The moment she entered, all conversation ceased.

Nova's eye twitched, her expression faltering. "High Priest, nobody saw anything. What evidence could you possibly have? Don't forget, you personally recommended me to the manor."


The High Priest's expression remained solemn. Her eyes seemed to pierce through to the soul. "It's precisely because I recommended you that I must correct your mistakes."

Nova opened her mouth to protest, but Caden cut her off. "High Priest, what did you see?"

"I was collecting spirit herbs at the Moon Goddess Spring when I saw Nova. She fled in a hurry."


"I-I was just passing by!" Nova stammered.



"Do you dare swear to the Moon Goddess that you have never harmed any cubs?"

Nova shook her head. No one had witnessed her actions. As long as she kept denying, they couldn't force a confession.

The High Priest sighed heavily, disappointment evident in her voice. "Nova, I valued your intelligence and what I thought was your kind nature. Now I see I was mistaken."

She produced a Moon Spirit Grass and cast it into the golden basin at the center of the room. The water glowed with golden light. "These are memories I extracted from Finn's mind."

"What?" Nova stepped back, her expression terrified. Only wolf-kind could extract memories from each other—Finn truly was a wolf cub!

She had miscalculated! She'd thought he was merely human.

——

In the memory, Nova gripped Finn's small hand tightly. She walked faster and faster, nearly dragging him.

"Auntie, I don't want to go anymore..."

Suddenly, Nova turned and pushed Finn into the water. He struggled in terror, his splashes growing weaker until he sank beneath the surface.

Ella's heart clenched watching her son's struggle. She turned away, unable to bear the sight.

Caden gently covered Ella's eyes, pulling her against his chest as she sobbed silently.

His rage ignited. He never imagined that within his own pack, someone would dare attempt to murder his child.

His pupils turned golden, his massive Spirit Wolf materializing behind him. His roar echoed through the hall: "Nova Klein! I will kill you!"

Nova coughed blood as she struggled to kneel. "Alpha, he's nothing but a half-breed from a weak human. I could have given you a stronger pure-blooded werewolf."

Why should this lowly human bear the Alpha's child when she was his true mate?

Nova's expression twisted with rage, her malice and ambition now fully exposed.

"Silence!" Caden glanced at Ella. "In this lifetime, I will never touch any woman but her."

Ella hadn't expected those words. She covered her mouth in surprise.

Seeing no hope, Nova turned to the High Priest. "High Priest, please save me! I am the most suitable female werewolf for the Alpha in this pack."

The High Priest sighed. "Alpha, you have never advocated killing. For Finn's sake, please just banish her from the pack."

Caden turned to Ella. "What do you think?" he asked softly.

Though heartbroken, Ella couldn't forgive Nova. "I want her to taste what Finn suffered," she said calmly.

She grabbed Nova's hair and forced her face into a basin of water. Nova struggled fiercely at first, her expression agonized, but gradually her movements weakened until she went still.

Only then did Ella pull her back.

Nova collapsed pathetically, her entire body trembling. The near-death experience had broken her. She coughed violently, barely able to breathe.

"Now you can throw her out," Ella said coldly.

Caden hadn't expected this side of Ella—that she would fight back and defend her rights when faced with injustice.

She wasn't weak. Even in difficult situations, she displayed a resilience many men couldn't match.

Humans, sometimes, were not weak at all.

Caden smiled slightly. This is truly my mate, the mother of my cub.

Late that night.

As the High Priest returned to her residence, she suddenly stopped. "Why have you come to find me again?" she asked the shadows.

From the darkness, Nova emerged. "High Priest, I don't want to leave. Please help me."

"You plotted against the Alpha's heir. I will never forgive you."

For years, Alpha Caden had refused to find a mate. Now the pack finally had an heir of Alpha blood.

She couldn't allow anyone to harm him.

The High Priest walked past, ignoring her, when Nova suddenly said: "What if Finn isn't the Alpha's biological child?"