The Alpha Wants My Son Dead

I slipped into Chris’s study at dawn, my heart hammering against my ribs. The house was silent—Chris had spent the night at his private hunting lodge, which meant with Bella. These stolen moments were my only chance to search for answers about Leo’s mysterious illness.

The study smelled of leather and Chris’s cedar cologne, a scent that once made me feel safe but now only tightened the knot of anxiety in my stomach.

I moved carefully, making sure to return everything exactly as I found it. Chris noticed the slightest disruption to his domain.

His desk was immaculate, each item positioned with military precision. I started with the filing cabinet, methodically checking each drawer.

Nothing unusual—just pack finances, territory agreements, the mundane paperwork of Alpha leadership.

Then I noticed the slight discoloration on the wooden paneling behind his desk—a nearly invisible seam. My fingers traced the edge until I felt a small catch. With a soft click, a hidden compartment opened.

Inside lay a single manila folder, unmarked except for a date—Leo’s birth date.

My hands trembled as I opened it. Inside were medical records, blood work comparisons between two infants. One was labeled ‘Heir Apparent’—Leo. The other was marked only with a code: RCB-2.

The documents detailed genetic markers, blood type compatibility, and Alpha trait indicators. Both children showed strong Alpha markers, but the notes in the margins chilled me to the bone: ‘rCB-2 displays superior developmental markers. Consider primary succession path.’

Attached was a transfer authorization to an overseas pack in Europe, signed by both Chris and... Bella.

The truth hit me like a physical blow. Chris had another son—with Bella. A son born around the same time as Leo. A son they were positioning to replace mine.

The sound of a car in the driveway sent panic shooting through me. I quickly photographed the documents with my phone, replaced the folder exactly as I’d found it, and closed the hidden compartment.

By the time the front door opened, I was arranging flowers in the living room, my face a careful mask hiding the storm inside.

---

‘I need to know what’s happening to my son,’ I said, my voice low but firm as I cornered Elias Thorne in his clinic the next day.

The pack healer shifted uncomfortably, his eyes darting to the door as if checking for witnesses. ‘Luna Whitmore, I’ve told you—children often experience periods of weakness during growth spurts.’

‘For three months? With worsening symptoms?’ I stepped closer. ‘I saw silver lines in his veins, Elias.’

The color drained from his face. ‘That’s... that’s not possible.’

‘Isn’t it? What would cause that?’

Elias ran a hand through his thinning hair. ‘silver poisoning could cause such symptoms, but it would have to be administered regularly in small doses. No one would...’ He trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.

‘No one would deliberately poison a child?’ I finished for him. ‘Not even to eliminate an inconvenient heir?’

His eyes widened with understanding, then fear. ‘Luna, I can’t be involved in this. The Alpha—’

‘Is my son’s father and should be the first to demand answers,’ I cut in. ‘Yet he dismisses Leo’s illness as weakness. Why?’

Elias looked away. ‘I can’t help you officially. Chris has forbidden additional tests.’

‘Then help me unofficially,’ I pressed. ‘What should I be looking for?’

After a long pause, he sighed. ‘silver compounds are tasteless in small amounts but might leave a slight metallic residue. Check his food, water, even his medications.’ He quickly scribbled something on a prescription pad. ‘This lab does independent testing. They don’t ask questions.’

I took the paper, tucking it into my pocket. ‘Thank you.’

‘I never gave you this information,’ he said, his voice barely audible. ‘If the Alpha asks—’

‘He won’t,’ I assured him. ‘He doesn’t believe there’s anything to investigate.’

---

That night, I waited until Leo was asleep before collecting samples. I took small amounts from his water glass, the remains of his dinner, even the children’s vitamins Chris had suddenly insisted he take daily. I stored each in the sterile containers I’d purchased from a pharmacy two towns over, using cash to avoid a trail.

As I worked, I cataloged Leo’s symptoms in my mind: increasing fatigue, loss of appetite, occasional stomach pain, and now the faint silver lines in his veins. Symptoms that had begun shortly after Chris started taking a more ‘active interest’ in Leo’s daily routine.

The same Chris who had another son hidden away. The same Chris who had called Leo unworthy of the Ravenscroft name just days ago.

I hid the samples in a hollowed-out book in my private reading nook—the one place Chris never bothered to look. Tomorrow I would find a way to get them to the lab Elias had recommended.

As I checked on Leo one last time before bed, his small face peaceful in sleep, a fierce protectiveness surged through me. I may have been raised to be the perfect, compliant Luna, but I was still a wolf—and no one threatened my cub.

---

‘The technology summer camp is non-negotiable,’ Chris announced at breakfast three days later, not bothering to look up from his tablet. ‘Leo needs to develop skills beyond the traditional pack education.’

I set down my coffee cup carefully. ‘He’s been ill, Chris. I don’t think now is the time to send him away.’

‘Your coddling is precisely why he’s weak,’ Chris snapped, finally meeting my eyes with cold disdain. ‘The camp starts next week. It’s already arranged.’

Leo looked between us, his small shoulders hunched as if trying to make himself invisible. ‘I don’t feel good, Dad,’ he whispered.

Chris’s jaw tightened. ‘That’s exactly the problem. You never ‘feel good.’ It’s time you learned to push through discomfort like a true Alpha.’

‘But what if he gets worse while he’s there?’ I pressed, trying to keep the desperation from my voice.

‘For God’s sake, Ellie!’ Chris slammed his hand on the table, making Leo flinch. ‘This maternal hysteria is exactly why our son lacks backbone. The camp has medical staff if there’s a genuine issue, which I doubt.’

I fell silent, my mind racing. Fighting Chris directly would only make things worse—I’d learned that lesson years ago. But sending Leo away now, when I was just beginning to understand what might be happening to him...

Unless the camp could actually be safer for him. Away from whatever—or whoever—was poisoning him.

‘What’s the name of this camp?’ I asked, my tone carefully neutral.

Chris seemed surprised by my sudden capitulation. ‘Northridge Tech Academy. It’s exclusive—only takes children from the highest-ranking families.’ He smirked. ‘I had to pull strings to get Leo in, given his... performance issues.’

I nodded slowly, as if considering. ‘Perhaps you’re right. A change of environment might be good for him.’

That night, as I tucked Leo into bed, I made him a silent promise. I would find out who was poisoning him and why. I would protect him, even if it meant going against everything I’d been raised to believe about duty and a Luna’s place.

And as I kissed his forehead, I noticed something that made my blood run cold—the silver lines in his veins had spread, now visible at his temples.

We were running out of time.