarding the Frostfang Pack.
Calvin gave one last penetrating look before leaving.
The mont he was gone, I contacted Jackson and Eryx to arrange for people to investigate Thunder Creek Village. If the Stellaris Moonbane truly existed, I would need to go personally to ensure successful transplantation.
This was the breakthrough I’d been waiting for!
"Alexis, my precious girl, co here," I called, unable to contain my joy. I planted kisses on my daughter’s cheeks, then did the sa with my sons, my happiness bubbling over. For once, I didn’t care about maintaining my composure. Hope was a powerful drug.
***
The following morning, I was jolted from sleep by a frantic call from my housekeeper. Rhys had been found burning with fever.
It was too strange. I imdiately checked the surveillance footage.
After watching it, I felt both angry and heartbroken.
By the ti I reached the hospital, my son’s temperature had dropped slightly.
I sat beside his bed, holding his small hand.
The hospital door opened quietly, and Calvin appeared, his face tight with concern.
"How did this happen?" he asked, his voice low as he approached the bed.
I signaled for him to follow into the hallway, away from Rhys’s ears.
"It was deliberate," I said once we were alone.
Calvin’s expression darkened. "What do you an?"
"When the housekeeper went to wake him this morning, his room was freezing cold. He was already semi-conscious," I explained. "I had Jackson check the security footage."
I showed Calvin the tablet with the recording from the previous night.
The footage showed Rhys sneaking into Rowan’s room after bedti.
The twins sat cross-legged on the bed, having what seed like a serious conversation for eight-year-olds.
"Uncle Leon ca today," Rhys said on the screen. "Mom looked really happy."
Rowan nodded solemnly. "I saw that too."
"Does Dad really have no chance?" Rhys continued, his small face crumpling. "Will we really have a stepdad like Trevor Ford said?"
My heart clenched at the ntion of Matthew Ford’s son. I had already beaten up his father, yet he was still saying such things in front of my son.
"Uncle Leon seems nice," Rowan replied thoughtfully. "If Mom is happier with him, we shouldn’t force Mom and Dad to be together."
Rowan sighed. "They’re divorced now."
He tried to comfort his brother. "Dad is good, Mom is good. We’re lucky we get to see them both every day."
Rhys spoke with a slight sob in his voice, "I want to live with both Mom and Dad. If I hadn’t said I liked Aunt Clara back then, Mom wouldn’t have left Dad."
Rowan touched his brother’s head, "It’s not like that. I don’t really understand either."
"We can’t make Mom sacrifice for us just because she’s our mom," Rowan concluded.
Rhys listened intently, his expression thoughtful.
The video showed him returning to his room later, deliberately setting the air conditioning to its lowest setting and removing all his blankets before lying down to sleep.
I turned off the tablet, my hands trembling slightly. "When he was delirious with fever this morning, he kept mumbling about wanting his mom and dad together."
Calvin’s jaw clenched so tight.
His eyes, when they t mine, burned with an intensity that made my breath catch.
"Then let’s give him what he wants," he said. "For our children’s sake, Evelyn, why can’t we be together again?"
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