Chapter 126

I rushed to her side the moment I saw her sway.

“Mom, are you okay p>

Even him and the woman clinging to his arm went quiet. The room shifted. I could feel it the tension tightening like an invisible leash. His eyes showed concern. Hers flickered with unease, sharp and nervous.

Mom set the bowl down with careful hands. She pressed a palm to her chest, breathed slowly, then accepted the warm water Theo passed to her. She drank, steadying herself before she spoke.

“I’m fine,” she said softly. “It’s probably just the change of environment p>

It had been almost a month since she moved here. Any normal person would have adjusted by now. But my mother wasn’t just dealing with a new city. She was living on land that had never truly welcomed her.

When I first woke up in this body, I didn’t understand her story. I thought she was older. I was wrong.

Her life had been carved by other people’s choices from the very start.

She was barely eighteen, still new to university, when her father forced a bond on her. A political match. A pack decision. She didn’t get a say.

Grant hadn’t wanted it. So her father made sure there was no turning back. He drugged his own daughter under the excuse of a family meal. By morning, everything was ruined.

Grant believed she had planned it. That she had used her scent, her body, to trap him. He despised her from that day on. What he never knew was that her heart already belonged to someone else.

After that night, guilt crushed her. She broke things off with the man she loved and carried the shame alone. Then she found out she was pregnant.

Her father was thrilled. He pulled her out of school and pushed her straight into a binding ceremony with the Ashbournes.

From the beginning, Grant kept his distance. He stayed out late, reeking of bars and places, throwing his dominance around everywhere except at home. At first, it was revenge.

Then the other woman slid in quietly and stayed.

Later, everyone said she had saved his life during a pack conflict. That she lost her chance to bear children because of it. Grant never stopped feeling guilty. And guilt is a powerful chain.

The three of them settled into a twisted balance.

Mom never loved him. She stayed because she had to. She didn’t compete. Didn’t plead. Didn’t care enough to fight.

That gave the other woman all the space she needed to grow bold.

Mom was only thirty-nine this year. She took care of herself, carried herself with calm strength. People often mistook her for someone much younger.

And unlike that woman, my mother could still conceive.

That was the real fear.

Yenik clung to Lincy for one reason only no son had been born to inherit the pack business. If my mother became pregnant now, everything would shift. Power. Position. Future.

But my heart sank at the same thought.

If she was pregnant, breaking the bond would become much harder.

Grant kept staring at her. His gaze lingered too long, sharp and invasive.

“What are you looking at?” Mom snapped. “Never seen someone gag before p>

“Darling, are you “

“Yes,” she cut in. “I feel sick just looking at you and that woman. And you both had the nerve to walk in here uninvited, flaunting yourselves in front of me. It’s disgusting. Get out p>

They froze.

My mother had always been quiet. She never fought for attention. Never reacted to provocation. But something had changed after I died once in this body.

A mother’s instinct, once awakened, doesn’t sleep again.

She lifted the bowl, her grip steady. “Get out,” she warned. “Or I’ll throw this soup in your face p>

The steam curled thickly in the air. The heat was real.

The other woman went pale. She grabbed Grant’s hand and dragged him toward the door.

“Did you see her?” she cried. “My older sister…She’s completely unhinged p>

Mom laughed coldly. “Sister? My family doesn’t have anyone from such a low background. I’m ten years younger than you. By logic, you should be calling me aunt p>

It was the truth. She was older than Grant. Time just hadn’t been kind to her.

Her face tightened. Years of treatments, injections, desperate attempts to hold onto youth none of it could compete with my mother’s natural strength.

That single sentence struck exactly where it hurt most.

She clutched Grant’s arm, eyes red, voice shaking.

“Honey, how can she say something like that? No one gets to choose where they come from p>

I stood up slowly. The air around me felt tight, buzzing under my skin.

“Hey,” I said calmly, “before you start acting innocent, maybe take a look at yourself. Consider your age first p>

I turned to Grant and gave him a lazy smile. “You really gave up a woman like my mom for… this? Are you blind, or did your judgment rot along the way? You used to have better taste p>

Grant stiffened. He used to enjoy these games when he was younger, when it was all hidden behind closed doors. Now, with others watching, his pride couldn’t take it.

“How dare you speak to your father like that p>

I laughed softly. “Father? Did you ever raise me? If not for my mom’s patience, I would’ve driven you and your trash out the second you stepped inside p>

His face darkened. Lewis was still there, watching. Grant needed future alliances. He couldn’t afford to lose face.

He turned sharply to the woman and her daughter. “Go home. Don’t come back p>

“What?” she cried.

“Let’s go p>

Lincy scoffed, stomping her foot. “I don’t even care about this place p>

She stormed off. If I guessed right, she was heading straight to Yenik, desperate for answers.

I didn’t need to push. Reality was already closing in on her.

Grant straightened his clothes and turned to my mom like he expected praise.

“I sent them away. They won’t bother you again p>

My mom didn’t even look at him. “Do you think you’re any different? To me, you’re all the same. Get out p>

“Honey, the past was full of misunderstandings. The kids are here, you “

“Don’t touch me.” Her voice trembled. “You make me sick p>

She gagged.

This time, it was worse. She rushed toward the bathroom, and Grant followed, panicked.

My chest tightened. I looked at Lewis without realizing how close I’d moved to him.

“What if my mom is pregnant?” I asked quietly.

“Don’t worry about what hasn’t been confirmed,” he said. “We’ll take her for a checkup. Lakeland Hospital p>

I frowned. “The teaching hospital nearby is closer p>

Lakeland was farther. Private. Controlled.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at the message.

“Yenik took Camilla to the hospital p>

I understood instantly.

“Alright,” I said. “Lakeland Hospital p>

As we left, I spotted a white Porsche Panamera parked nearby. Lincy’s car.

Of course. She couldn’t stay away. She wanted to see the result with her own eyes.

Grant was unusually tense on the drive. He stayed close to my mom, hovering. She didn’t even look at him, her disgust clear.

Truthfully, Grant still looked decent for his age. Clean, sharp, well-kept. From the outside, he and my mom could’ve looked like a powerful pair.

But life doesn’t rewind.

“I’ll go in with her,” I said.

Grant waited outside the exam room.

We finished the blood test and waited. I held my mom’s hand.

“Mom… do you want this p>

She shook her head gently. “I don’t want any more ties to that man. But if it’s real… it’s still a life. I just hope it’s nothing serious p>

As we headed toward the ultrasound room, I saw Camilla walking out.

Yenik stood there, eyes bright, hand gripping her waist like she was already his claim.

“How’s my son?” he asked eagerly.

Camilla laughed. “It’s only been days. You already know it’s a boy p>

“I don’t care,” he said. “You have to give me a son. It’s my only chance p>

Before he could finish, a sharp scream cut through the hallway.

“You shameless b*tch p>

Lincy came out of nowhere and slapped Camilla hard across the face.

The sound echoed.

And just like that, the fragile balance shattered again.