Chapter 4

Martha threw herself between us, shielding me with her own body to keep Daniel away.

Daniel's grip loosened in shock, the vicious snarl on his face freezing solid.

He whipped his head toward Martha, his eyes wide with disbelief:

"What did you just say? She's pregnant?"

Before Martha could reply, Samantha stepped up, her tone sharp with accusation:

"Oh, Martha, why are you making things worse?"

"Daniel is furious enough as it is. How could you help Summer lie to him? Daniel is the son of the Silver Creek Alpha! He's one of the true masters of this manor! How dare you help an outsider deceive your own master? If word gets out, who would ever hire you again?"

Hearing that, the hesitation in Daniel's eyes vanished completely.

He turned back toward me, a cold sneer curling his lips:

"Three years away, and you've really learned some new tricks, haven't you, Summer?"

"You actually managed to get one of our oldest pack staff to lie for you? You're getting bolder by the day."

His hands curled into fists as his voice turned dangerous:

"Let me tell you something: don't think for a second you can play me. I'm not an idiot! Keep up this act, and I won't hold back on you!"

Martha's face turned stark white with panic. She stood firmly in front of me and pleaded:

"Mr. Ford, I am not lying to you! Mrs. Grace is truly with pup! Smell the air yourself! Her scent has shifted—she carries the distinct scent of a pup. Any werewolf can scent it!"

As Martha's words hung in the air, Daniel and Samantha both froze, their brows furrowing deeply.

They scented it.

Summer's scent had undeniably shifted. Wrapped within her usual sweet aroma was the faint, unmistakable warmth of an unborn pup. It was a biological truth no werewolf could deny.

The color bled from Daniel's face, but his mind fought violently against reality. He glared at my stomach, his Alpha senses forcing the bitter truth down his throat—she was pregnant.

His voice shook with rage: "You bitch... You dared to let another man knock you up?!"

The moment the insult left his lips, red hot anger flared in my vision.

For Harrison's sake, and because Daniel was Harrison's younger brother, I had tolerated his arrogance and swallowed his insults.

But now, he had the nerve to curse my unborn baby. That crossed every line I had.

I raised my arm and slapped him across the face with every ounce of strength in my body.

*Smack!*

The sharp crack echoed through the vast living room, leaving behind dead silence.

Seeing this, Samantha immediately put on her concerned, supportive act:

"Daniel, please don't get worked up. It's bad for your health!"

"Now that this has happened, we have to deal with it calmly."

She paused, casting a venomous glance my way before continuing softly:

"Option one: you cut ties with Summer completely. We can live our lives in peace and ignore whatever bastard she's carrying."

"But I know... you still have feelings for her. You won't want to let her go."

Samantha sighed heavily, playing the selfless martyr:

"Then there's only one other choice. Take Summer to a healer and purge that foreign bloodline from her womb. That's the only way things can go back to how they were. We can still be a family, can't we?"