Chapter 5 William, You Disgust Me

• He seized Ann’s arm, his sharp claws digging into her skin and leaving bloody marks behind. His entire body was trembling.
• His ears kept shifting back and forth between human and wolf form.
• That was a dangerous half-shift state.
• If a wolf spirit lost control and could not be suppressed in time, the wolf could very well die on the spot.
• Tina rushed over in alarm and demanded, “What happened?”
• “I don’t know,” Ann said panickily.
• Elder Grace stepped in at that moment.
• “Rocco’s body data is wrong. The dosage of the potion I prepared was based on inaccurate numbers. That’s what triggered the wolf inside him to lose control.”
• William snatched the data sheet off the table.
• His face darkened instantly.
• “Who checked this data sheet? The height and weight are off by more than ten units.”
• The air froze.
• Ann and Elder Grace both looked at me at the same time.
• Rocco’s data sheet had indeed passed through my hands.
• I released the sleeve I had been clutching this whole time, took a deep breath, and walked over.
• The next second, William straightened as if he had finally caught me red-handed. His fury crushed the air around us.
• “Julie, you wanted to kill Rocco, didn’t you?”
• I looked straight into his rage-filled eyes, my voice turning cold before I even realized it.
• “You think I’m cruel enough to hurt a pup?”
• “That’s not your first time.”
• His tone was icy and vicious.
• He stepped closer, lowering his voice, but every wolf present could still hear him clearly.
• “Look at you now—filthy and worthless. Instead of embarrassing my family, maybe you should go to the front lines and entertain the warriors as a whore. At least they wouldn’t be picky.”
• The entire clearing fell dead silent.
• The other pack members stood frozen, watching this farce unfold without daring to make a sound.
• Ha.
• How disgusting.
• Comparing me to a front-line prostitute was more insulting than calling me a bitch.
• That was a path only the lowest-ranking Omegas were forced into.
• By saying it out loud, he was tearing apart my status in this family in front of everyone.
• Blackness pulsed at the edges of my vision.
• My wolf nature slammed wildly against my ribs.
• I could almost feel my claws pushing beneath my skin, trying to break through my fingertips.
• Slowly, I raised my head and stared at him.
• “William, you’re so disgusting.”
• Every word was forced out through restraint.
• “If you really want to see someone entertain the warriors…”
• I tugged the corner of my mouth and said softly,
• “Why don’t you go yourself?”
• “Screw you!”
• He cursed, his face flushing red with rage.
• No one had ever spoken to him like that before.
• Tina was so startled that she quickly reached out to hold William back.
• But it was already too late.
• Because I understood now.
• This family.
• These people.
• There was not a single thing left here worth staying for.
• Only one thought remained in my mind.
• Divorce.
• No wonder they had insisted I go to that small room to help.
• So this had been planned from the beginning.
• They had been waiting for me here all along.
• The air was filled with the faint metallic scent of wolf blood.
• It was the scent of tension, suspicion, and malice twisting together.
• I could hear every heartbeat around me.
• Especially Ann’s.
• That tiny, almost inaudible breath of smugness.
• Seeing the situation turn rigid, Tina spoke in a low voice, carrying the authority of an old Luna.
• “Julie, we will discuss this later. Right now, Rocco’s safety comes first. You are the Luna. Soothing a frenzied wolf spirit is part of your duty.”
• I forced down the emotions surging inside me and had just stepped forward when Rocco’s look of resistance pierced straight through me.
• My footsteps stopped.
• In the silence, Ann leaned close to William and whispered something in his ear.
• Then William walked toward me.
• His face was as dark as storm clouds before a downpour, and the pressure of his wolf made the air tremble.
• He reached out and grabbed my arm, his grip so hard it felt like he wanted to crush my bones.
• “Is what Ann said true?”
• His voice was cold enough to freeze the whole room.
• “Did you deliberately give the elder the wrong data sheet?”
• The denial left my mouth almost on instinct.
• “I didn’t.”
• But Rocco spoke coldly, his eyes red as he glared at me.
• “Mommy, Ann has always been good to me. She’s never hurt me. But you… you hurt her before. Why are you doing this to me now?”
• The word “Mommy” came from his mouth, yet it sounded colder than anything a stranger could have said.
• My fingertips went numb.
• The wolf inside my chest thrashed so violently it felt like she wanted to tear through my ribs.
• “I said I didn’t.”
• I gritted my teeth and repeated it.
• But—
• No one wanted to hear me.
• One was Ann, the Oscar-winning actress elevated by endless resources and praise.
• The other was Julie, a prison wolf who had just crawled out of Moon Prison, covered in stains that would never wash clean.
• My identity alone was enough to sentence me.
• William sneered.
• “Three years in Moon Prison, and you’re still this vicious? Now you’re even using your own child?”